Netflix and other streaming giants requested to include a 'disclaimer' for villains with 'scars, marks, burns'

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The charity organization Changing Faces wrote a letter to chief content officers at Netflix U.K., Amazon Prime Video, BBC IPlayer and Apple TV requesting that they help reduce the stigma of scars and other "visible differences" by including a disclaimer on its movies and TV shows. 

"Every year, Halloween becomes a particularly stressful time for some of those with visible differences," the anti-discrimination organization wrote, according to Variety. "[V]illainous film characters with scars, marks, burns or conditions are often recreated as costumes, as well as becoming terms of abuse in everyday life."

The charity is "not asking for these films to be removed" from streaming platforms, but is instead requesting a "note in the film’s description and add a disclaimer on screen that such characters 'reinforce negative stereotypes."

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Charity organization Changing Faces wrote a letter to chief content officers at Netflix U.K., Amazon Prime Video, BBC IPlayer and Apple TV requesting that they help reduce the stigma of scars and other "visible differences" by including a disclaimer on its movies and TV shows, according to Variety.  (Getty Images)

The press campaign, called "I Am Not Your Villain," lists Darth Vader in Star Wars and Scar in The Lion King as two notable examples of filmmakers using "physical disfigurement" as a visible representation of "evil." 

According to the letter: "Harmful beliefs that scars and marks equate to evil can be reinforced through instant access to decades of archived content without explanation of the impact and undoubtedly contribute to othering and abuse of those with visible differences."

Actor Beth Bradfield, who stars in the Netflix series "Sex Education," had a condition that caused her to have facial scarring as a baby and is reportedly supporting the campaign. "While I’ve been involved in best-practice and inclusive shows within the TV and film industry, I am an advocate for positive representation of those with visible differences, the industry is progressing, but there is still a long way to go," Bradfield said.

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A Netflix logo. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

"It’s so important that the film industry talks about the impact of harmful tropes of films of the past while making way for new and exciting stories that normalise those with visible differences on screen as real people with real stories to tell," Bradfield added. 

The charity group also wrote that "old-fashioned stereotypes" in media may negatively influence "younger generations and continue to affect how those with visible differences are perceived."

Changing Faces provided Fox News Digital with a short list of examples of potentially harmful media on major streaming platforms. On Netflix, the movie "Halloween Kills" was highlighted. On HBO Max, the charity group highlighted "The Exorcist" and "Nightmare on Elm Street." On Prime, the group highlighted the 2019 film "Joker," and "The Omen" on both Apple TV and Disney+.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV and BBC. This article will be updated with any responses. 

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