Lights, Camera, Appropriation—Part three of T.E.I.I.T.H

How many people can you name in the entertainment world? Are they white or black? Young or old? More like old Hollywood or modern Hollywood?

You might be asking me, “Why does it matter?”

Well, it matters because who we see and celebrate on our screens shapes how we see ourselves and others.

Have you ever heard of the brown paper bag test? It was a discriminatory practice rooted in colorism that people used to exclude people with darker skin tones from social events and opportunities. The test was simple: a person’s skin was compared to a brown paper bag— the same kind you might have carried your lunch in if you didn’t have a lunchbox. If you were darker than that brown paper bag, then kiss that opportunity you so badly wanted goodbye.

I remember bringing those paper bags to school back then. But after learning about this history, I never saw them the same way again.

MAKE ME LOOK PRETTY

The brown paper bag test never really ended because racism and colorism never really ended. According to ATI (All That’s Interesting), the brown paper bag test wasn’t the only way to demean torment Black Americans. Another example was Blackface, a heinous form of entertainment that reduced Black people into offensive caricatures.

An actor named Thomas Dartmouth Rice was reported to travel to the South and observe enslaved people and develop a Black stage character called “Jim Crow” in 1830. “With quick dance moves, an exaggerated African American vernacular, and buffoonish behavior.”

White performers would put on Blackface to portray Black people, reducing them to a negative stereotype of being lazy, ignorant, superstitious, hyper sexual, criminal, or cowardly. And it didn’t just stop with Adult actors, even the child star Shirley Temple appeared in Blackface.

Some of Rice’s most famous ones were “Jim Crow”, a rural dancing fool in tattered clothing, the “Mammy”, an overweight and loud mother figure, and “Zip Coon”, a flamboyantly dressed man who misused sophisticated words.

The popularity of Blackface declined in the United States after the 1930s and into the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. But even as the public rejected these overt actions, Hollywood found new ways to mock and control Black images.

You might think progress was made when the first Black woman won an Oscar in 1940 for Best Supporting Actress, but her character's name was Mammy.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO…

Okay…I’ll give it to you…it was a long time ago. But since this history is still barely taught, it keeps getting repeated. And the humiliation isn’t just for Black people. Let’s look at some examples.

In 2012, actress Viola Davis was criticized for wearing her natural hair on the red carpet. If that’s still “too old” for you, remember when singer DaniLeigh sang about being she desired because she was “yellow boned,” in 2021? Colorism isn’t just for black people. It’s for colored people in general. DaniLeigh is a Dominican woman with a light complexion, so if she were subjected to the brown paper bag test, she would have passed without question.

That’s exactly why her Yellow Bone song and comments stung so deeply because they reinforced painful colorist standards that have harmed darker-skinned women for generations, including DaBaby’s ex, who is dark-skinned and had a public feud with her.

Speaking of the Latinx community...

I love Sofia Vegra, I watched her in movies and shows when I was little. Vegara played the “Spicy Latina “role in Modern Family as Gloria Delgado Pritchett.

The female character was defined as the Spicy Latina stereotype. This stereotype portrays Latina women as fiery, passionate, and hypersexualized. In media and pop culture, it reduces complex identities into one-dimensional portrayals depicting Latina women as aggressive, exotic, and overly sexual.

Media often casts the “Spicy Latina” like Sofia Vergara’s Gloria in Modern Family, which reinforces unrealistic expectations of Latinas.

NOT ALL REPRESENTATION IS GOOD REPRESENTATION

This last example is about people dealing with disabilities every day.

In the 2016 film Me Before You, Sam Claflin played as Will Traynor, a quadriplegic man, but Claflin himself is fully able-bodied.

Claflin told UPI in New York he had to make conscious efforts not to move and that it was “a very emotional journey for me, as well as being physically demanding “

I also read the director's interview (Thea Sharrock), who wanted to make the movie seem as “normal as possible” and not “seem difficult.” I appreciate the effort, but it was offensive. I only that because I’m speaking from the perspective of a person in a wheelchair, and in the movie he committed suicide because he felt he had nothing left to live for…after being paralyzed.

I’m glad your movie was successful at the box office, but let me tell you a little secret: if you had hired an actual quadriplegic actor, it would have been even more successful.

And, yes, numbers aren’t everything, but it is when you’re taking opportunities and money out of someone else’s pockets. Hiring able-bodied actors into a role for a person who’s disabled is like casting a blonde, blue-eyed girl when the role calls for someone with brown coils and Black skin.

Oh, and you’re actively participating in the “disabled people are lazy” stereotype.

Yes, you acknowledged it, but there are people out there who don’t acknowledge it. And the people who don’t acknowledge it don’t deserve to know a disabled person ever. But the people who don’t know because they were never taught?

There are those who think we’re lazy and there are others. Those who say “you’re strong for dealing with your disability every day,” and what I have to say to you is,“Wow, you’re so strong for going to work every day…”

What are we even talking about?

CINDERELLA IS STILL WEARING RAGS.

There might be some representation in Hollywood, but it’s not actually representation. The ones who are winning the Oscars and Grammys are those who cater to white people. The ones who cater to White Supremacy.

And it's horrible, because you might be catering to White Supremacy, but White Supremacy isn’t catering to you.

You think this life is glitz and glam, but you still have to get work done on your body, battling an eating disorder, or slipping into deep depression. All for a game that wasn’t built for you in the first place.

White supremacy doesn’t just hurt POC. Let’s take Britney Spears as an example. She grew up in the industry and was controlled from a young age, what she wore, what she ate, and how she lived.

The conservatorship destroyed her well-being. The Business Insider reported that after Spears posted a voice memo on Instagram, she no longer believed in God.

White supremacy is nothing but a system designed to hurt you, not benefit you. You keep falling for it because it promises riches and comfort. But in the end, you are still empty-handed.

You comply again and again with their schemes, and you end up hurting, but it was all “worth it” because you got to be “on top,” right?

As your big sister, I’m here to tell you: sometimes, it’s not your fault. Sometimes, they just manipulate you or give you Stockholm syndrome so deep you can’t even see it.

But there is a world where you don’t have to sacrifice your comfort to make someone else filthy rich.

GIVE ME MY REFUND!

All you wanted was the dream you were promised. I’ll help you find it; all you have to do is listen. If you got this far, you’re doing a great job. I honestly believe if you read this blog series, you’ll grow.

You might be asking, “Why should I listen after being lied to over and over again?”

To that I say: you’re right…

You don’t have to listen to me, but at least listen to history, your favorite artist, or maybe try listening to all the warnings being issued. Because the door is being knocked on by someone trying to save you, but you’ve been fear-mongered so badly that you refuse to move a muscle.

As your big sister, I promise not to steer you wrong. I’m just here to help you connect the dots.

We all have one end goal: to live peacefully. But we’re never going to get there if we can’t start by being cordial with each other. I’m not saying you have to agree with everyone. But please, stop acting like a ten-year-old stuck in a group project with someone you despise.

Now, I have two more things to share before we part ways. The first is brain rot and how it’s damaging your health. You know what to do: if you agree with me, you’re welcome in the comments, if you don’t, you’re still welcome— just keep it respectful. We’re all adults here.