Black Women in Media: Hidden Messages

This week I consumed more media than i usually do. The form of media that I am most ofetn exposed to is music, however this week I also watched some movies and read parts of a magazine. What stood out to me was an article I read in Essence magazine; it was an interview with Tyra Banks. I am fan of Tyra’s however recently I have found myself questioning just how positive her work is for women, as I feel that there are a number of contradictions in her shows and her career that seem to conflict with her aims to empower females and particularly women of color. However I was surprised by what I read, she said that it was never her ambition to become a supermodel, while this happened along the way, her ultimate gaol is to work in production. She said that she feels that production is where the real power lies, and this will really enable her to start to redefine images on black women in the media and consequently society.

I found this interesting as in many ways it seems as though Tyra Banks has sold out, as her image is very much in line with white standards of beauty, however this is perhaps out of necessity rather than desire. I saw an episode of her talk show; The Tyra Banks Show a while ago, and in this particular one she was very honest about how she feels guilty that her image has essentially become whiter. However she argued that she had little control over it, as she had to shed some of her blackness if she was to be successful in the modeling industry.

While on the surface it appears as though she has abandoned her desire to empower black females she argues that it is very much still present. In the article she spoke of the way her works seeks to give people a small dose of medicine but covered in syrup, so that they barely notice it. This appears to be what Patricia Hill Collins talks about when she says that Black women must work in ways that are empowering to other black women, however in doing so they must not separate themselves from mainstream society as they will become isolated. Ultimately they need other groups to cooperate with them if any significant change is to be made. Therefore in order for Banks to obtain a position in society through which she is really able to make an impact the way she wishes to, she must first be accepted and this means conforming to they norms of the mainstream. Thus once she is accepted she is able to send the message she wants, however this must still be covert or else she would risk being ostracized. However without first gaining this position she would be unable to affect the lives of black women the way she wants to. This to me is demonstrative of the ways in which black females must carefully negotiate positions in society through which they can really make an impact, and it often means toning down their messages, however they are still very much present.