Black History Month 2018 Kickoff

Most of us consume some type of media daily, whether it be movies and TV shows, the news, magazines (in print or online) or music. Studies have proven that the images we see in the movie affect how we view ourselves. It's common knowledge that the potrayal of the ideal woman in the media is a primary cause of a host of body issues in modern women, particularly issues such as bulimia and anorexia.^[1] We know that the media gives us a false standard of beauty, which affects our sense of body image and how we view others. Do you think it's possible that the images in the media go deeper into our subconscious thoughts than just beauty?

I do! So, for Black History Month 2018, I want to focus on the portrayal of black people in our media. I'll try to share with you some examples of life imitating art and any studies I can find on the topics I bring up. I'm going to kick off the month with a post on black character tropes, because these tropes still come up way too often in movies and shows. There will be a post where I talk specifically about teen movies and shows, since that's the age in which we are most vulnerable. Since Mo'Nique just launched her boycott of Netflix,^[2] I want to get into gendered issues specific to black women in media, as well as, investigate the alleged pay gap in Hollywood. It's common knowledge that Mo'Nique was blackballed,^[3] but does she have a valid point? Are black actors/actresses and comedians being paid less?

There are so many issues in the media (and not just for blacks! I'll probably revive these series to discuss the portrayal of other minorities, too). Since these topics are much deeper than my usual spotlights, they probably won't be released on a daily basis, but I hope you'll come back for each post and I hope they'll be beneficial to you.

References

1. Rheanna N. Ata, Alison Bryant Ludden, and Megan M. Lally. "The Effects of Gender and Family, Friend, and Media Influences on Eating Behaviors and Body Image During Adolescence". Journal of Youth and Adolescence. November 2007
2. Andrea Park. "Mo'Nique calls for Netflix boycott, saying they lowballed her". CBS News. January 22, 2018
3. Christie D'Zurilla. "Mo'Nique slams Lee Daniels, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey in harsh standup riff". Los Angeles Times. May 15, 2017