Media Perceptions of African American Women

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Now when comparing the two shows both Bill Cosby and Shonda Rhimes each took different approaches to the Medias stereotype of African Americans. Bill Cosby took a brand new approach to the television screen at the time. He attempted to showcase black art, music and dance throughout the televisions shows history. Along with opening the world to HBCUs through Cliff Huxtables sweatshirts. He also wanted to shed a new light on the African American family, and that not all of what was being shown on TV prior to the Cosby Show was true. In fact, through hard work and strong family values that things could be achieved. While many opposes to the Cosby show state that the Huxtables is only an exception to the disintegrating African American family. While on the other hand Shonda Rhimes attempts to tackle the perception of the African American woman. She does so with Olivia Pope, who is the protagonist of the show. She displays all the qualities African American woman would want to be associated with them. Although she is scene in the show as having an affair with the President of the United States, but with right reasoning. So it can be said that while Olivia Pope has done stuff that some African American women probably wouldn’t be proud of, they would rather see her as the perception of African American women rather than some women from Basketball Wives, Love and Hip Hop, etc. While the Cosby Show predates Scandal, some of the same perceptions of African American woman during the 80s and 90s are still seen to be internalized. While progress has been made on the perceptions of African American woman and African American families progress cannot stop there.

“I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance in completing this assignment.”

Justin Fieulleteau

Works Cited

”Olivia Pope And The Depiction Of Multifaceted Womanhood: Why We Love Kerry Washington And Her Honest Portrayals Of Women”

http://madamenoire.com/256614/olivia-pope-and-the-depiction-of-multifaceted-womanhood-why-we-love-kerry-washington-and-her-honest-portrayals-of-women/#sthash.PkOuYnWj.dpuf

Crenshaw, Anthony “The Cosby Show Changes the Way Blacks are Viewed”

http://www.shenet.org/high/hsacaddept/English/ddayton/Documents/Media/Stereotypes/Cosby%20Show%20Article.pdf

Littlefield, Marci “The Media as a System of Racialization Exploring Images of African American Women and the New Racism”

http://abs.sagepub.com/content/51/5/675.full.pdf+html