The Stereotypical Black Woman

1983 Words4 Pages

Images in media, television especially, are a direct projection of the people who control and project them, which often tends to be white people. “‘We face the problems of images projected by people not of us,’ she said. ‘The media is the most powerful mind-manipulating tool on the earth.’”(Ruby, 18) The perception of black women in the media today can be damaging to the self-image of the young black women of today. During the Black Arts Movement, many artists and poets spoke of how white influence in our lives has created skewed beauty ideals in the African-American community. This white influence tends to harm black women’s images of themselves. Most female images seen in mainstream media are white, thin, tall and just plain gorgeous, making it hard for the average African American woman to relate to. Black television has done well with having different shapes and sizes for women of color to relate to, but that only includes one or two channels on all of television. For example, even though BET was founded by Robert Johnson, a black man, BET is now predominantly owned by white people. “"Day after day, in all forms of media -- print, radio, and television -- we see, hear, and read the perspectives of non-Black women and women of color who are not actively involved in the struggles of Black women -- especially on so-called 'women's issues'.”(Women’s Health Weekly, 546) Large television networks must choose to show things that will not only keep ratings up but also keep people interested in watching their shows. Unfortunately in today’s age and day drama and negativity is what most Americans look to watch. Even though many people feel that these negative things are wrong, we still find ourselves watching and reading about it. The... ... middle of paper ... ...: Theory, Research, Practice, Training 32.3 (1995): 458-466. PsycARTICLES. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. Townsend, Tiffany G., et al. "I'm no Jezebel; I Am Young, Gifted, and Black: Identity, Sexuality, and Black Girls." Psychology of Women Quarterly 34.3 (2010): 273. Anonymous. Roundtable: Sexual Media Images of Black Women., 2006. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. - Bobo, Jacqueline, and Ellen Seiter. "Black Feminism and Media Criticism: The Women of Brewster Place." Screen 32.3 (1991): 286-302. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Bond, Jean Carey. "The Media Image of Black Women." Freedomways 15.1 (1975): 34. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Coleman, Robin Means. "'Roll Up Your Sleeves!': Black Women, Black Feminism in Feminist Media Studies." Feminist Media Studies 11.1 (2011): 35-41. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Hayes, Dianne. "The Black Woman's Burden." Diverse: Issues in Higher Education 29.2 (2012): 18. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

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