Change The Narrative
Illustration ⋆ Storytelling
Year: 2021
Organisation: QUT
Blurb: Change The Narrative is a comic commenting on the severe lack of BIPOC representation in media and the impacts that has on BIPOC kids’ senses of self.
The Problem & The Goal
The omission of BIPOC folk in media is a prevalent phenomenon which is widely unacknowledged by institutions and audiences alike. In cases where BIPOC representation is present, it is often caricaturised or tokenistic. We appear as sidekicks, supporting casts, the woke ones or the comic relief. Our representatives are predominantly neglected ~ left with the scraps of a storyline and no multifaceted character arcs to communicate our humanity. This dire lack of representation causes our BIPOC kids to grow up internalising the perspective that they are lesser than their White peers. Thus, impacting the way they present themselves to others, and more detrimentally, the way they perceive their own self-worth. So, this project aims to spread awareness of this issue and bridge the empathy gap to ensure change arises.
The Idea & The Magic
In response, I wrote and illustrated a comic following a young girl loosely characterised after myself, with the story delving into my experiences with this issue. I decided on this storytelling format as I believed following one central character would help the audience forge a deeper connection with the issue and evoke a greater degree of empathy to spur action (i.e. self-introspection and productive conversations). I also used an organic illustration style and unguarded storytelling tone, reminiscent of the storybooks we grew up with, to conjure a sense of nostalgia and prompt readers to reflect on the kinds of representation they saw as kids. Doing so also injects a sense of humanity into this heavy, nuanced subject matter ~ making it more approachable and creating room for hope to bloom, to drive lasting change.
