What is it about?
Self-identified Star Wars fans completed an online survey assessing the extent to which they hold sexist and racist attitudes, as well as their liking of newer, more diverse, characters (i.e., Finn, Rey, Rose Tico) and older, White, and man-led characters (i.e., Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Padme Amidala). The results show that both hostile sexism and symbolic racism are negatively associated with liking the new characters.
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Photo by Agnieszka Kowalczyk on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Racism and sexism may play a part in dislike for diverse characters. The main findings show that Star Wars fans’ degree of racism and sexism are associated with greater dislike of diverse characters. The results highlight how real world prejudices can impact media industries, power structures, and fan cultures.
Perspectives
The results highlight associations between prejudices and media consumption. I was also a bit surprised by the results for Leia Organa (possibly due to how her character changed in the newer films).
Stephen Reysen
Texas A&M University Commerce
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Sexism and racism negatively predict preference for diverse characters in Star Wars fans., Psychology of Popular Media, February 2023, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/ppm0000462.
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