Young girls in today society are given false representation of what black females are supposed to behave and expected to be seen as. The display of black females by media is never represented in a positive light. Young black females are given images that are mostly negative and typically stereotypical. Black females on screen, and in the media in general are displayed as maids, thieves, unattractive, and people who are always no good. I decided to do a video interview featuring my daughter and three other girls of different ages (preteen or teens) to see their point of views of the world around them and their view on the media.
In the video interview that I conducted, the four girls were asked questions about the world around them and how they think that black females are viewed in the media. From what I've gathered from the interviews regardless of the age differences they felt comfortable in their own skin. Although some may not have always felt that way, they mentioned that as they matured they became more confident. It is easy for anyone to relate to someone on television, because we are all in fact human, however, it's hard to say you fit in when you do not see anyone around that looks like you. The people that they viewed as role models or people that others look up to today were among the likes of Obama, Beyonce, and even Nicki Minaj. Hearing them talk about how they think these people affect the future, had me filled with questions. My question came soley from the fact that the names were repeated by each girl, and seeing that it was these people in particular, it made me realize even more just how few and far between it is to find a black role model. Because young black girls are more likely to be exposed to the extremes, they often look to media more to find cues that can hep them stand out among other; their self definition is not fully developed so they often get cues from others.
Upon this realization, I thought about the families that my daughter has encountered while hanging out with friends. Unlike her, she told me that her friends have very little confidence in the way they look and are mostly unsure of what type of girl they want to be. Her story consisted of her friends mother buying bleaching cream for herself and for her daughter. Now this wasn't the first time I've heard of black women bleaching their skin, however, this being so close to home was truly sad because my daughter was exposed to it. There are so many people trying to erase who they are, trying to fit in because the world doesn't except them for who they are. It is sad to watch women buying bleaching cream to make themselves paler. From the research I have done and what I have encountered, it is not just black women trying to change the color of their skin either. These products may be disguised with the name brighter, or anti darkening. A Real brand, such as Fashion Fair have products that change the color of your skin, and they say it is to even out your skin tone. However, the results of products like this result in the skin looking much lighter, red, irritated and burnt. My point is, how can the future black women stand tall and appreciate themselves if the biggest and best role models they have are trying to change who they are and conform to the media they have been exposed to.
After the interview I realized that in order to further help young black women we need to use modern forms of communication, infiltrate their places they get ideas, to reach them and create a place where they can get inspiration to continue pushing on and continue to love themselves as they grow up. I created a tumblr called New Age Black Women. It's going to be a place of inspiration, and a place where they can get ideas on how we can better their lives and also boost their confidence. Other plans that I have for this sites are also she maybe suggest a movie each week/month for them to watch or suggest a book that they should read . I'd like to have discussions about this in a forum created especially for the site. It will all start with this first article.
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