This week I’m talking about colorism in Hollywood movies. Here I focus on the actual movie, what the audience experiences while watching it–visual imagery, music, dialogue, and the narrative itself–rather than behind the scenes production and business. I’m also focused here on African American women in film, though there are relevant and related tangents. What I present are some of the basic ways that we might see colorism in movies.
Watch, Listen, or Read more below:
Why Representation Matters
As Malcolm X said in the speech that changed my life:
“this is a science that’s called ‘image making.’ They hold you in check through this science of imagery. They even make you look down upon yourself, by giving you a bad image of yourself. Some of our own Black people have eaten this image themselves and digested it—until they themselves don’t want to live in the Black community. They don’t want to be around Black people themselves…
“It’s imagery. They use their ability to create images, and then they use these images that they’ve created to mislead the people.”
Anyone who thinks movies (and TV) are “just entertainment” is choosing to be dangerously oblivious. Movies in particular have been a primary and highly effective tool for propaganda and social conditioning since the earliest days of filmmaking.
If you’re looking for a speaker or facilitator for your next colorism event, learn about Dr. Sarah Webb’s colorism keynotes and workshops.
Colorism in The Harder They Fall Movie: Zazie Beetz cast as Stagecoach Mary
At the time I’m writing this, the most current movie being called out for colorism is The Harder They Fall because the light-skinned, mixed-race actress Zazie Beetz was cast to play Stagecoach Mary (Mary Fields), a very dark-skinned woman who was the first woman to deliver U.S. mail. The more I learn about Mary Fields, the more obvious it becomes that the colorism in The Harder They Fall is blatant disrespect of this woman’s legacy. They chose an actress that represents the exact opposite in many ways of who Stagecoach Mary was.
- Light-skinned
- Biracial
- German
- Skinny
- Younger
And apparently there are scenes depicting this character in a corset, although Stagecoach Mary was well known for wearing men’s clothing.
One of the male actors in the movie responded with some tired comment about unity. But there aren’t any light-skinned and/or biracial men in the primary cast… So… This is just another classic case of Black men in Hollywood, dark-skinned Black men in particular, being colorist AF when it comes to Black women.
But there have been countless movies before this. And undoubtedly several future movies are already being post-produced, produced, written, and conceived that will perpetuate colorism in various ways. So the rest of this post is about the basic ways to spot colorism in any movie.
WHO is on screen, and who is not?
This is the first thing we notice when Hollywood releases a new film, and most conversations about colorism in Hollywood start here.
If you want to assess whether a film is perpetuating colorism, simply look to see if there are any dark-skinned women in the movie. One of the most basic forms of colorism in movies is the exclusion of dark-skinned actresses.
HOW MUCH screen time do they have?
If they are in the movie at all, how much screen time do they actually receive? Sure, they may be in the film, but if it’s only for a total of 5 minutes in a 120 minute film, it’s not really a substantive role.
WHAT roles do they play?
Speaking of roles, a second step to identifying colorism in Hollywood movies is to consider what roles dark-skinned actresses play, especially in contrast to the roles cast with light-skinned actresses.
- Are the dark-skinned actresses playing the lead character, or just a supporting role?
- Are their characters reinforcing negative stereotypes?
- Are they purely there for comic relief?
- Are they playing the antagonist or the villain, especially toward a lighter-skinned actress?
- Do they have a viable romantic interest?
- Is their purpose to serve or save others?
- Are they allowed a happy ending?
- Are they complex characters with an interesting story arch?
- Does they get a lot of closeups that clearly show their full face?
- Is their hair, makeup, and wardrobe well-styled?
I’ve said it several times before, but it bears repeating: It’s not just the quantity of roles for dark-skinned actresses, it’s also the quality of their roles.
For Further Discussion on Colorism in Hollywood Movies
The goal of this post was simply to present some of the basic ways to start recognizing more clearly how colorism is perpetuated in movies. In a further discussion we can address what to do about it. What are our pathways for creating change?