It’s very easy to fall into the mindset of #ownvoices. Today, I feel like people are much more critical, especially online. There can be a lot of backlash from the POC community or the LGBTQ+ community, who tear into characters or narratives and are completely blown out of proportion. Unfortunately, this is a result of mainstream white media and lack of representation, so that when there finally is a character, it’s easier to criticize their faults since there were few to begin with. As if to say, “We waited years to have a black Disney princess, and she’s a frog most of the movie?” Since Tiana is the only black princess, unlike the six other white Disney princesses, she can’t be a role model for the entire black community, and the backlash stems from a lack of representation, rather than appreciating that there is one to begin with.
I believe the key to writing about characters outside of your background, is to have their background, whether that be if they are disabled, a person of color, or queer, come second. Storytelling is only great when it tells a human experience, not just a black, white, Asian, indigenous, Hispanic etc experience. It’s the ability to make someone feel heard that does more justice than #ownvoices. If you tell the story right, then the next big step is to be accurate. Just like a documentarian or a reporter, you’re telling a story, and it’s important that you keep your facts straight and do your research. Sure, if you have an author of that background, then maybe they’ll be able to add layers to the story that appeals to a more personalized experience, but even they can’t speak for their entire background. One gay person can’t write for the entire lgbtq+ community, and this is why it’s important to have more and more stories.
One show that does this brilliantly is “This is Us”. There is no Asian person in their family, and simply walks the viewer through the life of a white and black family. But in this show, I have never felt more understood. I can relate to the black kid’s experience as a person of color, and someone adopted into a white family. I didn’t need the character to be Asian, because Randall, the character, was telling a story outside of himself. His story was there was an anxious kid who wanted to be perfect because if he wasn’t he wouldn’t be loved.
When the fantasy genre doesn’t focus on the handsome white knight saving the fair white princess, then the abilities to connect to any audience are limitless. If you were to tell a story about dragon people, then the only way an audience can relate to them is if they have very human experiences. In this case, you could have a story of a light-skinned dragon person feel ostracized by the purple-skinned dragon people, appealing to people who can relate to racial differences.
Elle the Warlock 