Underrepresentation In Media
Race in media is a topic that has been getting a lot of attention due to many people becoming more aware of underrepresentation of people of color, suppression of color which is a result of whitewashing in order to be more accepted in white culture, and stereotypes that have been placed upon them from preventing people of color to pursue success. With major award shows having a problem with representation and the “black lives matter” movement making people more aware of the issue of underrepresentation and misinterpretation of other races in media. America has a history of being a country that favors the white American, using slavery and race studies that infer that the white race is the superior race. This mindset has continued through the
…show more content…
This situation had created the hashtag “Oscars so white” which spread and started to raise awareness of underrepresentation of people of color in Hollywood. Even though that there are some people of color present, there the main focus is always on the efforts of white Americans (Anderson, 2016). Viola Davis, an African American actress known for her role in “How to Get Away With Murder," had won an Emmy award, and in her speech, she had addressed Hollywood’s problem with underrepresentation of people of color in the media and the need for diversity. She started off the speech by saying, “In my mind, I see a line. And over that line I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line. But I can't seem to get there no how. I can't seem to get over that line….The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” This part of her speech addresses the fact that people of color have difficulty getting roles and white Americans do not necessarily face this problem. With regards to casting, it is difficult for a person of color to get a role that does not cater to their expected behaviors and stereotypes. In order to people of color to prosper in Hollywood, there should be casting directors and producers that are willing to break stereotypical roles and hire people of color. The reason why many producers and casting directors are hesitant to do so is because they worry about the viewers response if they decide to cast a person of color because it would not cater to the majority race of America (white
This situation had created the hashtag “Oscars so white” which spread and started to raise awareness of underrepresentation of people of color in Hollywood. Even though that there are some people of color present, there the main focus is always on the efforts of white Americans (Anderson, 2016). Viola Davis, an African American actress known for her role in “How to Get Away With Murder," had won an Emmy award, and in her speech, she had addressed Hollywood’s problem with underrepresentation of people of color in the media and the need for diversity. She started off the speech by saying, “In my mind, I see a line. And over that line I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line. But I can't seem to get there no how. I can't seem to get over that line….The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” This part of her speech addresses the fact that people of color have difficulty getting roles and white Americans do not necessarily face this problem. With regards to casting, it is difficult for a person of color to get a role that does not cater to their expected behaviors and stereotypes. In order to people of color to prosper in Hollywood, there should be casting directors and producers that are willing to break stereotypical roles and hire people of color. The reason why many producers and casting directors are hesitant to do so is because they worry about the viewers response if they decide to cast a person of color because it would not cater to the majority race of America (white