Sexuality and the Misrepresentation of POC

The Two Ways This Occurs

Ok so there are at least two forms that I can easily identify when it comes to this. The first scenario is that is when the main characters or supporting characters  are  black but the one(s) of a darker skin tone is usually promiscuous (in other words a hoe) and the woman of lighter skin tone is virtuous. This also works the same way for men. The second type is where the only black character has to be incorporated with all sexual diversities gay/lesbian, transgender, “sexually liberated”. The first scenario doesn't take much more explaining but the second one does as far as why they do this so I'm going to give you a few examples first then break down that second for you.

Scenario One

Black women being hoed out in movies and television is nothing new, it seems that been our role since the beginning of time, but now it's transformed into something else. Its pretty much like the over sexualization of black women but further broken down by colorism.

Coming to America

My first example is of this is in “Coming to America”. What's also important about this movie is that had a white director, but that's a whole other post in its own. First of in multiple situations the dark skin woman in movie are depicted as undesirable, gullible, submissive to a fault, and of course a whore. The Princess that was chosen for Prince Akeem was a dark skin woman who would do whatever his highness desired including hopping on one foot and making monkey noises, but no no no , she still wasn’t good enough for Prince Akeem. Prince Akeem wanted someone who was educated and had a mind of her own. So he went all the way to America to find Lisa Mcdowell who was educated and had light skin. Along the way we meet Lisa’s sister Patrice Mcdowell who’s much darker in complexion and down with whatever (and whoever). She was quick to sleep with Semini, Prince Akeem’s companion after he lied and told her that he was Prince. So she’s gullible and a hoe. Then let's not forget after pretty boy Darryl (who’s of a lighter skin tone and has the stamp of approval by Lisa’s father versus his disdain for the dark skin Prince Akeem.) got turned down by the lovely Lisa that Patrice takes him with loving arms, or hands I should say. Honestly throughout the movie Patrice is doing something sexually inappropriate and I don’t really understand her purpose in the plot. This is really some ass backwards weird colorist racism because the whole plot of the movie is centered around the idea that a beautiful black african princess is nothing compared to a biracial educated american girl???? I think if this movie were to come out in 2016 the black community would indeed be outraged.

About Last Night

They literally made this a battle of the shades, as they paired to two lighter complexioned people together and the two darker complexioned people together. The lighter couple is all about romance and a real adult relationship. The darker couple is strictly about sex, all they do is have sex. Whenever there's an issue the answer is to have sex.

Moving Right Along

The other common scenario is for the one black girl, or dark skin girl in the movie to be a lesbian, and in a lot of cases like a super lesbian. Quick trip to my personal dictionary a “super lesbian” is a common character in a movie who doesn't just happen to be a lesbian but yet being a lesbian is what defines their whole purpose in the movie. To be a lesbian in the most obvious absurd ways, to have a spot light specially of said character’s sexuality. Why oh why do they do this. It's like a one stop shop. You get racial diversity, sexual diversity, and if you're lucky size diversity, yes that’s common to, the one big girl in the movie is either black or a lesbian (usually black) once again that's for another day. And let me say this is not to be against lesbian or gay roles, the issue is taking the easy route by taking every difference from white, christian, straight etc. and trying to roll it into one character.

Pitch Perfect 2

Here we have a prime example diversity one-stop-shop. We’ve got the super lesbian played by Ester Dean, who guess what (drum roll please) is black! I mean she's a super touchy can’t control her urges lesbian. I mean she's damn near sexual harassing everyone.

Pretty Little Liars

First of all almost every black character on this show is biracial, let me just point that out. Secondly, two of most memorable black female characters on this show were lesbians, Maya and Shana.

Greek

On this ABC family show you’ve got Calvin Owens literally the only black male main character who just so happened to gay. So yea they do it to guys too.

True Blood

Lafayette is one of the most memorable character from the beloved True Blood, but no show or movie is safe here. He was one of the only and I mean only black male characters to ever be on this show especially for that long and he was gay.

So you see what I mean, but hey leave a comment down below with your opinion. Did I hit the head on the nail or if I'm just imagining thing? Also feel free to drop shows and movies that I didn't name that you are guilty of any one of these examples.

Old Navy Ads Excluding POC's

 Old Navy Ads Excluding People of Color

Oh no, Old Navy.

So when I first saw the new Old Navy commercial featuring the song Save that money by Lil Dicky, Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan I was a little excited. Don’t get me wrong Fetty and Rich Homie Quan are not the cornerstone of black music, but for artist who make trap music to be featured in probably one of the whitest clothing companies ad is like “Hey we’re super white but we want to appeal to a more diverse audience.” Tisk, tisk, tisk, I should have known old navy has a habit of doing this.

 

 A Closer Look  

As I continued to watch the commercial they proved me wrong, (silly me, thought I had a friend) because there's not a single black person in the commercial, this might be one of the whitest commercials I’ve seen in awhile. You know what I take that back, that was incorrect of me to say. There is one biracial girl in the commercial. Did you see her, or did you miss the first time too. See she’s right here hidden in plain sight.

I almost missed her (and did the first couple of times). I’m not going to take away the fact that she is black, because she is, but she’s the type of black white people like. Damn near white. Almost all of her features are of European descent and then they have the nerve to cut her hair into an “Afro”. As a natural haired black woman I find this sooooooooo offensive. The natural hair movement is going in a positive direction, but now we face the curl pattern issue. Everyone wants a loose curl, one that you usually find on a biracial black woman. That is not reality for the majority of natural black women. We need to praise all curl patterns and continued images like this are not helping.

The media also has a habit of substituting genuine and easy to see black women, and also other women of color, for biracial, fair skin biracial, and light skin toned women of color.  While I am glad that white people are some what embracing biracial people, that does not mean they can replace the entire black race with them. 

Now let's take a very brief moment to talk about interracial dating. Not only could they not hire a black woman, they paired to only woman of color (their stand in black woman) with a white man. They are clearly supposed to be dating because they’re holding hands. Why is that when there is a “black woman” she can’t be with a black man and vise versa? Like all black women are supposed to aspire to one day marry a white man and have beautiful biracial babies and vice versa. But I’m not going to dive into that abbess today, we’ll come back to that at a later date. And just in case you don’t believe me check out how black couples almost never exist in especially old navy commercials.

Yes, It Is a Big Deal

It may seem like I’m making a mountain out of a molehill but these little things add up. Who the media chooses to represent black men and women matters. They need to be held responsible. They allow their advertisement to continue to reinforce the European standard of beauty being the only standard of beauty despite the negative affects on POC. I don't see myself being properly represented, I shop at Old Navy, it would nice if they acknowledge that their shoppers are not all white and biracial. Women of color are beautiful in every shade and that is what needs to be shown. We cannot be blind to this misrepresentation. We have to continue to positively define the standard beauty to include all POC's (with all different types of curl patterns). And to all my women and men of color don't be ignorant to there tactics, do not be satisfied with there "attempts" to be inclusive.