black women in media

8/13/2019 Black Women in Media

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Alexis Hampton

English 002-50

Dr. Dennis Winston

December 5, 2013

Blac Women !isrepresente" in #op-$%lt%re

&ince A'rican-American (omen (ere 'irst allo(e" on screen, the) ha*e gaine" stat%s as

talente", attracti*e, an" pop%lar (hile their character roles ha*e shi'te" 'rom the simple

s%pporting t)pe (ith *er) 'e( lines to the main character star o' the sho( t)pe o'ten seen to"a)

in ma+or 'ilms b%t not on tele*ision. &ince 1, there ha*e onl) been t(o 1-ho%r long "ramas

(ith an A'rican-American (oman in a starring role/ Ha(thoe starring 4a"a #inett &mith

an" he o. 1 6a"ies7 Detecti*e Agenc) starring 4ill &cott. Both o' (hich ha*e been cancelle"

since "%e to lac o' pop%larit). he top grossing non-realit) tele*ision sho(s "o not ha*e a blac

(oman in an) role an" those sho(s incl%"e/ $8&, (o an" a Hal' !en, !o"ern 9amil), he

!entalist, an" so on. his is "iscom'orting to the gro(ing A'rican-American pop%lation o'

(omen here in the :nite" &tates (ho 'eel the) are misrepresente" as (ell as %n"errepresente"

not onl) on tele*ision b%t also in go*ernment an" e*en 'ashion. Altho%gh there are a 'ar greater

n%mber o' s%ccess'%l A'rican-American (omen in societ) to"a), ranging 'rom ;prah to

!ichelle ;bama, the me"ia, especiall) the tele*ision in"%str), contin%es to portra) the A'rican-

American (oman as the bab)-mama "rama, ratchet girl attit%"e, an" %n"ere"%cate" 'emale that

other races loo "o(n %pon.

Blac (omen in general ha*e e*ol*e" o*er the past cent%r) more "rasticall) than an)

other gen"er


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(riters to secretaries to "octors an" be)on". he) (ere not allo(e" to "o man) things incl%"ing

go to college 'or a long perio" o' histor). ;nce that "oor opene" an" the 'irst A'rican American

actress appeare" in a 'ilm, there has been a constant rise in stat%s 'or blac (omen in all 'iel"s.

he) (ere accepte" as teachers an" la()ers an" singers an" "ancers. he arts (ere a po(er'%l

o%tlet 'or blac (omen to express their concerns an" goals an" "reams. &ince the beginning,

there has been n%mero%s 'ilms, "oc%mentaries, an" tele*ision series that ha*e A'rican-American

(omen characters b%t not man) (ith A'rican-American lea" roles. here is still a lac o'

acceptance b) m%ch o' the me"ia in"%str) to allo( A'rican-American (omen to lea" a sitcom or

non-realit) an" highl) pop%lar tele*ision program. he reason behin" this co%l" be the lac o'

'aith that it (ill be s%ccess'%l or the simple re+ection o' the concept.

he t)pical sho(s that (ere pop%lar "%ring the =0s an" 0s an" that starre" A'rican-

American (omen promote" 'amil) an" moral *al%es, monogam), an" the p%rs%it o' no(le"ge

in the 'orm o' a college "egree. &ome o' the sho(s that represente" s%ch i"eals incl%"e/ he

$osb) &ho( an" A Di''erent Worl". hese sho(s starre" not onl) A'rican American (omen,

b%t A'rican American men as (ell. he) (ere top-rate" an" top-grossing 'or long perio"s o'

time (hile on air. heir seasons (ere contin%e" 'or a long time an" re-r%ns are still pla)e" on

"i''erent net(ors to"a). hese sho(s inspire" A'rican-Americans to stri*e 'or a better li'e an"

p%rs%e the American "ream. ;nce these tele*ision programs gre( less pop%lar there (as a

s%""en "rop in the n%mber o' programs that (ere pop%lar that ha" A'rican-American stars at all.

his le" to the rein*ention or ne( interpretation o' the A'rican-American (oman an" ho( she is

presente" to the a%"ience. 8n the 2000s (e sa( the s%rge o' realit) sho(s an" then the s%rge o'

realit) sho(s that consiste" o' mainl) blac actors. An" no( (e (ill "isc%ss sai" realit) sho(s

that are commonl) aire" to"a).


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he t)pical sho(s that ha*e A'rican-American (omen in lea" roles are the realit)

tele*ision sho(s that o''er mone) or some other incenti*e as the pri>e to mae it to the *er) en"

or ca%se ha*oc. A 'e( examples o' these t)pes o' sho(s incl%"e/ eal Ho%se(i*es o' Atlanta,

he Ba" ?irls $l%b, Basetball Wi*es an" #rett) ?irls oc. his is a small list o' sho(s,

b%t there are a 'ar greater n%mber o' sho(s that are c%rrentl) on air or that ha*e been cancelle"

(ithin the past 'i*e )ears. ;ne shocing contra"iction to the t)pical sho(s o' to"a) is the ne(

"rama entitle" &can"al starring @err) Washington. Altho%gh the sho( is not compose" o' a

large n%mber o' A'rican-American actors, @err) Washington hol"s the lea" role. !an) blac

(omen "o not entirel) see this as a step in the right "irection beca%se in the sho(, @err) is

ha*ing an a''air (ith the #resi"ent, she 'ixes problems 'or high-raning o''icials o'ten illegall),

an" man) people belie*e she got her position thro%gh her ac%aintances not her har"-(or.

!an) "o, ho(e*er, belie*e this is a step in the right "irection 'or representation o' the s%ccess'%l

A'rican-American (oman an" the increase in lea" roles catere" to A'rican-American (omen.

$hange m%st come in both the me"ia comm%nit) as (ell as (ithin the A'rican-American

pop%lation. Altho%gh there is a "islie 'or the ratchet girl representation, man) blac (omen 'it

this stereot)pical character an" act accor"ingl). h%s, the) lo*e to (atch sho(s s%ch as Ba"

?irls $l%b beca%se it is '%n, "angero%s, an" 'ille" (ith "rama. 8' me"ia presents this role as

negati*e an" ba", 'e(er actresses (o%l" (ant to 'ill it. hat is not tr%e, ho(e*er, in all cases "%e

to the monetar) pri>e an" the simple goal o' becoming 'amo%s at (hate*er costs necessar).

While it is becoming more pop%lar to gain college "egrees an" p%rs%e a career, man) A'rican-

American (omen 'in" it rather "i''ic%lt to "o so an" there'ore p%rs%e becoming 'amo%s. he)

(ant to get rich %ic an" be no(n 'ar an" (i"e. 8' the me"ia in"%str) (ere to completel) ri"

tele*ision programming o' realit) sho(s, there (o%l" be no nee" 'or the ratchet girl persona. he


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i"eal thing to "o (o%l" be to eliminate realit) sho(s, b%t that (o%l" "ramaticall) "ecrease

re*en%e an" there'ore (o%l" ne*er happen or at least not in the near '%t%re.

Altho%gh there are a 'ar greater n%mber o' s%ccess'%l A'rican-American (omen in

societ) to"a), ranging 'rom ;prah to !ichelle ;bama, the me"ia, especiall) the tele*ision

in"%str), contin%es to portra) the A'rican-American (oman as the bab)-mama "rama, ratchet

girl attit%"e, an" %n"ere"%cate" 'emale that other races loo "o(n %pon. A large percentage o'

the pop%lation, incl%"ing people o' other races not +%st blac, belie*es something nee"s to be

"one to halt this stereot)pical ass%mption o' blac (omen that is 'ar 'rom the tr%th. here are

more blac (omen to"a) than e*er be'ore that ha*e college "egrees, permanent +obs in the

career 'iel"s o' their choice, an" e*en high raning positions s%ch as $E; 'or companies across

the nation. he) 'eel that the) are misrepresente" b) the me"ia an" hope that the me"ia pro"%ces

(ill contin%e to a"+%st an" change their programs to better represent A'rican-American (omen.

he tele*ision sho(s o' the 0s s%ch as he $osb) &ho( an" A Di''erent Worl" promote"

college e"%cation, respecting 'amil) *al%es an" morals, an" being presentable an" har"-(oring

(hile the tele*ision sho(s o' to"a) simpl) sho(case gree" 'or po(er an" control, "isrespect 'or

'amilies as (ell as themsel*es, an" no real commitment to monogam). he generation o' to"a)

accepts this as the stat%s %o an" caters their actions to (hat the) see on the tele*ision screen.

he me"ia m%st mae changes soon to ri" the co%ntr) o' this %n'air an" inacc%rate *ie( o'

A'rican-American (omen.


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Bibliograph)

hompson, @rissah. CBlac Women &till #oorl) Depicte" in !e"ia.C Washington Post.

Washington #ost, 10 ;ct. 2013. Web.

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