Sink or Swim? Gender, multiraciality, and student athletes in Never Have I Ever and Pretty Little Liars

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Overview of selected media

Never Have I Ever aired on the streaming platform Netflix between 2020 and 2023. The series follows the trials and tribulations of high school student Devi Vishwakumar, including her quest to lose her virginity to the most popular boy in school, Paxton Hall-Yoshida. Throughout the series, Paxton develops his identity beyond being a star swimmer—explicitly exploring the nuances of his multiracial identity as well as his academic abilities.

Pretty Little Liars aired on the Freeform television network between 2010 and 2017. The series follows a group of four high school students who begin to receive ominous text messages after the death of their friend Alison. Emily Fields is one of the only characters of Color among the predominantly White cast. While there is more narrative attention on Emily’s sexual orientation as one of the few gay characters in the series, her multiracial identity is briefly mentioned.