History Main / WatchedItForTheRepresentation

* Quite a lot of fans tuned in to ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' for its varied representation. The diverse cast was always a selling point, especially for little kids. While the LGBT representation was more of the [[HideYourLesbians "plausible deniability"]] flavor [[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/03/raya-and-the-last-dragon-kelly-marie-tran-gay-namaari-raya early on]], vocal support from fans who picked up on the queer subtext enabled more varied and explicit depictions of queerness in later seasons. As the representation became more explicit, it also got a lot of attention for being set in a world where sexual orientation simply doesn't seem to be any kind of issue for ''anyone'', with not a single character ever batting an eye when someone turns out to be non-hetero, enabling them to have stories like anyone else with zero {{Gaynst}}.

* While ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' was already popular, the fandom exploded after the premiere of "Jail Break", which revealed that Garnet is a romantic fusion of two feminine gems named Ruby and Sapphire.

* Quite a lot of fans tuned in to ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'' for its varied representation. The diverse cast was always a selling point, especially for little kids. While the LGBT representation was more of the [[HideYourLesbians "plausible deniability"]] flavor [[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/03/raya-and-the-last-dragon-kelly-marie-tran-gay-namaari-raya early on]], vocal support from fans who picked up on the queer subtext enabled more varied and explicit depictions of queerness in later seasons.

** ''Film/BlackPanther2018'' was the first MCU production to have a majority-black cast. In addition to the superhero fare, black fans tuned in for the black AllStarCast, the way the film addressed real issues of colonialism and diasporic identity, and the film's celebration of African and African-American cultures. It grossed over a billion dollars and was the first MCU film to be nominated for Best Picture at the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s.

* ''Series/BlackLightning2018'': The show is a huge draw among audiences, especially African-Americans, for starring a black superhero in a landscape where the majority of superhero shows are led by white protagonists. It also has an LGBTFanbase courtesy of the title character's lesbian daughter and her relationship with a Korean-American woman named Grace Choi.

* ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'' became popular largely because of its representation of various races, sexualities, and gender identities. Creator/LaverneCox's character Sophia received a lot of praise in particular for being a trans female character [[QueerCharacterQueerActor played by a trans woman]]. However, as later plot points were criticized for using this representation poorly -- most infamously [[spoiler:the black lesbian character Poussey being suffocated to death in a manner reminiscent of a real-life high profile PoliceBrutality case]] -- members of these demographics tuned out.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' was very popular with black viewers when it came out, because it featured the character Uhura, who was one of the few black characters on TV at the time not to be a walking stereotype.
* Many Deaf/Hard of Hearing people tuned in to ''Series/SwitchedAtBirth'' (a show that prominently features Deaf culture as several of its characters, including one of its protagonists, is Deaf) to see how the show would depict their mannerisms, culture and community.

* ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'' included not just a racially diverse cast, but a black gay character (Benson) who actually referred to himself as "gay," a rarity in children's television. This got the show a sizable LGBTFanbase who used Benson as a major selling point to animation fans.

* ''WesternAnimation/TwelveForever'': While not advertised much, word did spread that it's lead, Reggie, was gay and a subplot featured her gaining a crush on a fellow schoolmate. Two of the residents of Endless Island were also a gay male couple. This allowed the series to gain fans from the [=LGBTQ=] community.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': With a cast of mostly female leads, it was no surprise one of them (Luna) eventually turned out to be bisexual. Clyde, Lincoln's black friend, was also the adopted son of an interracial gay male couple. Both have been well received from their communities.
** Later on the series spin-off, ''WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes'' gained a following from the Hispanic community. As well as the impaired one for having one of the family members be mentally impaired.
* ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'' is incredibly popular with the black community for its positive black representation, as well as the numerous LGBTQ+ side characters.
* ''WesternAnimation/HeroElementary'' gained a lot of fans because of AJ Gadgets, who is not only autistic, but also black -- a conscious choice on the part of the creators since black children are less likely to be diagnosed with autism even though they too can be autistic.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': With a cast of mostly female leads, it was no surprise one of them (Luna) eventually turned out to be gay. Clyde, Lincoln's black friend, was also the adopted son of an interracial male couple. Both have been well received from their communities.

* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'': Kamala Khan gained a lot of positive press and immediate popularity for being a teenage, Pakistani-American Muslim female superheroine. This made her popular amongst a ''multitude'' [[TwoferTokenMinority of different minority groups]], and she proved to be an interesting and refreshing character within her own right, due to her FunPersonified personality combined with tackling various real-life issues like body image and bigotry. Her success sparked a [[FollowTheLeader a new wave]] of [[AffirmativeActionLegacy female and/or minority heroes]], including [[Characters/MarvelComicsSilk Silk]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsIronheart Ironheart]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsNovaTitleCharacter Sam Alexander]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsAmericaChavez America Chavez]], as well as pushing others into the spotlight, such as [[Characters/MarvelComicsJaneFoster Jane Foster]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsAmadeusCho Amadeus Cho]].

* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'': Kamala Khan gained a lot of positive press and immediate popularity for being a teenage, Pakistani-American Muslim female superheroine. This made her popular amongst a ''multitude'' [[TwoferTokenMinority of different minority groups]], and she proved to be an interesting and refreshing character within her own right, due to her FunPersonified personality combined with tackling various real-life issues like body image and bigotry. Her success sparked a [[FollowTheLeader a new wave]] of [[AffirmativeActionLegacy female and/or minority heroes]], including [[Characters/MarvelComicsSilk Silk]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsIronheart Ironheart]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsNova Sam Alexander]], as well as pushing others into the spotlight, such as [[Characters/MarvelComicsJaneFoster Jane Foster]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsAmadeusCho Amadeus Cho]].

* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'': Kamala Khan gained a lot of positive press and immediate popularity for being a teenage, Pakistani-American Muslim female superheroine. This made her popular amongst a ''multitude'' [[TwoferTokenMinority of different minority groups]], and she proved to be an interesting and refreshing character within her own right, due to her FunPersonified personality combined with tackling various real-life issues like body image and bigotry. Her success sparked a [[FollowTheLeader a new wave]] of [[AffirmativeActionLegacy female and/or minority heroes]], including [[ComicBook/MarvelComicsSilk Silk]], [[ComicBook/MarvelComicsIronheart Ironheart]], [[ComicBook/MarvelComicsNova Sam Alexander]], as well as pushing others into the spotlight, such as [[ComicBook/MarvelComicsJaneFoster Jane Foster]] and [[ComicBook/MarvelComicsAmadeusCho Amadeus Cho]].

* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'': Kamala Khan gained a lot of positive press and immediate popularity for being a teenage, Pakistani-American Muslim female superheroine. This made her popular amongst a ''multitude'' [[TwoferTokenMinority of different minority groups]], and she proved to be an interesting and refreshing character within her own right, due to her FunPersonified personality combined with tackling various real-life issues like body image and bigotry.

* ''Webcomic/SisterClaire'' started to garner this reputation after the author, Yamino, came out as as a lesbian and her partner joined in on writing the story. Even moreso when a good majority of the cast turned out to be gay, bi or trans. Yamino herself is a major advocate for gay pride on UsefulNotes/{{Twitter}}, so that likewise helped.

* ''Webcomic/SisterClaire'' started to garner this reputation after the author, Yamino, came out as as a lesbian and her partner joined in on writing the story. Even moreso when a good majority of the cast turned out to be gay, bi or trans. Yamino herself is a major advocate for gay pride on Twitter, so that likewise helped.

The works themselves may be anything from highly anticipated blockbusters to lowkey network comedies to older works that [[ValuesResonance depicted minority characters well]] [[FairForItsDay by the standards of the time they were made]] and are just now getting recognition from the mainstream. A MoreDiverseSequel or [[AdaptationalDiversity reboot/remake]] might take advantage of more liberal attitudes behind the scenes and diversify the cast of a preexisting property to take advantage of this. Works that women watched for their strong female characters may be a FeministFantasy.

** ''Film/BlackPanther2018'' was the first MCU production to have a majority-black cast. In addition to the superhero fare, black fans tuned in for the black AllStarCast, the way the film addressed real issues of colonialism and diasporic identity, and the film's celebration of African and African-American cultures. It grossed over a billion dollars and was the first MCU film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

The works themselves may be anything from highly anticipated blockbusters to lowkey network comedies to older works that [[ValuesResonance depicted minority characters]] [[FairForItsDay very well by the standards of the time they were made]] and are just now getting recognition from the mainstream. A MoreDiverseSequel or [[AdaptationalDiversity reboot/remake]] might take advantage of more liberal attitudes behind the scenes and diversify the cast of a preexisting property to take advantage of this. Works that women watched for their strong female characters may be a FeministFantasy.

The works themselves may be anything from highly anticipated blockbusters to lowkey network comedies to older works that [[ValuesResonance depicted its minorities very well for the day]] and are just now getting recognition from the mainstream. A MoreDiverseSequel or [[AdaptationalDiversity reboot/remake]] might take advantage of more liberal attitudes behind the scenes and diversify the cast of a preexisting property to take advantage of this. Works that women watched for their strong female characters may be a FeministFantasy.

* ''Film/{{Blade}}'': Way before the [=MCU=] was a thing, Marvel actually turned some heads with this film back in the late 90s/early 2000s. Not only because he was, at the time, one of the lesser known heroes from their stockade and a person of color at that. But him getting his own movie was certainly a draw for many African-Americans.

* ''Film/{{Blade}}'': Way before the [=MCU=] was a thing, Marvel actually turned some heads with this film back in the late 90s/early 2000s. Not only because he was, at the time, one of the lesser known heroes from their stockade and a colored one at that. But him getting his own movie was certainly a draw for many African-Americans.

* ''Theatre/FlowerDrumSong'', despite including what some consider [[FairForItsDay outdated stereotypes]], still enjoys a strong fan base among Asian American viewers: the film adaptation is noted for being one of the very few Hollywood films of its era to feature an almost entirely Asian and Asian American cast. As David Henry Hwang (who revised the book for the Broadway revival) said of the film, "It was kind of a GuiltyPleasure ... and one of the only big Hollywood films where you could see a lot of really good Asian actors onscreen, singing and dancing and cracking jokes."
** Meanwhile, the solo number "I Enjoy Being a Girl" gained classic status for inadvertently representing [[DragQueen a different fan base]]....

* ''Film/FlowerDrumSong'', despite including what some consider [[FairForItsDay outdated stereotypes]], still enjoys a strong fan base among Asian American viewers for being one of the very few Hollywood films of its era to feature an almost entirely Asian and Asian American cast. As David Henry Hwang said, "It was kind of a GuiltyPleasure ... and one of the only big Hollywood films where you could see a lot of really good Asian actors onscreen, singing and dancing and cracking jokes." Meanwhile, the solo number "I Enjoy Being a Girl" gained classic status for inadvertently representing [[DragQueen a different fan base]]....

What constitutes as "representation" varies widely. In some cases, it isn't a very big part of the work. Perhaps it is one of very few works that contain a character from a certain minority group. Maybe its minority characters are non-stereotypical and nuanced, or its portrayal of an underrepresented culture is well-researched and respectful. In other cases, the work markets itself in part on the representation it provides. Maybe it is the first work of its kind to have a lead from one demographic or have a cast majorly comprised of said demographic.