Racial Representation in Hollywood - Has It Gotten Better?
Hollywood has uplifted whiteness and racism since its golden age. Looking at golden age Hollywood movies, there is limited diversity in every aspect. White was the default. There was consistent whitewashing of characters of color. If minorities were casted, their characters were blatant stereotypes, or were under minor roles that were used to support or help a white character. These characters were written by white screenwriters and directors and it is no secret that Hollywood has gained success and popularity from these racist/stereotypical depictions. For instance, the 1939 movie Gone with the Wind is currently the highest grossing movie of all time (adjusted for inflation) and honors slavery and has black stereotypes. The 1915 movie Birth of a Nation was Hollywood’s first blockbuster film, and is riddled with blackface, racial stereotypes and paints the white supremacist group the KKK as heroes.
Courtesy of The Guardian
Today, audiences are seeing better racial representation than before but sometimes Hollywood still repeats its past mistakes. The film industry is still dominated and led by white men. They are more likely to be the directors, writers, or producers on projects, even on movies that center around race. Movies still center around white characters and audiences. Seeing whiteness on screen continues to be the norm and default. White characters are allowed to be fully developed characters. They can experience love. They are allowed to receive help on their journey. They are allowed to make mistakes and be forgiven by the audience or redeem themselves. They are allowed to be heroes. White actors are allowed to play multiple roles without the fear of playing a stereotype.
Courtesy of The New York Times
In contrast, characters of color are less likely to be fleshed out characters. They are more likely to help a white protagonist on their journey than have their own. They are more likely to be the funny friend of a protagonist or a wise soul that can give the protagonist guidance on how to fix a problem and discarded once they have served their purpose. Additionally, a lot of movies use tokenism where minorities are seen on the screen but are just used as accessories to help or serve the white character and have no character depth or development. Characters of color carry the burden of representation of every person from that community. Due to writers not knowing how to write fully flesh out characters of color, they usually reduce these characters to stereotypes because it is easier for them. This often leads to negative stereotypes as well as inaccurate depictions or experiences of minorities. Additionally, audiences learn about different minorities through these on screen depictions and take them as fact.
Courtesy of Teen Vogue
Hollywood casting is also implicit in colorism. If Hollywood does cast a minority actor, they often cast a lighter skinned actor that has Eurocentric features as a representative because they look more acceptable. This is especially true for female actors. People are more likely to see lighter skinned actors of color gain roles than darker skinned ones. Light skinned actors are also sometimes hired to play dark skinned characters or real people completely erasing their experiences as darker skinned people from the story.
Courtesy of Al Jazeera
This type of representation doesn’t make people of color feel good or seen. They consistently feel erased and minimized by movies. This doesn’t help that these demeaning or stereotypical roles often receive awards and accolades. Hollywood creates these roles and then rewards actors of color when they do them in order to continue the cycle. It is possible for Hollywood to continue to achieve better representation. It can start by hiring minority directors, writers, casting directors and producers. It can also be beneficial to ask actors of color about their authentic experiences in order to create realistic depictions on screen. Additionally, they can also get cultural consultants before they release a movie so it can be as realistic as possible. Audiences are more likely to go see something that they feel seen in and feel pride in when they leave the theater. This is why movies that are led by characters of color make so much money at the box office. Audiences just want authentic representation that makes them have pride and feel good, they do not want performative and lifeless depictions of their identities. Hollywood has the potential and means to give minorities the pride that they deserve, they just need to use it better.
