JSランゲージスクールブログ | whitewashing
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In the past few years, there has been a big issue about media portrayal of minorities in Western countries. Many people have been speaking out that the media we see is whitewashed. “Whitewashed” means that roles of minorities are given to white people or that the majority of celebrities we see are white. There was a huge problem last year with the Oscars (the big movie award show in the U.S), when all of the actors and actresses nominated were white. It started the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite on Twitter. Many people criticized the Oscars for their lack of diversity in their nominations.
More recently, in Vogue’s diversity issue, a white model (Karlie Kloss) posed as a geisha. Many people in Japan do not think this is really a big issue. However, in the West it was headline news. One of the big reasons many people were upset was because that issue of Vogue was supposed to be a “diversity” issue, which was going to celebrate many different kinds of women and cultures. This was a perfect opportunity to have a Japanese model in Vogue (or at least an East Asian model). However, the media once again whitewashed the magazine.
The reason this is a problem is because it creates a hierarchy in society. If we are only looking at skinny, white models in magazines then we assume the only way to really be beautiful is to be skinny and white. This is especially a problem in countries such as the United States where there are so many different ethnicities. Many young girls of all colors read fashion magazines. If girls cannot see someone who looks similar to them, they assume they can never be “beautiful”.
Overall, diversity is becoming more and more important these days, especially in the mass media. All races and ethnicities should be represented in movies, TV shows, and magazines. This shows that beauty and talent come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
