Black Women In The Media Analysis

To combat the cultural stereotypes associated with the black community the emergence of BET was desperately needed to change the portrayal of African Americans in film and television. With nearly 32 million homes subscribed to BET, black Americans finally had a channel specifically for them. Despite the previous success of positive portrayals of African Americans on television such as The Cosby Show, finding black programming on television was rare and hard to come by. There was no television network where positive programming of the black community could be found daily. With the emergence of BET as a national network for the black community no longer would blacks on television be stereotypical buffoons, hustlers, or sidekicks to leading white actors. No longer would the experiences of black people be filtered through a white lens. Television is the most powerful image builder ever
Malcolm X once said, "The most disrespected person in America is the black woman, the most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman." As a group, black women have not fared well in the media, specifically in the television and film industries. With minimal role diversification in the visual depictions of black women in films, stereotypes of black women from the 20th century carries over to the next generation creating false ideals of what the black women represents. The media persistence in presenting black women in substandard roles of the oversexed jezebel, the prostitute, the superwoman, and the aggressive, intimidating bitch has been frustrating to critics and black female audience alike. Black women have made valuable contributions to society; yet fail to see themselves accurately depicted on