An Open Letter to Hallmark

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.“

Maya Angelou

Dear Hallmark,

Watching Hallmark movies in my house was a tradition every season of the year. I loved cuddling up with my mom in the winter to a feel-good movie of watching a boy and a girl fall in love with the magic of Christmas, to see two people overcome obstacles to be with each other. It taught me the importance of family, the magic of love, and fighting for what and who you believe in. Movies are so important. They are role models on how we should act, they teach us what is acceptable versus unacceptable, they teach us societal norms and values, and they have the ability to inspire us. Because movies are so powerful and influential, I believe it is important to see what messages these movies are sending its viewers.

        One thing I think hallmark must improve is its message of diversity. If I were to turn on the hallmark channel I would more than likely find a movie featuring a boy and a girl with an entirely white cast. I do not believe this is representative of the world we live in. For example, in 1967 only 3% of marriages were interracial whereas in 2015 17% of marriages, or 1 in 6, were interracial (Bialik, 2017). With there being more interracial marriages, why do movies not reflect this? With the United States considered a “melting pot” for people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, how come hallmark movies do not reflect this by showing more people of color? Even though it is important to see more diversity in regards to race as the main cast, I struggle to even point out any person of color working as an extra or secondary character.

In regard to religion, the United States does not have a nationally declared religion that everyone must follow. However, to anybody watching Hallmark they will see a majority of movies following the Christian holidays. Growing up, in the wintertime I celebrated Hanukkah. I would watch Christmas movies after lighting the menorah and would dream of Santa Claus visiting me just like he did my friends. I drove in the car with my mom or went into department stores and all I heard was “Jingle Bells”, “Deck the halls”, and “Rudolf the Red nosed Reindeer”. I dreamt of finding presents in stockings, decorating a Christmas tree, making gingerbread men, and eating candy canes. But I longed to see a movie about people having fun on Hanukkah, coming together as a community, and seeing someone who was Jewish, someone like me, fall in love. Even in the United States, since 2010 there has been a report that nearly every 4 in 10, or 39%, of people reported marrying someone of a different religious background than them (Pew Research Center, 2015). I believe that Hallmark should reflect this diversity and show that regardless if you are Christian, Jewish, or of a different religious background, that you deserve to be loved and find happiness.

“Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.”     

Ola Joseph

Furthermore, there has never been a Hallmark movie featuring an LGBTQ+ couple. There have been a few background characters maybe, but this is not enough. In the United States you can get married regardless of your sexual orientation. There is an estimated 4.5% of the adult population of the United States who identify as LGBTQ+, that is roughly 11,343,000 people (The Williams Institute, 2019). Hallmark has the opportunity to be an amazing role model to show that everyone deserves love, to see someone who is LGBTQ+ have a happy ending, and promote tolerance and acceptance.

The media has the position, power, and influence to teach and educate its viewers. Whether it is intentionally or unintentionally, the movies that Hallmark puts out influences the public image of minorities in regards to religion, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, women, and people with disabilities. If there is only one dominant story, then people who do not regularly interact with these populations will either unconsciously or consciously subscribe to the values and ideals that that story portrays (Cort, n.d.). Right now, that story seems to portray America and the majority of its romantic relationships as being straight, white, and Christian. Hallmark has the opportunity to change the narrative, to make its movies more diverse and show more than one type of story. They can teach their viewers the importance of acceptance, and be an amazing role model for children of color, of kids who celebrate Hanukkah, and LGBTQ+ kids that they are all deserving of love and give them hope that they will too find love.

“What the world needs most is openness: Open hearts, open doors, open eyes, open minds, open ears, open souls.“

Robert Muller

Resources

Bialik, K. (2017, June 12). Key facts about race and marriage in the u.s. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/12/key-facts-about-race-and-marriage-50-years-after-loving-v-virginia/

Cort, C. (n.d.). A long way to go: Minorities and the media. Retrieved from http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/long-way-go-minorities-and-media

Pew Research Center. (2015, May 12). America’s changing religious landscape. Retrieved from https://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/

The Williams Institute. (2019, March 5). Adult lgbt population in the us. Retrieved from https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/lgbt-adults-in-the-us/