Help: Need Love For Dark Women

Tue, 07/19/2016 - 10:07
Women
Blackness
Racial Issues
Sexism

The amount of racism that Leslie Jones, dark-skinned actress in the new Ghostbusters film, was drowned with, was disgusting to say the very least. Hundreds, if not thousands of racist tweets bombarded her twitter account all because she was a black woman in a the sequel to a sci-fi classic. The follow are examples of the racists remarks she’d been trying to combat all yesterday:



What is even more disconcerting is the number of people who liked and retweeted these images thinking it funny! Hollywood has a problem with black women, and even more of a problem with dark skinned black women. It is an issue that has been combated against since women started acting, and has been addressed by several prominent figures in different articles. Actress Viola Davis, in 2015 on The Root stated this in reference to Hollywood’s views on black women:

“That’s the whole racial aspect of colorism: If you are darker than a paper bag, then you are not sexy, you are not a woman, you shouldn’t be in the realm of anything that men should desire”

Viola Davis is an anomaly, and like she stated in her article, it’s shocking for someone of her age, race, and sex to be playing the role that she did in How to Get Away With Murder> because it almost never happens. Colorism and the marginalization of black women in media is a reality. Blogger Raven Carter states in her article, referring to the NWA casting:

"Black women and women in general were ranked in alphabetical order based on their features. Women of a lighter complexion were given a B rating while “poor, not in good shape” African-American women of a “medium to dark skin tone” were ranked with a D in the search for extras for the biopic.”

This kind of racism and sexism has lead to black actresses needing to be conscious about their careers. Actress Keke Palmer stated on Clutch :

“When I was like 5 years old I used to pray to have light skin because I would always hear how pretty that little light skin girl was, or I would hear I was pretty ‘to be dark skinned.’ It wasn’t until I was 13 that I really learned to appreciate my skin color and know that I was beautiful”

My major point here is that the dual “isms” of race and sex hit black women harder than any other race in media and the bashing of Leslie Jones is overt proof of this. It needs to stop. This pure hate caused by nothing other than difference in appearance needs to be abolished. And to those people saying the “trolls’ are horrible, you are mistaken. This isn’t trolling, it is hate on the foundation of racism and sexism.

Thankfully, Leslie Jones seems to have more people supporting her than hating. The “Love for Leslie J” hashtag rose in response to the hateful comments, and I hope it helps to reaffirm the fact that she is a strong, beautiful chocolate woman, and that we love her.




Use the hashtag and send her some love. Be strong sista, we are here for you.

Sceritz

Sceritz is John B. Robinson IV and John B. Robinson IV is a cosmic blerd with a passion for a obliterating the the IVth Wall and setting free the hordes of geek and fandoms scattered throughout the multiverse in the form of rants of epic proportions. Creator of IVWall.net.