Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Black Women in Hollywood

African-American women struggle to make a name for themselves in the entertainment business. Most of the roles that black women play in film or television is as a sassy and angry woman while white females have more diversity. During the discussion with Dr. Palmer, she began by giving the students a quiz to see what prominent African-American female actresses we knew, most of us did not get many. The lack of presence and acknowledgment of black female actresses has not changed much over time. In the USA Today article we read, Debbie Allen states, "This conversation is an old conversation," says actress/choreographer/producer/director Debbie Allen."Unfortunately, we just keep having (it) over and over and over. It's like raising a child that doesn't listen ... We have to keep going over it." In the same article, Chandra Wilson says, "When I would come just to audition, all in the same room, auditioning for the same role — that scared me to death! I kind of stayed away from Hollywood because of that. Because the quantity isn't high, we're all out there fighting for the same few roles." The roles are sparse for women of color and they are in constant competition to get to the top. In an article by The Week, it says that the competition is not something new, “Hollywood historically restricted roles for black actresses.”and “But even in that perceived golden era for black entertainment, black actresses struggled to find roles that allowed them to portray black women as multidimensional.” Roles for black women were and are not the same as the roles for white women. White women can have jobs and be mothers etc., black women do not. Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph stated that, "It's fear," said Ms. Ralph. "A lot of people are afraid of losing their fans, because they're afraid if they're on screen with a black woman that somebody, somewhere in America will write them hate mail. And it's not just white people, it's black people too." The industry is afraid that if they cast black women, they will be criticized by many. This is because there is still segregation in Hollywood. These actresses are powerless in the Hollywood world because it all boils down to money. All the industry focuses on is making money and if casting an African-American woman means they will not make as much money, they will not cast them. Money is very important but the Chicago Tribune explains why it is hard to talk about. “It’s taboo to talk about how much money you make — or how little. That’s one reason inequities persist. The pay gap hits women of color the hardest, with black actresses in Hollywood talking about it openly in recent weeks.” This author claims that the reason inequalities exist in Hollywood is due to no one discussing how much money they make. The author also states that they “couldn’t find anyone who has done comprehensive research about black actresses and what they’re paid.” No one cares how much black actresses are paid because they are not prominent in the industry. The research is also not found because women are thought of as being difficult if they bring up the pay gap and “that goes double for women of color.” During this discussion and reading the articles, my mind immediately thought of all the shows I have seen that have some sort of diverse cast. In the show, “One Day at a Time”, the main characters are all Latina but are struggling to get by financially, which is a common representation of Latina families in television and movies. It is hard for any women of color who is an aspiring actress and these women are put in a box and told what to do. Luckily, people are noticing these inequalities and are speaking out about it so hopefully the more people speak out, these inequalities will disappear.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What do you think about this issue?

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.