Examples Of Racial Masquerade In The 1920's
In the 1920s and the early 1930s, feminity was produced in a racial masquerade, so it could be worn or it could be taken off according to “Racial Masquerade” by Alys Eve Weinbaum. Weinbaum states that there are three main parts to this racial masquerade: transforming the visual surface of the body, consuming commodities produced in the mass market, and creating race as a performance. The cosmetic industry was one driver of this ideology of racial masquerade. For example, many advertisements promised “buyers the ability to transform not only the quality, tone, and texture of the skin, but also its racial significance” (Weinabaum, p. 129). The “Vienna Youth Mask” and the “Valaze Face Powder” were examples of products advertised during the 1920s
that promised a new appearance. Since one had to be masked to be considered modern and decadent, people consumed the products produced in the mass market, continuing to drive the industry. Another image produced during this time period in many magazines were women wearing masks. One picture is of a white model holding a Nipponese mask. This model is able to show racial superiority by holding the Nipponese mask since she is able to on the mask and be Nipponese or take off the mask to expose her white modernity. In this image, she is able have control over both races and therefor treats race as a performance.
To be considered modern during the 1920s, women must wear “masks.” Today’s society appears to be removing these masks by pushing for images that are natural and unedited. ASOS recently published their summer swimwear with models that were unedited, showing their stretch marks. Many of the consumers were thoroughly impressed with the unretouched images, showing the stark difference between now and the 1920s.
While many people in the 1920s were trying to be modern by wearing masks, the little girls lacked racial diversity in their dolls. According to Addy Walker, American Girl by Brit Bennett, the only black dolls were Pickaninny dolls, which were racist caricatures that many white kids would torture and mutilate. The negative effects of this were shown through the doll test in the mid-1900s. Children were given two dolls, one black and one white, and were asked numerous questions where they must pick a doll. The children would pick the white doll when asked which was a nice color but would break down in tears when asked which looked more like them. In 1986, the first black American Girl doll, Addy Walker, was introduced to the mass market. While this was a major improvement for black children, Addy’s story, as a slave, is much more traumatic than the other American Girl doll stories. However, Addy is helpful for little girls since owning a black doll could teach children racial pride. When the doll test was repeated in 2005, many black children still chose the white doll over the black showing that there is still room for improvement in society.
Both of these texts show that minorities, specifically blacks, were not represented in pop culture in the past. The main race and the modern race was the white race. This has slowly been improving since the early 1900s as shown in Addy Walker, American Girl and Why a Black Bachelorette Is a Big Deal. Both of these articles describe how blacks have gained representation in pop culture either through a black American Girl or a Black Bachelorette. Weinbaum focused on how people in society conformed by wearing masks to considered modern. While Bennet focused on the negative effects of living in a society without racial diversity and the subtle improvements that have been made in society. Could one cause of a lack of black dolls in the mid-1900s be caused by the racial masquerade to look like the “Modern Girl” in the 1920s?
that promised a new appearance. Since one had to be masked to be considered modern and decadent, people consumed the products produced in the mass market, continuing to drive the industry. Another image produced during this time period in many magazines were women wearing masks. One picture is of a white model holding a Nipponese mask. This model is able to show racial superiority by holding the Nipponese mask since she is able to on the mask and be Nipponese or take off the mask to expose her white modernity. In this image, she is able have control over both races and therefor treats race as a performance.
To be considered modern during the 1920s, women must wear “masks.” Today’s society appears to be removing these masks by pushing for images that are natural and unedited. ASOS recently published their summer swimwear with models that were unedited, showing their stretch marks. Many of the consumers were thoroughly impressed with the unretouched images, showing the stark difference between now and the 1920s.
While many people in the 1920s were trying to be modern by wearing masks, the little girls lacked racial diversity in their dolls. According to Addy Walker, American Girl by Brit Bennett, the only black dolls were Pickaninny dolls, which were racist caricatures that many white kids would torture and mutilate. The negative effects of this were shown through the doll test in the mid-1900s. Children were given two dolls, one black and one white, and were asked numerous questions where they must pick a doll. The children would pick the white doll when asked which was a nice color but would break down in tears when asked which looked more like them. In 1986, the first black American Girl doll, Addy Walker, was introduced to the mass market. While this was a major improvement for black children, Addy’s story, as a slave, is much more traumatic than the other American Girl doll stories. However, Addy is helpful for little girls since owning a black doll could teach children racial pride. When the doll test was repeated in 2005, many black children still chose the white doll over the black showing that there is still room for improvement in society.
Both of these texts show that minorities, specifically blacks, were not represented in pop culture in the past. The main race and the modern race was the white race. This has slowly been improving since the early 1900s as shown in Addy Walker, American Girl and Why a Black Bachelorette Is a Big Deal. Both of these articles describe how blacks have gained representation in pop culture either through a black American Girl or a Black Bachelorette. Weinbaum focused on how people in society conformed by wearing masks to considered modern. While Bennet focused on the negative effects of living in a society without racial diversity and the subtle improvements that have been made in society. Could one cause of a lack of black dolls in the mid-1900s be caused by the racial masquerade to look like the “Modern Girl” in the 1920s?