DEFINE: Conversations on Diversity & Hollywood

This week, the Academy of Motion Pictures Art and Science announced their nominees for the 89th annual Oscars. You can view the complete list of nominees on TheYoungFolks.com, but for now, here are our Best Picture contenders: “Arrival” “Fences” “Hacksaw Ridge” “Hell or High Water” “Hidden Figures” “La La Land” “Lion” “Manchester by the Sea” “Moonlight”.After last year’s viral outcry over the Academy’s lack of diverse nominees, it’s apparent with this year’s nominees that strides were made to recognize films featuring stories of people of color. However, while we recognize this, we also believe that Hollywood and the Academy still have a long way to go in recognizing diversity in ALL forms.Visit TheYoungFolks.comFollow @TYFofficial on Twitter. Follow @DEFINEPodcast on Twitter.Follow our Host & Guests on Twitter: @GabrielleAdelle, @AllysonAJ, & @YaGirlMelberne.Music: bensounds.com 

Hello and welcome back to The Young Folks’s new podcast DEFINE: Conversations on Hollywood & Diversity. For today’s episode’s theme, we talk about arguably one of the biggest film and TV franchises ever… The Marvel Cinematic Universe and how its film and TV properties depict diversity. Visit TheYoungFolks.comFollow @TYFofficial on Twitter. Follow our Host & Guests on Twitter: @GabrielleAdelle, @AllysonAJ, & @YaGirlMelberneMusic: bensounds.com

This month's episode’s theme is the insidious culture of fat-shaming, especially in regards to women, that Hollywood has employed in film and TV since the dawn of its existence. From the media frenzy around Renee Zellweger’s weight gain for Bridget Jones to Rebel Wilson’s character’s relentless potty humor in the Pitch Perfect franchise, we hope to scrutinize why there are so little genuine portrayals of plus size women in media. Our goal with DEFINE is to take part in the ongoing discussions on diversity and fair representation in film and television. We hope to deconstruct stereotypes, inform audiences and do our part to help make our voices louder so our demands can be heard and seriously considered. We want more diverse stories and characters. In fact, we’re here to argue not just why we want them, but why we truly need them.This is a TYF production. TheYoungFolks.com - Follow @TYFofficial for more info.Music: Bensounds.com

Welcome to the second episode of The Young Folks’s new podcast, DEFINE: Conversations on Hollywood & Diversity. Gabrielle Bondi hosts this new podcast with guests. This month, we have TYF’s film editor, Allyson Johnson and writer Melissa Berne.Today’s main topic is the DC Extended Universe. With the recent release of the much talked about Suicide Squad, we are dedicating this episode to the film as well as other DC films and TV shows and how fairly they depict diversity in their properties.Our goal with DEFINE is to take part in the ongoing discussions on diversity and fair representation in film and television. We hope to deconstruct stereotypes, inform audiences and do our part to help make our voices louder so our demands can be heard and seriously considered. We want more diverse stories and characters. In fact, we’re here to argue not just why we want them, but why we truly need them.This is a TYF production. TheYoungFolks.com - Follow @TYFofficial for more info.Music: Bensounds.com

Welcome to the first episode of The Young Folks’s newest podcast, DEFINE: Conversations on Hollywood & Diversity. Gabrielle Bondi hosts this new podcast with guests. This month, we have TYF’s film editor, Allyson Johnson and writer Melissa Berne.Our goal with DEFINE is to take part in the ongoing discussions on diversity and fair representation in film and television. We hope to deconstruct stereotypes, inform audiences and do our part to help make our voices louder so our demands can be heard and seriously considered. We want more diverse stories and characters. In fact, we’re here to argue not just why we want them, but why we truly need them.Today’s main topic is white-washing, which is frankly the most obvious method of cultural erasure that Hollywood frequently practices.This is a TYF production. TheYoungFolks.com - Follow @TYFofficial for more info.Music: Bensounds.com