MARCH 2022
Vol 2 Issue 1
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION Over the last few months, we have enjoyed having a range of discussions. From various topics like blackfishing to representation of race and gender in the media, we have certainly had a lot to talk about. We thought it would be great to to share some of it with you.
British Identity: In one of our sessions before the Christmas holidays, we watched the Sainsbury’s 2020 Christmas advert and discussed the criticism they received for including a black family. Despite the main focus of the advert being on the Christmas food and joy of Christmas, many had focused on the race of the family in the video. We continued by discussing our views on the diversity being shown in the video and linked it to other sessions when we talked about the importance of representation in the media, and we thought about why some people were upset about the advert. Some members brought up the idea that the video may not be showing enough diversity as it still centred around a typical English Christmas meal containing turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes etc. However, we are aware that a wide range of people consider themselves to be British and that is something we as a society should be proud of. Being British does not have to be linked to the place in which you grew up, being British means so many different things to so many different people. Discussing what it meant to each of us to be British was an enlightening experience, as it was able to open my eyes to the difference in views of what being British can be. Evidenly, being British covers such a wide range of heritages and families. We also talked about the different traditions surrounding Christmas and how even though most of us consider ourselves to be British, we will eat a vastly different range of meals on Christmas day. We agreed that British Identity has no single definition, and that every family might have their own version in what it means to be British.
Blackfishing: During this term, we have really enjoyed looking at how the media influences our perception as well as how different people are presented in the media. One of the sub-topics we discussed was blackfishing. "Blackfishing" is not as commonly known, though its roots stem from the term catfish. The term catfish is used to describe when someone pretends to be someone they are not, typically online. Likewise, the term "blackfishing" refers to when "someone who uses things like hairstyling and makeup to create and enhance certain features to make it appear as if they have black heritage or are racially ambiguous." After discussing this definition, we then went on to discuss celebrities in the media who we have seen demonstrating this attitude, such as many mainstream celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora and Jesy Nelson. We specifically focused on Jesy Nelson, former band member of Little Mix. We discussed how in her recent music video “her skin is darkened in a way that makes her appear non-white”, which The Guardian reported. Some of us expressed ideas such as the idea that blackfishing is wrong due to the fact that people try to appear a particular race or ethnicity whilst not having to actually deal with the marginalisation and discrimination that comes with being from a minority ethnic group. This is applies to influencer, Oli London, who rose to fame after doing multiple surgeries to attempt to look like a member of a popular Korean boy band. He is a white male who identifies as Korean, though not from Korean lineage. We discussed how cultural appreciation can be shown without a need to change physical appearance or characteristics as this can be offensive to a particular group of people.
