Supanova and the importance of representation & diversity
This past weekend, I had the great privilege of being able to visit Supanova (which is Australia's version of Comic-Con). (Who knows why Australia can't have a proper Comic-Con, I think we're just special snowflakes (that melt as soon as the sun comes up)).
I literally had the best time ever. I spent a good deal of my time wandering around the convention centre in a daze, amazed at all the costumes, stores, and sheer amount of nerds like me in a small space. (I kind of wanted to go around hugging people, but that may have ended with a few Wonder Women stabbing me and the Hulk body slamming me into a comic stand.) (By the way, I went as Agent Peggy Carter from Captain America and looked fabulous the entire time.)
You guys know me, you know how important representation and diversity in the media is to me. I was amazing at how many people wandering around weren't your typical young white male. There were so many women (I couldn't believe how many jewellery stores there were) and people in wheel chairs/had other disabilities, people of colour, or people sporting rainbow capes. (I complimented a Cinderella on her beautiful dress who was wheeled around the convention.) I had never been to something like this, and had always assumed it was more of a straight white guy thing. (I know, I know. I don't get out much. (To be fair, I live in a very small town.)) (I was really impressed by how many guys cross-dressed. That's got to be a brave thing to do. (They all looked fabulous, though.))
I was so excited to see a bunch of Black Panther costumes. Anyone who had dark skin was sporting a Black Panther suit, and I saw one amazing looking Queen of Wakanda. There was a Maori man who had dressed as Maui and a few Polynesian women who dressed as Kida from Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
On the other hand, I was disappointed in how few disabled people wore costumes. This isn't a judgement on those people, more a judgement on the media as a whole. While there were a plethora of characters for me as a white woman to chose from, I can think of literally one character in a wheelchair. Granted, Professor X is awesome, but a little bit of choice would have been nice.
It's vital for us to see ourselves reflected in the media and in the movies we love. A lack of representation makes us feel as though we don't exist, as though we aren't important enough for others to acknowledge our stories. In recent years, representation for me has improved but we always have room to grow.
We are powerful. We are important. And we deserve our stories to be told.
I literally had the best time ever. I spent a good deal of my time wandering around the convention centre in a daze, amazed at all the costumes, stores, and sheer amount of nerds like me in a small space. (I kind of wanted to go around hugging people, but that may have ended with a few Wonder Women stabbing me and the Hulk body slamming me into a comic stand.) (By the way, I went as Agent Peggy Carter from Captain America and looked fabulous the entire time.)
You guys know me, you know how important representation and diversity in the media is to me. I was amazing at how many people wandering around weren't your typical young white male. There were so many women (I couldn't believe how many jewellery stores there were) and people in wheel chairs/had other disabilities, people of colour, or people sporting rainbow capes. (I complimented a Cinderella on her beautiful dress who was wheeled around the convention.) I had never been to something like this, and had always assumed it was more of a straight white guy thing. (I know, I know. I don't get out much. (To be fair, I live in a very small town.)) (I was really impressed by how many guys cross-dressed. That's got to be a brave thing to do. (They all looked fabulous, though.))
I was so excited to see a bunch of Black Panther costumes. Anyone who had dark skin was sporting a Black Panther suit, and I saw one amazing looking Queen of Wakanda. There was a Maori man who had dressed as Maui and a few Polynesian women who dressed as Kida from Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
On the other hand, I was disappointed in how few disabled people wore costumes. This isn't a judgement on those people, more a judgement on the media as a whole. While there were a plethora of characters for me as a white woman to chose from, I can think of literally one character in a wheelchair. Granted, Professor X is awesome, but a little bit of choice would have been nice.
It's vital for us to see ourselves reflected in the media and in the movies we love. A lack of representation makes us feel as though we don't exist, as though we aren't important enough for others to acknowledge our stories. In recent years, representation for me has improved but we always have room to grow.
We are powerful. We are important. And we deserve our stories to be told.
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