Hidden Figures is the true story about three African American women that were employed by NASA as “human computers” where they solved mathematical problems by hand without a calculator. Their story takes place in 1960’s America during a time where African Americans were seen and treated as less than human, kept at the bottom of the racial hierarchy, and Jim Crow was law.
Children spend approximately half of their waking hours consuming media and the will only continue to grow as technology continue to advance forward (Bhatt et al., 2012, p2). Therefore, it is important to recognize films that bring in a new perspective about achievements and contributions from marginalized communities and women. It is about recognizing their contributions and providing them with an opportunity to let their voices be heard and respected. This film is very important when it comes to female representation in the STEM fields, because there is a significant gender gap in STEM and media tends to portray such women in pervasive negative stereotypes. The truth is that an individual's behavior will change based on their observations and imitations of other, including those that appear in popular culture (Bhatt et al., p3). Hidden Figures is a true story that puts females at the front and the main focus such that women can begin to see themselves as independent, powerful and intelligent. For women and girls to reach their full potential the media and society need to break the stereotypes which is accomplished by exposing women to narratives that show diverse but realistic paths to STEM success as possible” (Bhatt et al., p13).
The truth is that even though the quantity of African Americans in media has increased there has been little change in the quality of the representation (Punyanunt, p241). Which in turn tends to have a negative effect on the way viewers conceive, alter and reinforce their beliefs and opinions about the black community. Punyanunt-Carter (2008) studied how the media’s unfavorable portrayals of African Americans influenced the perception of both Whites’ and African Americans. This is why it is important to recognize the contribution that Hidden Figures is making. It is creating a counter-narrative to what media tends to represent when it comes to people of color and minorities. In a sense, these ladies are not victims of oppression but rather victors, they encourage change within themselves, others and the systems in power. This is what society needs if it is to change the way that citizens perceive themselves and others.
That is why we need to treat media as “the primary vehicle through which we come to know ourselves and others” (Stack et al., 2006, p20). Let us change the narrative that young people see so that they see that they are more that just what society tells them they are. Through repeated exposure of non-stereotypical images can society change the underlying biases that are engrained into one’s learning and memory (Bhatt et al., p 13). Portraying different voices and perspectives in popular culture will allow society to strengthen itself and allowing all groups to reach their full potential. It will take everybody working together and opening the door so that everyone can succeed and be heard.
Work Cited
Berghahn, D. (2015). ‘De Margin and De Centre’ Repositioning Race and Ethnicity in Diasporic European Cinema. Media, Margins And Popular Culture, Ch 7, p105 - 108. Bhatt, M., Blakley, J., Mohanty, N., & Payne, R. (2012). How Media Shapes Perceptions of Science and Technology For Girls and Women. https://s3.amazonaws.com/feminc-website/Reports/femWhitePaperHighResFinal.pdf Punyanunt-Carter, N.M. (2008). The Perceived Realism of African American Portrayals on Television. The Howard Journal of Communications, 19: 241-257. Stack, M., & Kelley, D.M. (2006). Popular media, education, and resistance. Canadian Journal of Education, 29(1), 5-26.