https://twitter.com/xtiandela/status/757431596609855488
Growing up, I have constantly glued to shows on “Nickelodeon” and “Disney Channel;” these shows taught and promoted lessons on good character, kindness, and family. While those are all important lessons for children to learn, there are a few things that these shows did not discuss. These shows were incredibly heteronormative; they only had straight people and opposite-sex relationships. There was the occasional person of colour, but the main characters were always white, and the people of colour were often just backgrounded characters or antagonists. For example, one of my favourite shows was Hannah Montana. In this show the main character was white, her best friends were white, all of her boyfriends were white, nearly everyone she interacted with was white; the only people of colour who were regularly featured were the two “mean girls” of the show.
With the new Disney era, one popular children’s show is KC Undercover, this show features Zendaya, a young black actress who openly speaks out on human rights and cultural appropriation, as the main character of the show. In the show, her family is a well of black family, which also breaks stereotypes. Not only does this show increase diversity among “Disney Channel,” but it also gives young black girls a role model who looks like them.
Another children’s show that has been breaking the mould is The Loud House, a cartoon about a young boy. Recently this show debuted a frequent character’s parents. Clyde was going over to his friend Lincoln’s house to spend the night and was walked up to the door by his parents, a gay married couple. The couple is greeted by Lincoln saying, “Hi Mr Mcbright, Hi Mr Mcbright.” (I will attach a link to this clip above) This is promoting inclusion in a way that has never been done by a children’s show before. It is not only normalizing homosexual relationships, but it also is showing that some children have two dads or two moms.
Yes, these channels are getting much better with promoting equality and diversity among younger audiences, but there still are steps that need to be taken, and that is including people of colour and LGBT+ people more often. However, many people feel this day is coming because of shows like KC Undercover and The Loud House.
