This Changes Everything looks deeply at gender disparities in Hollywood through the eyes of well-known actresses , female filmmakers and studio heads . The documentary weaves together several stories to highlight the effects of these disparities on the representation of women on screen , broader racial and gender issues within the film and TV industries and the vital importance of relying upon data when discussing and developing diversity and inclusion goals and initiatives , both behind and in front of the camera .
When the FX network was exposed as having the worst track record for employing women and people of color , CEO John Landgraf decided to make a change considered radical in the industry : he launched a diversity and inclusion initiative and provided all the resources necessary to make their shows successful . The result ? Programming got better . Two years later , FX received 50 Emmy nominations and continued to lead in nominations for four straight years .
Following FX ’ s lead , other studios began implementing their own DEI initiatives , recognizing that not only was it the right thing to do , but it was good business as well .
The basic similarities between Hollywood and our industry enable us to learn some of their lessons the easy way : by simply following their lead . Here are three ways we can on diversity , equity and inclusion to change ( and maybe even radically refine !) spa industry businesses for the better .
1 . Use Data to Raise Your Awareness
In 2015 , Variety published an in-depth story on the quest to diversify the ranks of television directors . Author Maureen Ryan , a Film & TV critic for the magazine , started off by painting a grim picture : “ One . Zero . One . Zero . One . That is the number of women of color who directed episodes of television in the 2014-2015 TV season at AMC , FX , HBO , Netflix and Showtime , respectively .”
In This Changes Everything , Ryan said she wanted to explore the diversity of directors in TV programming : “ I began digging around . And I wanted to
see what I could find out about directors in the world of TV . All the data was there . But it wasn ’ t all that easy to see the numbers by network . I don ’ t like math . But even a non-math person like me can add up a row of zeros . I constructed a chart for every network , and there are four categories : white men , white women , men of color , women of color , and the network with the worst track record was FX .”
DGA stats covering 2014-2015 season for FX and FXX
EPISODES DIRECTED BY NON-WHITE MEN 8
TOTAL EPISODES 168
EPISODES DIRECTED BY WHITE MEN 168
When presented with the data , FX CEO John Landgraf initially blamed showrunners and executive producers for the shocking lack of diversity and claimed that DEI had been “ in [ his ] consciousness for a long , long time ” but
EPISODES DIRECTED BY WHITE WOMEN 48
EPISODES DIRECTED BY NON-WHITE WOMEN 0
later admitted that he was disappointed and “ ashamed ” by the numbers in the Variety exposé . “ I thought of myself as an enlightened person , I would have described myself as a feminist . So I ’ ve started to inquire much more deeply into the kinds of unique challenges faced by women , by
African Americans , by people who are not gender normative . We ’ ve got to put our finger on the scale and try to do something , to change the situation ,” said Landgraf .
Before leaders in the spa industry can “ put our finger on the scale ,” we need to start gathering data . Because our industry provides wellness services , we should know who is crafting those services and for whom . After all , representation plays a major factor in guest satisfaction and loyalty . Consumers want to see themselves reflected in spa — both in the services offered and in retail — just as film and TV viewers want to see themselves reflected in what they watch .
But in order to improve something , you must measure it first . If you care about DEI in your organization , the path to improvement begins with tracking the metrics relevant to the organization ’ s goals . Gather data on your teams through pulse surveys and interviews that specifically measure how your organization is doing in the areas of diversity , equity and inclusion . This will then give you the insight you need to make improvements in the areas they are needed most .
Second , dig into the data to learn where you can be stronger . The data that propelled John Landgraf into action only covered one segment of the TV industry : directors . However , the lack of diversity among directors indicated deeper issues . As Maureen Ryan wrote in Variety : “ When it comes to the issue of diversity in Hollywood , non-white women are the proverbial canaries in the coalmine . A meaningful commitment to inclusion will mean they are hired regularly , along with white women and men of color . Their nearabsence hints at much deeper institutional problems in the TV industry .”*
Digging into your organization ’ s data on DEI can help you pinpoint
* From the article “ Peak Inequality : Investigating the Lack of Diversity Among TV Directors .” ( Full citation TK )
JANUARY 2022 n PULSE 35