#cultural-bias

#cultural-bias

Leonardo DiCaprio's early struggles in Hollywood are the stuff of legend, but a newly resurfaced story offers fresh insight into the industry's long history of gatekeeping and cultural bias. During a recent appearance on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, DiCaprio-one of Hollywood's most bankable stars-revealed he couldn't get an agent for a long time, but when he finally got one, his first agent advised him he wouldn't succeed in show business due to his real name. The agent suggested he adopt the stage name "Lenny Williams," saying "your name is too ethnic" and telling a then-13-year-old DiCaprio, "you're never going to be hired."

Physical traits were often interpreted through moral and symbolic lenses, reflecting biases and aesthetic standards of the time, especially in depictions of historical figures.

The name Kevin, once cool, has now become a stereotype in Germany, associated with lower socio-economic backgrounds and biases in education, reflecting societal prejudice.