The representation of minorities in Hollywood has always been sparse and controlled in a way to fit the stereotype of the minority group.Many a time minorities are added to movies (depending on the subject matter of the film) to add color so that the film itself will not be criticized hugely for that aspect.When it comes to black Hollywood actresses it is more likely for the light skinned blacks to be casted rather than their darker counterparts. An example of this is the 2016 film Nina the film is a biopic of Nina Simone's life who was a dark skinned singer and activist in the civil rights movement. For the film they casted Zoe Sladana as Nina which itself can be seen as an issue because of Sladana noticeable lighter skin tone however
Rhimes is often praised for her revolutionary casting and taking risks. However, after being inducted in to the National Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2015, Rhimes gave a speech in which she said: diverse casting is not brave, it is human. She is proof that a successful black woman behind the scenes of multiple hit TV shows means that there can also be successful shows on television with nontraditional casts. But why doesn’t this happen with someone like a white male behind a TV show? The 2015 Hollywood Diversity Report also studied why white males might not cast a person of color as a lead. “Individual stakeholders in the industry (typically white and male) look to surround themselves with other individuals with whom they feel comfortable, with whom they feel they have the best prospects for producing a successful project,” (Hollywood Diversity Report, 54). If shows and movies with minority representation have proven to be successful when done right, then it seems strange that there is still such an over representation of nonwhites in mainstream entertainment.
If you take a look at most Hollywood movies, a good majority of the actresses are fair skinnend. One of the first African American female actress was Nina Mae McKinney whom as been inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. Since she was black she was only offered low budget films and looked at as the standard barer for future lead roles when using black women. Fredi Washington was a light skin, light eye female and was described as being too beautiful to play a maid but wasn’nt offered romantic leads. Her skin was so pale that some
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.
There are many things I want to learn and get to the bottom of while researching this topic. My main question is, “Why is this happening?” Honestly, I cannot even believe this topic is actually still an issue. When thinking of movie directors, producers, etc. I would assume them to be a group of progressive and inclusive people because the artist community generally is. So, how have these people let this happen? I would also like to look in to how this misrepresentation affects the minorities of America. There could possibly be underlying psychological turmoil in minorities which causes them to feel less capable. This brings me to wonder if there is any underlying racial bias in everyone because of who is glorified in in movies and shows. In order to answer such questions, I will research to find if any psychologist have done any studies on the effects of television and film on our subconscious in terms of the representation of minorities. I am also curious how other diverse countries such as Canada’s television and film look. I will compare the United States to these diverse counties in my research in order to provide a more global view.
Black women have never “had it easy” or “had it made” when it comes to the entertainment business. Hollywood has always been white-washed when it comes to the direction they wanted to go in terms of actors for their movies. Most roles that are casted are for white women and men, and the black actors/actresses are given whatever is left. It is truly not fair at all. When black women are given the opportunity to embody a traditionally white role, they are nothing short of phenomenal. This makes one wonder why they are still given supporting roles. African-American women have struggled to gain promising roles in Hollywood, which has hurt their acting careers and affected their lives.
Growing up in the 90s, watching movies were essential components of life. Specifically, comedies were the heart of interest until teenage years. The notion of wanting to watch a film that resonated with self and culture seemed right. Classic lines such as "I hate you Jody", "Bye, Felecia", or "Eat the cake Anna Mae" were jocular moments that had deeper meanings after years of pondering on how African American women are showcased in Hollywood films. After analyzing the depth of the roles in which African American women in classical Hollywood are depicted, there are three basic roles in which they are giving: the help, the hoodlum, and/ or the
In the 2017 media article “How Fair is Hollywood” the main problem is the lack of inclusion that Hollywood has been using throughout their movies . This problem can be solved by having an actor play the role of the corresponding race of his/her character.As noted by Media Mix news in paragraph 1, the author explicitly describes “People have reported frustration with Hollywood’s casting process. That’s because they see non-white actors repeatedly kept out of the spotlight. There is also the phenomenon called “whitewashing,” when roles are written for minorities are given to white actors”. This indicates that people are being displeased by the fact that Hollywood has been doing negative things to put actors to play a different race from what
The film industry’s portrayal of African American people consists of countless stereotypes and inaccuracies. These depictions lead to an innumerable amount of misrepresentations about the African American community. As the latest wave of black films begins to dawn, the clearer the images become of a collective people. Using my personal experiences as a mixed woman of color, as well as including my academic strengths and goals, and points of view regarding various black films, the content of this paper will examine the representation and stereotypes that can be seen in African American Hollywood.
However, their acting careers are quite different; therefore, I will explore how in Hollywood film industry there is still a strong color bias. First of all, I will give an introduction about how skin color has being given privileges within Afro-American community, and then I will analyze how this affects on Hollywood film
Diversity and representation has been in an increased demand over the past few years. Even children's TV producers and creators are taking notice by including LGBT and all sorts of ethnic characters in their shows. However, it seems that Hollywood has yet to take note.
This photo is a representation of the various stereotypes surrounding Latinos, and the way Hollywood exploits them for entertainment. The various Latinos in the spotlight all have different labels on them, all a representation of the ways people judge Latinos, based upon false stereotypes. The gunman or cop, the woman with an attractive accent, even the illegal immigrant, Hollywood has used these stereotypes to their advantage, thus influencing the way Latinos are seen in America. The people in the crowd symbolize all of America; every person who sees, and believes, the lies Hollywood tells them, and the idea that all Latinos can be sorted into a couple of categories, that they are simply people. Americans trust in the media, in what they
When you look at black movies or movies with black and hispanic people, all you see are drug dealers, pimps, robbers(lots and lots of white people commit bank robberies) on the screen or television shows. The white system have been perpetrating this since slavery days., separating groups and causing racism, and again stereotypical views of minorities.
During the beginning stages of film and media, Blacks struggled to represent their own stories, beliefs, opinions and identities because whites controlled the entertainment industry and chose what images of Blacks to portray. The people targeted in the mass media were White, many of them European immigrants looking to the media to learn about the people and their new nation. Men and women of color were treated by the media as fringe audiences, not large enough in number to influence the content directed to the mass media” (Wilson Gutierrez, & Chao, 2013, p.37). The next shift within Black representation in the media happened during the Civil Rights Movement. Footages of protests and speeches by Black people started being shown more on television
In a study of 414 films and television series, only 33 percent of all characters were women, and only 28 percent were of racial minority status (Associated Press). Casting diversely in entertainment has been an issue for years and has recently spawned many controversies such as the 2016 Oscar Controversy where an outrage occurred due to a lack of minority Oscar winners. Many cultures and races fell underrepresented and cast aside by film and television. The entertainment industry should cast more diverse actors because it increases viewership, provides a broader perspective, and creates a more realistic setting.
be done has seemingly been done before (*cough* Sharknado). After watching Get Out and eagerly convincing everyone I knew to go see it (including you!), I found that my requests were met with concern as many said ‘oh, I do not like scary movies.’ It is unfortunate that so many would forgo seeing the movie in light of someone’s preconceived idea of what a horror movie is. The entire genre is compartmentalized into a one size fits all description and what arises out of this generalization is an entire group of people who miss out on seeing a good film and instead see some sequel, prequel, reboot, spinoff, remake of a franchise film that only feeds into big studio cinema.