Never Have I Ever-- cultural diversity and/or cultural stereotypes?Never Have I Ever is strikingly different from other young adult TV shows because of its highly diverse cast. The main character, Devi, is an Indian-American seeking to navigate high school life with her two best friends, who are also women of colour. Although this show features complex characters that come from many different cultures, the show relies on cultural-stereotypes in a way that can be uncomfortable at times. For example, Devi’s "nemesis" named Ben is Jewish and is portrayed in a very cliche way — he highly values money and has a workaholic lawyer father involved in the entertainment industry. I think it is worth exploring the ways in which different cultures can be represented in TV without perpetuating stereotypes. Is it possible to create characters that identify strongly with their cultures, and yet do not conform to stereotypes? |