The Importance of Diversity in the Media
I am not going to preach on about feminism or woman’s rights because, as a male, I do not feel I can comment or argue my point on behalf of women as I can never understand what it feels like to be misrepresented due to being a woman. As a minority, however, I understand where this debate is coming from. I think the main point that advocates for a female Doctor are trying to make is that it is all about equal representation. How can a young girl aspire to be or play the heroic Doctor when they are always represented by a man? Should the young girl only ever aspire to be the Doctor’s companion?
If a gay male actor of mixed race played a character on TV then, perhaps, I would feel that I could connect to them more than an old, white male for example. And that is what is important when portraying people in the media. The world is full of such a diverse range of people from so many backgrounds and life experiences – why are we not celebrating this diversity and representing everyone equally? This is especially important for a child and their development. Being able to connect to the wider world, as a child, and not feel like the “sidekick”, the “token friend”, or the underrepresented minority is (I believe) necessary for a child to grow up mentally healthy. It is about being able to confidently dress up as your favourite Disney Princess without someone pointing out that Cinderella wasn’t Hispanic or that Batman was never Asian. By diversifying the media, you open up to a wider audience who feel like they can connect with your TV show, movie, video game, etc.
Maybe this is the point that many critics of the casting are missing. From what I can see, most complainers are men. They are used to having the heroic Doctor played by a male so how will that “masculine” character be challenged when the role is played by a woman? Perhaps this will allow young girls to confidently pretend to be the Doctor when playing with friends, perhaps it will enable young girls to grow up knowing that they do not have to be second best to their male peers and serve only as a “companion”. It could also inspire young actresses to aim to be the Doctor one day. How a 900 year old alien who regenerates and travels through time is more acceptable and believable than a woman playing that alien I will never understand. I think the whole debate is a bit unnecessary and people should be more open to Whittaker becoming the Doctor as it will put a twist on the show and perhaps open the show up to more exciting adventures. In my opinion, the show does need some shaking up because it has become almost impossible to watch due to terrible storylines and rehashing of old episodes. The whole debate surrounding the show is something that should not need to be had but, sadly, is one that is clearly needed in order to wake people up about equality. The fact that people have a genuine issue with the casting and are going to let it spoil the show for them only reveals the ignorance and misogyny that is still present in society.
Another show which I heard about recently is called SheZow. The IMDb synopsis of the show describes it as “the adventures of a boy bonded to a magic ring that turns him into a female superhero”. When I first heard about the show I was greatly surprised because it would have been one that I would have watched and loved as a child – basically because it just sounds fabulous. In all seriousness, however, I think this type of show is very important, particularly for young LGBT people. The show shines light on gender expression and could be beneficial to a child’s understanding of gender. I have still to watch the show in full but I have seen clips of it and it looks like a classic kids' TV show, but with a twist. I guess it shows that the strong and brave superhero does not have to be a male but can be female too. On the other hand, critics could argue that the hero, although outwardly female, is actually a male in original form so the hero is still male. It gets a bit murky here so I am not going to get into that debate. I just see it as a younger version of RuPaul’s Drag Race! Well, kind of.
The point I’m trying to make is that by representing the diversity that exists in the human race in the media, then you are making everyone feel like they are important and worth representing. No longer will there be an idealisation of the Western world and Western culture or feelings that minorities are only suitable for certain (often minor, stereotyped) roles. I think this is something that is getting better as time goes on but there are still a lot of issues needing fixed before full, equal representation will be achieved.
For me, it is mainly about ensuring children have role models they can relate to represented in the media which may eliminate this culture of a certain type or look being seen as superior or better. It could also be an educational tool for those people in the majority as they will be able to learn and see different ways of life instead of relying on stereotypes, rumours, or hearsay. It is something I can personally relate to and I do not think it is a conscious thing that goes through the mind of a child when watching TV. However, looking back, I can see that I could have benefited from seeing mixed race, non-heteronormative people in the media – even just to let me know that "the other" exists outside of stereotypes; "the other" is a person too.
To end this post I will say this, if you are a fan of Doctor Who and are feeling unsure about the new casting, just give it a chance. It is the same as when any actor takes on the role of the Doctor. I loved the show during David Tennant's and Matt Smith's stints but, unfortunately, was not the biggest fan of Peter Capaldi's Doctor – however, I put this largely due to the poor writing and storylines. A female Doctor will bring a breath of fresh air to the show and we should accept Whittaker with excitement and optimism rather than pessimism. You never know, Whittaker could be the best Doctor yet!
I think you miss something really important here. More than the fact that the Doctor is now becoming a woman, it’s the way it has been announced which really took people by surprise, and it was violent. When you try to make a revolution, because it is, at least tell people what to expect if you you really wanna avoid defensive reactions.
ReplyDeleteThe reality here is that nobody knew if the new Doctor would be a man or a woman when Jodie Whittaker was announced. And I believe this is the main problem here. If BBC had announced previously that the next doctor would be for sure a woman, then introducing Jodie would have been less a surprise, and more pleasurable. It would have gone smoother.
But the way they did it, was like droping a bomb in the water and trying to do damage control with the waves.
Worst handling ever
Thank you for your insight and I totally understand your point of view. I guess the BBC just wanted to keep it a total surprise which obviously upset people. I'm not sure if they've always confirmed that the Doctor would be played by a male in previous regenerations but maybe I'm wrong.
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