Representation in the Media

 Representation in the media is very important as it can change how entire groups of people are viewed or portrayed. In the movie Encanto, representation is used all throughout the film to demonstrate Colombian culture as more than what it has been known for in the past, drug possession. 

The movie Encanto, follows a young girl, named Mirabel Madrigal, struggling to find a way to fit in within a family of gifted and magical people. The story show cases representation through it's musical story telling and show casing of multi-racial families. 

The construction of music in Encanto, plays a huge part in the movie and is part of the reason as to why it was such a success when it was first released. Not only, did it feature songs of Colombian origin, Colombian artists, such as Carlos Vives and Sebastian Yatra, but it featured a song in Spanish, 'Dos Oruguitas'. This was monumental as many other movies in the past that tried to showcase Hispanic heritage has never done this before. Part of what also made this scene so impactful was that it included a very important part of Colombian culture that many people did not know about before watching the film, that being 'La Guerra de los Mil Dias' or, the War of One Thousand Days; echoing Colombia's long history of displacement. 

This film, also features an elderly character, Abuela Alma. Throughout, the film the viewer learns about her life story and history through inserts/flashbacks, so she was seen as an elderly woman throughout the majority of the film. This is very significant as it is not often scene in films, and lets the audience know that her story is important and  worth telling. Furthermore, during her time as an elderly woman in the film, she is not seen as the stereotypical grandma, sitting around, often brushed off by others, but she is authoritative and a big part of Mirabel's character development as well as having character 
development herself. 

Encanto, also depicts a multi-racial family, something not often seen in films without being mocked or laughed at. The majority of Latinos, specifically woman, have experienced exoticizing, such as being called 'ethnic' or 'exotic', or have experienced the feeling of 'not being Latino enough.' This is due to media often portraying Hispanic woman as one thing, tan girls with long dark hair, hoop earrings, and an attitude. This film did the exact opposite, portraying the Madrigal family in shapes and colors and not one being othered for looking any different than the rest. One example, are the characters Aunt Pepa and Cousin Dolores. One being thin and tall, pale skin with red hair and the other being short with curves, dark skin, and curly dark hair. Most importantly, these characters, along with being blood related, have fully developed character arcs and neither are ostracized for how they look despite looking completely different while sharing the screen. 

Overall, the movie Encanto, through it's use of construction and selection, is able to properly depict Colombian cultures and features many historically underrepresented groups. Encanto's use of storytelling destigmatizes Colombian culture as a whole and was able to create a space for people to come together to enjoy the intricacies that were put into making this film so magical.