I don't think you guys are getting it.

A Thread on Representation: what it feels like to see yourself on screen, its impact, and the importance of good representation in media.

Disclaimer: I can't speak for all POC. While I'm Asian-American, my experiences are not the same as someone who is Black, Latinx, Native, etc. My opinions and thoughts are based off of what I went through while growing up in the USA.

When I was little, I lived in an area where I was one of two Asian kids who lived in my neighborhood. The Disney Princesses I saw on screen did not look like me. The cartoons I watched had characters who had blonde/brunette hair and blue/green eyes.

When I watched movies in preschool, the people on screen were, to be blunt, all White. I did not see anyone who represented me.

When Mulan first came out, I was happy. Of course, at that time, I did not know the many faults behind the movie in regards to Asian representation, but as far as my 7 year old self could tell, there was a girl who looked like me. Who fought, was smart, and had a love interest.

As I grew older, I found a rise in Asian actors/actresses on screen, and more Asian characters. Unfortunately, they all had one similarity: stereotypes. I saw a pattern of Asian nerds, the dorks, the "losers" at school, or on the flip side, the ABGs, the "cool Asians".

While this was going on, I was struggling with my identity as an Asian girl living in the USA. I was constantly told by my peers that being Asian was negative - that my facial features were ugly, my accent was weird, and my food was smelly or disgusting.

So, when you combine this with how I saw myself in media, I did not like being Asian in elementary and middle school (and part of high school). I felt embarrassed and ashamed of my own ethnicity. I tried to stray away from my own culture and "become more white".

Representation is not just slapping an "Asian" sticker on a character and calling it a day. You must give depth to your characters, a voice, and consider stereotypes and our experiences.

If an Asian person cannot tell whether a character is Asian, then you must realize this error and fix it. For example, She-ra gave amazing LGBTQ+ rep, and it is an important show to watch during this time. However, I wish the creators made it more obvious as to who was POC.

I could not tell that Glimmer was an Asian character until I encountered a Tumblr post one month ago. I had no idea that Scorpia was half Asian until now, when I searched up the ethnic coding of each She-Ra character.

In addition, ATLA and LOK, while it took a step in the right direction on Asian representation, still has many faults in regards to South Asian and South East Asian rep. Guru Pathik is a caricature made up of Indian stereotypes. The Vietnamese characters are literally swamp men.

The reason why there is an outrage towards white actors and actresses being allowed to audition for ATLA and LOK, regardless of whether it is a rumor or not, is because we are frustrated.

We are used to Hollywood not giving a fuck about Asian people. We are tired of seeing the Asian nerds and ABGs and "weirdos" on screen. We are angry, because for once, there was a chance that Asians could be seen in a slightly more positive light.

And I'm seeing people tweet "Bryke would have also white washed the characters too!" and honestly? Maybe they would have. My expectations were already low. However, the representation of BIPOC is not just an "ATLA problem". It is a racism problem.

When BIPOC are angry because of how they are perceived in media, do not silence us. We are speaking out against a system that has wronged us for a majority of our life.

I know it is hard for you to understand, because you had no worries as to whether you would be represented on screen or not, but please listen to us. Try to figure out where we're coming from.

We want people to listen.