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