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The regulation of the Black body Marvina Newton
Overview• Aren’t we post racial now?• Not at all: Racism alive and well. • A look at the media (90s media, media
today and children’s media):• The regulation of the black body (hair, skin
and features)• ‘Better when its white’: Appropriation and
theft of black culture• The explicit racism still ongoing today
• Impact: The slave mentality • What now?
Lets think about race and privilege:• Privilege walk: 10 volunteers to take part
Black people in Leeds
•25,000 (3.4%) Black men and women in Leeds
•Around 3% or 1.5 million of UK residents are Black
•Black culture in Leeds
Anti racism movement & Black Beauty movement
- “I have a dream” (1963)
- Black is Beautiful movement big in the 1970s
- Now also Indian Dark is Beautiful movement in India
Aren’t we post-racial now? - Racism isn’t over. - Still a long way
to go. - Black Beauty
movement was great (but regulation of Black body is still ongoing)
Lets actually think about this
Black in media during the 90s
- Sister Sister
- Moesha
- Proud Family
Black in media during the 90s
- Dark skinnned characters stereotyped
- Fresh Prince of Bel Air
- Sister Sister (light skinned)
Progress? Vogue 2008 cover
Progress? Winnie Harlow
Progress? Nivea 2011 advert
Progress? Twitter 2013 meme
Progress? Dove (Unilever) 2011 advert
Media: Serena Williams
• Compared to wild animal
• Sponsorship compared to Sharipova
Media: Oscars
Media: Cinderalla (the first one)
Media: Disney’s Cinderalla (2015)
Children’s Media: Disney
- 1 Black princess: Tiana
- light skinned & thin framed
- Water melon sweets
- Zero Tiana dolls at Disneyland Paris.
Children’s Media: Dora the Explorer
- Conforms to Latino sterotypeof kids running loose
- Can’t speak English properly
- Her makeover (below)
- Only positive representation is Doc McStuffin
- First her name…..
- The doll version’s hair
- Her skin?
- Mixed race (she has freckles etc)
Children’s Media: Doc McStuffin
Don’t be fooled…. The black body is still regulated• Hair• Skin• Features• Build
Even Advocate of Black is Beauty movement e.g., even India Arie has skin bleached (“Brown skin”)
Hair• Black hair historically
stigmatized
• Huge market in getting natural hair to conform to European standards
• Braids argument with daughter everytime we go to hairdressers
Hair
• Cornrows and dreads originated as Black fashion now co-opted”
• Only acceptable if white
Skin: My own experience
• My dad’s dark skin
• It started with Black soap….
• You get tricked into it
• Skin bleaching = Lifelong market
Skin: Current situation
• 95% of Nigerians skin bleach
• 1 in 10 use Fair and Lovely Skin bleaching
•Health problems (melasma etc)
Skin bleaching: History
• Traced back to slavery
• Colourism still prevalent today (e.g., skin bleaching)
Skin bleaching: Fair and Lovely advert • Video (30 seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIUQ5hbRHXk
Skin: Light skin is a double edged sword• Light skin women
actresses afraid they’re not Black enough.
• Yet dark skin women actresses worry they lips too full, their skin too dark
“During That’s So Raven I used to tan 4-5 times a week. I was worried I wouldn’t look Black enough”
Black features• Black features devalued
e.g., in school
• Reflects media (e.g.,. Tintin)
• The new Black body
Better when it’s white: MyleyCyrus
Better when its white
• Whiteniciouscream & condemnation of White media
• What about Unilever?
Better when it’s white: Saggy Pants
Better when it’s white: African Fashion
Explicit racism everywhere: Inc. Leeds- In Leeds gay scene.
- Carribean Leeds disassociate from Leeds Africans
- Racism in NHS
- Certain areas my children and I can not go
Slave mentality
Slave mentality
• This applies to women too.
• Slave mentality pits Black people against one another
• We have been taught there isn’t enough room at the table
• It becomes self policing, self regulating and governing.
What now: Angels of Youth
What now: Leeds, you, need to reach out
Resources
• Dark Girls (2011) US film by Oprah exploring colourism
• Creofire blog https://creofire.wordpress.com/tag/skin-lightening/
• Angels of Youth https://www.facebook.com/angelofyouths
• hooks, B. (1992). Black Looks: Race and Representation
• Crenshaw, K. (1989). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality,. Identity Politics, and Violence Against. Women of Color. Harvard Law Review