What the 90’s kid could forget Buffy the Vampire Slayer? At the time this teen show aired in 1997, it was a massive hit and continued for a total of 7 seasons until its inevitable (but still heartbreaking) series finale in 2003. It inspired a whole generation of teen girls to love be exactly like Buffy, going to a regular high school during the day and killing evil vampires at night.
Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer Now it is a cult classic and there are so many things we love, there is one area where the show always had problems: racial diversity. The characters were played primarily by white actors, and when there was finally a black character on the show, she was portrayed in such a troublesome way that she would never fly in today’s progressive climate.
What is ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ about?
The titular character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sarah Michelle Gellar, excellently portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar, starred in other films and married 90s heartbreaker Freddie Prinze Junior. The show follows a young woman named Buffy, who is, yes, a vampire hunter, but who also lives a normal teenage life in many other ways. Buffy kills vampires and other mythical creatures along with her friends, but also navigates romantic relationships (with, ironically, a vampire) and teenage rivalry throughout the show’s 7 seasons.
The show was so immensely popular that it even resulted in a spin-off series called Angel, who presents one of Buffy’s love interests, who is a vampire with a soul. There has also been talk of a Buffy restart, which would make all the women around the world who grew up in the 90’s happy.
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ lacks diversity
RELATED: ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’: Cordelia Was Supposed to Be Played by a Black Actress
Although Buffy It was the favorite show for many teens and may actually have been ahead of its time in other areas like celebrating women, it’s hard to deny that it is severely lacking in one area: racial diversity. There are almost no characters of color on the show, which sadly wasn’t that rare during that time.
In reality, one of the protagonists of the show, Cordelia Chase, was supposed to be played by a black actor. The show’s creator, Joss Whedon, actually wanted to choose a black actor, but was turned down by the network. Whedon’s former AP wrote a revealing book about Buffy and revealed: “Originally, Joss was looking for a black actress for the role of Cordelia. But one of the pitfalls there was how we knew Joss anticipated that relationships changed and changed. There was some concern online that interracial relationships would be problematic. ”
It is sad, but not shocking, that even in the 90s, the mainstream media did not want to portray something as beautiful as interracial love.
The troublesome portrayal of one of the few black woman characters
Buffy the Vampire Slayer He really only portrayed a prominent black woman, and that was Kendra. Kendra, played by Bianca Lawson, was a Jamaican vampire killer, according to ScreenRant, who was killed after appearing in just three episodes in the second season.
It’s already pretty troublesome that one of the only black characters in Buffy He had so little time in front of the screen, but what was really problematic about Kendra’s character was her strange accent. Perhaps because she was black, Lawson was forced to imitate a Jamaican accent, though why she couldn’t have been an American black character is beyond us. Lawson plays the character beautifully, but the accent makes Kendra treated as if she were another exotic. It’s even more troublesome for Buffy to actually tease Kendra’s accent on the show after discussing some arguments. This kind of thing would get Buffy “Canceled” in the eyes of today’s public, and we hope that if it ever restarts, producers will do a better job of creating a more inclusive program.
