#meeting a quota

[girl4music]

REPRESENTATION ANXIETY AND WHY IT’S BAD FOR ACTUALLY PROVIDING REPRESENTATION / WHAT CONSTITUTES AS REAL REPRESENTATION / WHY ITS IMPORTANT IN TV ART/ENTERTAINMENT

Ever heard of the phrase “representation anxiety” when it comes to TV art/entertainment? No, I haven’t just made it up: it’s a real thing/a real concept. It’s something that’s only come up recently actually. See representation - especially when it comes to sexuality/identity/gender - is all over the place now. Therefore it’s nowhere near as restricted/limited as it used to be when writing and producing TV art/entertainment. And so representation is often made a “quota” in the TV art/entertainment landscape now. Creators are encouraged and expected to include it somewhere - usually for selfish reasons - a means of getting more or better ratings (i.e. making more money/gaining more power/success/fame) by the studios, networks or streaming services/companies. It’s a literal quota to meet as if in the business of sales - because technically it is about sales. And so there is an anxiety surrounding providing that representation and meeting that quota of representation by creators in TV art/entertainment. And this anxiety is a pressure and when pressure is involved in creating art/entertainment, things go wrong very quickly out of sloppiness, carelessness, laziness, ignorance. The anxiety is so strong that there is a loss of focus.

Now anybody that suffers with anxiety knows why this is. It’s because you’re so focused on and worrying about and overthinking what makes you anxious that you lose sight of everything else that’s important. In context of creating art/entertainment this means the quality of your writing/producing starts to decline because you neglect the storytelling aspect to focus entirely on the representation aspect - and so representation now becomes something you’re forcing and contriving into your art/entertainment rather than letting it flow and ebb naturally and organically. Plot and character narrative/theme or arc takes second place to making sure you show that gay/queer couple doing gay/queer things as much as possible without a foundation for why or how. Whether it makes sense, is logical, feels realistic or even is at the right place and time for it. All that takes a backseat. All the detail, all the nuance, all the substance just gets sucked out completely in favour of meeting that fucking quota you’re pressured to meet by the higher-ups at the studio/network/company who could not give a shit about your work - what it provides, what it teaches - when or where. They’re not gonna watch it. Executives very rarely ever watch the media they greenlight for production unless they absolutely have to because it’s failing so they can sus out why they believe it might be failing. It’s not for any kind of genuine support or help or in solidarity for your passions, your ambitions, your heart. They don’t care about any of that unfortunately. Creative ideas and decisions don’t matter to them unless those creative ideas and decisions make bank. So you’re not doing yourself or anyone else that cares any favours by forcing and contriving representation. By being so anxious about it that you’ve lost your focus. I get it. It’s not easy when it’s a major project. When there’s people watching you do what you do. But the thing is is representation is not proper or genuine representation if it’s just put in there for the sake of it. When there’s no rhyme or reason behind it. And I’ve watched a lot of TV art/entertainment where this is unfortunately the case. Where I can tell that it’s just a quota to meet and isn’t giving me anything substantial or real. I almost immediately pick that up. Sometimes it’s in a really selfish way like with queerbaiting - which by the way - you can queerbait a canon textual couple just as much as you can non-canon subtextual ones because if your couple is not proper/genuine gay/queer representation anyway… then it’s going to come across very queerbait-y because of all the forced sexual intimacy and then no context behind why or how it happens - no communication between the characters - no aftermath, no set up, no emotional connection, no chemistry - no realism or depth. It’s going to seem like an act - which obviously it is - but your viewers aren’t supposed to think or feel that way. It’s supposed to be convincing, it’s supposed to be well written and performed to the point where it looks and feels real. That’s when representation really works. When the viewers watching are fully immersed or engaged in what’s happening on the screen that they feel things. That’s guaranteed not to happen when it’s forced in.

Here’s the deal. Communication and connection. If you can show this happening between the characters both when it’s in a sexual context and when it’s not - then you’ve got something substantial with which to build on. The main problem with forced or contrived representation is that there is no foundation for it. It just comes out of nowhere. It just happens randomly. There’s no slow burn or anything even remotely close to any genuine connection or attraction or love between the characters that you force into a romantic/sexual relationship. It lacks everything that makes it stand up and holds it up. It lacks foundation.

I personally tend to gravitate towards slow burn and friends-to-lovers or even enemies-to-lovers situations and tropes in TV art/entertainment because there is rich history there between the characters where it actually seems probable and even appropriate for them to develop into romance. You can see and feel the chemistry radiating off of them, the intensity, the longing, the passion - in more than just a sexual way. There’s deep emotions and feelings there that drive the attraction the characters have for one another. I very rarely see that anymore in TV art/entertainment. And I understand the reason why this is - it’s time constraints mostly and it’s not the fault of creators. But that doesn’t make it any easier for me to watch it. I can’t justify watching, supporting and shipping a couple or a relationship just out of time constraints because that makes me feel fake and obligatory and yeah - that’s not something I wish to feel in watching TV art/entertainment. I want my experience to be genuine and real just as much as I want the characters and their relationship to be genuine and real. I’ll be honest - I don’t watch pure romance or love stories because if that’s the only thing that piece of art/entertainment is for or about - it does feel very fake. My niche is action/fantasy/drama because there’s more going on with the individual characters - they have individual stories, arcs, developments and those don’t take away from the romance or love story. Actually,… it tends to help it and cultivate it because if the individual characters feel real and fleshed out, probably, very likely, the relationship also will too because all of the individual detail informs the coupling detail. You see? This gives it foundation.

Xena and Gabrielle are my most favourite gay/queer relationship of all-time despite them not even being textually canon - as in they were never confirmed as canon lovers or a canon couple in the TV show itself. They actually couldn’t be. I’ve gone into the reasons why this is many times before so I won’t talk about it in this post. Anyway, there is a reason why they are and still remain my favourite and honestly the best representation of any romance or love story - gay/queer or otherwise - that I’ve ever since in TV art/entertainment. The reason why is because they’re main characters that have a lot of focus on their individual representation and development each and all of that builds incredibly solid foundation for what becomes their “non-canon” romance and love story. And in every way where it actually matters,… it is what a depiction of a romance or love story should be. This TV show is action/fantasy/drama with some comedy thrown in here and there. It’s truly the most insane, farcical, campy shit ever - but THEY FEEL REAL. They communicate, they emotionally connect, they declare their love, they kiss, they get married, they behave as domestic, they have a baby… Even though they’re not confirmed as a main-textual canon couple in it, they are exactly what representation for romantic/sexual relationships should be in TV art/entertainment today! And because IT’S NOT… that’s why it is still THE BEST. Them being my favourite is a subjective obviously, but yeah, they are genuinely objectively the best representation there is in TV art/entertainment because they’re a same-sex main protagonist couple. Both of them. Not one a main character and the other a supporting/recurring character. Both of them are THE ONLY main protagonists all throughout the entirety of the show. 6 SEASONS length of a show. And their romance/love story is a major storyline. It’s not a textually canon romance/love story, but it plays out exactly like one regardless of the “non-canonity”. So it doesn’t matter. It does not matter whatsoever. Now here’s the problem with watching this show in this day and age where representation is expected. It can come across as queerbaiting that there is so much ‘will they-won’t they’ subtext. I hate queerbaiting with a searing passion. I think it’s the worst thing that we have to put up with in TV art/entertainment in a queer narrative. So trust me when I say that what it may initially look like you - it isn’t. Again, I’ve explained why many times before so I’m not gonna go into it here. But give this show a chance. Seriously, give it a chance. It is an EPIC love story.

I’ll leave this post off by saying that representation anxiety is awful and I do understand the pressure but I cannot support representation that’s forced and contrived. Not when I’ve had a life-changing experience where I’ve gotten so much better and where I know what real representation looks/feels like.

This is not an order. It’s a request.

Do better because representation anxiety is ruining what should be amazing influential art/entertainment that people can really learn from and be inspired by every day that they watch/interact with/engage in your creation be it in whatever format - but it’s especially important in a television/visual format because people look into it and see themselves in it. They would get a sense who they are and what their purpose is through watching this TV show or movie or video with characters that can mean so much to them that have a relationship between them that can be seen or interpreted as a romantic/sexual love story and you have to provide the foundation and honesty and the substance for it to be real representation. Meeting a quota is not worth it and it’s not enough.

If you want to know what you should be aiming for and attempting to achieve instead… it’s actually this:

#representation anxiety #representation #foundation #context #xena warrior princess #xena and gabrielle #love #romance #intimacy #trust #faith #understanding #respect #meeting a quota #wlw representation #lgbtq representation #lesbian representation #communication #connection #Youtube

[hinamie]

nanami i respect u so much,

#my art #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #nanami kento #nanami #fanart #jjk fanart #the lack of nanami art i have produced is quite frankly criminal #heres 4 to meet my quota #does he smoke? judging by his voice probably #also....aes..............so its ok #dont smoke kids

[caycanteven]

shakes rapidly

...c'mere pap lovers, I brought you food~! /j

(I will make headcannons for the Papy's soon I promise)

Big love to the creators of Swapfell and Fellswap 🫶

#my art #undertale au #swapfell papyrus #fellswap papyrus #caycantdoodle #My headcannons to come teehee #I love these two vm i swear it #they make me facepalm and giggle #kicking my feet #wanna hang out with them #argue over stupid shit #video games maaaan #they would so be fun playing games together #imagine lethal company with these two #you'd never meet quota #honestly these were just fun warmups of them to try and draw them. #i hope to like #explore designs for them both in the future to give them some character #love giving them fashion statements

[aueua]

FOR THE COMPANY

#[art #.png] #[2024.zip] #lethal company #blood #(we did not meet quota.)

[evercelle]

i’m gonna be somebody else

#danganronpa v3 #ouma kokichi #ever makes art #pity we didn't get to see ouma's audition eh #its been months since i drew wings... i have a quota to meet!!!

[ultrainfinitepit]

Little blue seraph I drew a while ago

#I was thinking of repurposing it for one of the flags #need to meet the seraphim quota #angel #angels

[skelenova]

a DTIYS for @matchstique that got... out of hand, haha.

i like to think they snuck out at some point to practice boarding, and then they put the ramps in the lair so they 1. wouldn't have to sneak and 2. could have dangerously high/steep ramps.

anyway, here's a progress breakdown! this was a lot of fun to make 💖

#fun fact this is 1920x1080... #this meets my yearly quota for a piece with an actual bg /j #dtiys #rottmnt #rottmnt fanart #tmnt #tmnt fanart #rise of the tmnt #tmnt donnie #tmnt leo #tmnt raph #tmnt mikey #rise!leo #rise!mikey #rise!donatello #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #myart #skelenova #artists on tumblr #illustration #digital art #undescribed

[stuckinapril]

When I’m a fucking doctor you best believe I will single handedly reformulate the way ERs in the states conduct themselves. I will literally obliterate the current system and build a new one

#As a pre med who is now on the receiving end of this system I can confirm it’s like #Woefully broken #And it’s worse when it’s not you but a family member and you’re hurting watching them go through #All the bureaucracy and red tape #I fucking hate the healthcare system let’s all say it together #You guys are getting the calm version of me btw like I was dissociating dealing w this for the last few days #I hate it here but I had to vent or I would EXPLODE #Delete later ???? I hate talking ab this shit on the dash #Tumblr is supposed to distract me from all this but it’s fine I don’t think I had a public breakdown this April so had to meet the quota

[wastelandhell]

danse is the kind of guy who would dress like an undercover cop. he has negative fashion sense.

#i need to meet my bullying danse quota #val dresses bad but in the opposite way #like you gave him 30 mins in a thrift store to buy his entire wardrobe #and he was blindfolded

[paganminiskirt]

Vegeta will tell people he has no heart but Bulla reaches the age he was when his father started taking him to gleefully participate in the culling of thousands and she wears pink plastic jewelry and gets ice cream after dinner and squirms in her seat while her mom braids her hair and he feels something twist in his ribcage like it’s trying to decide between gratitude or grief or both.

#edited because I need to meet my Fuck King Veggie quota for the day✨ #Vegeta #Bulla #dbz #king vegeta

[pixiethoughtsfairyfeelings]

I really really really can't stop thinking about being able to just climb into someone's lap, have them wrap their arms around me while I rest my head against their chest, like nothing else matters because it's just us here

#babygirl #text #I need physical contact #im not meeting my quota clearly #sup bitches im off to force my friends to pat me on the head #n e ways #this is a really specific craving actually #i want you you you #i wanna feel safe #i wanna feel wanted #and I want you to feel like hugging me will fix everything #even if that's not true

[dozenssporks]

it’s him

the trash can samurai

#trigun #a dozen sporks speaks #love how they let the mood be kinda serious while he's wearing the trash can lid #like he has a certain dork quota to meet before he can do anything cool #since he's wearing the lid the quota is met and as long as he wears it he can be slick #because the lid negates it XD

[rinmemesuoka]

was complaining about this on twitter but god the most annoying genre of dunmeshi posting is people pretending like they don't know the difference between misogynistic fan-service and women being sexual/sensual and pitching a huge fit over someone else making a "senshi taking the fanservice bullet for the women" joke or expressing their relief that the women of dunmeshi aren't subjected to objectifying fanservice

like for god's sake i hate the "uwu soft hand-holding sapphic" treatment given to women in media that writes them off as desireless, "pure and wholesome" beings regardless of the characters themselves expressing sexuality in-text as much as anyone but you have to be playing dumb to act like someone saying "boy i'm glad the camera isn't contorting itself to peek at marcille's crotch all the time" is the same thing.

#''man it's nice to be able to watch a show that isn't trying to meet a quota for tit bounces and upskirts every episode'' ''UM PRUDE MUCH?'' #that's how you sound. #Edit: I was asked so yeah you can reblog this go for it. #people being annoying on my post are not immune to being screenshotted and called a dipshit on twitter

[mushroom-winners-proof]

can i get more of these blonde bitches thanks

#kh #kh2 #khii #kingdom hearts ii #kingdom hearts 2 #kingdom hearts #luxord #demyx #snap sketches #yeah no these are just quickly scribbly scribble doodles #just so i can meet my Draw One Thing A Day quota ig #i kinda did that with those asks earlier but i was drawing these before those so here #ive wanted to draw luxord properly for a while and well. guess ill never do that lmao a sketch will have to do

[s0ckh3adstudios]

EVERYWHERE I GO I CAN'T AVOID MARTLET SHIPS. /NEG

#ok I'm more chill with Martlet x Moray #bit more flexible with that one #but i REALLY hate Martlet x Ceroba #and i really don't understand why people ship it in the first place #other than to meet their lesbian quota or something #/lh #Martlet literally calls Chujin her father figure and Ceroba is the wife of that father figure #Chujin and Ceroba are older than Martlet #and this is why i don't like Starlo x Martlet either very much HFGDFEH #aside from that i just can't see them romantically either #like i said the other day i wish people didn't immediately jump to ships #there's a lot of interesting friendships and dynamics you could delve into here #ANYWAY. point of todays Sock Stresses post is that It Makes Me So Uncomfortable. #and I can't really avoid it anywhere #why does nobody realize the weird implications 😭 #but i digress I can't stop people from doing these things #sometimes it be that way #just going to sit in my corner and do my own thing LOL #sock talk

[ashenberry]

[ID: Image 1: a digital drawing of Ollie from I expect you to die 3 in a photograph. He has short dark brown hair parted to the side, sideburns and a goatee, as well as an eyepatch over his right eye with the zoraxis logo. He is wearing a grey coat with black gloves and a green sweater. He is smiling mouth open giving two thumbs up

Image 2: a 2 panel digital sketch comic of agent Phoenix wearing the zoraxis knitted gloves in the underwater base of operation Hot Water. In panel one he is listening to Ollie talk with his hands under his chin. Ollie: After all this time I can finally leave! I can’t thank you enough Zoraxis AI: Welcome to our state-of-the-art Zoraxis escape pod Panel 2: Ollie: Oh this pod seems very safe :] take it easy who ever you are and thanks again! I hope I see you again someday! Agent Phoenix is weeping into his hands. end ID]

Reginald they fuckin killed Ollie do you hear me. they killed him reginald.

#Ashenart #I expect you to die #ieytd #ieytd 3 spoilers #meeting my side character to be enamored with quota #I ALSO. MEANT TO DRAW CYAN TONIGJT TOO BUT uh es hot in my house 👍 gotta not sit next to my laptop where it’s hot as hell #tommorow though #also the Zoraxis mittens bc they fuck I love ‘em