Blackface: The Role Of Black Women In The Media

“For so many people, TV and movies may be the only way they understand people who aren’t like them. It becomes important for the world to see different images of each other, so that we develop empathy and understanding.” (Gettell) said former first lady Michelle Obama, one of the most influential women in the world. Speaking on an issue that has been occurring for too long, Obama spoke about how important it was that young black girls were approaching her to inform her on how a black woman being first lady helped them feel important. “I come across so many little black girls who come up to me with tears in their eyes and they say, “Thank you for being a role model for me. I don’t see educated black women on TV, and the fact that you’re first
In early works, some dating back to 1888, black actors were not hired to play black roles, but rather white actors were hired to play these characters while wearing “blackface” (Padgett). Blackface is theatrical makeup that is used by non-black actors in order to play a black person. Due to the fact that blackface was first introduced in the early years of film, ideas of African Americans were shaped based on this portrayal. Performances known as minstrel shows consisted of three parts that were meant to show inferiority of African Americans. The shows began with a “walkaround” which showed actors stomping around and dancing. The second part was known as the olio, which consisted of what was known as stump speech. This was meant to imply that African Americans were not able to speak proper English. They were shown as being unable to use the language and vocabulary. Minstrel shows ended with an obvious fraudulent depiction of what life was like for these individuals during this time. Slaves were shown appreciating their treatment or ignoring it altogether. While the injustice in the media is not anything like it was, it still is not what it should
If a child can see it, then they believe that they can be it, and this demonstrates why the things that are being shown on TV are so important. A show that is gaining popularity and is becoming a household favorite for Asian-Americans is Fresh Off the Boat, a TV show following an Asian family that is attempting to assimilate with the mostly white population around them. It is the first American television sitcom starring an Asian-American family to air on network primetime since Margaret Cho’s All American Girl which aired in 1994 (Yoshihara). “It’s a show I’m proud to watch with my daughter, who shares my Asian-American heritage. We can laugh at some of the things that are so true from our own experience and also be satisfied that finally there is a show that takes a modern approach to what it means to be Asian-American.” (Yoshihara). The way that people as a whole make sense of who they are mainly comes from the stories they tell and consume, making what’s being watched irrevocably important. Television is a main source of seeing other cultures and how those that are different from us live and function. Everyone’s normal is different, and each “normal” needs to be recognized and