Dear film industry,
Although there has been some progress made with regards to representing all bodies, when POC are represented in media, stereotyping of POC is still very prevalent, most of which are negative representations. Stereotyping of all races is common throughout media. Latinx people are often portrayed as lazy, or as illegal immigrants, or as drug lords, or gardeners. Asians are commonly portrayed as nerds, or kung fu fighters, or foreigners. As an Asian women, I personally feel the affects of the nerd stereotype. People always think all Asians are smart, and if you don’t live up to this expectation, you are questioned. I don’t know how many times I have not done well on a test/assignment, or did not know the answer to a question, and the response I receive is, “But aren’t you Asian?” These are just a few of many stereotypes placed on POC throughout media. But some of the most harmful stereotypes that are used in media are on Black people. Common stereotypes used are the sassy Black woman, the mammy stereotype and thugs/criminals.
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What we see on television, and media in general, has a huge influence on us. It can affect how we act, what we say, how we view ourselves, and most importantly, how we perceive others. There are social, personal and material repercussions to these negative racial stereotypes. For example, by the media often portraying Black women as sassy and brash, this characteristic starts to be ingrained in people’s minds, thinking all Black women are aggressive and bitter. Or if the mammy stereotype is constantly being used, people can start to think Black people are inferior to White people, and they are in society to serve others. And lastly, if the media is constantly portraying Black people as violent criminals, people may start to view Black people in real life this way. A study was conducted in 2011 called "Media Representations and Impact on the Lives of Black Men and Boys," which concluded that negative mass media portrayals were strongly linked with lower life expectations among Black men. These negative portrayals and stereotypes are constantly reinforced in media, and shapes how people view men of color. How people are portrayed in media has real life ramifications that can be extremely detrimental. Recently, there have been countless deaths occurring in the United States of Black men, who have been shot because of their race. People have this perception of Black men as violent or dangerous, and this can stem from media portrayals, and is perpetuated by the media.
POC do not appreciate being portrayed in the media in negative ways. You may think they are harmless, or it is just television, and people aren’t actually affected by it, or you may have other reasons for resorting to using racial stereotypes, but the reality is people are actually affected by them. And if people are not personally affected by them, it can easily affect how they are perceiving the people of color you are stereotyping. People often underestimate how much the media can influence viewers, or they may even claim they aren’t affected by it while others are (third person effect), but media has consumed us. It changes us. It provides entertainment, but it also can be extremely detrimental to us.
It is now time that you really think about how you are portraying POC. Instead of using these negative stereotypes to represent different racial groups, try using more positive portrayals. Don’t represent Latinx and Black people as lazy or violent. Show them as smart, educated and successful. It is such a easy, small change on your end, but the effects on the public would be so large and positive. By simply choosing to represent POC in a more positive light, you would be changing how people are perceiving themselves, and others around them. The impact this would have would be really powerful and would truly change society. We ask you to simply rethink how you are portraying POC, and represent them in positive ways. Not only does every racial group deserve to be represented on television, they deserve to be represented in positive ways. Not through negative stereotypes that are harmful to them and others.
Thank you John Povinelli and TWN321 for creating/uploading these vidoes onto Youtube!
African American Stereotypes in the Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilZxdExUwWQ
Black Men in America- Media Images: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yveGB1VGGB8
African American Stereotypes in the Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilZxdExUwWQ
Black Men in America- Media Images: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yveGB1VGGB8