Women of Color in the Media: Hollywood Needs a Transformation Annika Singh From the “Black best friend” trope to the “Indian nerd” cliché, racial stereotypes of women of color (WOC) have caused them to become heavily misrepresented in American media and the entertainment industry, leading to lasting effects in the real world. For years, the media has perpetuated these racist stereotypes through TV shows, films, and music videos, influencing impressionable audiences, many of whom will take these harmful stereotypes to be reality and use them as a basis on how to treat and perceive WOC in society. In the media, the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of WOC are overemphasized, creating caricatures of racial stereotypes. Since the media and entertainment industries are vehicles of social change and awareness, this faulty representation has the power to change the way racial groups are perceived and treated in society through discrimination and legislation. The media has an easily impressionable audience, making stereotypes of WOC shaped around pre-existing prejudices incredibly harmful. For example, East Asian women in the media are often perceived as a “Dragon Lady” or a “China Doll,” implying either a threatening or submissive personality with no middle ground. These stereotypes suggest that all East Asian women fall into these two categories, which is far removed from reality. Constance Wu in Fresh off the Boat (2015), where she plays Jessica Huang, an “Asian tiger mom”
On the other hand, Black women are written off as “sassy” or “loud-mouthed,” enfolding all Black women into a negative stereotype of anger. Such stereotypes can make people have a negative preconceived notion about Black women.
The media also tends to portray Black women as sexual objects, shoving them into the role of the Jezebel stereotype, which labels them as innately promiscuous or predatory. This toxic trope leads to a harmful misinterpretation and dehumanization of Black women. On the other hand, white women are portrayed as models of self-respect, self-control, and modesty. Additionally, the historical context of Black women as slaves and servants has caused people to associate them with manual labor jobs. In her career, Black actress and Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, has played the roles of nurse, cleaner, and maid 21 times including two of the three roles for which she was nominated for an Oscar. Despite being a talented actress, she is forced to play these subjugated roles because of her race. Both stereotypes are negative and portray Black women in a demeaning way. Black actresses rarely ever get the leading role in movies or TV shows, and are often forced to play the tropes of the “Black best friend” or the “Black supporting character,” rather than a main character. Golden Globe and Oscar nominees for the Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay categories are rarely Black women. This speaks volumes about the marginalized role of Black women in the film industry. In many shows, even if there are characters of color on screen, white actors still play the most prominent roles, showing how white people continue to dominate the narrative about race and discrimination despite not understanding the issue personally. White people are privileged and are far-removed from the reality of the capabilities of WOC. They do not know the many strong and positive aspects of WOC which deserve attention in the media. Octavia Spencer (left) in The Help (2011) as a housekeeper/maid
