Does skin tone matter?

Denzel Washington

Will Smith

Chris Tucker

Martin Lawrence

Don Cheadle

So today was the last day of class. We watched a documentary (I am not sure what the title was) about the future of Black America in Hollywood. There was an idea presented in it that I have never heard before- that when it comes to African American actors it is easier for those with light skin to get hired than those that have dark skin. I am not sure if this was surprising to anyone else in our class, but it sure was for me. As one actress explained, she is black, but has light skin so she is "less threatening". She said producers, directors, etc. think more people can identify with her because black people say "Hey. She is black like me." and white people say "Oh. She must have one white parent and one black parent." and feel they can relate to her because she is partially white. While this may be true in the case of this particular actress, I doubt it is true for every African American with light skin. I think this idea is just crazy. As if there aren't already enough problems with the representation of non-white people in the media...

I decided to check this out. The film mentioned some Hollywood A-listers that are black. I've posted their photos above to see how their skin tones compare. It seems like out of the 5 men featured 4 of them err on the light side. Don Cheadle is the only one who seems to me to have darker skin. Interesting. Very interesting. Is this common knowledge- the whole black people with light skin get more work thing? Because honestly, I am just baffled by it.

Images from: Denzel Washington- http://freshplays.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/denzel-washington-picture-5.jpg Will Smith- http://images.askmen.com/galleries/men/will-smith/pictures/will-smith-picture-4.jpg Chris Tucker- http://us.i1.yimg.com/img.movies.yahoo.com/ymv/us/img/flickr/19/80/000465291980.jpg Martin Lawrence- http://www.watshot.net/profiles/images/martinL.jpg Don Cheadle- http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0705/a_br10qcheadle_0528.jpg

White = Everyone?

Ok this has been mentioned in class a few times, so I wanted to check it out for myself. Kevin presented the idea that on a magazine cover if the story is about people in general (as in all ethnicities) the image is usually of a white person. For example, if the cover story is about how people (as in all Americans) are making an effort to go "green" by doing things like buying reusable grocery bags, then the cover will feature a white man or woman- who represents Americans, in general. If the cover features a Latino or another minority than one assumes that the story is about that particular ethnicity only. True?

Well I went to Time.com to check this out. And lo and behold it IS true. Here are some examples. I typed the cover title and description below in case you can't read it.

The Case for National Service: Millions of Americans want to help their community, their country, their world. Here's a plan to put those ideals into action.

The Genius Problem: It doesn't take an Einstein to see that our schools are failing our smartest kids. Here's how to raise their grade.

The Abortion Campaign You Never Hear About: Crisis pregnancy centers are working to win over one woman at a time. But are they playing fair?

India Inc.: Why the world's biggest democracy is the next great economic superpower- and what it means for America.

Here you will see that the young, white female represents "Americans". The little white boy represents not just "our kids", but "our smartest kids". And the hand holding clay model of fetuses represents pregnancy centers and women. I struggled to find a cover featuring a photo of a minority (and I excluded all the covers- white or minority that featured a specific person due to an article about that person). As you see, the photo of posted is of an Indian woman and guess what, the story is about India. Not Indian-Americans. Not Americans, in general.

I find this fascinating. Honestly, it is something I've never thought about before, but I am wondering how did I never notice this? And yes, don't worry. I realize there are exceptions to this norm, but really it is a crazy trend. I wonder if as the U.S. continues to be more diverse and the demographics continue to change this trend will change too? I guess we will just have to wait and see! :)

All images from http://www.time.com/time/searchresults?N=46

India.Arie

Lately we have been discussing the representation of African-Americans in media. A while back we read a fascinating article about black women especially those in the music industry. The article mentioned many black female singers including Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Lil' Kim, and India Arie. Now, I am a BIG fan of India Arie. And this article helped me to point my finger on why. SHE ISN'T AFRAID TO GO AGAINST THE NORM! She is just like- hey this is who I am. Like it or not. I don't care. And she sends that message in a confident, positive way. The article mentioned this- the way she goes against the grain and it also mentioned that as result she hasn't been as successful as other black female artists. That is sad. That to sell lots of record you have to be willing to sell yourself. But I am glad that there are still people out there in the industry like India Arie- she obviously is not willing to compromise who she is and what she believes just to sell some more records. Props to her!

Check out India Arie's song, Video.



And here are the lyrics:
Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes I don't
Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes I won't
Depend on how the wind blows I might even paint my toes
It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul

I'm not the average girl from your video
and I ain't built like a supermodel
But, I Learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I'm not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I'm wearing I will always be India Arie

When I look in the mirror the only one there is me
Every freckle on my face is where it's supposed to be
And I know our creator didn't make no mistakes on me
My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes I'm lovin' what I see

I'm not the average girl from your video
and I ain't built like a supermodel
But, I Learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I'm not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I'm wearing I will always be India Arie

Am I less of a lady If I don't wear pantyhose?
My mama said a lady ain't what she wears but, what she knows
But, I've drawn a conclusion, it's all an illusion confusion's the name of the game
A misconception, a vast deception
Something's gotta change
Don't be offended this is all my opinion
ain't nothing that I'm sayin law
This is a true confession of a life learned lesson I was sent here to share with y'all
So get in where you fit in go on and shine
Free your mind, now's the time
Put your salt on the shelf
Go on and love yourself
'Cause everything's gonna be all right

I'm not the average girl from your video
and I ain't built like a supermodel
But, I Learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I'm not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I'm wearing I will always be India Arie

Keep your fancy drinks and your expensive minks
I don't need that to have a good time
Keep your expensive car and your Caviar
All I need is my guitar
Keep your Kristal and your pistol
I'd rather have a pretty piece of Crystal
Don't need your silicone, I prefer my own
What God gave me is just fine

I'm not the average girl from your video
and I ain't built like a supermodel
But, I Learned to love myself unconditionally
Because I am a queen
I'm not the average girl from your video
My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes
No matter what I'm wearing I will always be India Arie

What a beautiful message. I wish we had more songs and more artists like this!!

I have a complaint

I have a complaint... often in class we have discussed the representation of African-Americans in media and often I wonder what it is like for my black classmates to talk about that? I mean yeah, we talk about how white people are represented, but not as much. So, I thought I'd put myself in their shoes for a moment. I want to discuss white women in media today. I am frustrated with how white women are portrayed in movies, specifically in urban settings. I feel like they are usually in one of two lights- #1- Oh my gosh. I am in the city and I am so scared. I have no idea what to do or how to handle myself. or #2- I am going to come in and change everything. I am going to make your lives better. Two movies that present these images come to mind- Save the Last Dance and Freedom Writers. I am frustrated by this! I am not saying that I am like this amazingly street smart white girl, but I went to an inner city high school. I have spent a lot of time in and near Pittsburgh and Philly. I am comfortable with being in the city and it seems like I don't often see that in the media. Just a thought.

Image from http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2001_save_the_last_dance_007.html

Hallmark Cards

My mother is a frequent shopper at Hallmark. And I guess I have inherited a love for Hallmark cards. I actually get a kick out of going to the Hallmark store and looking at the cards. I am weird. I know. Well anyway, in the past few years I've noticed a kind of new trend in cards in general, Hallmark cards included. A lot feature photos. Pictures of real people as the cover of the card. I like these ones because they often feature cute kids or funny scenes like old women in bathing suits. But the other day I had a realization. Most of these cards with photos (or at least the ones I've seen) feature WHITE people. Yep. That's right. Hmmm..... I can't find a picture online of what I am talking about, but next time you are in a Hallmark store check it out. Most of the cards with photos of people for birthdays, just because, etc. feature white people. I wonder, has anyone complained about this? Anddddd another realization there is a special line obviously aimed at African-Americans called Mahogany. You can see an example of these on a page with free E-cards here.

Race & Comedy- Is that funny?

If you've seen stand-up comedy either live or on TV, you know that a lot of comedians joke about people of particular ethnicities. What I am grappling with is why is it ok for comedians to joke about people like that? I mean it is funny. Most people would agree that normally their jokes are funny. I guess my question is- where is the line between funny and offensive? And the hard part is there are no rules to being offended. And everyone is different. Some people are offended much more easily than others. To give you a little taste of what I am talking about, check out these two videos.

Dane Cook-Driving.




Anjelah Johnson




I heard one comedian that was being interviewed (I can't remember who) explain that she makes fun of EVERYONE- all ethnicities. So that makes it ok? Since she is an equal-opportunity comedian? Ha. Does your own race affect who you can joke about and how much? It's interesting that in these two clips Dane Cook is white and he says that he says what anyone would say "Uhhh hello?" UNLESS you are Black or Chinese. Hmmm. I don't think I have any conclusions about this other than I find this whole idea of race and comedy pretty intriguing. It is like comedians are allowed to be politically incorrect and in fact, are expected to be.

Diverse Casts on Television

So we're switching gears from talking about representation of gender and now we are beginning to discuss representation of race in the media. And for me, something that immediately pops into my mind is the thought of casts of TV that feature multiple ethnicities. Two that I think of instantly are the casts from Lost and Heroes.

My immediate reaction is- Wow. This is a great thing. Finally popular TV shows are featuring people other than white men and women. Featuring African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, etc. is a good thing, right? Right? Well, not to be a downer BUT I feel like with the good comes the bad. It seems like yes these representations are helpful because let's face it we live in a diverse country. When you walk down the street in Philly you see a variety of races so it only makes sense to see that variety on TV. But the downside to shows featuring people of multiple ethnicities is that it may reinforce race stereotypes. The Asian that is really studious and good at science. The Hispanic who loves cooking and spending time with her family. The African-American who is a former gang member and whose brother was shot. Get my point? And I am not trying to be rude or insensitive by giving those examples, I am just trying to express my frustration with what seems like a step forward. I guess these multi-race casts are a step forward, but maybe not as big of a step as I thought.

Lost image from http://www.clear-lake-reflections.com/2008/04/lost_amidst_imovie_parcels.html
Heroes image from http://www.dmitrylinkov.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/heroes-cast-3.jpg

I am officially obsessed- Dancing With The Stars

So I don't know what it is about this show. The glitter. The music. The dancing. But I LOVE it. If you've ever caught an episode you know what Dancing With The Stars is all about. A celebrity is paired with a professional dancer and every week the pair performs a different dance. Like I said I am a big fan of DWTS but when I think critically about it (as I should), I realize I have one big problem with it. Can you guess what it is....?

The gender roles! The men are macho and suave. The women are sexy and elegant. (Depending on the dance.) Now I know. I know. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? No. But consider this- DWTS is considered a "family show" since it is on ABC during PrimeTime. So children are watching the show and being taught that women should shake their booties and wear skimpy, sequined clothing? The host, Tom Bergeron, often jokes about how scantily-clad the performers, particularly the women are and how everyone seems to have a fake tan. I wonder, does that make it ok? Kind of like they recognize how ridiculous the "ballroom world" is and by doing that their hope is that viewers realize the sequins, heels, etc. are just part of the performance? I don't know. Maybe.

Image from www.celebrityroyale.com/category/edyta-sliwinska/

I didn't want to believe it... Ads & Gender

So in class we were talking about ads on TV and it was mentioned that most ads are aimed at a particular gender. And the product of the ad usually determines which gender. For example, dish washing detergent or laundry detergent ads are for women. Trash bag and beer ads are for men. True?

Well, I have been paying attention to ads more when I watch TV and I have discovered it is true! Of course there are exceptions. But for the most part this generalization of this product is for men and this one is for women is true. Kind of sad, huh? I know though, that the whole point of advertising is to know your audience. So the companies would probably argue that the beer ads are aimed at men, because the majority of their consumers are men. I know this is probably true, but I just hate how it perpetuates gender roles. Women take out the trash and drink beer!!

Check out this classic Budweiser commercial that is obviously targeted at men.

The Diet Fad... and Christians

So one of my fellow classmates (shout out to Katie Miller) is doing her thesis on images of women in the media. And she brought up a really good point....

Before I get to it, let me first just vent. I don't know about you, but lately I can't even go into the Christian bookstore. Seriously. What is the criteria for getting your book, art, music, etc. in a Christian bookstore? It seems like it the book has God or a Bible passage in it then- hey it's Christian. Read it. Believe it. Ok well obviously I am being a bit extreme but it is to prove a point. JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS IN A CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORE DOESN'T MEAN IT IS CHRISTIAN- or in other words, it doesn't mean you should blindly accept what the author is saying. Case in point- Joel Osteen Your Best Life Now. I don't think God wants us to be mindless consumers of any media, especially "Christian" media.

This brings me closer to my point- self-help books. Books that teach you how to be better. A better you. Why oh why are there so many of these books in bookstores today, including Christian bookstores? (Because people aren't content with how they are. Because we as a society are obsessed with self-improvement....) Well, my friend, Katie, mentioned a particular type of Christian self-help book- DIET BOOKS. Yep, you can see two of them above. I guess it is just frustrating to me that people buy into the idea that they have to change themselves and that the Church and Christians go along with that idea. No, I don't think eating healthy is a bad thing. But shouldn't we be teaching people that they are made in God's image and beautiful no matter what shape they are? Instead of selling them books about what foods are Biblical. I don't know about you, but I think I'd benefit a lot from being told I'm beautiful and loved by the King of Kings than being told what I had for breakfast was unhealthy because if God didn't make it, I shouldn't eat it. Can I get an "Amen"?

Images from www.amazon.com

My Guilty Pleasure- The Hills

I watch The Hills- MTV's hit reality show featuring Lauren Conrad and her friends. Yes, I realize how ridiculous this show is and as a good media student I try to analyze it. So here goes...

Thinking about The Hills and how women are represented I see that WHOA the show really enforces many ideas that are often present in the media. Such as: women must be attractive meaning they wear clothes that are in style, have their make-up done, and are in shape or skinny (aka no flab)- to name a few. Also, they must be pursued by men and must have an active social
life. Afterall, if you are not attracting men then there must be something wrong with you, right?

In class, we read about the creation of Cosmo and how the image of the Cosmo woman has evolved over the years. I like to think that the portrayal of women in the media is improving, but honestly, I don't know if it is. Tons of teenage girls watch The Hills and probably look at Lauren, Whitney, Audrina, and friends and try to imitate them. I know, that brings us back to the classic question- Does the media reflect reality or does reality reflect the media? In other words, what came first? The chicken or the egg.

I obviously like The Hills since I watch it, but it is important for me to recognize as a viewer that women are displayed in a very limited manner. And that it is ok if I don't wear trendy clothes and look picture perfect 24-7. It is ok if I don't go out to clubs 3 or 4 nights a week. In fact, it is ok if I don't date. You might be saying "Yeah. Duh.", but I feel like there is a lot of pressure to live up to these standards of what a twenty-something woman is.

image from www.teenvogue.com/connect/polls/thehills/

ONCE- an amazing movie

Ok so I want to start off by saying if you haven't already seen the movie Once, you definitely need to. It is just amazing. A beautiful piece of art with sweet music. If you watched the Oscars you may have noticed that Once won Best Original Song. The film's stars (who are actually musicians) Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova got up to accept their award. Glen gave a quick, humble thank you (definitely within the limit that most winners get before the music comes in) and then Marketa moved up to the mic to speak BUT SHE GOT CUT OFF! She didn't get to say a word. The music came in and so she and Glen walked off stage. When I saw this occur I was so pissed. I went all feminist- oh my gosh! I can't believe that just happened! They cut her off! That is ridiculous! What a display of masculinity and power! Yadda yadda. I think I was doubly pissed because it wasn't just any woman that got cut off, it was Marketa Irglova- star of my current favorite film. BUT the Oscars saved themselves because guess what? They let her come back and give her acceptance speech. Which was beautiful and made me cry. You can check out how it all went down for yourself. Check it out here on YouTube. (Sorry I can't post the actual video here.)

Ok so yes, I realize I can't really say Marketa got cut off because she was a woman. But I have to wonder, if she was the first to speak would Glen have gotten cut off???

The Oscars

So, I like many other millions of Americans watched the Oscar awards. And well, a few things stood out to me. Both have to do with how women were portrayed. During the red carpet special (you know the coverage of all the celebs arriving) I noticed something. It seems like so much emphasis is placed on what the women are wearing. The hosts always asked the women what designer they were wearing and the interview almost always included the host dishing out a compliment regarding their appearance. Yes, the men were also asked what designer they were wearing, but not all the time and it didn't seem to be as important. Also, the hosts did not make a point to compliment the men.

This emphasis on the appearance of the women vs. the men proved to be true when looking in an issue of People (the special double issue March 10, 2008). There was a large section of Oscar coverage and in a part titled "Fashion" I noticed there were 11 pages featuring women- what dresses they wore, what accessories they carried, what type of hairstyles they had and only one page of men! This one page had 5 pictures and had the title of "Well Suited"- discussing the suits the 5 actors wore. Interestingly enough, there were two comments that mentioned how little time men need to get ready for the awards show. Heidi Klum is quoted saying about husband, Seal, "It takes him about five minutes [to get ready]". George Clooney said that although "a whole crew showed up" to help his girlfriend get ready, "I took like 15 minutes- I'm a guy!". The green text is from the People issue I mentioned p. 90. The picture is of George Clooney and his girlfriend Sarah Larson from people.com.

Yes, it may be true that people may be more interested in what the women wear because quite frankly, dresses and jewels and make-up and shoes are much more exciting than suits. But I just found it interesting that for an actress attending the Oscars what she wears, etc. seems like a huge deal, whereas for an actor it doesn't seem like such a big deal. Of course, this is merely my impression. What do you think?

I noticed something else during the actual awards show, but I will save that for later.

Who am I?- A Reflection on Identity

So we've been talking in class about identity. What is it? How do we attain our identities? Is who I am something I learn or is it something I am born with? We tried to define identity and it was harder than I expected! Here were some of the answers: sense of self, outward appearance and inward appearance, personality, biological traits and learned traits, character. Basically there are two ways to view gender identity- 1) biological determinism- you are born a certain way 2) social construction- your environment affects who you are. I, personally, subscribe to the view of the social constructivists. It is obvious to me that we are who we are because of how we are raised, the people we meet and interact with, the culture and social norms we observe, etc.

Ok so I started thinking about myself. And my identity and I had to ask the question- what role has the media played in the construction of my identity? I want to say none, but we all know that is a lie! I played with Barbies as a little girl, did that make me girly? I also took dance lessons. I remember getting a plastic Fisher- Price kitchen for Christmas one year- did that teach me that women are supposed to be nurturers and take care of people by cooking for them? As a teen I had a subscription to Seventeen and a couple other magazines. Did reading them affect my idea of what a teenage girl should be? Obviously, there are no certain answers for these questions. And don't worry, I am not going to go all media effects on you and say oh my gosh the media has totally shaped my identity. BUT I do think the media I've experienced has shaped how I see myself and it has definitely helped to teach me the expectations of society. For example, I remember being in middle school and watching Dawson's Creek. I loved that show because it featured characters a little older than myself. Approaching high school, I was fascinated by it and wanted to see how high school kids acted. But I also remember I eventually stopped watching it because a lot of the characters started having sex and as a new Christian I knew that didn't go in line with what I was learning at youth group.

So, no big conclusions. Just some thoughts regarding my life and the media I experienced growing up. Do you need help finding out who you are? Maybe these quizzes from Teen magazine's website can help you. Hahaha

Are You a Flirt?

What's Your Career Destiny?

Do You Love Your Body?

Here are my results (if you were wondering):
Are You a Flirt? -Just Enough Flirt "you've got the ammunition it takes to be a flirt but you're responsible with your weapon. You're good like that."

What's Your Career Destiny?- Mostly Bs "You'd do well in jobs that require active 'doing' and offer immediate, tangible awards. Think about jobs in medicine, engineering, choreography, or law enforcement."

Do You Love Your Body?- Mostly As "There's an old song 'I Enjoy Being a Girl,' and it looks like you certainly do. Tall, short, small-boobed, or big-hipped, you enjoy (and flaunt) what Mother Nature gave you. Be careful not to strive for ultimate perfection, though. Those picture-perfect celebs have stylists and big-time plastic surgery, and are airbrushed to the max. Make sure your goals are realistic and let it all hang out!" Wow. I could say so much about that little blurb. Does anyone else find it ironic that a magazine that constantly features celebs that have achieved ultimate perfection is telling its readers not to try to attain it!?

And here I thought Disney movies were a good thing...

So I grew up watching Disney movies. You know, the usual- Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast. I wasn't a crazy fan or anything, but I watched them sometimes. I've always liked Disney- their movies are entertaining and good for kids OR SO I THOUGHT!

My view of Disney has been forever changed. Let me explain... we read two articles for class that put Disney movies in a totally different light. Basically, the articles explored the ideas presented in the movies and how they reinforce a lot of stereotypes particularly female stereotypes. For example, women are almost always shown as princesses who are ultra feminine and beautiful and need to be rescued by a man- usually a handsome prince. Think about this- Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty. Even Belle in Beauty and the Beast plays the role of being super feminine and takes on the role of taming the wild beast- teaching him how to be a gentleman and have manners. Marcia K. Lieberman discusses the role of women in fairy tales in the article "'Some Day My Prince Will Come': Female Acculturation through the Fairy Tale". She writes, "Girls win the prize if they are the fairest of them all; boys win if they are bold, active, and lucky... The immediate and predictable result of being beautiful is being chosen... Since the heroines are chosen for their beauty, not for anything they do, they seem to exist passively until they are seen by the hero, or described to him. They wait, are chosen, and are rewarded" (188, 189). Hmmmm. I think Lieberman has a really good point. Most fairy tales follow this pattern and so do Disney movies.

Now, you may be thinking of one particular movie that broke this norm (I know I thought of it when I first began pondering this)- Mulan. Ah ha! Look a movie with a strong woman! Maybe Disney isn't so bad afterall....

But wait. Mulan is the story of a woman who joins the military and in order to be part of it has to pretend she's a man. Wait a minute... so really she is just conforming to gender norms. Oh man. (Ha. No pun intended.)

Here is a quote from an article about Mulan by Katherine E. Bartnett "Although Mulan is a tale about a woman who risks her life for her family and her country, her actions originate from the predicaments of men." Since she doesn't have any brothers and her father is ill, she takes her father's place in the army. "Rather than acting out her own dreams and ambitions, therefore, she is reacting to a situation that revolved around a man" (187, 188). My personal opinion is that Bartnett is a little extreme in this article and at times is grasping at straws, but she makes some good points mentioning that in many Disney movies much value is placed on a woman's appearance and if she is physically attractive.


In no way am I trying to bash all Disney movies. I just think this critique of the representations in their movies is a good thing since I think that Disney is usually portrayed in a positive light. Since most parents are ok with their kids watching Disney movies, I think this is a good idea to ponder. What are you teaching your kids? This just goes to show that we as consumers and parents as well, (not that I am a parent, but I probably will be someday) need to be critical of the media we consume and show our children. We can't just blindly trust a company. Even Disney.

Hey- Welcome to my blog!

Hi. Welcome to my blog. I am a Communication Studies student and this semester I'm in a class called Images in Media: Representations of Gender, Race, and Class. This blog is a place for me to
discuss and criticize media focusing particularly on ideas and concepts we cover in class. It's a place for intelligent discussion (well, at least I hope what I have to say is intelligent) so feel free to leave comments. I'd love to hear what you have to say and hope you find my posts interesting! :)