While Universal Television’s hit American TV drama The Bold Type has been praised extensively over the years for its diverse cast and positive messages, star Aisha Dee has recently criticised the show for its lack of diversity behind the camera.
In an open letter posted on Instagram, Dee called out the issues with diversity among those who create and film the series.
Taking inspiration from the character she plays on the show, strong-willed social media editor Kat, Dee stated: “the diversity we see in front of the camera needs to be reflected in the diversity of the creative team behind the camera.”
As a series that applauds inclusivity and tackles difficult issues, it is surprising for audiences to discover the show’s issue with diversity in its creative team.
“In Season Two, Kat is promoted to be the first Black female head of department at Scarlet Magazine. We’ve never had a Black female head of department”, wrote Dee.
Dee then went on to assert the hypocrisy of the show’s diverse cast compared with those working on set, claiming that “it took three seasons to get someone in the hair department who knew how to work with textured hair.”
This comes as shocking news to fans as the storylines explored in the series are so inclusive. As Dee notes, “we got to tell a story about a queer Black woman and a lesbian Muslim woman falling in love, but there have never been any queer Black or Muslim writers in the room.”
She also criticised the decision of producers to include a storyline in season four which saw Kat dating a conservative woman whose family supports gay conversion camps, suggesting that this “felt confusing and out of character.”
Universal Television released a statement in response to Dee’s Instagram post which said “we applaud Aisha for raising her hand and starting conversations around these important issues. We look forward to continuing that dialogue and enacting positive change.”
It is clear through interactions by different cast members on social media that many of the cast and crew are supportive of changes being made, and it is certainly encouraging that Universal Television has responded positively to Dee’s calls for improvement.
It appears that many fans of the show are pleased to see that Universal is taking steps to ensure that those working on the series are as diverse and inclusive as the people we see on the screen. Only time will tell, however, whether these good intentions will actually translate into positive actions as the series moves forward.
Words by Lucy Martin