Positive Representation

Nominated for three Oscars with another 37 wins and 85 nominations, the film Hidden Figures, is a very effective way to promote more positive and accurate representations in the film industry. Being a historical film, the movie presents Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Gobels Johnson as strong and powerful women that crossed all gender, race, and professional lines with their brilliance and desire to dream big. As these women face not only racism but also sexism in a field highly dominated by white men, their determination presents an inspiring history lesson with amazing performances by the actors. Because the film presents such a strong and true message, filmmakers did not have to work hard to push boundaries and put messages into people’s heads that have not been given much light in the past.

"Positive images” consist of “replacing stereotypes of separatism and criminality with the depiction of ethnic minorities as integrated members of society who hold positions of influence and responsibility and have mainstream aspirations,” and this film does just this. As a movie with the main storyline revolving around three African American women, it breaks through with positive representations of women in power and race in an industry that was once overridden with traditional stereotypes of white males. In the past years the promotion of images of ethnic minorities as well as women, have increased tremendously. The film and tv industry have broadened horizons in the areas of race, gender, LGBTQ, societal rank, cultures, and many more. The film Hidden Figures is most certainly placed in the category of movies and tv shows that have supported the growth and representation, as shown through its tremendous support from viewers and movie critics.