Entertainment,  Personal Essays,  Representation Nation,  TV

I Wish I Had a Character Like KJ Brandman When I Was Growing Up

Photo courtesy of Legendary Television and Prime Video.

The entertainment industry has this incredible power to showcase and highlight diversity and inclusivity on the big and small screens. It’s something that’s become less rare these days which is showing that the industry is shifting towards the right direction.

When I was younger, I was able to see myself on the small screen but not my entire self. I’m Jewish and it’s something that I’ve personally never seen accurately portrayed on screen. It’s even more rare to see the Judaism portrayed on the small screen, especially through a young woman that feels authentic.

When I watched Prime Video’s ‘Paper Girls’ for the first time, I gravitated immediately towards KJ Brandman (Fina Strazza), her curly brunette hair, her personality, and most importantly because she’s Jewish. This is before I rewatched season 1 so many times that I can’t even tell you the exact number. Anyways, I wanted to take some time and dissect my love for KJ but to shine light on how vital it is to have proper representation on screen. Let’s begin.

I was introduced to Paper Girls because my mom started watching it one night. I was hooked in just by watching the pilot episode. It wasn’t until I observed the curly-haired brunette young girl going into her closet seeing a pink dress hanging with a note saying something to the effect of wearing it to her Bat Mitzvah. That’s when it all clicked. KJ’s Jewish. It wasn’t something that blew my mind. It was refreshing to see my religion being portrayed in a way that feels genuine and realistic.

As the story in season 1 continues to expand, we see her friends make constant references to her Bat Mitzvah. A scene that stuck out a lot for me is a conversation that KJ and Mac Coyle (Sofia Rosinsky) have in episode 2 where KJ addresses Mac’s antisemitic comments about her and her family. They go onto talk about how KJ’s Grandma experienced the Holocaust and how she got bullied at school because of her religion. It unfortunately paints a realistic portrait to what’s still happening today. This show is set in 1988. Let that sink in for a moment.

While there weren’t a ton of times where KJ’s Judaism was on display, it was the small moments that made me realize how Judaism doesn’t get the proper representation it truly deserves.

It wasn’t just because we’re both Jewish that drew me to KJ. It’s the fact that we’re the same MBTI personality type and ennegram. My mind was completely blown when I found this out. We’re both introverted, artistic, and overall visual individuals. I was drawn to KJ because I saw a lot of myself in her. It was almost like I was looking at my own reflection of my younger self. It was unreal.

This all leads me here. Representation matters. It means the world to an audience member when they see themselves on the big and small screens whether it’s a small part or big part of themselves. It doesn’t matter. Inclusion is so valuable and important in the entertainment industry. The purpose of film and television isn’t just entertainment. It’s to tell stories that matter and impact people on daily basis.

I hope you leave here inspired and full of insight on how important it is to see yourself properly represented in film and television.

KJ Brandman is a character who will continue to open my eyes and fight to see more Jewish representation on all screens.

Thank you so much for reading!

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