Thoughts on representation:
My 4 y.o. watched @SpiderVerse for the first time a couple of months ago, and he's watched it at least half a dozen times ever since.
(1/x)
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One day my 4 y.o. tried to flatten his hair because someone told him that straight hair was better, so he didn't want curls anymore. I reminded him that when Miles Morales takes off his Spiderman costume, his hair looks a lot like his. He smiled and left his hair alone. (3/x)
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Today he started listening to a book about Miles Morales. Miles' parents made a couple of offhand comments about Miles wetting the bed as a little kid. The comment, probably intended to make preteens relate to the embarrassment, made my 4 y.o. feel heard. (4/x)
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Because of the human-ness of Miles Morales, my baby feels like he can be a super hero. My Black, Latino, Czech pre-schooler has a hero who is awkward and smart and human and brown, and I cannot tell you how much it means to me. (5/x)
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Maybe he'd be able to relate to super heroes the way I did, by primarily admiring their personalities and values, but those things don't always penetrate as deeply as experience. I'd never be an anyman from Kansas or a Billionaire vigilante. I could be heroic, but no hero. (6/x)
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For me, the relationship with my heroes was always one-way: I could try to emulate the characters, but there was little affirmation of who I was. There was never a direct path to greatness, just a possible supporting role if I were lucky and attractive and not too smart. (7/x)
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That world doesn't exist for my boys. I don't want that world to continue to exist for any child, whether it's in comics, laboratories, or rooms where decisions are being made. Representation matters. (8/x)
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