Earlier, this week I wrote a paper for this class about the lack of African American women in improv and sketch comedy. Just a few days after submitting this paper, I found out through various news sources that Saturday Night Live is working to fix this. They plan to add a new female African American cast member to the show in January, after conducting auditions earlier this year. This is exciting news, but also scary. This new cast member is going to face a lot of scrutiny from the public, and will need to prove herself. However, if she does prove herself, I believe it can lead to increased representation on other television programs.
I know this is a short post, but I just wanted to share this news and let everyone know how excited I am for this new addition to the cast!
Friday, December 13, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back
Miss Representation, an organization dedicated to bettering the representation of women in the media, recently posted a video on Youtube entitled How the Media Failed Women in 2013, which I found to be very interesting. The video starts with good things that have happened to women in the media this year, but that list is very short and not exactly substantial. The video then goes into all of the ways that women have been portrayed in negative ways this year. The video, in a way, is showing how our culture makes two steps forward in terms of positive representation and then take one step back. However, looking at what is presented in the video, it looks more like one step forward and one step back, leaving us right where we started.
For every woman that gets a CEO job, there will be a woman in a Carl's Jr. advertisement eating a burger in a sexual way. For every African American woman that is nominated for a prestigious award, there will be a perfume advertisement in which a women doesn't exactly seem to be giving consent. For some reason, this is the way American media culture is.
Now, the video shows some examples like Miley Cyrus, as a bad representation of women. I'm not exactly sure where I stand on this. I believe she should be allowed to do whatever she wants with her body, whether that be to display it to the world or to keep it private. However, this has to be a decision she makes on her own. I do not think that if some male CEO asked her to do things at the VMAs to get viewers and discussion brewing that it would be okay. I'm not exactly sure what the video implied by putting her on the list, but I think I can see where they are coming from.
This video was something very interesting, because I was able to relate it to things that we saw in class, including the video with all of the examples of women in advertising. That video was made in the early 2000s I believe, yet many of those examples still hold true today. This definitely shows that we have not made much progress in the representation of women in the media if society is still accepting these representations. Sure, some women (including myself) are enraged at some of the over sexualization of women in advertisements for things completely unrelated to sex, but apparently there are enough people in our culture who either don't care or maybe even love this representation.
This needs to change. Videos like this need to be more well known and people need to understand the lack of progress we are making in the media. I feel like the information is out there, and a fair amount of people know, but there is a lack of care and effort. There is a huge mentality of "but I can't do anything, I'm just one person." We need to change this mentality and unite to change this. Hopefully the Miss Representation video in 2020 will be significantly less disappointing.
For every woman that gets a CEO job, there will be a woman in a Carl's Jr. advertisement eating a burger in a sexual way. For every African American woman that is nominated for a prestigious award, there will be a perfume advertisement in which a women doesn't exactly seem to be giving consent. For some reason, this is the way American media culture is.
Now, the video shows some examples like Miley Cyrus, as a bad representation of women. I'm not exactly sure where I stand on this. I believe she should be allowed to do whatever she wants with her body, whether that be to display it to the world or to keep it private. However, this has to be a decision she makes on her own. I do not think that if some male CEO asked her to do things at the VMAs to get viewers and discussion brewing that it would be okay. I'm not exactly sure what the video implied by putting her on the list, but I think I can see where they are coming from.
This video was something very interesting, because I was able to relate it to things that we saw in class, including the video with all of the examples of women in advertising. That video was made in the early 2000s I believe, yet many of those examples still hold true today. This definitely shows that we have not made much progress in the representation of women in the media if society is still accepting these representations. Sure, some women (including myself) are enraged at some of the over sexualization of women in advertisements for things completely unrelated to sex, but apparently there are enough people in our culture who either don't care or maybe even love this representation.
This needs to change. Videos like this need to be more well known and people need to understand the lack of progress we are making in the media. I feel like the information is out there, and a fair amount of people know, but there is a lack of care and effort. There is a huge mentality of "but I can't do anything, I'm just one person." We need to change this mentality and unite to change this. Hopefully the Miss Representation video in 2020 will be significantly less disappointing.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Overheard in Carrier
I was sitting in Carrier library earlier today and I again was listening in on conversations again. I'm not sure what the context was but these girls seemed to be talking trash about another girl. The conversation was escalating when one of the girls says "Is she a feminist? I could tell." Now, again, I'm not sure what the context is but they uttered this statement as if it was a bad thing.
This doesn't really seem to be an isolated incident. It seems that many women on this campus think that being a feminist is a bad thing, a thing to be ashamed of. People tend to be afraid to admit that they are feminist for fear of being made fun of. If a person is a feminist, it seems that they are looked down upon as extreme or man hating. I think this is because of the way the media has portrayed feminism. For decades, feminist were (and still kind of are) known for bra burning, and not shaving their legs, and staying forever single. Despite the fact that there are plenty of feminists (men and women) who do not fit into the stereotypes, it still seems that being a feminist is not a thing to be proud.
People like to say that we have made great strides in terms of fighting sexism, but I don't think this social stigma proves a lot. Men tend to be made fun of even more for being feminist, despite probably being our biggest ally.
I just don't know what we can do as a culture to make it clear that feminists don't hate men, and feminists don't think women are above men. People in the media need to make feminist characters more prominent and more unlike the radical ones (like in Legally Blonde).
As always, let me know what you think in the comments.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Interracial Couples on TV
There's a trend I've noticed in a few shows that I have watched recently and it involves interracial relationships. I haven't had the chance to watch a lot of new TV recently, so I've just been rewatching shows. A few shows that I've revisited have been Happy Endings, Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 and other similar ABC shows.
In these shows, I've noticed that the way the men of color on this show are written are maybe a bit unique, at least from the limited amount of TV I have seen. The men don't usually follow typical "black stereotypes" as I've mentioned a few times on this blog. The men on these shows speak proper English and very rarely say "yo yo you" or other phrases associated with African Americans. These men, in a sense, are the classic "oreo" example. They are white men in a black body, at least as the media would have us see it.
The TV world and the real world are different, and that is clear just based on what we watch. The fact that I notice that these characters are different from many other African American characters shows that the TV world is not representative of the real world, as there are many non-stereotypical black men in the real world.
The thing about these shows, is that both of these men are in relationships with white women. Now, as I said, I haven't watched a wide variety of shows, but I really have not seen many interracial relationships in shows. But, in the shows that I have seen, it seems that the media wants us to believe that a white woman is only interested in a black man if that black man isn't "really" black. In a way, the media is telling us that black men aren't deserving of a white woman (as they tend to be the Ultimate Prize) unless he conforms to white culture. Again, this is just what I've seen, so please let me know in the comments if I am dead wrong.
However, I feel that this shows that we haven't come very far in terms of acceptance of interracial relationship as a culture. Sure, catalogues and commercials have interracial couples frequently, but we see them much less frequently in long term relationships on TV shows. I find this odd, because again, it is not representative of real life.
In these shows, I've noticed that the way the men of color on this show are written are maybe a bit unique, at least from the limited amount of TV I have seen. The men don't usually follow typical "black stereotypes" as I've mentioned a few times on this blog. The men on these shows speak proper English and very rarely say "yo yo you" or other phrases associated with African Americans. These men, in a sense, are the classic "oreo" example. They are white men in a black body, at least as the media would have us see it.
The TV world and the real world are different, and that is clear just based on what we watch. The fact that I notice that these characters are different from many other African American characters shows that the TV world is not representative of the real world, as there are many non-stereotypical black men in the real world.
The thing about these shows, is that both of these men are in relationships with white women. Now, as I said, I haven't watched a wide variety of shows, but I really have not seen many interracial relationships in shows. But, in the shows that I have seen, it seems that the media wants us to believe that a white woman is only interested in a black man if that black man isn't "really" black. In a way, the media is telling us that black men aren't deserving of a white woman (as they tend to be the Ultimate Prize) unless he conforms to white culture. Again, this is just what I've seen, so please let me know in the comments if I am dead wrong.
However, I feel that this shows that we haven't come very far in terms of acceptance of interracial relationship as a culture. Sure, catalogues and commercials have interracial couples frequently, but we see them much less frequently in long term relationships on TV shows. I find this odd, because again, it is not representative of real life.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Jezebel's Selfie Article
I may be a little late to the game, but I just read this article that Jezebel posted about selfies. The title reads: Selfies Aren't Empowering. They're a Cry For Help.
Two things. One, I think the title may be a little dramatic and doesn't exactly address what the article goes on to talk about. And two, selfies are not a cry for help in most cases.
A quick summary of the article if you don't feel like reading: selfies are bad because they're a reflection of societies pressure on girls to be perfect looking. Girls post selfies to be compliment on their looks. If these girls really had confidence, they wouldn't need to be posting pictures of themselves on the internet.
Or would they? I guess I just don't see what is inherently wrong with a girl saying "Hey, I look better than normal today, let's show everyone!" or "I just got a new shade of lipstick I want people to see." I do see where she is coming from in regards to people posting selfies just for attention and validation, but I think she is overstating and overgeneralizing. I definitely do not think that every single selfie ever posted is a cry for attention. I think that selfies definitely can be empowering and a way to display confidence. Yes, I can see where they reinforce that a girl's worth is her beauty, but isn't just the feeling of beauty that a girl has a reinforcement of this patriarchal standard? Isn't just simply feeling more beautiful one day a representation of a girl's need to be considered beautiful to be worth something?
I'm not sure if I'm articulating myself very well, but I think that selfies are fine and a normal part of modern culture. I'm not so convinced that they represent something deeper, except in special cases. However, this is just my opinion as usual, so let me know what you think in the comments.
Two things. One, I think the title may be a little dramatic and doesn't exactly address what the article goes on to talk about. And two, selfies are not a cry for help in most cases.
A quick summary of the article if you don't feel like reading: selfies are bad because they're a reflection of societies pressure on girls to be perfect looking. Girls post selfies to be compliment on their looks. If these girls really had confidence, they wouldn't need to be posting pictures of themselves on the internet.
Or would they? I guess I just don't see what is inherently wrong with a girl saying "Hey, I look better than normal today, let's show everyone!" or "I just got a new shade of lipstick I want people to see." I do see where she is coming from in regards to people posting selfies just for attention and validation, but I think she is overstating and overgeneralizing. I definitely do not think that every single selfie ever posted is a cry for attention. I think that selfies definitely can be empowering and a way to display confidence. Yes, I can see where they reinforce that a girl's worth is her beauty, but isn't just the feeling of beauty that a girl has a reinforcement of this patriarchal standard? Isn't just simply feeling more beautiful one day a representation of a girl's need to be considered beautiful to be worth something?
I'm not sure if I'm articulating myself very well, but I think that selfies are fine and a normal part of modern culture. I'm not so convinced that they represent something deeper, except in special cases. However, this is just my opinion as usual, so let me know what you think in the comments.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
The Segregation of Stand Up Comedy?
Earlier I talked about sketch comedy and the world of Saturday Night Live. However, the other day, I was looking through the selection of stand up comedy on Netflix and noticed something interesting with the way comedians sort of market themselves.
It seems that whatever race the comedian is, they kind of tend to make the title and content of their shows fit certain stereotypes. For example, Louis CK is a white male and his stand up tends to appeal mostly to white males. A similar thing occurs with people of color in the stand up comedy world, like Kevin Hart. In watching some of these shows of people of color, such as Katt Williams or Reggie Watts, they tend to live up to the stereotypes of "loud, ghetto" black people. They have titles like "Why ___ So Crazy?" or "Pimpin' Pimpin.'"They talk in very stereotypical ways and usually make jokes about black people, specifically black women. The audience eats this up, however.
I feel like these stereotypes are not representative of the African American population, so why is this comedy so popular? Why does it seem as if stand up comedy is segregated? Is white stand up too isolating for other races in terms of content?
Comedy is something I am very interested in, as I said earlier. I plan to do one or two more posts on this topic, but I just wanted to get my basic thoughts out while I noticed this pattern. Let me know what you think in the comments!
It seems that whatever race the comedian is, they kind of tend to make the title and content of their shows fit certain stereotypes. For example, Louis CK is a white male and his stand up tends to appeal mostly to white males. A similar thing occurs with people of color in the stand up comedy world, like Kevin Hart. In watching some of these shows of people of color, such as Katt Williams or Reggie Watts, they tend to live up to the stereotypes of "loud, ghetto" black people. They have titles like "Why ___ So Crazy?" or "Pimpin' Pimpin.'"They talk in very stereotypical ways and usually make jokes about black people, specifically black women. The audience eats this up, however.
I feel like these stereotypes are not representative of the African American population, so why is this comedy so popular? Why does it seem as if stand up comedy is segregated? Is white stand up too isolating for other races in terms of content?
Comedy is something I am very interested in, as I said earlier. I plan to do one or two more posts on this topic, but I just wanted to get my basic thoughts out while I noticed this pattern. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Kerry Washington on Saturday NIght Live and African Americans in Sketch Comedy
The other night, I finally got to stay up and watch Saturday Night Live. It was a rerun of Kerry Washington's hosting debut. The episode was very funny and I thought she did a great job of hosting. The opening sketch addressed and issue that SNL has always had, but no one had every really mentioned, the fact that SNL lacks writers and actors that are African American.
SNL has always had a very white-washed cast, with one or two token black actors to play any black characters they made need. This season there are only two African American actors, both of them male. There is one Persian woman, but she cannot play an African American person in the sketches. Kerry Washington made a joke about this during the first sketch of this past episode. Now, obviously, she did not write the sketch herself. This means that the writers made this joke. So, do the writers of SNL realize that they truly have a problem with their cast? Do they realize that they should try to be more inclusive in the casting and writing of the show? We'll see. Hopefully, this realization will lead to a more diverse cast in the future.
The problem (for the most part) it seems, lies in the people who audition for the show. There are plenty of talented, hilarious African Americans out there, that I'm sure of. However, African Americans tend to do stand up comedy, which is great, but does not translate well into working for SNL. The actors that do best on SNL took sketch comedy classes and improv classes at very well known improv theaters like the Upright Citizens Brigade theater or the Second City. These classes require a lot of money and time. As we know, economic distribution in the United States is not exactly fair in terms of the balance among races. Stand up comedy requires little to no classes, just a funny personality. Maybe this is the reason that African Americans tend to gravitate to stand up comedy instead of sketch comedy?
This is something I am very interested in, as I love the world of comedy and I want to potentially write for SNL one day. However, I would love to write for a diverse cast of characters. I'm sure there are other reasons for the lack of diversity, but I feel that this is a large one. I plan on doing more research into the topic, but in the mean time let me know what you think in the comments!
SNL has always had a very white-washed cast, with one or two token black actors to play any black characters they made need. This season there are only two African American actors, both of them male. There is one Persian woman, but she cannot play an African American person in the sketches. Kerry Washington made a joke about this during the first sketch of this past episode. Now, obviously, she did not write the sketch herself. This means that the writers made this joke. So, do the writers of SNL realize that they truly have a problem with their cast? Do they realize that they should try to be more inclusive in the casting and writing of the show? We'll see. Hopefully, this realization will lead to a more diverse cast in the future.
The problem (for the most part) it seems, lies in the people who audition for the show. There are plenty of talented, hilarious African Americans out there, that I'm sure of. However, African Americans tend to do stand up comedy, which is great, but does not translate well into working for SNL. The actors that do best on SNL took sketch comedy classes and improv classes at very well known improv theaters like the Upright Citizens Brigade theater or the Second City. These classes require a lot of money and time. As we know, economic distribution in the United States is not exactly fair in terms of the balance among races. Stand up comedy requires little to no classes, just a funny personality. Maybe this is the reason that African Americans tend to gravitate to stand up comedy instead of sketch comedy?
This is something I am very interested in, as I love the world of comedy and I want to potentially write for SNL one day. However, I would love to write for a diverse cast of characters. I'm sure there are other reasons for the lack of diversity, but I feel that this is a large one. I plan on doing more research into the topic, but in the mean time let me know what you think in the comments!
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