The Impact of Media Representation on Mental Health: Why It Matters

Impact of Representation in My Life

Representation in media can provide immense comfort, validation, and joy. The first time I felt truly seen within a piece of media was when I was eighteen years-old. I’ll never forget how incredible I felt. I became incredibly invested in the characters and storyline of this particular show. When it ended and the two leading women declared their love for one another, I was overjoyed. I watched the entire final season twice in one day because I could not get enough. I’d never understood what it meant to see myself on screen until that moment. After watching the show, my confidence in my identity increased tenfold. I wish for everyone to get that same experience. This blog post will dive deeper into the reality of representation in media and how it can impact one’s mental health, both positively and negatively.

The Role of Media in Shaping Perceptions

Media can influence all of us as we develop our perceptions of the world. It becomes a way to communicate social norms and values. Many of us have grown up seeing the traditional nuclear family portrayed on television because that is the familial model that is most normalized within Western culture. Subconsciously, many of us will adopt these ideas into our understanding of the world around us. Seeing the nuclear family on television so frequently may cause us to believe that is the “correct” way to have a family, which may lead to judgments against even our own families.

The things we see on television also impact our self-concept. For example, someone who sees themself in a character who is seen as friendly on TV may feel more confident as they build new friendships. Alternatively, we may build our self-concept by seeing characters behave in ways we do not agree with because it reminds us that we do not want to behave that way. You may notice parents of young children especially coaching their children around this by saying, “That wasn’t very nice,” or a similar comment. These influences can come from a wide range of media forms, including television, movies, books, social media, and the news.

Positive Impacts of Representation

Visibility and Validation

Seeing oneself in media can validate one’s identity and experiences. For example, it was very validating for me to see another lesbian character on television, because it reminded me of all that I am capable of. I could see elements of my own experience navigating my identity reflected to me through the character. Validation can be helpful for people of all marginalized groups, including queer people, people of color, people with disabilities, religious people, and transgender people. All of these groups tend to be underrepresented in media, so, when we can see ourselves, it can feel especially meaningful.

Role Models and Inspiration

Diversity in media often helps build role models for people in marginalized groups. Speaking from my own experience, at the time of watching this show, I was the only out lesbian person I knew. However, the characters in the show were able to give me an idea of what it meant to be a lesbian and of all that I could achieve. The showrunner also identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community. This information felt very empowering because it helped me recognize that I could find a place to belong in any career I could dream of. 

These experiences can be shared across forms of media. With the rise of social media stardom, it has become much easier to find meaningful representation. Many creators are sharing everyday experiences based on their cultural background and interests, helping others feel seen and heard.

Social Awareness and Empathy

Representation can also largely impact people’s social awareness and empathy towards different experiences. Media can help educate viewers about the realities surrounding racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism. People can then take what they saw on screen and approach real-world situations with the understanding that many people experience that level of discrimination regularly, leading to increased empathy towards others’ experiences.

I recently shared a movie with my family members that follows a woman coming to terms with her sexuality while in high school. It prompted a very open and honest discussion about how I felt when coming out and the kinds of comments I endured at that time. It was a relief to be able to share and be heard, and my family members may not have asked if we had not watched that movie together.

Negative Impacts of Poor Representation

Stereotypes and Misrepresentation

One potential problem with representation is that it is not always well-executed. Many shows and movies resort to negative, harmful stereotypes that perpetuate harmful beliefs about marginalized groups. Additionally, many shows may include people of color and queer characters, but they do not have that same level of representation in the writer's room, leading to unfulfilling storylines that do not fit in with the real-life experiences within those groups. Quality representation takes a lot of effort, but telling these stories well creates innumerable benefits for the viewers who need to see themselves.

Underrepresentation and Invisibility

Being underrepresented or invisible in media can feel very painful. It’s isolating to grow up hearing friends discuss which Disney princess looks most like them, only to have nobody who looks like you. This can impact one’s self-image, making them question whether they are not good enough to be represented, and why the dominant culture does not care to acknowledge and celebrate their existence. This can lead to challenges regarding identity formation, as well, because we often recognize ourselves when we see our attitudes, characteristics, and personalities represented back to us.

Moving Forward – Improving Representation

Inclusive Storytelling

Moving forward, it is incredibly important to continue to make room for inclusive storytelling within mainstream media. It is valuable to have a wide rane of stories out there for us all to enjoy. It is equally important to seek out representation of your own experiences as to seek out representation of others’ experiences in order to facilitate deeper levels of empathy and care. In order to promote inclusivity, it may be valuable to share media that is important to you with friends and family and to encourage them to do the same. This can help show television networks and other execustives that diversity is valued. 

Challenging Stereotypes

Moving forward, it will continue to be necessary to watch out for stereotypes in media and to applaud shows that challenge stereotypes in meaningful ways. It is important to seek out representation that truly speaks to people’s experiences, and anything that relies on harmful stereotypes is often unsuccessful at best and actively harmful at worst. Therefore, all creatives must work diligently to create media that exists beyond these painful stereotypes.

Conclusion

To recap, meaningful representation can have a number of important benefits in helping someone understand their identity, building visibility, providing role models, and improving overall social awareness. However, some representation can be harmful, especially when it relies too heavily on stereotypes or ignores some identities entirely. Moving forward, it will be important to build more inclusive, meaningful stories. We all deserve to feel seen.

If you are struggling with feeling invisible in your identity, it may be helpful to speak about the lack of validation and visibility with a trained mental health therapist. Our team of BIPOC therapists are trained with incredible levels of cultural competence and humility, allowing you to bring your full self into all sessions. We offer BIPOC therapy and LGBTQ+ therapy to help ensure you’re getting the help that is best for you. Book a free fifteen-minute consultation today.