POPULAR MEDIA CULTURE AND DIVERSITY
INTRODUCTION
Diversity and identity have become the central, foundational notions of contemporary Western society. These
concepts now function as potent political devices, meaning that social categories, such as whether one is identified
as a man or a woman, matter deeply in terms of power, rights, and societal positioning.
In this environment, media has also become political, representations in popular culture are not trivial or value-free
but are ideological constructs used to either maintain the socio-cultural status quo or struggle against dominant
beliefs.
Ultimately, while these categories are subject to intense public debate, identity remains a deeply personal matter
that involves an internal process of self-identification and the subjective way individuals make sense of who they
are.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
These examples illustrate how diversity and identity have become central, highly political notions in Western
popular media culture.
❖ Gender and Sexual Injustice: The #MeToo Movement and The Voice
The struggle for gender equality and the calling out of systemic abuse often play out through identity politics,
where marginalized groups form coalitions to change social practices.
• The #MeToo Campaign: launched as a hashtag by actress Alyssa Milano in 2017, it encouraged survivors of
sexual violence to make the magnitude of the problem explicit. While the movement was originally
founded by Tarana Burke in 2006, the 2017 viral moment highlighted the role of celebrity capital—the
accumulated media visibility used by high-profile (mostly white) actresses to command attention, while
women in precarious positions often lack the
same symbolic means to speak out.
• The Voice of Holland Scandal: a "shocking" sex
scandal involving high-profile figures like Marco
Borsato and the band leader led to the show
being taken off the air. The YouTube program
Boos reported that 18 women had been harassed
by the band leader. This debate intensified public
awareness around terms like inclusion and
diversity.
1
,❖ Intersectional Identity in Media: Bart Schols vs. Soundos
Media representations are often ideological sites of struggle where
different identities intersect.
• The Case of Soundos El Ahmadi: When the Dutch Moroccan
comedian appeared on the talk show De Afspraak, the
interaction highlighted the friction between minority
perspectives and dominant media gazes. While there for
promotion, she was pushed into a debate about the "unsafety
of women," where she used statistics to explain her experiences
as a minority in the Netherlands. The host, Bart Schols,
frequently interrupted her, illustrating the power dynamics
involved in who gets to have the "last word" in mediated
political discussions.
❖ Cultural Resistance in Music: Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl
Popular music is a major industry where artists use their reach to make political statements.
• An Exuberant Act of Resistance: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime performance was described as a love
letter to Puerto Rico and a critique of its relationship with the U.S. (e.g., paying federal taxes without
voting rights).
• Representing the Latino Community: by positioning the camera in the middle of the community rather
than using a "top-down" approach, the show challenged traditional hierarchies. Despite Bad Bunny being a
U.S. citizen, critics labeled the act "un-American," reflecting the ongoing culture wars over identity.
❖ Disability Representation: William Boeva’s Critique
Representation of disability in Flanders remains low (approx. 1.9% on public broadcasts) and is often limited by
disablist stereotypes.
• Challenging the "Inspiration" Trope: comedian William Boeva criticized the program Down the Road,
arguing it does not take people with disabilities seriously. He denounced the "Supercrip" trope—the
benevolent stereotype where disabled people are represented as remarkable achievers or "sources of
inspiration" simply for existing, which places undue pressure on them to perform excellence for an able-
bodied audience.
• The "Clown" Stereotype: Boeva expressed exhaustion with little persons being cast as the "clown" or the
butt of the joke, a legacy of historical "freak shows" where disability was treated as a commercial
spectacle.
❖ The "Woke" Culture War: Disney’s Snow White
Contemporary media is often caught in a backlash against perceived "wokeness," with critics arguing that "the
pendulum has swung too far".
• The Snow White Backlash: Disney faced online outrage regarding a potential reenactment of Snow White.
Actor Peter Dinklage criticized the original story as "fucking backwards," leading to a debate over whether
roles should be played by actors with dwarfism or if the story itself is inherently patronizing.
• Gert Verhulst: In response to these "woke times," Flemish producer Gert Verhulst made a "daring
decision" to bring back Snow White with seven dwarfs, a move celebrated by those who oppose inclusive
policy shifts.
2
,❖ Queer Visibility and Audience Backlash: The Last of Us and Heated Rivalry
While representation of sexual diversity in television fiction has increased, it remains a
site of intense ideological struggle.
• The Last of Us Review Bombing: While the main character Ellie is queer, the
third episode of the series adaptation specifically focused on the romantic
relationship between two male characters, Bill and Frank. Despite its critical
acclaim, the episode was "review bombed" on platforms like IMDb, receiving a
disproportionate number of 1-star reviews compared to earlier episodes. This
reflects a broader "anti-woke" backlash where segments of the audience
perceive inclusive storytelling as the "pendulum swinging too far".
• The Volatility of Queer Content: Heated Rivalry, a Canadian show based on a
soft erotic novel about male hockey players, achieved high audience figures,
illustrating the commercial potential of narrowcasting—targeting specific
niche audiences who are highly engaged. However, the sources note that
progress is often conditional; many streaming services are no longer investing
as heavily in queer content, leading to the cancellation of shows like Boots after only one season. This
reflects the constraining properties of commodification, where media companies only invest in diversity as
long as it remains commercially lucrative according to capitalist logic.
❖ Structural Initiatives in the Music Industry: Primavera Sound
Popular music is a primary cultural industry where gendered power dynamics are being actively challenged.
• Gender Parity as a Statement: The Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona made a significant political
statement by committing to a 50/50 gender lineup. The organizers described this "new normal" as an easy
commitment that sought to move beyond the binary and eventually represent non-binary identities as
well.
• Countering Male Dominance: Such small-scale initiatives are essential because women have been
historically underrepresented in key professions within the music industry due to entrenched patterns of
hegemonic masculinity. By giving female and non-binary artists a prominent forum, festivals like Primavera
Sound challenge the traditional rock canon that has favored white male artists.
3
, CONCEPTS, DEBATES, AND APPROACHES
1. IDENTITY AND DIVERSITY IN WESTERN SOCIETY
1.1. ABOUT IDENTITY
Ubiquity (= everywhere at once, ever-present, or extremely dominant and widespread) of identity & identity
markers/labels.
➔ When you think about yourselves as persons, identity labels are so dominant. In some cases you don’t
even have to say an identity category, because they will read you. People use several markers or label of
identity to make sense of who they are and how to present themselves to others.
Bodily traits and sociocultural features: basis for identity categories.
➔ Many of the identity categories relate back to bodily traits, related to biological sex characteristics.
❖ Richard Jenkins gives us some definitions to work with:
➢ Identification: “the systematic establishment and signification, between individuals,
between collectivities and between individuals and collectives of relationships of similarity
and difference”.
▪ Identification is really about the process, at a certain moment it becomes something
more fixed and then the term ‘identity’ works well.
➢ Identity “denotes the ways in which individuals and collectivities are distinguished in their
relations with other individuals and collectivities”.
▪ For instance, a person may self-identify as gay because he experiences his sexual desires as similar to
how people who are described and/or who identify as gay, homosexual or queer experience sexuality,
and as different from how people who are described and/or who identify as heterosexual experience
sexuality.
➢ Individual and collective identities are both an interactional product of ‘external’ identification by others,
as of ‘internal’ self-identification.
▪ Rarely people will label your sexual identity → more of an internal process, while on the other hand
your gender identity is external.
▪ A person may self-identify as a woman because she has been repeatedly identified by others as a
woman and has learned about being a woman since the day she was born. However, ideas about
womanhood, do not emerge out of thin air.
➢ Identification is shaped by and dependent on culture.
▪ The way we make sense of this, is shaped by culture. It is in culture, which encompasses cultural
artefacts (books, clothing), practices (rituals, habits), and norms and values, where people encounter
discourses and representations of identities.
4
INTRODUCTION
Diversity and identity have become the central, foundational notions of contemporary Western society. These
concepts now function as potent political devices, meaning that social categories, such as whether one is identified
as a man or a woman, matter deeply in terms of power, rights, and societal positioning.
In this environment, media has also become political, representations in popular culture are not trivial or value-free
but are ideological constructs used to either maintain the socio-cultural status quo or struggle against dominant
beliefs.
Ultimately, while these categories are subject to intense public debate, identity remains a deeply personal matter
that involves an internal process of self-identification and the subjective way individuals make sense of who they
are.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
These examples illustrate how diversity and identity have become central, highly political notions in Western
popular media culture.
❖ Gender and Sexual Injustice: The #MeToo Movement and The Voice
The struggle for gender equality and the calling out of systemic abuse often play out through identity politics,
where marginalized groups form coalitions to change social practices.
• The #MeToo Campaign: launched as a hashtag by actress Alyssa Milano in 2017, it encouraged survivors of
sexual violence to make the magnitude of the problem explicit. While the movement was originally
founded by Tarana Burke in 2006, the 2017 viral moment highlighted the role of celebrity capital—the
accumulated media visibility used by high-profile (mostly white) actresses to command attention, while
women in precarious positions often lack the
same symbolic means to speak out.
• The Voice of Holland Scandal: a "shocking" sex
scandal involving high-profile figures like Marco
Borsato and the band leader led to the show
being taken off the air. The YouTube program
Boos reported that 18 women had been harassed
by the band leader. This debate intensified public
awareness around terms like inclusion and
diversity.
1
,❖ Intersectional Identity in Media: Bart Schols vs. Soundos
Media representations are often ideological sites of struggle where
different identities intersect.
• The Case of Soundos El Ahmadi: When the Dutch Moroccan
comedian appeared on the talk show De Afspraak, the
interaction highlighted the friction between minority
perspectives and dominant media gazes. While there for
promotion, she was pushed into a debate about the "unsafety
of women," where she used statistics to explain her experiences
as a minority in the Netherlands. The host, Bart Schols,
frequently interrupted her, illustrating the power dynamics
involved in who gets to have the "last word" in mediated
political discussions.
❖ Cultural Resistance in Music: Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl
Popular music is a major industry where artists use their reach to make political statements.
• An Exuberant Act of Resistance: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime performance was described as a love
letter to Puerto Rico and a critique of its relationship with the U.S. (e.g., paying federal taxes without
voting rights).
• Representing the Latino Community: by positioning the camera in the middle of the community rather
than using a "top-down" approach, the show challenged traditional hierarchies. Despite Bad Bunny being a
U.S. citizen, critics labeled the act "un-American," reflecting the ongoing culture wars over identity.
❖ Disability Representation: William Boeva’s Critique
Representation of disability in Flanders remains low (approx. 1.9% on public broadcasts) and is often limited by
disablist stereotypes.
• Challenging the "Inspiration" Trope: comedian William Boeva criticized the program Down the Road,
arguing it does not take people with disabilities seriously. He denounced the "Supercrip" trope—the
benevolent stereotype where disabled people are represented as remarkable achievers or "sources of
inspiration" simply for existing, which places undue pressure on them to perform excellence for an able-
bodied audience.
• The "Clown" Stereotype: Boeva expressed exhaustion with little persons being cast as the "clown" or the
butt of the joke, a legacy of historical "freak shows" where disability was treated as a commercial
spectacle.
❖ The "Woke" Culture War: Disney’s Snow White
Contemporary media is often caught in a backlash against perceived "wokeness," with critics arguing that "the
pendulum has swung too far".
• The Snow White Backlash: Disney faced online outrage regarding a potential reenactment of Snow White.
Actor Peter Dinklage criticized the original story as "fucking backwards," leading to a debate over whether
roles should be played by actors with dwarfism or if the story itself is inherently patronizing.
• Gert Verhulst: In response to these "woke times," Flemish producer Gert Verhulst made a "daring
decision" to bring back Snow White with seven dwarfs, a move celebrated by those who oppose inclusive
policy shifts.
2
,❖ Queer Visibility and Audience Backlash: The Last of Us and Heated Rivalry
While representation of sexual diversity in television fiction has increased, it remains a
site of intense ideological struggle.
• The Last of Us Review Bombing: While the main character Ellie is queer, the
third episode of the series adaptation specifically focused on the romantic
relationship between two male characters, Bill and Frank. Despite its critical
acclaim, the episode was "review bombed" on platforms like IMDb, receiving a
disproportionate number of 1-star reviews compared to earlier episodes. This
reflects a broader "anti-woke" backlash where segments of the audience
perceive inclusive storytelling as the "pendulum swinging too far".
• The Volatility of Queer Content: Heated Rivalry, a Canadian show based on a
soft erotic novel about male hockey players, achieved high audience figures,
illustrating the commercial potential of narrowcasting—targeting specific
niche audiences who are highly engaged. However, the sources note that
progress is often conditional; many streaming services are no longer investing
as heavily in queer content, leading to the cancellation of shows like Boots after only one season. This
reflects the constraining properties of commodification, where media companies only invest in diversity as
long as it remains commercially lucrative according to capitalist logic.
❖ Structural Initiatives in the Music Industry: Primavera Sound
Popular music is a primary cultural industry where gendered power dynamics are being actively challenged.
• Gender Parity as a Statement: The Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona made a significant political
statement by committing to a 50/50 gender lineup. The organizers described this "new normal" as an easy
commitment that sought to move beyond the binary and eventually represent non-binary identities as
well.
• Countering Male Dominance: Such small-scale initiatives are essential because women have been
historically underrepresented in key professions within the music industry due to entrenched patterns of
hegemonic masculinity. By giving female and non-binary artists a prominent forum, festivals like Primavera
Sound challenge the traditional rock canon that has favored white male artists.
3
, CONCEPTS, DEBATES, AND APPROACHES
1. IDENTITY AND DIVERSITY IN WESTERN SOCIETY
1.1. ABOUT IDENTITY
Ubiquity (= everywhere at once, ever-present, or extremely dominant and widespread) of identity & identity
markers/labels.
➔ When you think about yourselves as persons, identity labels are so dominant. In some cases you don’t
even have to say an identity category, because they will read you. People use several markers or label of
identity to make sense of who they are and how to present themselves to others.
Bodily traits and sociocultural features: basis for identity categories.
➔ Many of the identity categories relate back to bodily traits, related to biological sex characteristics.
❖ Richard Jenkins gives us some definitions to work with:
➢ Identification: “the systematic establishment and signification, between individuals,
between collectivities and between individuals and collectives of relationships of similarity
and difference”.
▪ Identification is really about the process, at a certain moment it becomes something
more fixed and then the term ‘identity’ works well.
➢ Identity “denotes the ways in which individuals and collectivities are distinguished in their
relations with other individuals and collectivities”.
▪ For instance, a person may self-identify as gay because he experiences his sexual desires as similar to
how people who are described and/or who identify as gay, homosexual or queer experience sexuality,
and as different from how people who are described and/or who identify as heterosexual experience
sexuality.
➢ Individual and collective identities are both an interactional product of ‘external’ identification by others,
as of ‘internal’ self-identification.
▪ Rarely people will label your sexual identity → more of an internal process, while on the other hand
your gender identity is external.
▪ A person may self-identify as a woman because she has been repeatedly identified by others as a
woman and has learned about being a woman since the day she was born. However, ideas about
womanhood, do not emerge out of thin air.
➢ Identification is shaped by and dependent on culture.
▪ The way we make sense of this, is shaped by culture. It is in culture, which encompasses cultural
artefacts (books, clothing), practices (rituals, habits), and norms and values, where people encounter
discourses and representations of identities.
4
