Spring Break
Sterotypes of Black Women on VH1
Jasmine Simpson
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Campus News
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The forum challenged students to examine and deconstruct the roles of African-American women in the media.
The discussion began with a showing of a video titled, "My Bubble Gum", followed by scenes from the reality television show "Flavor of Love 2".
An image of contestants Buckeey and Deelishis was shown in addition to a clip of contestants Saaphyri and H-Town fighting over a bed.
This clip sparked the discussion of stereotypical depictions of black women. Elana Robinson, a senior music industry major, said, "It was real embarrassing that she was called ghetto trash and was offended that someone raised her hand to her because her weave was so expensive."
Agreeing with Robinson, Ashley Davis vice president of ROS and publicity director for ABSA added, "Black women are depicted as ignorant, hoes, not classy and resorting to violence [the media is] portraying an image that is for TV, but the problem is that people can't separate actual TV from reality."
"A Look in the Mirror" was created in response to a similar event held by ROS members and their mentees.
Davis stated, "We had a session last Saturday with our mentees and got a really good discussion, and they were between 12 and 17 years old. It was interesting to see their perspective, so I am interested in seeing what college students think."
Chey Gaston, president of ROS, had a proactive response, "We saw all the girls of ROS, all the images flooding their homes, and there's something we need to do about that."
Clips from the reality television show "I Love New York" and of Omarosa, the black female contestant from season one of NBC's "The Apprentice", were also shown. Omarosa's behavior generated some strong discussions within the audience.
Gaston exclaimed, "This is what white women see of us. They're scared of us. Stuff like this builds that barrier." Others commented that Omarosa has become the stereotypical token black girl, who is usually portrayed as the "black bitch."
Other topics discussed included Karrine Steffan's book cover for Confessions of a Video Vixen and the on-campus event she spoke at last year.
Nelly's "Tip Drill" video and Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl were also discussed. Such controversies eventually led to the off-topic discussion and heated debate of the "N word" and who is and is not allowed to use it.
The event ended with the questions: "What can we do to fix or change these stereotypes?" and "Who is responsible?"
The group concluded that the first step is to support each other, uplift and not tear each other down. It was suggested that African Americans should get involved with the white community so that they can see that black people are not what the media portrays.
Helsa Irizarry, senior print journalism major, reminded the group to, "act like your momma taught you to act."
The lack of unity within black community allots for the negative depictions of itself in society.
The group concluded that it is important to start by looking within the black community to see what is being done to perpetuate these stereotypes. "A Look in the Mirror" event was a step in the right direction toward this change.
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