Representation Lesson

  In The Vampire Diaries, my favorite TV show, the two characters with the most distinct representation are Bonnie Bennett and Jeremy Gilbert. Bonnie is a black teenage girl living in a mostly-white community whose family line is all witches. She gains a lot of character development throughout the series, but a lot of construction and stereotypes stay the same throughout. The three traits I listed before contribute to how her entire character is portrayed in this show. Jeremy is a teen boy with a more alternative style than his peers who goes through a range of changes throughout the seasons. The selection and exoticizing of his character are constantly carried out, not allowing a full insight into how he is underneath other's perspectives of him.

    While Bonnie Bennett goes through some changes maturity-wise, her personality doesn't grow as much as other characters. Because she is a witch, when she is shown on screen, the music pitches lower and the lighting usually fades darker. She's always shown in somebody's shadow which a lot of the time is also a stereotype when it comes to black girls. Sadly, they are often cast as the main character's best friend and nothing more. This leads me to stereotypes displayed in her character. Her family line of witches is obviously also black since they're related, and being witches sets them as outcasts. For this reason, a lot of the family members aren't very trusted by the characters they interact with and are often lied to and called crazy or insane for claiming to be witches. The media unfortunately also views people of color as being untrustworthy, leading me to assume that the cast of African American women for the witches had intentional meaning behind it.

    Similarly, Jeremy Gilbert is a side character often put in an overly depressive light because his style puts him in the box of a sad teenage boy who only resorts to drugs. While Jeremy is shown with opportunities for love interests, he repeatedly does something to mess it up before much happens. It's almost as if the selection of traits shown of him says that he's incapable of love because he has none for himself. While most likely not true, Jeremy is only ever shown on screen in his lowest moments. The exoticizing of the fact that he was a plug is also wrongly overused because he has depressive and suicidal issues. The show, specifically in the first season, has heavy changes and deaths that stemmed from Jeremy's drug problem and would not focus on any other part of him. It's almost implying that teens like Jeremy who have an emo style and are in a dark place can only resort to drug use. 

Bonnie Bennett:

Jeremy Gilbert: