TheSoulsofBlackGirls
[Transcript]
Introduction
Narrator:AmIbeautiful?Idon’treallythinkso.BecauseifIamthenwhereareallthegirlsthat
looklikeme?Aquestionthatmanyyoungwomenofcoloraskthemselves.
YoungWoman:Ihavetolooklikeher.Shewasrealfairskinned.Ihavetolookjustlikethat,and
I'llbeallfine.Shehadlighteyesandallthisstuff,andthat'swhypeoplelikedher.
Narrator:Manyofthemareyoung,innocent,andvulnerabletotheworldanditsmessages.Many
ofthemseekingalevelofacceptancewithinthemselves,andintheeyesofothers,tolookand
feelbeautiful.Whichforsomeseemsimpossible.
YoungWoman:Idon'tknow.JustbecauseI'mtryingsohardtogetsomewhereandI'mnotthere
yet.
YoungWoman:Whatitreallyboilsdownto,I'msoinsecureit'sridiculous.WhenI'mhome,I'm
alwaysinthemirrorlookingatmyself.Icouldwalkaroundmybedandgo(deepbreath),lookin
themirror,thensithere,thengobackdown-sitbackdown-andlookatmyself.
ReginaKing:Sonowyouhavethiswholegenerationoflostwomenwhodon'tknowthatit'sokay
tobeyou.
Narrator:Sowhatisbeautifulandwhodefinesit?Manyyoungwomenofcolordecidethatif
beautifuldoesn'tlooklikethemthentheymustbeugly,oftenleavingmanytryingtounderstand
why.
YoungWoman:Beautifulislikehavingstuffon,youknowwhatI'msaying?That'sbeautiful.Soif
Idon'thavenothingon,Ihavenothingonmetosay"oh,that'sbeautiful."Myself,butthenwhat?
Narrator:Thesegirlsfeelunaccepted,unworthy,andunwelcomedinoursociety,whichplacesa
muchgreateremphasisonphysicalappearances.
MichaelaAngelaDavis:Thereisthisneedtotrytomanipulateourselvesinordertoconformto
somethingthatwethinkisacceptableortodisappear.Wecan'tdoeitherone.
Narrator:Andsoitbegins.Thejourneytobebeautifulandaccepted.Formanywomenofcolor,
thisjourneybeginsatayoungagewhentheyarebombardedwithmediaimagesencouraging
themtoseekaEuropeanstandardofbeauty.It'sajourneyfilledwithfeelingsofinadequacyand
anobligationtoappeartobesomethingotherthanthemselves.Forthedarkerwomenofcolor,
it'sajourneythatfindsthemlost,confused,andhurtingthemost.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
1
YoungWoman:MaybeifIgetherlegsandherstomach,thenmaybehe'lllovemealittlemore.
Suckyourstomachin.
YoungWoman:Sheusedtobelike,whenyouwalkaround,whenyougetup,suckyourstomach
inbecauseit'salwayshangingout.AndIremembermiddleschooldoingthatwhenIwaswalking
around,justsuckingmystomachin.
Narrator:Coulditbethatwomenofcolor-dark,light,chocolate,brown,andinbetween-suffer
fromaself-imagedisorderasaresultoftryingtobebeautifulwithinoursociety?
King:Ithinkthatself-imagedisorderisprobablythebestwaytodescribeitinthreewords.
Narrator:Symptomsofwhatcouldbeconsideredaself-imagedisordercanvaryfromwomanto
woman.Buttheyareallattemptstoobtainawhitestandardofbeauty.
YoungWoman:Iwasoneoftheminoritiesintheschool,everybodywaswhite.Ididn'tgetany
attentionfromboysbecausetheywereallwhiteboys.Theydidn'tlikeme.Theylikedthewhite
girls,soljustthoughtthatwasprettier.
Narrator:Asfaraswhitewomenareconcerned,somehadnoticedthewaysinwhichwomenof
colorattempttomanipulatethemselves.
KatieMagrane:HaveIseengirlswithburntscalpsbecausetheirparentsaretryingtostraighten
theirhairwaytooyoungandnotdoingittherightway?YearsI'vebeenworkingwithkids,and
it'snotonetimeI'veseenburnthairorburntscalpfromastraighteningtreatmentorrelaxer.
Notthefirsttime.
Narrator:Althoughsomearecompletelyunawareoftheblatantmediamessagestobebeautiful,
somewhitewomendonoticehowtoughitisforwomenofcolor.
DeidraDeStefano:Like,blackgirls,it'ssomuchharder.Ididn'trealizeit.It'ssomuchmorework
theyhavetoputinbeingwhatisconsideredpretty.
Narrator: Deidra DeStefano discovered during our discussions that the subtlety of media
messagestobebeautifulareveryeffective.
DeStefano:They'rereallysneakyaboutit.Theydon'tmakeyourealizethatyou'llneverseea
blackgirlonthiscoverunlessshe'sBeyoncé(laughs).Andshe'slikeusanyways.
Davis:There'snoplacetowin.Soyou'regonnalookatTeenVogue,andyou'renotanywherein
there.Oryou'regonnalookatthevideos,andyou'retherelikeaho.There'snobalance.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
2
Narrator:ActressReginaKingsaysshe'sbeenaffectedbythepressuretolookacertainway.But
fortunatelyforher,shewasabletorejectanyfeelingsofinadequacy.
King:SoIwasabletoshakeitasquickasitcame.Fortunatelyforme.Butforalotofotherwomen,
itdoesn'tgodownthatsimple.Theycansinkintotheabyss.
Narrator: So as the journey to be beautiful and accepted within our society continues for all
women,forthewomenofcolorthejourneyisevenmorecomplex.
King:Ifyou'regonnalookatwhatisthebiggestpartoftheproblemisthatwomenfocussomuch
onanexteriorandhowwelookontheoutside.Nothowwefeelontheinside.
Narrator:Wheretherewasonceavoidoralackofrepresentationwithinthemediaofwomen
ofcolor,thereisnowanoverallabundanceofonlyoneimage.
Davis:Finally,finally,finally.We'reonTV.TherearecurvybrowngirlsonTV.Buttheygoton
bikinisandhighheels.Andalltheydoisjustshaketheirass.It'sjustsoironic.
YoungWoman:ItdoesaffectmealotactuallybecauseIcanstandhereandbelike,''Igottalose
weight,"butwhenmyfriendseesme,orwhenpeoplethatareclosetome,they'relike,"you
look fine." But I don't think I look fine. Because that's what I think mentally. In my mind, I'm
alreadylike"no,Ineedtogetridofmystomach"becausethat'swhatI'mseeing.Andifthat's
whatI'mseeingandIlikeit,I'mobviouslygoingtoworktogetit.
Narrator: So a conflict arises where women of color feel an unconscious obligation to either
manipulatethemselvesinordertoobtaintheunattainableEuropeanstandardofbeautyorto
emulatetheoneimageofthemselvesinthemediathatisnodifferentfromtheimageofafemale
prostitute.However,it'sanobligationthatmanywouldrathernothave.
YoungWoman:Idon'twanttohavetohaveearringsoninordertomakemyselffeelgood.Ijust
wanttoautomaticallyfeelgoodaboutmyselfwithorwithoutearringsorwithorwithoutnice
clotheson.
YoungWoman:IfIseeavideoandshelooksnice,I'mlike"dang,Iwanttolooklikeher.Iwantto
haveabodylikeher."ThatdoesbothermebecauseifI'mlookingatsomething,thefirstthingI
do,mymirror'srightthere,myTV'srightthere.I'mgonnabelike"damn."(laughs)Ineedtolose
thislittlebitoffat.
Narrator:Davissaysthat,forsomegirls,tryingtoemulatetheprostituteimagethatisseeninthe
videosandglorifiedintoday'smusichasmoretodowithgainingapositionofpower.
Davis:Youknowno13-year-oldgirlwantsto[bleep]fiveguysataparty.Theydon'treallywant
that.Butthen,theyatleastbecomeagirlthat'ssomebody.Itmaybeanegativesomebody,
butshe'sgotaname,she'sgotaface,she'sgotpositionintheculture.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
3
Narrator:Tosaythatwomenofcoloraresufferingfromaself-imagedisorder,wheretheyfeel
theneedtomanipulatethemselvesinordertofittheunattainablestandardofbeauty,isnota
far-fetchedconcept.
AmeliaMarshall:Thesameastheanorexicdisorder.Wedohavethatsmallpercentagewhoare
anorexic.Butasopposedtojustsaying,''I'mnotgonnaeat,"they'resaying,''Iwillgetawig.Iwill
putthefakenailson.Iwilltryandbleachmyskin,whichweknowwillnothappen."
PamelaEdwards:WhathurtsmemoresothananythingelseisthatifIwerea13-year-oldblack
girltoday,andIpaidalotofattentiontomusicvideos,whichishardnotto,andevenalsoto
someofthecelebmagazines,Idon'tthinkthere'dbeanyexamplesofhowcanyoujustbea
prettygirl.
Narrator:Andwhatseemstobeaself-imagedisorderthatwomenofcoloraresufferingfrom
remainsundetectable,discreet,andunspoken.
Marshall: Anorexia is a dangerous condition. It's a life-threatening condition. Whereas these
otherthings,it'sadeeplyburiedemotionalcondition.Itdoesn'tscreamoutforhelp.
Narrator:Butyoungandold,frommagazineeditorstoaccomplishedHollywoodactresses,they
all say that women of color have been screaming for help since the time of slavery, but the
screamshavebeenkeptinternallyandtranslatedintolowself-esteemandself-confidence.
JuanitaJennings:IhopebeforeIclosemyeyesthatthey'llbeadifferenceinhowwefeelabout
ourselves.It'sscary.It'sscary.
[TitleScreen–TheSoulsofBlackGirls]
WhyDoWeFeelThisWay?
ChuckD:Youdon'tknowwhattobe?We'lltellyouwhatyoucanbe.We'llfillyouupon
exactlywhatroletoact.Andifyougetconfused,we'llsellyousomethingsthatmightunravel
you.We'llsellyou,though.Weain'tgivingitawayforfree.
Narrator:RapperChuckDunderstandsexactlywhyandhowmediaimagesaffecttheself-esteem
and self-confidence of women of color. As a member of the rap group Public Enemy, he has
witnessedfirsthandhowmediacorporationsmaketheirprofits,oftenatthecostofwomenof
color.
ChuckD:Well,yougotamusicindustryandarapindustrythat'sreallybeenbuiltoverthelast
tentofifteenyearsonblackwomen'sblood,sweat,tears,gyrations,orwhatever.Butthereward
hasn'tbeenreciprocatedasfarasblackwomeninpower.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
4
Narrator:ThepowerthatChuckDisreferringtoiseconomicandcorporatepower.Sociologists
arguethatcorporatepowerstryandmaintaincontrolovertheaudiencebysellingthemdistorted
ideasofwhattheyshouldwantandneed.ActressJadaPinkettSmithsaysthatshehasalsocome
tounderstandthistypeofmanipulation.
Jada Pinkett Smith: What I find being in this business that most of the people that make the
decisionsaboutwhogoesinthesemagazinesliveveryisolatedlives.
Davis: Black women, or women of color, have never been in a position to define our own
sexuality.Sowhenpeoplearetalkingabout,"wehavetoredefine..."Weneverdiditinthefirst
place.It'sbeenaslaveowner,master,thenmen,andnowmedia.
Narrator:UrbanfashionspecialistMichaelaAngelaDavissaysthatbecausepeoplewhocontrol
mediaimageshavenorelationshiporinterestinwomenofcolortheyfailtopromoteaccurate
depictionsofblackwomen.
Davis: Because the media is in control right now, mostly in that white seven-figure hand,
someonethatisnevereverevergonnaknowanybodythatlookslikethosegirlsinthevideo.So
theyhavenoreasontobeinvestedinthefactthatwe'rebeingdestroyed.Thatourcollective
socialpsychologyisbeingdestroyed.
Narrator:ActressReginaKingsayspartoftheproblemliesingenderasmuchasinrace.Men,
notwomen,controlmediaimagesofwomenofcolor.
King:Let'sjustreallygetdowntoit.It'sallgeneratedfrommen.Thesearementhataredoing
thesecommercials.Thesearementhatareheadofthemarketingcampaign.It'snotwomen.
Andwhenyoudoseethosemarketingcampaignsthatarewomenthatareincontrolofthem,
it'satotallydifferentcampaign.Notalways,becausethere'sevensomewomenthatareinthose
positionspimpingourselves.
Davis:Youngwomenandyoungmenarestressedout.Nobodywantstobethat.Nobodyreally
wants to be a thug. Nobody really wants to be a hood rat or a [bleep]. They have just been
assignedthosethingsasapositionofpower.
Narrator: Research indicates that the audience, by accepting these images, reinforce the
stereotypes, putting down people of color while elevating those already in power. These
stereotypesareprofitable.
Davis:Mainstreammediaisconcernedwiththebottomline.Andtheirloyaltiesarewiththeir
shareholders. And that's all about money. And so they're not conditioned or cultured to care
aboutus.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
5
Narrator:Asascreenwriter,KenyettaSmithsuggeststhatthemediaarenotonlyconcernedwith
makingaprofitbutalsosellinganimageofwomenofcolorthatdoesn'tchallengethestereotype.
KenyettaSmith:It'splausibleforawhitekidtobeinterestedinscience,andtodoweirdscience,
andtobeintothingslikechessorastronomyorsomethinglikethat.It'splausibleforablackgirl
towanttobeWhitneyHouston.OrdoDoubleDutch.Orruntrack.Butit'snotplausiblefora
blackgirltolovechemistry.
Narrator:Sociologistsandmediaexpertsarguethatmediacorporationsactuallygetaudiences
tocomplywithitsdistortedmessages.ChuckDsays,forexample,themusicvideoisspecifically
targetedtoademographicgroupthatbuysintotheideaofwhateverisbeingsold.
ChuckD:Inthemovingpicture,numberoneisthevideo,thenitinfluencesthefilmworld.And
then the film world, the video world, influences what? What people can actually buy on the
newsstandandlookandopenupandsay,"wow!"
Narrator:Buttheaudiencesaren'ttheonlyonesbuyingintotheideaspushedbythepowersthat
be.ChuckDsuggeststhat,infact,womenofcolorcontinuetheprofit-makingcyclewhenthey
runthesemediacompanies.
ChuckD:SoiftheheadofMTVandtheheadofBETandtheheadofRadioOnenetworksare
blackwomen,thenwehavetoknowthesepeopleandblackwomenshouldknowthesepeople
or who's basically selling them out or who's actually using whatever it takes to go ahead in
business,inthewhiteman'swayofbusiness,sacrificingblackpeopleandespeciallyblackwomen
alongtheway.
Narrator: By repeating these distorted stereotypes, young black men and women reject their
ownrealityandaccepttherealityofastereotype.
Davis:Humanbeingslearnbyrepetition.Soifyouseethesamethingoverandoverandover
again,firstofall,you'renotgoingtothinkanything'swrongwithitandyou'regonnabelievethat
it'strue.
Narrator: Images of white women behaving provocatively in videos such as Girls Gone Wild
requiremoneyandefforttopurchasethem.ButDavissaysthatsimilarimagesofblackwomen
arefreeandreadilyaccessible.
Davis: You can turn of BET: Uncut and see black ass for free. So what that does to you
psychologicallyisyougottapayforwhitebreast,butyoucangetblackassforfree.Andthose
samegirls,whentheygetoffspringbreak,andtheypulldowntheirt-shirts,andtheygraduate,
theygotajob.Onceyouareablackho,youablackhoforlife.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
6
Narrator:Thenewsmediaalsodistortstheimagesofwomenofcolorbyrarelyshowingthem.
SeniorcorrespondentandWashingtonWeekmoderatorGwenlfillsays,inasubliminalwaythe
newsbusinessfailstorecognizetherangeofbeauty.
Gwen lfill: You don't have to go around saying I'm better or more beautiful than those other
peoplebutjustthatmybeautyhasvalue.That,Ithink,ismissingwheninthenewsmediafor
instancewemakeabigdealoutofmissingwomenonlywhenthey'reyoungandblonde.Wecan
spendhoursandhoursonwomenwho'vegonemissinginArubaandnoneonblackwomenwho
gomissinginSt.Louis.Sothere'sadefiniteimbalance.
Narrator:Andwiththisimbalance,ChuckDsuggeststhatultimatelymediacorporationshave
beenplayingagameofmanipulation.
ChuckD:It'salmostliketelevisionandmediadictatingtopeoplehowtothinkandhowtotalk
andhowtoreact.Andallofasudden,whatwasunacceptablein1988,isendorsedandwelcomed
andsalutedin2006,andthat'smindcontrol.
Narrator: This so-called mind control can also be considered an extension of slavery. African
AmericanstudiesprofessorDr.LezEdmondsaysthisiswherethedebasedimageofwomenof
colororiginated.
LezEdmond:Allwomenofcolorarelookedatandlookeddownuponasobjectsofpleasure,
whichiseasilydocumented.Andparticularlyduringtheslavetradeandhowwomenwereput
ondisplaywhentheywerebeingboughtandsold.
Narrator: Dr. Edmond explains that before the institution of slavery, women of color were
regardedwithrespectanddignity.
Edmond:Womenwerealwaystreatedwithgreathonor.It'sonlyinthewesternworld,tomy
knowledge, and western ideas, that women are treated so badly. Because in ancient African
history,womenheldjustasmuchpowerasmenheld.
Narrator:Healsosuggeststhatwithinwesternsocietywomenhavebeensystematicallyplaced
insecond-classpositionswhilemencontinuetoholdthetoppositionsofauthority.
Edmond:Inwesternsociety,eventhereligionsareagainstfemales.Andtheymakemaleshead
ofeverything.
Narrator:Andasfarasthewaywomenofcolorareportrayedinthemedia,Dr.Edmondsaysit's
nothingnew.It'sactuallyhistoryrepeatingitself.
Edmond:Well,theimagery'sstillthere,likewhenyouseesomeofthefemalesinthevideos.The
waythey'redancing.Veryprovocative.Andthey'renever,veryrarely,displayedassomethingto
berespected.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
7
Narrator:Andbyallowinghistorytorepeatitself,Dr.Edmondsayspeopleofcolorareasmuch
toblameasanyoneelse.
Edmond:We'reallguiltyofitbecauseweallowittohappen.Peoplethatruledthemselveswould
notallowthattohappen.
Narrator:Dr.Edmondalsosaysthattheinstitutionofslaveryisresponsibleforthefragmented
relationship between men and women of color that continues through today. He says the
traumatic events of slavery caused an almost immediate disconnect between the male and
femaleAfricanslaves.
Edmond:Totakeadvantageofyourwomen,whattheywoulddo,theywouldtellthewomen
that you were not any good and turn you against your own people. And then they would
humiliatethemalebymakinghimwitnesstheslavemastertakingadvantageofnotonlythewife
butofhisfemalechildren.
Narrator:Dr.Edmondsuggeststhatalsoledtothejustificationofwhiteskinprivilegeandthe
ideathatfairisbetter.
Edmond:ThemoviesinthiscountrywhenIwasaboyhadbeautystandardssettolooklikea
whitewoman.Thathasnotchanged.
Narrator: Black media entities also bought into the white skin privilege idea. Actress Juanita
Jenningssaysthatdark-skinnedwomenwererarelyseenonthecoversoftheirmagazinesandin
theiradvertisements.
Jennings:Itwasn't,Iguess,untilthe70s,asIsaid,whenwehadCicelyTysononthecover,and
we had the brothers at the Olympics raising their hands, but prior to that a lot of our own
magazineshadfair-to-tanbutnotoverthatonthecoversofthemagazines.
Narrator:BlackmediaentitieslikeEbonymagazineevenadvertisedskinbleachingproducts.This
idea that fairer is better has created a level of self-hatred among people of color, which Dr.
Edmondsayscanonlybechangedbyunderstandingitshistory.
Edmond: Just that we need to do much more in rebuilding and rehabilitating our own selfesteem.Andwhenyouknowyourownhistory,youdon'thavethosekindofinferiorfeelings.
Narrator:Forthewomanofcolor,shestrugglesfromatripleconsciousnessconditiontobea
woman,aNegro,andanAmerican.Andwithinthatidentity,shealsostrugglestodefineherown
standardofbeauty.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
8
HerStruggle…
Textonscreen:Thethingtofearwasthethingthatmadeherbeautifulandnotus…(fromThe
BluestEyebyToniMorrison)
Davis:Idon'tthinkthatit'sinthemedia'sbestinteresttocelebrateusatall.Butthatstillcreates
aschizophrenicenvironment.
Narrator: Many say that black men have abandoned black women, which has caused this
schizophrenicenvironment.
PinkettSmith:Blackmenarestrugglingtofindtheiridentityasblackmen.Andunfortunately,we
getthebruntofthat.
ChuckD:Theytalkaboutfatherlessboys,butIthinkthelasttwentyyearsfatherlesswomenhave
reallycausedaballofconfusioninthemassschisminsocietybecausethere'snoreferencepoints
on how men should act towards women. And if people gotta look and rely on television and
videos,thenyouknowyousippingthepoisonthat'sgonnaeventuallynotjustkillyouoffbutthe
wholenineyards.
PinkettSmith:Because,youknow,ourmenareoursoldiers.They'retheoneswhowillprotect
us.Soifoursoldiersleadusastray,iftheyleaveusouttodryandabandonus,we'rekindaleft
vulnerabletotheworld.
Narrator: And once women of color are abandoned, this vulnerability leaves many of them
searchingforawaytoreclaimtheirsoldier,theirprotector,theblackman.
King:Blackmenisdatingeverythingbutablackwoman.Blackmen,whentheygetsuccessful,a
lotofthemleavetheirgirlthattheywerewithinhighschoolandcollegeandgetagirl,another
nationality,andthenyouhaveblackwomentryingtolooklikethat.Becausetheywanttheirking
back.
Narrator:TVproducerDarliseBlountsaysthattheTVimagesarewheremanyofthesewomen
findtheinstructionsastohowtheyshouldlookforthesemen.
DarliseBlount:Youknownothingaboutacertainsubject,andyouturnontheTV,youusethat
tobegospel.Ifyouseewomenwalkingaroundinlittleoutfits,doingthis,tryingtogetattention
fromguys,youthink,asawoman,I'msupposedtodothisifIwanttogetattention.That'sthe
onlywayaguyisgoingtovalueme.
Narrator: As a producer for BET, Blount says that she has been one of the few black women
fightingagainstthepredominantlymaleenvironmentthatfailstounderstandtheeffectsofthese
images.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
9
Blount:I'mlookingthroughtheeyesofafemale,andtheguysarelookingthroughthingsasa
man,andtheyfigurethatmostoftheviewersofBETaremen,sotheywanttocatertothat.I
wouldbelikeanisland.SometimesIfeelIhavenoonetobounceideasoffofsowhenI'msaying
"no"becauseofthis,I'mnothatingit.It'sjustthatwehavetolookatthebiggerpicture.We
don'twanttoprostituteourownwomen.
Narrator: Blount explains how she felt being the only female producer of BET's Rap City and
fightingwithothermaleproducerstodepictwomenofcolorinapositive,ratherthannegative,
way.
Blount:Howdiditaffectme?Ithurt.BecauseIfelt,amIcrazybecauseI'mtheonlyonethinking
this?SomeoftheguyswhoIthoughtweresound,whowouldunderstandme,they'restillaguy.
Sothey'regonnastillbeturnedonbythevisualandnotnecessarilytakevalueorwanttoseethe
substance.
Narrator:Youngblackwomenhavebeenbombardedwiththisprostituteimagethroughtheir
ownpopularmusic.
ChuckD:Musicpast1990hasbeenlargelyconfrontational.Socomeupintoaclubwithloaded
weaponsbecauseeverybody,''Igotmyscope.Don'tcomeclose.''Youknow,thegirlsarewith
eachotherinpacks.Andspreadingmorewordsofloveintheirownpacksasopposedtoacross
toeachother.Thedudesare,"myboys."Hegotacloserlinewithhisboys.Andawomanisan
infiltrator.
Narrator:Butdespitebeingabandonedbyblackmen,andleftvulnerabletotheworldandits
mediamessages,Kingsaysthatblackwomenhaveyettoabandontheblackmen.
King:Blackwomenarethelasttoventureanddateoutsideoftheirrace.Eventhoughyouhave
themosttriflingguy,andeveryoneofthemhasbeentired,wejustwon't.There'ssomeplace
deepwithinus.Weholdingontosomething.
Narrator:Anpartofwhatthey'reholdingontoistheideathatfairerisbetter.
Mirror,MirrorontheWall…
PinkettSmith:There'sdefinitelyastandardinthemedia.There'snodenyingthataspect.There
isacertainlookthatworks.It'sconformingtowhattheybelievethemassmajoritywantstolook
like,whichisskinny,white,blonde,whatever.
Narrator:Justorunjust,accomplishedwomenofcolorinthemediahavetoconformtotheidea
thatfairerisbetter.Andwhetherornotit'saconsciousdecision,actressReginaKingsaysthat
theultimategoalissales.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
10
King: J. Lo In Living Color days cut to now. (laughs) (tries to speak & laughs) The media is a
powerfulthing.It'sapowerfulthing.Whenitcomesdowntoit,theywanttomakemoneytoo.
Andtheywanttosell,sell,sell.Andwhetherit'sconsciousornot,theyhavetoconformsothat
theycansell.It'sassimpleasthat.I'mnotgonnasaythatitwasaconsciouschange,butBeyoncé
Destiny'sChildwasmuchdifferentthatBeyoncéPinkPanther.
Jennings:Itseemsasifouryoungblackmenseemtowantthewhitegirlimage.Iftheycan'tget
thewhitegirl,theywantascloseastheycangettothewhitegirl.
Narrator: And wanting the girl who is as close to white as possible often leaves dark-skinned
womenfeelingleftout.
Jennings:There'sanarray.Wecomeinallhuesandshapesandsizes.AndwhenIlookatthe
videos,what'ssupposedtobesexyandbeautiful,it'salwaysthesameshade,thepaperbagtest.
Narrator:Thebrownpaperbagtestwasaformofdiscriminationpracticedamongblacksofthe
early20thcentury.Tobeconsideredgoodenough,anindividualhadtobelighterthanabrown
paperbag.It'salsoatestthatJenningssaysisstillbeingcarriedouttoday.
Jennings:Wherearethedarkerbrownsisters?Soourlittleboysarelookingatthesevideosand
theimagesthatarebeingprojectedthroughthemusicandthisiswhatthey'relookingfor.
Narrator: The test being carried out today might not be blatantly obvious, but consciously or
unconsciously,somearepassingittobeaccepted.
DeidraDeStefano:Beyoncé.EveryonelovesBeyoncé.(laughs)Becauseshehasthelonghair,and
it'slighter,andshe'slikethatperfectcolorinthemiddle.Soshe'slike...Nobodyeventhinksof
Beyoncéasblack.
King:That'sjustit.Shelookswhitetothatwhitegirl.Andtohowmanyotherwhitegirls?You
know,whichmakeshermoreacceptable.
Narrator:Andonceawomanofcolorinthemediahaspassedthissubliminaltest,sheisnolonger
regarded as a woman of color. Instead, she's just a name, which signifies that she's earned
acceptance.
King:HalleBerryprobablyisabouttheonlyone.Idon'tthinkthatwhitepeoplereallylookather
asblack.IthinktheyjustlookatherasHalleBerry.
Narrator:Butearningtotalacceptancewithinoursociety,evenforHalleBerry,tookbecoming
theveryfirstAfricanAmericanwomantowinanAcademyAwardforbestactress.Andonlysince
becomingthefirsthasshebeenacceptedasabeautystandardtobecelebratedliketheothers.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
11
PinkettSmith:Letmetellyousomething.IttookHalleBerrytowina[bleep]Oscarbeforeshe
gotonVogue.Imean,Ican'tevenimaginewhatcouldbemoreidealisticallybeautifulthanHalle.
YouknowwhatI'msaying?So,onceagain,theideaoftryingtofitanimageofthemasses,which
blackwomenarenotamajorityinthiscountry.
Narrator:InordertopassthisultimatetestofacceptanceinHollywood,somesay,beingableto
passforbothlightanddarkmakestakingthetestalittleeasier.
Marshall:Thatnotion,thatsortofstereotypeorthatsortofprejudice,issodeeplyburiedwithin
the subconscious of the director, of the casting director, that they don't even realize they're
applyingit.Wearelookingforalow-incomemothertoplaythispart.Whatcolordoyouthink
she'sgonnabe?Isshegonnabehighyellow?Mmhmm.Probablynot.Wearelookingforthesexy
secretarytoplayoppositeDenzel.Whatdoyouthink'sgonnawalkinthedoornow?Ofcourse,
unlessDenzelputshisfootdownandsays,''Idon'twantthatimage."
HighYellowGirlsOverHere…
lfill:Ifyou'realittlegirlofwhatever,andyoulookateverybodyontelevisionlooksblondeand
pale,andthatisheldupasthestandardofbeauty,youcan'thelpbutlookatyourselfandsay,
"doesthatmeanI'mnotbeautiful?"
Narrator:Whilethecelebrationofonetypeofwomancontinues,theinternaldemiseofanother
begins,whichDavissayscomesfrombeingconditionedtothinkthatoneshadeisbetterthanthe
other.
Davis:AlotofthewomenIknewthatwerelight-skinnedweretaughttothinkthattheywere
better.Sotheyactedthatway.Soagain,thedarker-skinsisterswouldrespondtothem,sothere's
thisbuiltintensionoutofnothing.
C'nayHines:Justasfarasskincolor.AmIvalued?AmIlessworthybecauseofmyskincolor?
BecauseIdon'tfeellikethemajorityoftelevisionnowrepresentspeopleofmyskintone.And
thenifitdoes,thentheyhavetohavealongweavedowntotheirshoulderssowhycan'twejust
benaturalandbewhoweare?
PinkettSmith:Mebeinglight-skinned,shortandskinnywasanissue.Youknow?(laughs)Doblack
menlikesmallwomen?Ialwayshadaproblemwiththat.
Narrator:Whethertheyareaccomplishedactressesinfrontofthecameraortheonesbehind
thescenesasproducersandwriters,womenofcoloragreethatastruggleexists,andthey'veall
beenvictimtoit.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
12
PinkettSmith:Idorememberbeingyoungerandgoingthroughaperiodofshameaboutbeinga
woman,whengangstarapfirststarted.IrememberwhenEazy-E,whenNWAfirstcameout,and
Iremembergoingthroughaperiodofshameofbeingawoman.
Marshall:Theylineusup.Allthehighyellowgirlsoverthere.Allthedarkbrowngirlsoverthere.
AndIwasleftinthemiddle.AndIwent...Andthentheysplitus.Theywentthatway.Theywent
thatway.Andtheysaid,"we'regonnakeepyouonfile,butdon'tgetatanthissummer."
King: Especially in my industry, that's because you're supposed to look a certain way. And it
could'vebeensomethingassimpleassomebody,"youlookalittlebitthickerwhenIsawyouon
suchandsuch"ortimeswheresomeonesays,"you'resothin."AndItotallytakethatas,"ohmy
gosh,I'mgettingthin."ButIwouldsaybecauseofthemediaimages,I'vebeenavictimofit.And
I'llcoptoit.
Davis:IthoughtthattofeelasblackasIdid,youweresupposedtolookacertainway.Andittook
mealongtimetogettotheplacewhereIjuststartedblowingoutmyhaironoccasionbecause
IfeltlikeIdidn'thavetowearmyhairinanafroanda"FreeMumia"t-shirttoprovethatIwas
blackanymore.
Narrator:ActressJuanitaJenningssaysthatacceptinghernaturalbeautycameataveryhigh
price. She lost her precedent-setting job on As the World Turns when she refused to cut her
dreadlocks.
Jennings:Ilookedattheexecutiveproducerandsaid,"no,Iwillnotdothat.Thisisahairstyle
thatexpresseswhoweareasblackwomen.Thisisapersonalchoice."Theywrotemeoffthe
show.
Narrator: She also said she received a lot of criticism among her peers who criticized her for
acceptinghernaturalbeauty.
Jennings:IremembersomeofmyownfriendswhomayhavethoughtIwascuttingmynoseoff
despitemyfacebyalwayswearingnaturalhairdosorwearingmyhairloworwearingdreadsor
sisterlocks,butthat'sjusthowIfelt.Ihadtostaytruetomyself.
Hines:Forme,Ihadjustprettymucheveryotherhairstyleknowntoman.AndIalwaysthought
aboutgoingnatural.ButpartofyoualwayswonderswhatwouldotherpeoplethinkandwouldI
beaccepted,andwouldIbeconsideredpretty?
KadijaMinah:Myfeatures,thefeaturesofmyface,theydidn'tfitthat"cutegirl"features.Ihave
abignose,slantedeyes.TherewerealotofthingswithmyselfthatIwasnotcomfortablewith
andIdidn'tseethatonTV,andIdidn'tseethatinmagazines,orwhateverthecasemaybe.Soit
kindahadmefeelingmaybeI'mnotcute.Justbecause...Idon'tknow.ItwasjustthatIwasnot
comfortable,andIdidn'thavetheregular,conventionallook.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
13
Narrator:SeniorcorrespondentGwenlfillsaysthatgrowingupduringtheeraofblackpridemade
herfeelproudofwhoshewas,despitebeinginsultedbyothers.
lfill:Iwasraised,itshouldbesaid,inthe60sand70swhen''blackisbeautiful"wasthemantra.
Solinternalizedthat.Myfatherusedtosaythatifanyoneevercalledusaracialslur,ifanyone
evercalledus,whichatthetimebeingcalled''black''wasaracialslurbecauseweweresupposed
tobecalled"colored,"areresponseshouldbetosay"thankyou."Andbysayingthat,Ifoundit
accomplishedacouplethings.One,itshutpeopleupbecausetheydidn'tknowwhatyoumeant
when you said "thank you." They thought they had insulted you. But the second part was I
internalizedthat.Ibelievedinarealwaythatitwasacomplimenttobecalled"black."Andsoit
neveroccurredtomethattherewasanynegativityassociatedwiththat.
Narrator:ButforDavis,havingbeenapartofthesystemthathascausedsomuchinternalpain
andturmoilforwomenofcolor,sherealizesthatsheshouldhavedonesomething.
Davis:Iknewbetter.AndwhatIdidwasjuststepawaybutIdidn'tsteptowards.
Narrator:Butwomenofcolorinthemedia,likeDavis,havedecidedthatit'stimetostepforward.
WhereDoWeGofromHere?
King:It'snotjustonesolution.Wearediscoveringthesolutionsasthetimegoesby.
Narrator:ActressReginaKingsaysthatonesolutionisnottheanswertotheself-imagedisorder
affecting women of color. She says that, for some women, this problem can be reversible by
changingtheimage.
King:Whatwouldbethemedicaltreatmentforself-imagedisorder?Andwhatwedoknowis
thatadifferentimageistheonlythingthat'sgonnakindahelpthat.
Narrator: And members of the black Hollywood community have already started taking steps
towardschangingtheseimages.ActressJadaPinkettSmithdecidedtostartwiththeyounger
generationwithherchildren'sbook,GirlsHoldUpThisWorld.
PinkettSmith:Itjusthelpsthelittle,tinyoneskindagetanideaofwhotheyare.Youstartplanting
thoseseedssothathopefullythoseseedswillblossomwithintheconsciousnessofayounggirl.
Shemightnotgetitwhenshe's3or8,butsomethingmightsnapwhenshe's12.
Narrator: For King, who's earned success in film and television, she hopes to be offering an
alternativeforwomenofcolorbytakingmorerealisticrolesinmorerealisticprojects.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
14
King:Brownskingirlswanttheirfacetobeseen.Soifanything,evenwhenyoutakearolelike
Boyz n the Hood, there were a bunch of girls in every hood across the country that was like,
"that'sme.That'smeonTV.That'smeonthescreen.Icandoit."
Narrator:Collectively,Kingsaysthatwomenofcolorinthemediaarelookingtomakechanges
throughtheirownproductionprojects.
King:AndyouhavepeoplelikeJadaPinkettSmithandmyselfandQueenLatifahthatareallin
theprocessofstartingproductioncompaniesandwe'reallveryconsciousaboutthekindofwork
wewanttodo.
Narrator:TheexistingimagesofwomenofcolorlikeLaurynHill,JillScott,ErykahBadu,andIndia
Ariehaveallstartedtoofferanalternativetocombatthestandardsofbeautywithinoursociety.
However,Kingsaysthatcelebratingthoseimagesstillisn'tenough.
King:ThankgodforLaurynHillandJillScottandErykahBaduforyoungblackgirls.Theseare
beautifulblackwomenthataredifferentthanwhat'snormallyputoutthere.Butit'snotenough
forthem.
Narrator:SeniorcorrespondentGwenlfillrecognizesthatinherpositionsheseemstobeleading
thewayasapositiveimageofwomenofcolortosee.
lfill: I am frequently approached by women who say, "thank goodness you're here for my
daughter."I'mnotconsciousofthat,necessarily,whenI'montheair.ButIhavehadmanypeople
come up to me and say that they are happy to see me because it gives their daughter an
opportunitytoseesomethingthattheycouldbe.
Textonscreen:Define&LoveYourself…
PinkettSmith:Yougottafinditwithin.Ithinkthat'stheproblemwithmostpeopletodayisthat
everybody'slookingfortheansweroutsideofthemselvesbecausenobodywantstoconfront.
Andtherealdealisit'sinyou.
Jennings:Howcanyouchooseamate,andsayIlovethemate,ifyoudon'tloveyourself?
ChuckD:Alookisalookisalook.Yourinnercharacteriswhatdignifiesandmakesyourlook
distinctandmakesitcomeout.Yourinsideisyourbatterytoyouroutside.
PinkettSmith:Younggirlshavetodecidewhotheywanttobe.Ifyouwanttobeawomanof
respect,ifyouwanttobeawomanthatcansupportherselffinanciallyandnothavetodepend
onanyman,ifyouwanttobeawomanwho'sconsideredbeautiful.Butit'sgottabeyou.It's
gottabeyou.
Textonscreen:Love…
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
15
ChuckD:Youhavetohaveatleastreferencepointsthatallowyoutofeelthatyou'relovedfrom
bothperspectives.
Davis:Whoislower,intermsofhowthecultureandsocietyseesyou,thanablackprostitute?
Whoneedsmorethanthatpersoninthisworld?You'reawoman,you'reblack,andyou'rea
prostitute?Youneedmorelovethananybody.
Edmond:Firstthingthatthemalesmustrecognizethattheirfemalesareequalpartners.And
promoted!Andpromoted!Soit'smorethanjustlipservice.
Textonscreen:I’mSorry…
Davis:IfeellikeIowethemanapologybecausethishappenedonmywatch.Doyoufeelme?
AndIdon'tevenknowwhy.Ididn'tcall100blackwomenandgoprotestinfrontofVH1,BET,
MTV. I didn't protect our little sisters. So I have to say I'm sorry first and then move forward
becauseIthinkthat'swhereanysortofhealinghappens.
King:Ifmorepeoplecameoutandcamecleanthattheyhavebeenapersonthathasbeeninthat
place,orthatthey'reguiltyoflivingthatrightnow,thenmaybethatmightbeachange.
PinkettSmith:Mostpeoplewanttheeasywayout,ofleaningonthebacksofsomeoneelseor
pointing the finger at someone else or "these people aren't putting us on their magazine."
[mumbles] Pump the breaks on it because really we, as individuals, have to take that on for
ourselves.Wedobecauseit'snooneelse'sresponsibilitybutourown.
Edwards:We,asacommunity,havetotakeresponsibilityformakingsurethatourchildrenfeel
beautiful. Because we can't expect outsiders to do that. Why would we expect that? They've
neverdonethatbefore.IfI'mwaitingforUsmagazine,andI'mwaitingforNBCorABCtotellme
thatsomeonethatischocolateandgorgeous,Imightbewaitinguntilthecowscomehome.
PinkettSmith:Togivethatmuchpowertothosepeopleisamistake.It'sjustwrong.(laughs)You
knowwhatImean?It'sjustwrong.
Davis:Weneedsomebalance.Wecan'tjusthaveOprahandnothing.DoyouknowwhatImean?
OneEssence.Weneedsomestuffinbetween.Andweneedmorefilmsregularly.Ineedtogo
pastthekioskandseemorerepresentationofthekindofpeoplethatIactuallyseeonthestreet
oronthesubwayoratthemall.
Narrator:ActressReginaKingsaysthatdespitethemediaanditsmessagesforwomenofcolorit
isnecessaryforthemtoadmittheirpainwithhonestyratherthanshame.
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
16
King:That'sthereasonwhyIthinkpeopleloveOprahsomuch.Becauseshedoestakeoffher
makeup sometimes. She's honest. You know what I mean? I guess a little more honesty will
probablyhelp.
[End]
©2016MediaEducationFoundation|mediaed.org
17