With hundreds of minority groups who face unfair treatment worldwide, positive representation is very important. It creates a place where these minority groups feel seen, safe, and appreciated. Although some authors try to create positive representation, they accidentally end up supporting harmful stereotypes. The more negativity and harmful ideas we can eliminate, the better. In this article, I will be explaining the importance of positive representation as well as how to include it in your writing without it feeling “performative” or forced.
The Importance of Positive Representation
Positive representation in literature is beneficial to people of all different ages and backgrounds. According to Albert Bandura’s “the father of self-efficacy theory,” if you see successful people who share your religion, skin color, gender identity, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, etc. it may motivate you to be successful like them. Many people would somewhat agree with this theory. Sometimes seeing someone similar to you accomplish things proves to you that you can also accomplish things. Positive representation not only gives people motivation to achieve things and is inspiring, but also shows that anyone can do great things.
In many situations, becoming successful can be difficult due to harmful stereotypes. An example of this is landlords not providing housing to people of color because of the stereotype that they can be “dangerous”. Another example is an employer denying someone with mental health issues a job because of the stereotype that they’re “unreliable”. Neither of these are true for everyone fitting into either category, and are extremely harmful. In some situations, these stereotypes can limit opportunities and even make it difficult for people to live comfortably. This is why making sure representation is positive is very important. If groups are represented in negative ways, some people are likely to form negative opinions about those groups. Along with this, groups are often represented incorrectly or in unrealistic ways.
How to Add Positive Representation
Do your research. Researching about groups you’re including in your writing is very important. Research can help you learn about a group’s culture and what they experience daily, which can both benefit writing and add positive representation. Some of the best sources you can find are actual opinions from people in the groups you’re writing about. Oftentimes, I try to find blogs or speak to people of minority groups in person for their opinion. A resource I have found useful is the Writers Helping Writers Blog, especially the “stereotypes” and “diversity” section. Please note, I do not gain any commission from sharing this link.
Make your writing realistic. Exaggerating traits of characters can support harmful stereotypes, so instead try to include representation while keeping it at a realistic level. Oftentimes exaggeration of traits is paired with a harmful stereotype. An example of these used together is LGBTQ+ men being extremely feminine. The stereotype being that the men are feminine, and it being exaggerated. To do this you can introduce different traits depending on what makes sense in the situation. For example, you could show how a character is affected by stereotypes when they are relevant or brought up in the story, but not make it their whole personality. You can also add nuance to your writing by showing how characters behave differently based on their background. You want to show what people of different groups experience, but not make it unrealistic.
Give characters their own identities. Although multiple people from the same group may share traits, they’re all individuals with their own identities. The key is to show both of these in a character.
Treat groups equally. Making groups different from each other is important, and creates diversity. But, sometimes people are biased towards one group. You should try to create diversity between groups, while still remaining unbiased and treating all groups fairly.
Avoid using stereotypes. Whether a stereotype is positive or negative, it still has harmful impacts. Many stereotypes lead to untrue opinions about groups. Also, stereotypes support the idea that everyone in a group is the same, despite the fact that everyone has their own unique identities. Typically, you can tell if something is a stereotype by seeing if it generalizes a group, puts high standards or negative ideations on a group, or makes assumptions about a group. Many people believe in stereotypes without intending to. Stereotypes are everywhere, and are nearly impossible to avoid. In fact, some individuals from minority groups have stereotypes about their own group because they’re so common. You can still try to help with the issue by trying to only seek out true information. An especially effective way to do this is to get information from people of minority groups themselves, which leads me to the next point.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Never be afraid to ask someone from a minority group questions regarding how they’re represented and involve them directly as editors and/or alpha/beta readers in your work. Many people would be happy to answer your question, and appreciate that you’re sincerely trying to make a difference.
Overall, positive representation benefits everyone, if done right. The most important thing when trying to achieve this, is to remain respectful, be sincere, and work hard to get it right.
As long as we all work together to create more non-stereotyped representation, develop well-rounded characters from diverse cultural backgrounds, and remove negativity regarding certain social groups, we can make a difference.
I hope this article helped you to go on about how to do this, and help make a difference.
References
Jagoo, Krystal. “The Importance of Representation in Books.” Verywell Mind, 23 Jan. 2023, www.verywellmind.com/the-importance-of-representation-5076060. Accessed Oct. 2023.
Elbaba, Rawan. “Why On-Screen Representation Matters, according to These Teens.” PBS NewsHour, 14 Nov. 2019, www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/why-on-screen-representation-matters-according-to-these-teens. Accessed Oct. 2023.
Lambert, Karis. “Why Representation Matters.” Moorepay, 7 Feb. 2023, www.moorepay.co.uk/blog/why-representation-matters/#:~:text=With%20a%20lack%20of%20representation. Accessed Oct. 2023.
Ackerman, Angela. “Representation in Literature: Why It’s Important & How to Handle It.” WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®, 10 Oct. 2018, writershelpingwriters.net/2018/10/representation-in-literature-why-its-important-and-how-to-handle-it/. Accessed Oct. 2023.
Kaufman, Neal. “Seeing the Success of Others Makes Us More Likely to Succeed | Canary Health.” Canary Health, www.canaryhealth.com/seeing-success-of-others-social-modeling-neal/#:~:text=According%20to%20Albert%20Bandura%2C%20the. Accessed Nov. 2023.
“How Do You Avoid Stereotyping People?” Www.linkedin.com, 7 Sept. 2023, www.linkedin.com/advice/0/how-do-you-avoid-stereotyping-people-skills-critical-thinking#learn-about-other-cultures-and-groups. Accessed Nov. 2023.
Drew, Chris. “The 9 Types of Stereotypes (a Guide for Students).” Helpfulprofessor.com, 18 Oct. 2023, helpfulprofessor.com/types-of-stereotypes/. Accessed Nov. 2023.
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