Culture is defined as an entire lifestyle for a group of people. So it should come to no surprise that when a specific culture is represented in media, there are very high expectations. People want the representation to be accurate as well as informative for those unfamiliar with the lifestyle. When a culture is misrepresented, it gets people talking.

Movies tend to have the most difficult time with culture representation. The issue of “whitewashing” or giving non-Caucasian roles to white people has been an issue in the film industry for a very long time. A recent example of this was the movie “Aloha,” a film that took place in Hawaii. The film starred Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, and Rachel McAdams and was criticized for its depiction of the Hawaiian culture, namely the lack of diversity. Movies like “Aloha,” “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” and “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” represent an industry that is focused less on the culture and more on big-name celebrities and profit.

The peculiar thing is that television is moving in the exact opposite direction. While movies are becoming less diverse, television is thriving on culture experimentation in order to make exceptional entertainment. One prime example of this is the Golden-Globe winning TV series “Jane The Virgin.” The show, based off of a telenovela, centers around an Hispanic-American woman who was accidentally impregnated, which changes her life forever as she must figure out how to handle such an absurd situation. The show is not only accurate with its depiction of Hispanic culture, but it also understands Hispanic pop culture. The show’s telenovela influences are reflected through its style, adding twists and turns that match the telenovela style. This makes the culture even more beautifully detailed and accurate. Shows like this accurately represent cultures that are usually mistreated in other forms of media.

Filmmakers need to realize that cultural representation is important to a lot of people. The lifestyle of a group of people should not be misrepresented because of how sensitive the topic can be. The quality of a product depends on how much heart is put into it, and the culture that the work centered around is great proof of this theory.