It’s Vital That The Media Landscape Feature Diverse Representations

This past December, Disney released a trailer for their new film Encanto that features a Colombian family with magical powers.

As someone whose family is from Colombia, I cried after watching the trailer. It’s rare to find a positive representation of any Latino country in the media landscape. 

Although I live in Miami—a melting pot for the Latino community—I found it hard to relate to others throughout my childhood. People I knew had family in the United States for years and only spoke English at home. 

My mother moved from Quindio to the U.S. in 1997 and my father came from Bogota in 2000. To this day, they know little English so throughout my childhood I spoke Spanish with them. I recall seeing English-speaking families at Disney World and wishing my family was like theirs.

I always felt like the odd one out and the media did not help. 

The things I was surrounded by during my youth—dolls, television, films and eventually social media—showcased women of fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. Ten-year-old me didn’t like my skin color so I constantly asked for sunscreen to prevent getting any darker and I was disappointed when my complexion got tanner anyway.

It wasn’t until years later that I learned to love the color of my skin and heritage. 

According to an article from PBS, portrayals of minorities in the media not only affect how others see them but also how they see themselves. When the media fails to portray a positive representation of a minority group, viewers only associate that group in a negative light. This leads children to grow up with internalized racism.

When I saw the trailer for Encanto, I could only think about my inner child. I’m happy to see my culture in a Disney film, to see a child that looks like me and a family just like mine. Most importantly, I’m thankful that Colombians and other Latinos are finally getting some positive recognition. 

With the release of Encanto, I see hope for the future of equal representation in the media. I feel like every Latino or Hispanic country deserves the same recognition. It’s long overdue.