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Blog III: DDS Magazine

DDS is an online magazine that does corrective promotion of dark skinned black women. The magazine features beautiful young black women who do not conform to the Eurocentric beauty standards that are constantly portrayed in media. The creator of DDS noticed that the position of dark skinned black women in media was lacking positive representation, and this contributes to the social ideas that dark skinned women are lesser than or not as beautiful. DDS’ corrective promotion is effectively done through Facebook and Instagram posts of very beautiful natural black women, celebrating their natural features. The features that DDS focuses on promoting in these images are Afro-centric features, or features that are thought to be “black” features such as noses, fuller lips, and natural curly hair. These features are not celebrated in mainstream media and young dark skinned women have few role models or representation in the media through which they can appreciate their own features.

Colorism refers to the prejudice against those with a dark skin tone often by people from the same ethnic group. Colorism in the black community can be traced to slavery where lighter skinned slaves worked in the home and received preferential treatment while darker skinned slaves were relegated to the fields. DDS addresses colorism as it relates to black women due to the stereotypes attached to darker skin. Darker skin is attributed to masculine qualities in the black community, which negatively impacts the perception of dark skinned black women, where the alternative of lighter skin is thought of as inherently feminine. We see this in the jokes made about Drake during his career being “light-skinned and sensitive”, as shown in the image below. DDS works to correct these misconceptions and contribute to the feelings femininity and beauty of their readers through blog articles about beauty such as “Nail Trends & Colors for Dark Skin”, providing information to women about how to accentuate their beautiful features just as light and white skinned women use similar resources in magazines such as Cosmopolitan or Vogue. DDS focuses on the experience of dark skinned women the way other publications focus on the experience and esteem primarily white women. Another way in which DDS works to empower black women is by advertising black-owned fashion and beauty brands which encourages economic growth in the black community, providing black business power to expand and create even more opportunities for others outside of the institutionalized racism that impacts the opportunities and success of many in the black community. DDS publishes articles promoting travel and cultural education that will enrich the self-esteem and pride felt by black women by recommending places to go that make black women feel beautiful and accepted.The ability for groups to represent themselves and see themselves represented is discussed in Willis’ essay Picturing Us: African American Identity in Photography, where Willis discusses positive representation. Willis gives the example of Malcolm X sitting with his family reading as an example of positive representation for the black community. Similarly, we can view publications such as DDS as positive representation as a means of celebrating and re-framing perspectives of a group of people.

This website was compelling to read because growing up in Saudi Arabia I never considered that the pervasive skin bleaching advertisements I would see on billboards, social media and television - targeted to the women in my community - as racist or destructive. I didn’t consider the background of the choice to lighten a person’s skin or the impact that it had on the self-esteem of people in my community to see products such as “whitenicious” advertised so aggressively, as if there is something wrong with pigmented skin. Additionally, I didn’t consider how these advertisements impacted my conception of beautiful women, or my taste in women at all. Additionally to that,  I always knew that I could be identified as a religious minority based on my features or last name, but it was never front of mind that a similar kind of profiling happens to women in my community. Instead of the appreciation or discrimination of certain features that are reminiscent of a minority group, women face Eurocentric beauty standards as well. This is pervasive enough that eye color alone is a characteristic that makes a woman desirable back home, green or blue eyes are heavily desired and many women wear contacts to conform to this standard. Reading through DDS and understanding more about black women and their experience with colorism in the US I was enlightened about the experience the women in my community have, where our beauty standards come from or what they say about us. I also recognized patterns in my own community that demonstrate the rife belief that European features are ideal - looking at the Arab superstars we idolize, or the influencers we watch, and especially the people that my sisters and cousins use as their facebook icons, such as Audrey Hepburn or Mandy Moore, to represent them to the world, demonstrate to me that we don’t consider our natural features as highly as we should and it affects those in our communities. Below is a photo of renowned artist and black activist Nina Simone, next to the actress chosen to portray her in the biopic “NINA”. Many criticized this casting choice because it was a lost opportunity to promote and celebrate a dark-skinned black woman who contributed so fully to both music and to black American discourse. The actress portraying her is a mixed-race woman, and received backlash for accepting the role, and darkening her skin to better resemble Simone.

"Light Skin VS Dark Skin. | Seraphictruth | Funny | Drake Meme, Drake Take Care Album, Funny." Pinterest. Web. 22 July 2019.

"Wilson, Ellis 1899–1977 | Encyclopedia.Com". Encyclopedia.Com, 2019, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/wilson-ellis-1899-1977. 

Maglio, Tony. "Nina Simone's Daughter Defends Zoe Saldana." The Wrap. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 July 2019.

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Blog II: Boyz n the Hood

Boyz n the Hood was the progenitor for the popular “hood film” genre of the 90s written and directed by John Singleton, a black man who grew up in the same neighborhoods in south Los Angeles and examines the decay of inner-city America from a very intimate perspective. Boyz n the Hood tells the story of a young man, Tre Styles, being raised initially by his divorced mother in a tough neighborhood. While living with his mother, Tre exhibits behavioural issues which his mother attributes to a lack of father figure in Tre’s life. Tre’s mother sends him to live with his father, where though growing up in a tough neighborhood Tre’s father is attentive, tells him to do chores and teaches him about his responsibility in his community, and teaches him through discipline and experience. We watch Tre grow up in contrast with other boys in the neighborhood, some of whom are neglected or mistreated by their parents, and we see the difference parenting can make in a child’s life. Despite Tre’s caring and disciplined upbringing, he faces a tragedy that challenges the lessons that his father taught him. Tre’s friend is murdered, and he struggles with the pain of the loss, which is compounded by the police’s poor relationship with the neighborhood. The audience witnesses the greater societal impact on these communities, touching on the gentrification of surrounding communities as well as the racism that plagues the police departments that respond to incidents in south central LA.

Boyz n the Hood is a compelling film because it demonstrates the complex social dynamics of this community, its causes and effects, and how these dynamics directly impact the development of children into adults. The movie demonstrates the excellent parenting by Furious and Reva, contrasted with Doughboy’s mother, Brenda, and her favouritism of her other son Kevin. Looking deeper into Brenda’s relationship with her son the audience notices that the lack of meaningful economic and social opportunities for Black families in South Central LA ultimately causes Brenda to commodify her children. Brenda blames and neglects Doughboy, who has few future prospects, where his brother Ricky is cared for and supported by his mother. This is compounded by absent fathers in this family, where onlookers comment that Brenda’s interactions with her sons mirror the relationships she had with their respective fathers. The movie shows through the development of these boys into men that these behaviours are cyclical, leading Doughboy to treat the women he encountered in his life how his mother treated him. Furious (Tre’s father) talks to Tre about breaking this cycle, which calls to mind the responsibility and importance of Black men in the lives of their sons. Singleton clearly argues that the influence if a father figure is pivotal and irreplaceable. Boyz n the Hood presents absentee fathers, whether they are absent by choice or circumstance, as contributing to the cycle. The movie also demonstrates that despite the diligent parenting by his father, Tre almost falls victim to a life of violence after his friend is murdered. As the viewer, we experience the despair of a lost life when Ricky dies, and the immense disappointment when we discover that Ricky received acceptance to University. When Tre leaves to avenge his friend’s death, we feel again the potential for valuable lost life and feel the pain of his father who invested so much into his son. Watching Doughboy get blamed by his own mother for his brother’s death reinforces his character’s story and gives the viewer insight into the reason that he falls into a life of violence where his brother did not. This empathetic and insightful view into the lives of these men and boys makes this film unique and culturally invaluable. One of the primary driving-forces behind in-group violence in Boyz n the Hood is the narcotics trade. Furious explains in the movie that African-Americans do not control the means of “narcotics production, refinement, or international transshipment”, with only marginal low-end domestic distribution network, and are yet the most heavily policed and incarcerated. Instead of an air of protection or justice, the presence of the police in the movie instead bring a pall of fear and mistrust through the neighbourhood. When tragedy strikes and Ricky is murdered over a petty incident, contact the police as a means to justice is not an option. Instead, the consideration of police intervention is only considered after vengeance is exacted, and Tre is fearful that the police may apprehend them. This fear resonates with the audience as we have watched the movie and listened to Furious’ lectures to his son motivating him to survive and escape the ghetto as the best way to defeat the racist and colonial system that oppresses their community. The fear that even Tre’s bright future might be permanently tarnished in that moment weighs heavily on the audience as it does on the characters. Though the film addresses these painful aspects of life in these neighbourhoods it still expertly emphasizes the hope and the bravery of these characters and communities and therefore displays powerful themes of family, community, and resilience.   

The impact of Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood was that it introduced an oblivious and disinterested world to the difficult realities of many black Americans. The film features numerous future Oscar winning actors, such as Cuba Gooding Jr. and Regina King, as well as future N.W.A. star Ice Cube, a testament to the director’s eye for talent. The film itself was the beginning of a new genre that sought to depict similar “hood”-style films, but few comparably captured the realism and strength of these communities. This film follows in the footsteps of media and art that was built in the black community representing the black community in the US, similar to the Harlem Renaissance discussed by Takaki when discussing the Great Migration. Also similar to the Harlem Renaissance this film was born from the life of those on the margins, oppressed by systemic racism that relegated black communities to certain neighborhoods.   

The above photos are taken from adjacent scenes in the movie, showing the adulthood of two brothers whose paths in life diverged significantly, where Ricky is a future college athlete, the Doughboy is sitting on the stoop and gang affiliated. John Singleton seems to connect this divergence to their respective relationships to parent-figures, Ricky’s mother is supportive and attentive, where the same mother is dismissive and resentful toward Doughboy.

Baqqi, S. (2019). Boyz n the Hood (1991) Movie Review and Analysis. [online] Epsilon Reviews. Available at: https://www.epsilonreviews.com/black-history-month-films/2016/2/5/boyz-n-the-hood-1991 [Accessed 19 Jul. 2019].Screenprism.com. (2019). Masculinity, Fatherhood, and Family in Boyz N 

The Hood | ScreenPrism. [online] Available at: http://screenprism.com/insights/article/what-message-does-boyz-n-the-hood-offer-about-fatherhood [Accessed 19 Jul. 2019].Nadell, J. (1991). 

Boyz N The Hood: A Colonial Analysis. The Journal of Black Studies, [online] 25(4), pp.447-464. Available at: https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/stable/pdf/2784403.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A4e86e416ac56d2647951168b493aafd1 [Accessed 19 Jul. 2019].  

Takaki, Ronald T., 1939-2009. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown, and Co., 2008.

"Boyz N The Hood (1991)." Rotten Tomatoes. N.p., Web. 22 July 2019.

Moisoigne, Liz. "When Ricky Was Shot In Boyz N The Hood...." Lipstick Alley. N.p., 2019. Web. 22 July 2019.

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The above is a screencapture of the opening credits of Narcos Season 1 setting the stage for their portrayal of Columbia’s history, erroneously crediting “magical realism”, originally a German concept popularized by Latin writers, to Columbia.

"Descenso" Narcos, written by Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen, created by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Netflix, 2015.

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Blog I: Narcos

Narcos is an American crime drama taking place in Columbia and Mexico, depending on the season. Through this blog I will be discussing the cultural implications of the first two seasons of Narcos that follows the infamous Pablo Escobar’s rise and fall in Columbia from the perspective of two American Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents who try to hunt him down. Narcos was a show that I enjoyed and watched avidly, but when I investigated further I realized that the reason it appealed to me was that it affirmed my understanding of the stereotypes of Latin America that I am familiar with. The show feels authentic, with a lot of dialogue in Spanish and fashionable clothes, beautiful and hip music. What I took from Narcos was an appreciation for what I thought was an introduction to a piece of Latin culture, but through research I recognized that I was experiencing the commercialized aspects of the story, and what felt like an Authentic portrayal of culture was an Americanized stereotype of Columbian culture and history.

The history of Columbia is used as a plot line to propel the drama of the series, and explained by the primary narrator of the show, Steve Murphy. Murphy is a white American man who began his career with the DEA in Miami and finds himself in Colombia tracking down Pablo Escobar. Murphy takes the role of a bird’s eye view narrator, almost as an objective third party bystander to Pablo Escobar’s career. The implication that Murphy’s perspective is objective or reliable reflects an imperialist attitude of a foreign American hero. Murphy makes comments about Columbia and its culture with no acknowledgement from the show about the narrowness of his perspective of the country, as a foreigner who doesn’t speak the language and hasn’t spent very long understanding the country itself. The one dimensional view of South America held by American audiences is similar to the attitude of the audience in Gomez-Pena’s performance art. The history of Columbia depicted in Narcos is also faulty. Narcos implies that the CIA was involved in the pursuit of Pablo Escobar after his escape from his self-built prison, La Catedral. In reality,  the CIA was overseeing cartel operations years before. The depiction of Pablo Escobar was criticized for feeling one-dimensional and was clearly skewed to appeal to American audiences. I enjoyed the depiction of a clearly conflicted man, and found myself empathizing with him, but I also saw stereotypes attached to his character. One of the conflicts in his career was his foray into politics, which I felt that Narcos acknowledged but with a tone that was condescending, and described with little empathy. The mixed legacy of Escobar as remembered by Colombians, especially those from his home city of Medellin, was not explained convincingly. The viewer was left with little ambiguity that Escobar was a villain in Columbia's history. Escobar’s personality was also depicted as a macho Latino charicature displaying little depth or empathy, an arguably American perspective on a complicated Colombian character. Another cultural controversy related to Narcos comes from the talent invited to act in the show, many of whom are not natively Colombian. This impacts the realism of the show when the Escobar himself is played by a natively Brazilian actor who attempts the infamous man’s Medellin accent, but struggles to make it sounds genuine. Escobar’s wife is portrayed by a Mexican actress whose accent is clearly recognizable as non-Colombian. To many, this demonstrated that the production of the show was for an American audience who would likely not recognize erroneous Spanish accents.

The idea put forth by Narcos to portray Columbia is clearly U.S.-centric, positioning extradition as a fundamental fear of the Narco. Additionally, the portrayal of Columbia as a place that was inherently exotic and filled with evil, as shown in the line “God created Colombia and made it so beautiful, he had to fill it with bad people.” (S1, E1) The idea that Columbia is filled with bad people, or those that avenge their crimes, negates the average and comfortable citizens that reside peacefully there. Those that raise their children, build communities, and live their lives; This is shown through the character development in the show implicating Escobar’s brother-in-law as a criminally involved cartel member when in reality he worked as an architect. Attached is an advertisement for the show, seemingly likening all of Latin America to murderous drug infested country created out of cocaine. Narcos had the opportunity to educate a foreign audience with the beauty and complexity of Columbian history and culture, but instead it is a lesson on the American perspectives and misconceptions relating to Columbia’s history. 

Takaki, Ronald T., 1939-2009. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown, and Co., 2008.

Gibson, Sarah. "Narcos: How It's Just Another Form Of Cultural Imperialism." Highsnobiety. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 July 2019.

Busse, Kristina. "Magical Realism And Fictional Verisimilitude In Medellín | Antenna." Blog.commarts.wisc.edu. N.p., 2015. Web. 21 July 2019.