bamonnineties:

I have a lot of poison concerning this show, because I actually watched every episode of every season. First with curiosity cause I read the books, secondly with interest because it was a show with a lot of potential, then out of HATE. Because it was like watching a slow motion car accident. You knew they fucked up, you knew it was bad for you, but you were still live blogging, retweeting and sending the authors, (especially Julie Plec) your regards. I never insulted this woman, because I didn’t need to, but I’m sure as hell insulted her writing, because I couldn’t believe that in 2010s years, you could create a show THIS problematic EVEN in the damn CW. 

Why TVD was so problematic? Why a lot of fans felt betrayed and I thought watching a fucking brainwashing attempts on young teenagers every fucking Fridays? Here’s why.

– Bonnie Bennett, the black woman who had it all but didn’t have the chance to show it.

Listen, there’s a lot of heated conversation whit black activists, and even others normal people with enough distance to see how the way to treat this character was very problematic.

Bonnie was never treated like a decent human being. She was always dying for her friends who didn’t care. She was a witch with big ass powers but never had the chance to really improve them, she also never had a meaningful contact with other witches who would actually help her, because witches were depicted like independent beings. Bonnie had this spirit, this strength but could never rely on anyone but Damon (but this is another debate).

The big problem was that Bonnie was a main character. She appeared in the first episode like the main character’s best friend. She was supposed to be the Stiles of her Scott, but here’s the main difference between Stiles and Bonnie.

Bonnie is black. 

Bonnie was the only character of color in the main cast, Michael Trevino was a hidden gem and she was the only visible representant of POC.

It wasn’t enough to see her die every season, when she was in the land of the livings she was invisible.

We never knew anything about her dreams, what was she studying? (seriously she should have been the one to be a doctor…) When she was thinking about the future, what would she see?

Her father was MURDERED by someone with the same face of her best friend’s ex boyfriend’s face and she has NOT ANY MELTDOWN?

And don’t get me started with the rest of her family.

Her love relationships were forced and out of nowhere. Any interesting love relationship resulting on a durable conflict were shut down by Julie Plec on obvious disregard for this character.

-> Bamon? Nope. 

-> Klonnie? Nope. Klaroline

-> Bonkai? (first ugh then…) Nope.

-> Kennett? (Kol+Bonnie) Nope. but Kolvina it’s good! Why? Because Davina is not black.

Listen, I am black. I was raised in a family who values education and self-respect. But when I was in high school, I was the only black girl in the class. I was representing despite myself an entire community. I was supposed to be selfless, tough, strong, never crying, never falling apart. I was the secondary character of my own life. I was the one taking care of others. I was the one collecting the phone numbers FOR my friends. I was a bodyguard. Literally.

TVD broke my heart. Because when I watched it I felt I was back in square one. That no one would love me for who I am, that I needed to SETTLE FOR LESS.

Because it’s basically what happened to Bonnie who excuse me to say that, settled for LESS.

She settled for Jeremy, she settled for Enzo. Because she couldn’t have Damon, she couldn’t have dreams, she couldn’t have a future, she couldn’t have respect.

But Caroline… Don’t you think there’s a problem, when Caroline was a bigger secondary character compared to Bonnie?

Caroline basically fell for EVERY (except Jeremy) man in the show, and every man (even ENZO!) fell for her at one moment. 

I’m crying as I’m writing these lines. If I had watched TVD during my high school years (because I’d just graduated one season 1 was released), it would have destroy my self-confidence as a woman of color.

I loved TVD. really. I loved your mythology, your characters were so interesting and full of potential. But they could have been better.

Representation matters in the writers room for this very reason. To make sure that everyone deserves a character at its best to deliver a positive impact on others.

Fiction is about life. Life is inspired by fiction.