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Scandal Essay

Decent Essays

Scandal is an American-drama television show about Washington, D.C fixer Oliva Pope. Pope helps celebrities, politicians, and statesmen survive scandals and fixes their problems. In addition to that, she served as the campaign manager for the current President in the show and as his communications director. Pope is also head of Pope and Associates, the company that fixes issues. Later during the show, she leaves Pope and Associates to be the Chief of Staff of the second President she helped get elected. Olivia is an African-American woman portrayed by Kerry Washington. The show is written in directed by Shonda Rhimes, who is also the writer of ABC’s hit TV-Show Grey’s Anatomy. Scandal broadcast on ABC on Thursday’s at 8 pm and averages about …show more content…

During the first season of the show, Pope is having an affair with the President of the United States who is married and white. When one first sees the affair, one may think it is just love and pair deserves to be together. However, when it is analyzed it shows the negative stereotypes of Africa-American women. The affair portrays African-American women as hypersexual. When Pope and the President are alone with each other, the pair cannot keep their hands off each other. When the media finds out about the affair, Pope is thrown under the bus and blamed for the affair. Over the years, black women have been the slave to the sexual desires of the white man. Furthermore, this illustrates the notion that white men see black women as sexual objects, but not good enough to marry. The President stays with his wife during most of the affair, which lasted for years. Along with that, the affair portrays black-women has “sleeping their way to the top.” People on the show assumed Olivia got as powerful as she did by sleeping with the President when that is false. Pope was a smart and talented black woman before her affair with the President. When First Lady Mellie Grant had an affair over her own, everyone tried their best to protect her. Everyone also pitied her and did not throw her name under the bus. The reactions of the public for the same action by different women isn’t surprising. Throughout history, …show more content…

This showcases just a few of the many characteristics African American women possess. The affair illustrates the negative views of African American women and how they get twice the punishment for the same crime. Mellie Grant did the same exact thing as Olivia yet was pitted for it. Looking closely enough, one can see how this illustrates the unequal and unjustified treatment African-American women have received throughout history. Rhimes’ portrayal of Olivia Pope will leave a positive mark about black women in society. Historically, black women are mothers or the girlfriend/wife of some gang member in movies or TV Shows. Scandal does not fall into any of those stereotypes. Olivia Pope is not a baby momma, she is an independent and powerful woman. African American women are arguably the greatest force to be reckoned with on the Earth. They are independent, nurturers, powerful, and the most disadvantaged group of people because of their race and sex. It is amazing how far black woman have come despite that. Women such as Oprah, Michelle Obama, and Shonda Rhimes have risen to the occasion and demand respect. It is honestly amazing once one thinks about how much African-American women have achieved despite the

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