Why does representation matter and how does it affect the community?
Understand the importance of representation, and how it can affect an individual, from a primary source!
Why does representation matter?
On an individual level, representation helps people to feel seen and understood. Humans are social beings, and connection helps us to grow and thrive.
I grew up my whole life without seeing people like me, a brown, LGBT woman, in games, in media or TV. My main hobby is gaming, a male dominated field, and I went onto university to study engineering, another male dominated field. A lack of people like me, meant a lack of opportunity. Whether this was professionally or casually. It was always harder to make friends and harder to connect with people, and when I did connect with people, they were fairly similar to me. It is difficult to imagine yourself where you never see anyone like you and leaves a feeling like you don't belong.
Representation for an individual, means being able to grow in those spaces, without fear of being different or disliked. It means different fields are diversified, and everything becomes more accessible. It can help someone feel seen, and feel like they belong.
How does a lack of representation affect the community?
Having a lack of representation can affect everyone, regardless of whether you are well represented or not. Representation offers a unique perspective into a situation, one that may not have been considered or even thought of by you before. Through this, we are able to learn about other cultures and see the world slightly differently, better understanding each other, and therefore become more open to these ideas.
When we lack this representation, a divide is created and much more prominent. People are not used to seeing or experiencing things a certain way, and those of us who do things differently, find it even harder to fit in or find space within the community. Examples of this include a lack of variety in women within games. This creates stereotypes, and leaves out those who do not fit into these boxes without anywhere meaningful to be within the gaming sphere.
Increasing representation means increasing acceptance for everyone.
