Can someone explain to me the need to be represented?

In the current state of the world it seems like everyone wants to be represented in all types of mediums and I am genuinely wondering why.

Good recent examples would be how blacks felt under represented at the Oscars, and how some women feel under represented or wrongly represented in games. What started me wondering about this was a comment I saw from someone about the Oscars thing who was Hispanic and stated something along the lines of "As a Mexican guy, yes please. I've always wanted to see someone like me play a hero, do an amazing job acting, and get recognized." and I can't help but wonder why. Why do you form a connection with someone who shares the same ethnicity or anything as you and want to see them succeed or have them in whatever medium you enjoy? Why does it have to be someone the same as you? Why can't a woman represent a man and vice versa? Why can't a black person represent a white person, or an asian person, or a hispanic and etc and so on?

The way I personally view it is that it shouldn't matter, right? I mean whether it is movies or video games it is fictional characters in a fictional universe (even if it is based off of a true story) why does it matter if you're being represented? Just because someone shares the same ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or anything else with you doesn't make them like you, so it is really as simple as people identifying themselves by those things and wanting to see someone that shares those things being successful or be in their medium of choice so they can feel like they can do the same things?

You're not normal so youll never understand