The political thriller Scandal which began airing in 2012 has become an immensely popular television show. The protagonist Olivia Pope is portrayed by the actress Kerry Washington. Olivia Pope is a crisis manager who runs her own firm, Pope & Associates, which specializes in managing political situations and making the problems of the elite go away. Scandal, challenges the mainstream blueprint used to construct most television shows in Western society. Primarily, Scandal breaks down stereotypes of African Americans and females in general in society. There are many ways in which Scandal achieves these goals. Scandal has a diverse cast of characters normally not portraited on television. The characters do not conform to the stereotypes that have made other similar characters successful. Scandals also uses on-screen and off-screen choices that contrast choices typically made by the television industry. Through these different choices Scandal portrays African Americans and women on television in a way which is far from common in the industry.
Television is widely considered a more racial and gender friendly medium of popular culture. However, prime time television is not nearly as progressive as people believe, and is still a male dominated industry. In a report done by the Institute for Diversity and Empowerment at Annenberg, 11,306 speaking characters were evaluated and 66.5% were male, while 33.5% were female [1]. Moreover, 41.6% of females in television took leading or
That status of women in television programs is grossly misrepresented. Female sexuality on broadcast television is, in most cases, exaggerated and has set an unrealistic standard that real women are attempting to reach. Not only this, but it has created new expectations for men. With my personal project, I wrote letters to television executives—Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment; Paul Lee, president of ABC Entertainment Group; Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment; Dana Walden and Gary Newman, co-chairpersons of FOX Broadcasting—demanding that promote a better representation of female sexuality. As well as have a better representation of all sexualities, meaning more accurate depictions of lesbian women, bisexual women, and trans women.
Over the years television has been known to be one of the major educating and socializing institution in America. Television in today’s society is able to play a powerful key through which individuals can be informed, hold forums, and voice their opinion‘s. Television is also important because it offers us glimpses into minority life and minority figures. When sociologists examine minorities in television they document how minorities are portrayed and how those portrayals have changed over the years. Through time, minorities in television have been able to make moderate gains whether they are in front of or behind cameras. However, they continue to remain significantly underrepresented as leading actors in films, as writers, and as TV show creators. Even though minorities are significantly underrepresented in today’s society the TV industry has been pushing to give an opportunity to many minority groups in succeeding in the media. Several TV shows and commercials have succeeded in the TV industry to try and change how minorities are underrepresented, however, there are also shows that reinforce stereotypes and are prejudice towards minorities.
It is very well known to all that media is a big part of society today. It influenced how we see ourselves and the world to some extent. There are different types of media that is offered today, for example: TV, movies, radio, and newspapers. Within the different forms of media, women and men are represented in a certain way, all with different characteristics. In this essay, I will argue that there is similar gender stereotypes presented in the shows Modern Family and Every Body Loves Raymond, and how they differ from the show Full House.
Television and film is a huge part of American culture. As the “face” of America changes, it is expected for our media to reflect it. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Since the beginning of film, minorities have been misrepresented and underrepresented. While there has been a significant increase in minority actors since the beginning of film, there is still a huge underrepresentation present in American television and film. Our media needs to reflect out diverse country. This topic is always important and relevant because race, gender, and sexuality, in general, have been issues throughout the growth of television and film. Even today, minorities are subject to
African American women have not had the opportunity to land career changing roles in many years. Most roles that are offered are small roles where they are seen and not really heard. There has been a shift in the past few years where African American women have increased in their appearance in television shows. Minorities have been underrepresented in television shows in the years, however in recent years there has been a trend of more minorities entering to the realm of broadcasted television shows. The Hollywood DIversity Report states,“ Minority talent claimed 16.8 percent of lead roles on cable reality and other shows during the 2012-13 season, up 3.6 percentage points from the 13.2 percent share the group claimed in 2011-12” (pg. 17). African American women roles in television have developed into two categories: the hypersexualization theme and the angry black woman theme.
African American Women in Television has been a rising issue in the media industry for years now. Being that television is mainly dominated by white men, African American women emerging into television has had a positive and negative effect in the media industry. There are many different aspects of African American Women in television. They are actresses, producers, directors, personalities, news anchors and reports and so much more. Through all the major success African American women have had within in television thus far it has not always been easy. This topic is very relevant because it specifically affects African American women in television. The issue of controversy with African American women being in the media industry through the television sparks major concerns from consumers, co-workers, and people in the entertainment industry. This issue impacting how the world view all African American women in
As a female Television, Radio & Film student in the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, I encounter gender as it pertains to the communications and media industries every day. According to the Fall 2017 census provided by the university, the entire student body (undergraduate, graduate, and law students) is 52.5% female and 47.5% male. On the other hand, the Newhouse student body is roughly 60% female and 40% male, but it has not always been that way. Through the following photos, I am going to examine how gender affects Newhouse students and faculty in Television, Radio & Film department by exploring the past, present, and future of the school.
Ever since the integration of television and movies there has been a problem with the whitewashing of American entertainment. From cartoons to live action features, producers and casting staff seem to have trouble creating a feature that is diverse and culturally appropriate enough to accurately portray America. The diversity of film and television is not important just because it gives all actors equal worth, but because it also shows the world how we view Americans who are people of color. Diversity on television is important for breaking stereotypes and typecasting, great representation of America and viewers want to see television that they can relate to. America is one of the most diverse countries in the world yet, its citizens still struggle with stereotypes.
American television appears to be more racially inclusive than ever, with shows like: ABC’s Blackish, which feature an African American family, and ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, which represents an Asian American family. However, the white status quo still remains very much relevant in today’s television. Minority actors still receive less screen, and when they do, they act in unbelievable ways. Television has had a profound effect on society’s beliefs and attitudes based on what it portrays and how it does so, including how watchers view not only themselves but others as well. Representation of various racial communities- African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Latino Americans- more frequently and in a better light can provide
Black women are showing why they belong in entertainment. Whether it’s acting, writing, or producing they are well needed. Shonda Lynn Rhimes is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author. She is known for shows such as Grey 's Anatomy, its spin-off Private Practice, and the political thriller series Scandal, all of which have aired on ABC. I will be using Scandal to analyze the ideology of a black dominant women in a white male patriarchal world. The show is centered on protagonist Olivia Pope who is a professional fixer. If there is any crisis, problem, or scandal Olivia Pope is always the first person to call. Kerry Washington who plays Olivia Pope is the first black woman in forty years to star in a network drama in this
Therein lies the first criterion in why modern television lacks diversity. In the New York Times article, “Why Diverse TV Matters,” there are examples of TV shows that are given that have a scarce amount of white actors, such as ‘Friends” or “The Big Bang Theory’. In these shows, it is apparent
Over the past decade, ABC has successfully reinvented itself as an inclusive home of unrepresented voices with its signature shows from Shonda Rhimes and its diverse family comedies. Two dramas from Shonda Rhimes, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, have black female leads and numerous minorities in supporting roles. Additionally, ABC’s two signature comedies, Modern Family and Black-ish, highlight diversity and emphasize inclusivity. The former features a gay couple and an interracial couple, and the latter centers on an African-American family. Beyond these flagship series, ABC also defines its brand through two family comedies we watched in class, Fresh Off the Boat and The Middle. In this essay, I will use ABC’s primetime schedule
According to Hall, the mass media creates and defines issues of public concern and interest through audience positioning (Barker 271) and according to Nielsen ranking, “Scandal” is the highest rated scripted drama among African-Americans, with a demographic of 18-49 (Vega). The episode which aired on March 5, 2015, had 9.57 million US viewers rating (Scandal, season 4). Scandal is created by a black woman, Shonda Rhimes, inspired by a black woman, Judy Smith, and has a black woman as its star, Kerry Washington (Scandal). And according to Hall, to the degree that the audience share cultural codes with producer or encoders, they will decode meaning within the same framework (Barker 271).
Television, since its inception, has had a knack at being a mirror for the current state of society. Through this medium, one is easily able to spot the changes our culture has gone through since TV was first created. One example of this social shift, is that of the woman's role in television starting from the 50’s to the present. In 1950’s
As a Communication major, I spend a lot of time studying the human communication process, which is the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages between a receiver and sender. This communication process does not only apply to face-to-face interactions but also includes mass media, rhetorical, and technological communication. Through these various forms of communication, the sender not only expresses his/her message but also expresses power hierarchies about race, gender, and sexuality that are present in society. Mass media has a significant impact on socializing gender roles and perpetuating gender stereotypes, and to prove that, I am analyzing mass media messages, such as television shows, movies, and advertisements.