The importance of diversity has never been more prevalent than it is now. With strides being made everyday towards inclusion and acceptance in our society, it is crucial that we acknowledge these feats on our screens as well. The discussion of on screen representation and its importance has recently become a hot topic with the release and promotion of movies such as “The Hate U Give,” and “Black Panther,” but this continuous conversation has been going on for years.
In February 2018, “Black Panther” was released by Marvel Studios. The movie cast many dark-skinned actors, with an almost all black cast, which is practically unheard of for blockbusters. The movie made over 1 billion dollars, proving to big-name studios that movies do not have to tell exclusively eurocentric stories to make money. This sparked a conversation amongst the black community on colorism, and how most dark-skinned people rarely see themselves represented on the big screen.
While “Black Panther” was praised for its casting decisions, most movies do not receive the same fate. The 2002 film “X-Men” has been compared to “Black Panther” by many, showing how the casting of people of color has become more inclusive over the years. An article by Medium explains that “[Black Panther] set itself apart from most comic book movies, and mainstream movies in general. Especially when compared to Fox’s X-Men where Storm, a mutant with Kenyan and African American heritage, is portrayed as a mixed race, light-skinned woman.” The article refers to this phenomenon as the “biracial aesthetic,” which causes many producers and casting agents to flock to actors and actresses that fit a stereotypically European mold, such as Halle Berry, who plays Storm.
However, this is not the fault of the actors or actresses. Many moviegoers have criticized actresses like Zendaya and Amandla Stenberg for being cast in multiple movies, claiming that they are some of the only young women of color that we see on screen.
“I am Hollywood’s, I guess you could say, acceptable version of a black girl and that has to change.” said Zendaya in an article by Huffington Post.
In a separate article by Teen Vogue, “If I get put in a position because of the color of my skin where people will listen to me, then I should use that privilege the right way.” said Zendaya. Many have praised Zendaya for this response, saying that she is using her platform to spread awareness on the issue. Her fellow actress, Amandla Stenberg, has been less fortunate.
“The Hate U Give” debuted as a New York Times bestseller and stayed on the list for over 50 weeks. With the extremely positive reception, it was only natural to transform the book into a movie. Set to release on Oct. 5, 2018 with Amandla Stenberg as the lead, the movie has found itself in some unexpected controversies. The illustrator for the book’s cover has come out and said that she is disappointed with the choice to cast Stenberg, as she drew the cover with the main character as a dark-skinned female.
In an interview with Colorlines “I was hoping it would be a very brown-skinned actress, because there’s so little opportunities in these big movies for darker-skinned actresses. I can’t fudge. That’s how I felt.” said Stenberg.
Although there have been many controversies surrounding the topic of colorism, we can also look at this as a positive thing. It means that African Americans are finally getting their voices heard on the topic, which will hopefully inspire change in Hollywood in years to come. For now, we have started to see increasingly more diversity in our movies and television shows, which can hopefully pave the way for more dark-skinned actors and actresses in the future. With both celebrities and fans speaking out, it is only a matter of time before we start to see real change.
Grace Barnett // Staff Writer
