Essay On African American Women

Thesis:
In this paper, I will argue that racially marked females are stereotypically represented in print advertisements and demonstrate that African American women are considered subservient to white females and depicted as exotic. I will draw on the theories of Janell Hobson, Audrey Kerr, Scott Plous, and Dominique Neptune and look at how issues of class, power and beauty are constructed. I will conclude that mainstream media reflect a racialized sense of beauty that portray blackness as abnormal and whiteness as an attribute of beauty and that this increases the dissatisfaction of black women with their ethnicity. A consequence of this constant portrayal of black models in the fashion industry in a stereotypical manner is an overall increase
This dominant group establishes the standards of what is considered acceptable or unacceptable, desirable or undesirable. It creates public opinion and allows for the superiority and normalization of white power and privilege. From the beginning of the 20th century to the present, advertising has used stereotypical images of African-American women in print adverts by showing that they are less important than white women. The representation of the black woman in the media usually falls into two categories; one is the whitewashed woman and the other is the exotic looking woman.
History:
The history of racial hierarchy began during the period of slavery when there was a distinct separation of house labourers and field labours. This separation was enacted based on the slave trader’s beliefs that darker skin inherently meant better labour, whereas light-skinned Blacks were thought to be better suited for more intelligent tasks and lighter labour (Kerr 273). Consequently, subordinating and dehumanizing blacks.
Today these Westernized ideals prevail and have been internalized by the majority of society, including the African American community. Hobson suggests that “black female subjectivity constantly grates against the distorted images of the dominant culture. And distorts the ways in which black women see themselves and each other.” (p.
This represents the century old stereotype that white is better than black and that black skin should be cleansed away.
Another example, also from Dove, shows a “before” and “after” picture of skin tone. The three women are placed in order with the white woman appearing to be superior to the African American woman. In terms of class, it would imply that the white woman is the upper class and the African American is the lower class. The goal of the product is to make dark skin lighter, which is the preferred skin tone.
This print advertisement for PlayStation Portable White shows a white woman holding the face of an African American woman in a domineering way. The expression on the white woman’s face is one of contempt, while the other woman looks fearful. This is reminiscent of slavery and connotes subservience of black women to people of white ethnicity The clothing is also significant because the dark clothing makes it difficult to see the African American woman, rendering her “invisible”, unimportant and powerless. This advertisement is depicting the white woman as