The Chosen One's Presentation on Representations of Black Women in the Media by Tashiana Hudson @02652609

I watched The Chosen One’s presentation on representations of lack women in the media. First, the group discussed, the “mammy” stereotype, typically very maternal and not very intelligent, devoting her life to the care of white children. They gave an example of a “mammy” type in a character in the classic movie “Gone with the Wind”, contrasting it with the modern day show “Hawthorne”, in which a black woman is caring, yet intelligent and powerful. They also discussed the sexualized stereotype of the black woman and its modern representation, the video vixen.
One group member discussed the representations of black women in health in the modern day. She mentioned the National Black Nurses Association, which was founded in 1971 and Nurse’s Day, an annual event when nurses storm Capitol Hill to draw attention to health issues. Another group member discussed representations of black women in literature, citing Maya Angelou’s work and Queen Latifah’s UNITY project.
Next, a group member discussed an interview she conducted with a Psychology professor, who stated that media has a profound effect on people’s perceptions of black women. The professor also asserted that advertisements make black women feel inferior, and the only way to contrast this is to insert good representations of black women into everyday media, such as sitcoms and commercials.
They also interviewed friends, who asserted that the media only shows black women in two extremes: the damsel in distress or the overly independent role. When asked about physical representations of black women in the media, they explained that the women were usually of medium tone or lighter skin with long hair and hourglass figures. They thought that the media makes girls feel that if they do not fit this stereotype, they are not beautiful, and that the media should display more positive messages.
Another group member discussed representations of black people in fashion and society, discussing the fact that black people are usually depicted as criminals, athletes, or sidekicks. She also explained that Essence magazine just hired their fist white editor, and there was some backlash, because many felt that a white person could not understand African-American beauty issues.
Lastly, a group member interviewed Karen Roberts, who explained that black women in the media are usually displayed in extremes; they are either overly emotional or stoic and sluts or saints. Also, they usually have light skin and long hair and display promiscuous behavior. She said that there id definitely a need for a real representation of black women in the media.
I enjoyed The Chosen One’s presentation. I thought it was well thought out, thorough, easy to follow, and assimilated all of their concentrations well.