Bel-Air is breaking stereotypes by rewriting Black mental health in Hollywood

Bel-Air dives deep into the emotional complexities of trauma, anxiety, and identity, offering a truthful portrayal of Black experiences with mental health. Most often in the bright and colourful world of Hollywood, the portrayal of mental health among Black people has been written with stereotypes and a lack of nuance, either sidelining their experiences or simplifying them in ways that strip them of their complexity. The taboo nature of discussing mental health within some Black communities reflects the underrepresentation of Black characters dealing with various mental health issues. This signals a need for a shift away from keeping the mental health experiences of Black people on the back burner. Often in media, Black men are expected to embody hyper-masculinity or play criminals. Even heroic portrayals tend to position them as protectors of white characters, depicting them as exceptionally strong, stoic individuals who endure hardship without emotional fallout. Black women face similar reductive portrayals, often subjected to violence and receive the least sympathetic treatment, regardless of whether they’re heroes or villains. Several films have reinforced these stereotypes by portraying Black men in hyper-masculinized roles. An example is the 2001 film, Training Day, with Denzel Washington playing Alonzo Harris, a corrupt LAPD...