Awkward Black Girl Analysis

In his essay A Big Black Lady Stops the Show, Dan Dinero theorises that musical theatre shows must include a “big black lady song” to ensure commercial success (Dinero, 2012). However, the big black lady is often not a major character in the plot of the musical, or, in shows where this can be considered otherwise, she is a large presence to begin with, but then disappears until the musical needs a boost towards the end of the second act. He also writes that the big black lady is automatically a step removed from the theatrical world of the show as “[Her] songs’ excess[es] differentiate [them] from the show as a whole: the song[s] exist outside of, and in opposition to, the rest of the piece, even as [they are] constituted by and through the

As the most globally known form of communication, social media outlets has continuously contributed to the dehumanization of African American males for decades starting with propaganda stereotyping the black men as the “black buck” to justify their domination and labor exploitation under chattel slavery in the mid-19th century(Herd 2014). To a hyper sexual rapist possessed by the over desire for white women during the era of wide spread lynching’s, helping to fuel the disenfranchisement and ideological support for extreme anti-black terrorism (Herd 2014). Ultimately providing the public with the idea that the black man is to be feared. From this historical backing of anti-black ideology by the system with laws such as black codes and segregation

Media as a whole has evolved alongside with the growth of technology, that give us new ways to interact with each other with social sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc… It also gives way for individual to get more information to get in touch with our culture. But often times, some of the information were given to us by media can be ignored and interpret it differently than the original meaning, especially the depiction of minorities in media. It is hard to watch any form of media in today's society without seeing some kind of injustice toward minorities or the representation portrayal of that particular minorities in the form of entertainment value without being analytical and invoke some kind of negative reaction toward that kind of representation.

No one would guess by her wild, nappy, black hair that she was the top of her class. No one would guess by the ashiness of her elbows or the shake of her neck that she had an eloquent vocabulary. To everyone she is the average black girl, to everyone she is a stereotype until you actually get to meet her. No one would guess that this black girl would amount to anything. People automatically assume the worst when they see someone's skin color. They assume the worst when they see the average black girl with her ashy elbows and nappy hair. This is the story of the average black girl to Ernestine Johnson, who wrote the spoken word, "The Average Black Girl," which explains how twisted societies views of black girls. The first part of her poem talks about how her ex's mother was surprised by her because she talked so white for being a black girl. The mother's surprise calls into question how society sees black girls; since when did talking eloquently associate to talking white? Overall, society has a distorted assumption that black is bad and white is good, allowing people to make assumptions based on stereotypes, cultural clichés and misconceptions.

In today’s society, media is a part of everyone’s lives, whether people want it to be or not. One of the most openly disliked components of the media is the thin, ideal, hour-glass figure that is

One aspect of life for black people in the United States of America that has always remained consistent is white racial hostility. A history of slavery, segregation, unequal protection of the law, and second class citizenship inflicted by a white power structure that dominates on a national level has created a harmful reality for black people. Every aspect of black public life must either be under the control of or in opposition to white supremacy. Every state-sanctioned institution works to use black bodies as tools for the production of capital in any form, yet simultaneously exploits and maltreats black people so that they cannot fully participate in and benefit from the systems which they are indoctrinated to invest in. White America leverages its money, comfort, and tyranny on Black America. It is for this reason that separate spaces are not merely essential to the viability of black counter-publics but inherent to their existence, since black involvement in white spaces and systems typically leads to black assimilation or marginalization. Within these black counter-publics, hip hop and mass connection through new media forms direct attention and allow for personal expression which shapes black worldview and public opinion, but this simply makes black people more comfortable with their oppression and less involved in politics.

In today’s world, the exchange of information between individuals is largely based on the media alone. Conversations are held through social media sites, the news channels become the deliverers of new waves of specifically chosen stories, and the rest of the media effects the subconscious of the society. Movies, television shows, and “general” knowledge contribute to the rest of the mass media that affects the minds of people. The subconscious of the people can form the characteristics of the young and solidify ideas within the older population. The problem of the current society is that the subconscious ideas transferred to the media is particularly in the favor of Caucasians. This excludes people of African descent, Latinos, Asians, and other recognizably new minorities such as transgender. The overall effect of this subconscious problem is not very measurably but it can have disastrous consequences within each respective culture. Among all the minorities listed, African Americans and people of African descent have a tendency to be the most often misrepresented.

Along with the Mammy stereotype, the portrayal of Black women as being lecherous by nature is also a continuing stereotype. Lewd, hypersexual and loose are a few descriptive words associated with this stereotype (Thomas et. al, 2004). The Jezebel is everything the Mammy is not. Physically, she is seen as being a mixed-raced woman with Eurocentric features that those who fall into the physical characterization of the Mammy try to achieve. She has light-skin, less kinky hair, smaller lips and a more slender nose. Although the Jezebel fits the Eurocentric beauty standards, this image “branded Black women as being sexually promiscuous and immoral” (West, p. 294) due to the sexual violence committed against them during slavery. Hutchings et. al (2010) argues that, “explicit racial cues are not necessarily a thing of the past and under certain conditions they can be

By presenting the edgy misogynist as the personification of black masculinity, the media sends out two messages. First, impressionable black adolescents, many of whom are surrounded by the violence and abuse glorified by

The standard of scandalous for both white and black women are the same, but the way society view them are differently. According to Krestsedemas, black women fall into four stereotypes, sapphire, mulatta, jezebel, and mammy. Sapphire women are aggressive, overbearing, and responsible for the emasculation of black men. Mulatta are light skin women and are usually sexually attracted and could passed for white (Krestsedemas, 145). The mammy was portrayed as a loyal, desexualized caregiver and the jezebel was an overtly-sexualized, assertive woman (Krestsedemas, 145). In TV shows like Bill Cosby or the Fresh Prince of Bel-air, it is about black families being successful, kind, and both men and women having jobs. When some people see these shows they start saying that the shows are depicting white families’ lifestyle and some believe that black women cannot be successful. In the workplace and media, when black women are trying to gain power in the workplace, people might view them as aggressive and discriminate against them. The media stereotypes of black women are often embedded in narratives themes that have been used to send messages about the dangers of racial integration and black social mobility (Krestsedemas, 151). When a mulatta or black women have relationships with white men, some view it as scandalous because they believe that people should date within their

Racism and discrimination continue to be a prevalent problem in American society. Although minorities have made significant strides toward autonomy and equality, the images in media, specifically television, continue to misrepresent and manipulate the public opinion of blacks. It is no longer a blatant practice upheld by the law and celebrated with hangings and beatings, but instead it is a subtle practice that is perceived in the entertainment and media industries. Whether it’s appearing in disparaging roles or being negatively portrayed in newscasts, blacks continue to be the victims of an industry that relies on old ideas to appeal to the majority. The viscous cycle that is the unconscious racism of the media continues to not only be

Every black girl/woman has been asked a point in her life, who is your role model?For little black girls, that question has had more answers added to it over time. They now role models in probably any career path they they choose. During the early and mid 1900’s black girls were seen as less innocent than the white girl. Their bodies and even their whole existence was less valuable than the white girl. Representation of black girls in the media during the early 1900’s showed caricature of little black girls that further exemplified how black girls were looked at in society. Media is

“Media stereotypes are inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries, which need as wide an audience as possible to quickly understand information. Stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people—usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation.”

In Intellectual Empathy: Critical Thinking for Social Justice, Maureen Linker expresses the idea that in order to think critically and engage in the purest form of reasoned debate, that one must have intellectual empathy (12). This refers to the ability to take on the social identity of another person and understand how they feel, and also involves introspection that requires one to look within themselves to understand how their identity, whether ascribed or self-defined, impacts their interactions with other people (Linker 13). The media people consume plays a major role in this, as can be evidenced in Chimamanda Adichie’s Ted Talk, “The danger of a single story,” where she recounts how society at large has a skewed and

This book excerpt, written my Marshal McLuhan, begins by acknowledging how far the Western world has come in terms of innovation and development. It takes notice of the fast pace in which media is now spread. Before, one could post a video, and some may not hear about it for days, even months. Today, once a video has been posted, it has the potential to instantly go viral. McLuhan then goes on to speak of the social and political awareness that is now attached with the use of electric media. Due to our effortless access of social media, several social groups now have a voice both nationally and locally (Negro, the teenager, and some other groups.) We are living in the ‘Age of Anxiety’, where everyone has an opinion and everyone feels that