fb

Activity

  • Corine replied to the topic Let’s talk about representation! in the forum Characters 6 years, 1 month ago

    This is such an interesting (and important!) discussion.

    I am a massive proponent for representation and diversity and to be honest I think it’s ridiculous that we’re now in 2020 and it’s still noteworthy if a character is ‘diverse.’ At the same time, I do agree with what’s already been said about forced diversity – both that it is a good means by which to actually finally see some diversity in our books, but also that it must be handled correctly. I think it’s usually quite obvious when ‘diversity’ is thrown in just for the sake of a better blurb, and hasn’t been properly researched.

    Something that really bothers me in contemporary fiction mostly (as @pensword and @phoenix have mentioned) is the romanticism of mental health problems like depression or anxiety. Firstly, an inaccurate portrayal is insulting to people who actually struggle with it, but also it seems like these days books, and TV shows in particular, will use mental health problems as a mechanism for romance (which can be dangerous in reality) or prestige (which puts these disorders on a pedestal where they should not be).

Pin It on Pinterest