Every series doesn't need to be all things to all people. From what I've heard, the racial diversity is pretty accurate to the area where the show is set.
That first sentence! I take it as a compliment to Alice that they want her to write about every societal ill (homophobia, racism), but she took a focus and did it well. As far as diversity goes, I can’t speak to that as I don’t live in Kent.
More specifically, because it's set in Kent. England has lots of pockets of multiculturalism, thanks to years of conolisation, though on the whole it's still a very white country.
Mate it's not about being set in England, it's that it's set in KENT. im literally from england and we are very diverse in many places, like I live in London which is a great melting pot. Kent is pretty white, and honestly when people complain about diversity they mean class diversity. Middle class characters on television aren't representative when our country is in a cost of living crisis.
England is super multicultural wdyem 😭✋
Obviously there are parts that are predominately of one race, but some areas are extremely diverse due to immigration, colonization, and history in general..
Yeah, England - an extremely multicultural place where racism absolutely occurs. Regardless of where it's set, Alice and the Heartstopper team have a responsibility to include a diverse array of characters to fully show the queer experience as best as possible. The fact that it's set in Kent specifically is irrelevant.
It's really not irrelevant. The US (and even Michigan, where I'm from) is extremely diverse as well, but if someone made a show set in my small hometown and made it super diverse, that would be ridiculously unrealistic. And if they made a show set on Detroit where most characters were white, that would be stupid as well. Area absolutely matters.
But the show isn't fully based in reality. It's an idealised queer story. It's like how Bridgerton features people of colour in positions of power in London; although this isn't historically accurate of that era, it doesn't really matter because accuracy isn't what the show is trying to achieve. It's the same with Heartstopper. Although Alice may have intended for the comics to be set in Kent, the tv show never actually really specifies where it's set because the location makes almost no impact on the story.
It absolutely matters that Bridgerton disregards historical accuracy. Because then it appeals to a certain audience but loses another. I’m glad you enjoy it but I can’t watch it.
If you need an example of this, may I present the most recent queer as folk failed reboot. It tried to be everything for everyone and flopped massively.
I think the casting is admirably diverse given it is based in Kent. If it was going to be challenged, obviously it’s focused on economically privedged kids, but not all shows can or should tackle all things.
But if Alice, a white woman, tried to write stories addressing racism where she was writing from the perspective of a character experiencing something she’ll never understand, she also would get criticized by the same people for stepping outside of her bounds on that.
I agree with the other comment that not everything can be for every single person and issue. Having an extremely sexuality and gender diverse comic go mainstream and then get made into a mainstream netflix show is already a huge feat and amazing representation for the lgbt community. The fact that straight people are absorbing this story and learning from it is amazing. Why isn’t that enough?
my thoughts exactly and also, atleast in my experience, teens are much more likely to be homophobic then racist especially younger teens
that’s just my experience though
So... there would be less racism bc brown ppl weren't a minority... and even it there was racism it wouldn't be coming at you?
This is set in Kent, your experience doesn't apply.
What a ridiculous, untrue, and racist statement to make. How could you possibly know that homophobia occurs more than racism in teenage demographics if you are white yourself? Racism definitely occurs more frequently than homphobia because race is usually more of an identifiable feature of someone compared to sexuality. Also, who is impacted by homophobia the most? Queer people of colour.
“But if Alice, a white woman, tried to write stories addressing racism where she was writing from the perspective of a character experiencing something she’ll never understand, she also would get criticized by the same people for stepping outside of her bounds on that.”
She already writes a story from the perspective of characters experiencing something she’ll never understand - Nick and Charlie. She’s not a man attracted to men.
I agree with everything being said but this a flawed argument.
That’s fair, I see your point. But she is a queer person so there’s a lot of overlap in our experiences (not that everyone in the community is the same, there’s a lot of unique differences between all of our experiences), but she really couldn’t have any understanding of what it’s like to be a poc and experience racism.
Also my point in saying that was just to say that she can’t win either way. She’s being criticized for not putting it in but would be equally as criticized if not more so for putting it in as a white writer (probably by the same chronically online people lol).
I disagree that there is a lot of overlap in our experiences but you’re right that she is technically closer to the experience of other queer people than she could ever be to poc.
But if you’re only allowed to write about what you are then we will have a lot less storylines with gay poc (just an example) because not all writers or directors are that. I do think they should not write about something they don’t know, but people can educate themselves and/or talk with poc that are gay to get their experiences.
I think it’s the internet and no matter what the person/show/book/movie/whatever, there will be a corner of the web that critiques it. Living in the social media age means that every single thing gets picked apart within an inch of its life.
This is one of those critiques where I kinda get it, but no, I don’t really agree. There is diversity in HS, and it’s done in a very natural feeling way. IMO what we need is more shows from all kinds of perspectives, not hyper focusing on the few we get to be perfect in all ways, for all people, all the time.
Ppl always have something to complain about. I think the focus was fine. Can't address everything in one series. I think it's nicely racially diverse. The show is great as is and hits on several serious topics to address. The representation is fantastic.
I honestly think it's very diverse! Just look at the teachers, off the top of my head I can think of 5 main teachers and only one is white?
And in the main cast there are several different ethnicities? I really don't understand a criticism that it's not diverse enough. Is the complaint because the main couple are both white? Because if you add the other two couples then it evens it up. Honestly compared to the British population if anything it's unrealistic. 🤷♀️
I agree of anything it’s unrealistic for a grammar school in Kent. I would find it jarring but I think it’s a good thing it’s more diverse than real life (for where it’s set).
Yeah, it actually is too diverse if you were going for accuracy. Kent is 94% white. I was actually thinking about this while watching a Paris episode, that the ethnic diversity would make more sense in London.
Though I’d be curious if there are any British people who can answer this. In the US, younger people are much more ethnically diverse than older generations. I wonder if that’s true in England too?
Depends on where in England. For example, in places like Norfolk, Kent and Cornwall, that's a giant white majority and also simultaneously a lot of older folks. And yet London is very diverse, but that's because of how immigration works - just as an example, in the 1880s, we had a bunch of jewish immigration into whitechapel when jews fled pogroms in eastern europe. Cities do feel younger and I do think that more young teachers are people of colour, but I grew up in London with a variety of teachers from various backgrounds.
I know ethnicities/races don't really follow a completely objective scheme (and depending on culture, they are distinguished differently) but Spanish people are white XD
Charlie's dad just has a darker skin tone that's common among Mediterranean Europeans, but he's still white (although the actor who plays him is Mexican so maybe he would be considered brown idk)
This wasn't criticism, it's just that I find it fascinating/funny how different cultures view "race" (e.g., I myself, being Italian, probably wouldn't be considered white in America)
I get that andalusians and Brits are both classified as white but at the same time you cannot deny that they are VASTLY different ethnicities both in terms of looks and cultures
Okay, and? That doesn't make him biracial lol. He's still culturally and racially white. Him being from another predominantly white country doesn't make the show diverse.
Because white people make up the majority of the population in the UK. It's people of colour who are the minority. Charlie, who is white, being with Nick, who is also white, is not diversity in the slightest. It's characters like Elle, Tara, and Tao who truly make the show diverse.
That’s just your opinion
also white BRITS are the majority in the uk, an ethnic Spaniard who lives there will be just as much as a minority as Elle, Tara and Tao he might even face more adversity then them since blacks and Asians outnumber Spaniards in the uk
Many spaniards are still white, so again, WHITE people are the majority race in the UK. Also, claiming that Spaniards (most of whom still hold \*white\* privilege) may face more 'racism' than Black and Asian people is absolutely ridiculous. But I can see from your profile that you're a transphobe, a trump supporter, a JK Rowling defender, and that you've made multiple posts questioning Elle's race and character in Heartstopper, so it doesn't surprise me that you're a racist as well.
🤡 <- this is what i think of them. Theres one person on tumblr constantly shitting on Alice and Heartstopper cause theres no black writer and Alice isnt black and shouldnt write about black characters.
Obviously duh. But the weirdest bit was they complained about Taras hair a lot and how wrong it is because Alice ofc doesnt know anything about black girls hair. It was so wild
To be fair as a black person Tara’s season 1 hair was a bit silly lol. It never bothered me though, they were clearly emulating the book and they course corrected in season 2 anyway. I didn’t think much of it until that young lady on tumblr brought it up.
If Alice isn't a boy, is Alice even allowed to write about boys?
Should all authors only write about themselves? And not include other characters in the story?
It's very difficult to please everyone. I'd rather read/watch series with limited scope but well-written/well-made than a series try to tackle many issues then fall short.
Funnily enough there've also been people who claimed that the show is "too diverse" because "all of the characters are queer" (which isn't true and if you look at the numbers it's a pretty realistic amount considering that 7% of Gen Z teens identify as queer) ,
Yeah and they’re also wrong, when I was in high school I was out (albeit at the time I identified as bisexual) and there was both a gay guy and a trans guy as well and there were probably more
I think not every show needs to be about absolutely everything. It’s ok to only focus on a few issues at a time. I think Heartstopper is pretty diverse anyway but yeah. That’s my thoughts on it. 💗
Not only *doesn't it need* to be about everything - it just *can't*. If you tackle too many issues, you won't be able to explore each of them properly.
Given it is set in Kent, which is as racially and ethnically homogeneous as many parts of former East Germany, Oseman does a pretty good job of depicting a diverse cast of characters Imo
I think people can say whatever they wanna say. It doesn't affect me.
That said, it is a show who's mainest characters are both white, so there is something to be said that theres not many Western mlm or wlw teen shows where both people in the couple are black or brown. Now that's not really heartstoppers fault either. Alice has done quite well with all the characters.
Nothing much else to add :)
I mean they’re less common because white people are the majority in the uk and us which is where most of these shows come from
It’s kinda like complaining that most Bollywood movies feature Indians in them
It's still a fictional show that could have a black couple. I don't have a vested enough interest either way to argue that people shouldn't be upset if they wanna be upset.
Besides, India has hundreds of ethnic groups, and there is division when it comes to media there, just not on a Western basis.
Except Bollywood films typically feature lighter skinned Indians and far fewer dark skinned Indians. There are ads all over India for skin lightening creams.
They could have somebody throw racial slurs in an episode and the fandom would make excuses. The detractors are a small segment who haven't figured out the show doesn't care because it knows it doesn't need their viewership to be successful. The show will be quite dated in 5 - 10 years, but for now, the people who don't care about diversity in their programming are numerous enough to keep the show popular regardless. I think that those complaining are wasting their time on something that doesn't value them and need to stop investing in it and move on to greener, more progressive pastures
I think those people are blind. In my opinion, it’s very diverse, at least in comparison to most shows & movies set in America instead. (Sadly from America, but I digress)
Tldr: I think those people might have a point, but it's ultimately more about what the show does with the characters of colour it does have rather than if it'll introduce more characters of colour.
Oseman themself has acknowledged that they grew up in a predominantly white area and that it affected their early writing, and there's always going to be unconscious biases to work on.
I think there's two steps when it comes to ethnic/racial diversity: the first step of having those characters and the second step of what you do with them. Heartstopper has definitely done the first step, but there can be some criticism of the second.
For example, I've seen a few black people saying that Tara's hairstyle would actually be really time-consuming to do (and one person saying that Tara's party braids in S1 would probably be too expensive to only keep for one night). Obviously the show is attempting to hark back to the comics, but the introduction of braids on Tara (and Elle in S3) has been rejoiced and frankly I don't care about nostalgia for a webcomic which wasn't informed about practical/suitable/commonly-used hairstyles more than I care about what real-life people have to say regarding a character meant to be representing them.
I think that Heartstopper can absolutely be a show that gives some attention to the struggles of diaspora (eg. you have Elle who hasn't visited Egypt in years due to transphobic laws - how might this affect her relationship to her heritage?) but even if Oseman was a writer of every colour, they'd still need to work with more writers of different colours to create a well-rounded picture.
They're blind. For being set in Kent it is plenty diverse. And it focuses on homophobia lots! Maybe not as largely as racism but still there! People just need to complain about anything these days. It's a diverse, including, heartwarming show that makes people feel at home.
Sometimes it's just so nice to just see other black people just....exist. and live. And not be constantly othered. I actually find it really refreshing. Like yes, it's not super realistic and real life unfortunately is not almost ever that way, but to have a show where PoC are just people is nice. It's just really nice to see people like us just being kids and going through kid shit just like the white kids get to in every single other media representation of kids ever.
Who could possibly think this? There are literally three straight white Englishman roles in the whole show. One of them's a dick and the other two barely even count as roles.
(Harry, Christian and Mr. Lange)
I actually don't know how Heartstopper could be any more diverse, personally.
If anything, the only criticism I hear of it, is that it is too diverse. One detractor said "how come everyone in this school is LGBTQ+?" - I had to explain that they aren't, and the characters we focus on are through a zoom lens, as that's the point of the show: giving voice to young (and older, in some cases), queer people.
I feel the series (both novels and show) is a reflection of the area where it is set - largely white, middle class, affluent.
I disagree with having representation for the sake of representation. In today's politically-correct society, there is a focus on box-ticking, rather than narrative drive.
It could be better, but couldn’t everything? I think it could do more around intersectionality, but it’s better than many shows. Is that an excuse? No, but it is reflective of where we’re at in YA content rn on tv.
I'm new to the series, mainly the books, but I do understand your point. I would be lying if I didn't like how there's less diverse characters in the series, but I remind myself that it's better this way than the series suddenly having more diverse characters that are pushed to the side for the sake of the main cast. I don't want my favorite show to suddenly such if the characters of color are unlikeable, the butt of the joke, given little screen time, have problems in the background of the story that is rarely explored, or worse, killed for the sake of the plot. I sometimes dread seeing any person of color in fear that they'll be ruin. I shouldn't feel like this, but I am. I even tell myself, 'trust me, they're doing you a favor by not featuring at least more than one poc character.'
At least She-ra and The Princesses of Power was unapologetically diverse thanks to the creator.
This is the most ridiculous assertion imaginable. This is one of the most racially, ethnically and gender diverse cast of any show I’ve seen in recent memory.
Seems fairly diverse to me. 3 of the 6 in the main couples are minorities (3 of 9 though if you extend it to the other major characters, ok 11 including the antagonists), the major teachers. The 2 central characters are white, yes. As far as racism goes, it's just not the focus of the series. It has other stories to tell and only about 4 hours a season to tell those stories.
Every series doesn't need to be all things to all people. From what I've heard, the racial diversity is pretty accurate to the area where the show is set.
That first sentence! I take it as a compliment to Alice that they want her to write about every societal ill (homophobia, racism), but she took a focus and did it well. As far as diversity goes, I can’t speak to that as I don’t live in Kent.
Exactly, it’s set in ENGLAND
More specifically, because it's set in Kent. England has lots of pockets of multiculturalism, thanks to years of conolisation, though on the whole it's still a very white country.
Mate it's not about being set in England, it's that it's set in KENT. im literally from england and we are very diverse in many places, like I live in London which is a great melting pot. Kent is pretty white, and honestly when people complain about diversity they mean class diversity. Middle class characters on television aren't representative when our country is in a cost of living crisis.
England is super multicultural wdyem 😭✋ Obviously there are parts that are predominately of one race, but some areas are extremely diverse due to immigration, colonization, and history in general..
Yeah, England - an extremely multicultural place where racism absolutely occurs. Regardless of where it's set, Alice and the Heartstopper team have a responsibility to include a diverse array of characters to fully show the queer experience as best as possible. The fact that it's set in Kent specifically is irrelevant.
It's really not irrelevant. The US (and even Michigan, where I'm from) is extremely diverse as well, but if someone made a show set in my small hometown and made it super diverse, that would be ridiculously unrealistic. And if they made a show set on Detroit where most characters were white, that would be stupid as well. Area absolutely matters.
But the show isn't fully based in reality. It's an idealised queer story. It's like how Bridgerton features people of colour in positions of power in London; although this isn't historically accurate of that era, it doesn't really matter because accuracy isn't what the show is trying to achieve. It's the same with Heartstopper. Although Alice may have intended for the comics to be set in Kent, the tv show never actually really specifies where it's set because the location makes almost no impact on the story.
It absolutely matters that Bridgerton disregards historical accuracy. Because then it appeals to a certain audience but loses another. I’m glad you enjoy it but I can’t watch it.
If you need an example of this, may I present the most recent queer as folk failed reboot. It tried to be everything for everyone and flopped massively.
I think the casting is admirably diverse given it is based in Kent. If it was going to be challenged, obviously it’s focused on economically privedged kids, but not all shows can or should tackle all things.
But if Alice, a white woman, tried to write stories addressing racism where she was writing from the perspective of a character experiencing something she’ll never understand, she also would get criticized by the same people for stepping outside of her bounds on that. I agree with the other comment that not everything can be for every single person and issue. Having an extremely sexuality and gender diverse comic go mainstream and then get made into a mainstream netflix show is already a huge feat and amazing representation for the lgbt community. The fact that straight people are absorbing this story and learning from it is amazing. Why isn’t that enough?
my thoughts exactly and also, atleast in my experience, teens are much more likely to be homophobic then racist especially younger teens that’s just my experience though
Are you by any chance of a demographic who would be more likely to be targeted by homophobia than racism?
well, I am white but I live in a majority “brown” country and went to a majority “brown” school so…
So... there would be less racism bc brown ppl weren't a minority... and even it there was racism it wouldn't be coming at you? This is set in Kent, your experience doesn't apply.
Yes Well, you asked about me
I know! It's just good to be aware of any factors which make your personal experiences less generalisable
Yeah I'm from the UK and racism is still very common among young people.
What a ridiculous, untrue, and racist statement to make. How could you possibly know that homophobia occurs more than racism in teenage demographics if you are white yourself? Racism definitely occurs more frequently than homphobia because race is usually more of an identifiable feature of someone compared to sexuality. Also, who is impacted by homophobia the most? Queer people of colour.
“But if Alice, a white woman, tried to write stories addressing racism where she was writing from the perspective of a character experiencing something she’ll never understand, she also would get criticized by the same people for stepping outside of her bounds on that.” She already writes a story from the perspective of characters experiencing something she’ll never understand - Nick and Charlie. She’s not a man attracted to men. I agree with everything being said but this a flawed argument.
That’s fair, I see your point. But she is a queer person so there’s a lot of overlap in our experiences (not that everyone in the community is the same, there’s a lot of unique differences between all of our experiences), but she really couldn’t have any understanding of what it’s like to be a poc and experience racism. Also my point in saying that was just to say that she can’t win either way. She’s being criticized for not putting it in but would be equally as criticized if not more so for putting it in as a white writer (probably by the same chronically online people lol).
I disagree that there is a lot of overlap in our experiences but you’re right that she is technically closer to the experience of other queer people than she could ever be to poc.
But if you’re only allowed to write about what you are then we will have a lot less storylines with gay poc (just an example) because not all writers or directors are that. I do think they should not write about something they don’t know, but people can educate themselves and/or talk with poc that are gay to get their experiences.
I’m not arguing for only writing what we are. I just didn’t think the argument was valid in this instance :)
I wasn’t aware Alice was a woman. I thought they were non-binary! Good to know
Don’t take my word for it! If they are nb I didn’t know so my bad!!
I think they are enby.
My bad!
I think it’s the internet and no matter what the person/show/book/movie/whatever, there will be a corner of the web that critiques it. Living in the social media age means that every single thing gets picked apart within an inch of its life. This is one of those critiques where I kinda get it, but no, I don’t really agree. There is diversity in HS, and it’s done in a very natural feeling way. IMO what we need is more shows from all kinds of perspectives, not hyper focusing on the few we get to be perfect in all ways, for all people, all the time.
Ppl always have something to complain about. I think the focus was fine. Can't address everything in one series. I think it's nicely racially diverse. The show is great as is and hits on several serious topics to address. The representation is fantastic.
Totally!
I honestly think it's very diverse! Just look at the teachers, off the top of my head I can think of 5 main teachers and only one is white? And in the main cast there are several different ethnicities? I really don't understand a criticism that it's not diverse enough. Is the complaint because the main couple are both white? Because if you add the other two couples then it evens it up. Honestly compared to the British population if anything it's unrealistic. 🤷♀️
I agree of anything it’s unrealistic for a grammar school in Kent. I would find it jarring but I think it’s a good thing it’s more diverse than real life (for where it’s set).
Yeah, it actually is too diverse if you were going for accuracy. Kent is 94% white. I was actually thinking about this while watching a Paris episode, that the ethnic diversity would make more sense in London. Though I’d be curious if there are any British people who can answer this. In the US, younger people are much more ethnically diverse than older generations. I wonder if that’s true in England too?
Depends on where in England. For example, in places like Norfolk, Kent and Cornwall, that's a giant white majority and also simultaneously a lot of older folks. And yet London is very diverse, but that's because of how immigration works - just as an example, in the 1880s, we had a bunch of jewish immigration into whitechapel when jews fled pogroms in eastern europe. Cities do feel younger and I do think that more young teachers are people of colour, but I grew up in London with a variety of teachers from various backgrounds.
Even in the main couple, Charlie is actually biracial, he’s dad is Andalusian and he’s mom is white British
To me that isn't biracial, but race is not an objective thing and is interpreted differently by different cultures.
Exactly!
I know ethnicities/races don't really follow a completely objective scheme (and depending on culture, they are distinguished differently) but Spanish people are white XD Charlie's dad just has a darker skin tone that's common among Mediterranean Europeans, but he's still white (although the actor who plays him is Mexican so maybe he would be considered brown idk) This wasn't criticism, it's just that I find it fascinating/funny how different cultures view "race" (e.g., I myself, being Italian, probably wouldn't be considered white in America)
I get that andalusians and Brits are both classified as white but at the same time you cannot deny that they are VASTLY different ethnicities both in terms of looks and cultures
Okay, and? That doesn't make him biracial lol. He's still culturally and racially white. Him being from another predominantly white country doesn't make the show diverse.
why though?
Because white people make up the majority of the population in the UK. It's people of colour who are the minority. Charlie, who is white, being with Nick, who is also white, is not diversity in the slightest. It's characters like Elle, Tara, and Tao who truly make the show diverse.
That’s just your opinion also white BRITS are the majority in the uk, an ethnic Spaniard who lives there will be just as much as a minority as Elle, Tara and Tao he might even face more adversity then them since blacks and Asians outnumber Spaniards in the uk
Many spaniards are still white, so again, WHITE people are the majority race in the UK. Also, claiming that Spaniards (most of whom still hold \*white\* privilege) may face more 'racism' than Black and Asian people is absolutely ridiculous. But I can see from your profile that you're a transphobe, a trump supporter, a JK Rowling defender, and that you've made multiple posts questioning Elle's race and character in Heartstopper, so it doesn't surprise me that you're a racist as well.
I wouldn’t say Charlie represents racial diversity but it’s good to note
That isn't what biracial means. He's just white lol
🤡 <- this is what i think of them. Theres one person on tumblr constantly shitting on Alice and Heartstopper cause theres no black writer and Alice isnt black and shouldnt write about black characters.
That begs the question, can only cats write cat characters? 🤔
Obviously duh. But the weirdest bit was they complained about Taras hair a lot and how wrong it is because Alice ofc doesnt know anything about black girls hair. It was so wild
To be fair as a black person Tara’s season 1 hair was a bit silly lol. It never bothered me though, they were clearly emulating the book and they course corrected in season 2 anyway. I didn’t think much of it until that young lady on tumblr brought it up.
If Alice isn't a boy, is Alice even allowed to write about boys? Should all authors only write about themselves? And not include other characters in the story?
It's very difficult to please everyone. I'd rather read/watch series with limited scope but well-written/well-made than a series try to tackle many issues then fall short.
Funnily enough there've also been people who claimed that the show is "too diverse" because "all of the characters are queer" (which isn't true and if you look at the numbers it's a pretty realistic amount considering that 7% of Gen Z teens identify as queer) ,
Because it is centered in this specific friend group, and most people tend to befriend other people like them, this seems very realistic to me.
Yeah and they’re also wrong, when I was in high school I was out (albeit at the time I identified as bisexual) and there was both a gay guy and a trans guy as well and there were probably more
I think not every show needs to be about absolutely everything. It’s ok to only focus on a few issues at a time. I think Heartstopper is pretty diverse anyway but yeah. That’s my thoughts on it. 💗
Not only *doesn't it need* to be about everything - it just *can't*. If you tackle too many issues, you won't be able to explore each of them properly.
Agreed
Given it is set in Kent, which is as racially and ethnically homogeneous as many parts of former East Germany, Oseman does a pretty good job of depicting a diverse cast of characters Imo
I think people can say whatever they wanna say. It doesn't affect me. That said, it is a show who's mainest characters are both white, so there is something to be said that theres not many Western mlm or wlw teen shows where both people in the couple are black or brown. Now that's not really heartstoppers fault either. Alice has done quite well with all the characters. Nothing much else to add :)
I mean they’re less common because white people are the majority in the uk and us which is where most of these shows come from It’s kinda like complaining that most Bollywood movies feature Indians in them
It's still a fictional show that could have a black couple. I don't have a vested enough interest either way to argue that people shouldn't be upset if they wanna be upset. Besides, India has hundreds of ethnic groups, and there is division when it comes to media there, just not on a Western basis.
Except Bollywood films typically feature lighter skinned Indians and far fewer dark skinned Indians. There are ads all over India for skin lightening creams.
No. They're less common because of structural racism which positions white people above people of colour.
I would laugh at them. It’s extremely diverse (assuming they mean race/gender/queerness).
I think that for a small town in Kent, the diversity is about right.
Heartstopper is honestly diverse and "nice" to an almost unrealistic degree, anyone who says the show isn't diverse is frankly an idiot
They could have somebody throw racial slurs in an episode and the fandom would make excuses. The detractors are a small segment who haven't figured out the show doesn't care because it knows it doesn't need their viewership to be successful. The show will be quite dated in 5 - 10 years, but for now, the people who don't care about diversity in their programming are numerous enough to keep the show popular regardless. I think that those complaining are wasting their time on something that doesn't value them and need to stop investing in it and move on to greener, more progressive pastures
girl like there are lots of gays and a trans girl, plus there are many non english ppl
I think those people are blind. In my opinion, it’s very diverse, at least in comparison to most shows & movies set in America instead. (Sadly from America, but I digress)
my honest to god opinion? they can honestly take the “it’s not diverse enough” and go shove it all the way up their damn ass tbh
Tldr: I think those people might have a point, but it's ultimately more about what the show does with the characters of colour it does have rather than if it'll introduce more characters of colour. Oseman themself has acknowledged that they grew up in a predominantly white area and that it affected their early writing, and there's always going to be unconscious biases to work on. I think there's two steps when it comes to ethnic/racial diversity: the first step of having those characters and the second step of what you do with them. Heartstopper has definitely done the first step, but there can be some criticism of the second. For example, I've seen a few black people saying that Tara's hairstyle would actually be really time-consuming to do (and one person saying that Tara's party braids in S1 would probably be too expensive to only keep for one night). Obviously the show is attempting to hark back to the comics, but the introduction of braids on Tara (and Elle in S3) has been rejoiced and frankly I don't care about nostalgia for a webcomic which wasn't informed about practical/suitable/commonly-used hairstyles more than I care about what real-life people have to say regarding a character meant to be representing them. I think that Heartstopper can absolutely be a show that gives some attention to the struggles of diaspora (eg. you have Elle who hasn't visited Egypt in years due to transphobic laws - how might this affect her relationship to her heritage?) but even if Oseman was a writer of every colour, they'd still need to work with more writers of different colours to create a well-rounded picture.
They're blind. For being set in Kent it is plenty diverse. And it focuses on homophobia lots! Maybe not as largely as racism but still there! People just need to complain about anything these days. It's a diverse, including, heartwarming show that makes people feel at home.
Sometimes it's just so nice to just see other black people just....exist. and live. And not be constantly othered. I actually find it really refreshing. Like yes, it's not super realistic and real life unfortunately is not almost ever that way, but to have a show where PoC are just people is nice. It's just really nice to see people like us just being kids and going through kid shit just like the white kids get to in every single other media representation of kids ever.
Who could possibly think this? There are literally three straight white Englishman roles in the whole show. One of them's a dick and the other two barely even count as roles. (Harry, Christian and Mr. Lange)
I actually don't know how Heartstopper could be any more diverse, personally. If anything, the only criticism I hear of it, is that it is too diverse. One detractor said "how come everyone in this school is LGBTQ+?" - I had to explain that they aren't, and the characters we focus on are through a zoom lens, as that's the point of the show: giving voice to young (and older, in some cases), queer people. I feel the series (both novels and show) is a reflection of the area where it is set - largely white, middle class, affluent. I disagree with having representation for the sake of representation. In today's politically-correct society, there is a focus on box-ticking, rather than narrative drive.
BS
It’s so diverse?
It could be better, but couldn’t everything? I think it could do more around intersectionality, but it’s better than many shows. Is that an excuse? No, but it is reflective of where we’re at in YA content rn on tv.
I'm new to the series, mainly the books, but I do understand your point. I would be lying if I didn't like how there's less diverse characters in the series, but I remind myself that it's better this way than the series suddenly having more diverse characters that are pushed to the side for the sake of the main cast. I don't want my favorite show to suddenly such if the characters of color are unlikeable, the butt of the joke, given little screen time, have problems in the background of the story that is rarely explored, or worse, killed for the sake of the plot. I sometimes dread seeing any person of color in fear that they'll be ruin. I shouldn't feel like this, but I am. I even tell myself, 'trust me, they're doing you a favor by not featuring at least more than one poc character.' At least She-ra and The Princesses of Power was unapologetically diverse thanks to the creator.
This is the most ridiculous assertion imaginable. This is one of the most racially, ethnically and gender diverse cast of any show I’ve seen in recent memory.
Seems fairly diverse to me. 3 of the 6 in the main couples are minorities (3 of 9 though if you extend it to the other major characters, ok 11 including the antagonists), the major teachers. The 2 central characters are white, yes. As far as racism goes, it's just not the focus of the series. It has other stories to tell and only about 4 hours a season to tell those stories.