🌎 28. Representation in Our Film 🌎

     

        South Florida, probably one of the most diverse places on the east coast of the U.S., and we have tonssssss of representation here, lots of culture, and lots of nationalities & ethnicities. Both Rebecca and I are Hispanic and Latino, so with me being the actor, I'd prefer not to whitewash myself (lol). Argentineans often get made fun of for being the whitest South Americans due to our German, Italian, and Spanish background, so in another world, it could be a possibility that I might play as a typical white woman. However, I think it's just a lot easier to have our character stick with a Hispanic background, even though it truly doesn't matter much in our film.

    During one of our many text conversations, we discussed the idea of having our main character shown at work having a difficult time and seeming overwhelmed on her shift. I feel like it's very typical for children in Hispanic households to begin working working in their teen years - and from our personal experience (Rebecca has worked at a local restaurant and I've worked in catering, as well as my parent's cafe), we've obviously lived through it. 

    While in our Sophomore year, when Rebecca and I were constantly working at our jobs, we felt SOOOOO overwhelmed and ended up falling behind in a lot of our classes and it seemed nearly impossible to keep everything balanced. It felt like things were constantly piling on top of each other and we suffered horribly - I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy. But the truth is, nobody forced us to do it - not even our parents. I feel like there's just a strong urge to gain independence and finally have some financial freedom - and I also feel as though our main character is striving to be somewhat stable, but there's this invisible barrier blocking her from succeeding. I've experienced it myself several times and it feels nearly impossible to try and get yourself back out of that dark place, where it feels easier to just give up and let go of everything, despite the risks and trouble.

    Now onto the stereotype of our film: being a typical, messy, teenage girl. As seen in previous blog posts, when our main character walks into the bathroom to get ready, she has her makeup spilled EVERYWHERE. And in her bedroom she has clothes thrown across her floor and bras & underwear spilling out of her drawer. Both Rebecca and I fall into the stereotype of a messy girl that has a messy room like 70% of the time, ESPECIALLY when trying to pick out an outfit to wear (it's practically inevitable). I also feel like our main character's room is a perfect match for a girly character when considering the moody lighting and shelves - you'd probably be able to automatically tell upon walking in. 

    On the other hand, one way we're challenging representation in our film would be through the portrayal of frustration, laziness, and clothing. One idea that has been fairly popular nowadays in film (and shown through clips on TikTok - every teacher's favorite platform!) is the category of "female rage", where woman portray their true emotions without holding back and instead take it out through anger and bluntness. In one scene, I had the vision of including some shots of the main character entering her car, settling down in her driver's seat, resting her arms on the wheel, and have her screams be muffled to clearly show her frustration.

     I also feel like there's a stereotype where women or girls always have to keep their composure and are supposed to be mature (emotionally and organizational lol) compared to boys: they need to keep their rooms clean, their hair nice and neat, shouldn't show their anger, and shouldn't be slacking. I think we're challenging this by showing her "slump" in everyday life with her going through a phase of losing all of her motivation, which some people might not think is typical for a girl to completely lose herself and become a complete mess - but that's just reality. 

    Lastly, when it comes to the costuming and choice of clothing, we're kinda sorta challenging the idea of how a girl must always dress in a feminine way. While I believe that clothing shouldn't (and does not) have a gender attached to it, their is an idea that baggy clothes and hoodies are mostly associated with boys, whereas girls will wear somewhat tight and bright clothing. Just to remind you all, our character is seen having a messy bun, baggy ripped blue jeans, a baggy black hoodie, and no makeup. 

    So far, I feel like our character is pretty fine for the most part, but I might have another idea up my sleeve that I could possibly share with you guys in the future, but you'll have to stay tuned for my next blog post! I apologize for the super long blog post, but I felt like there was a lottttt to talk about here... see you guys on the next one <3