Today I began doing some Halloween planning (Hey, I know it's August 31st, but I like to plan) for the Trunk-or-Treat happening at my ward. I have been so very, very excited that I actually carted my fourteen-month-old-son to three different Halloween themed places to check out decorations and get ideas. I also cruised around the toddler section to peruse for costumes for Baby (actually, I guess he is "Toddler" now, huh? Ugh, why does that make me want to cry?) I noticed something a little quirky. Or sans-euphemism if you will, a little racist.
I then did the most logical thing I could think of: I searched for Princess Tiana costumes. I figured, Tiana is actually an African American Disney Princess- surely her costume models will be the same. I am only slightly comforted that the models were not white (well, not all of them) because the model were so light-skinned. I am not one for describing race, but most of the models looked mix-race at most. A few had blond hair! I mean, come on! These two Tiana models, as cute and darling as these two little girls are, do not help the case for diversity.
I would really like to know what is going on here? Is there something I am missing? This seems worthy of a letter writing campaign to stores and distributors. What are your thoughts?
I'm looking through probably one hundred toddler costumes and not one. single. model. is African American. Not one. Out of the every costume in this particular store, I found one Asian female child. That was the extent of the diversity. I decided to look up some statistics (All taken from USA Quick Facts) on race in American:
USA:
Asian 5.0 %
Hispanic 16.7 %
Black 13.1 %
White (not Hispanic) 63.4 %
South Carolina:
Asian 1.3 %
Hispanic 5.1 %
Black 27.9 %
White (not Hispanic) 64.1 %
I decided there was no way that Halloween Costume distributors were simply ignoring over 36% of the American population, so I took to the internet. On Amazon, I searched for "Halloween Costumes" and scrolled through three pages before seeing an African American model (Incidentally, the costume was a pimp; What kind of message does this send?).
One logistically problematic occurrence is the net material provided in many of the Disney Princess costumes. It's used to cover what would be exposed skin around the midriff, and every costume I've seen has one skin tone: Caucasian.
I then did the most logical thing I could think of: I searched for Princess Tiana costumes. I figured, Tiana is actually an African American Disney Princess- surely her costume models will be the same. I am only slightly comforted that the models were not white (well, not all of them) because the model were so light-skinned. I am not one for describing race, but most of the models looked mix-race at most. A few had blond hair! I mean, come on! These two Tiana models, as cute and darling as these two little girls are, do not help the case for diversity. 
I would really like to know what is going on here? Is there something I am missing? This seems worthy of a letter writing campaign to stores and distributors. What are your thoughts?
15 comments:
I uncertain what you're getting at. I know the genesis of the festival is a western European one so the you'd have to say the basis would be white tinged with blue topped with a redhead. But nowadays Halloween garb is more Hollywood Ca. than Misty Wood, Merlin or the Krackin, with Frankenstein, Dracula and the Hulk for the boys and Princess this that or the other for the girls.
Anywoo's, is this not a problem generally where the Ad industry has a picture of what will cause sales. Such if I put a blonde Nordic chick with feet more useful for shipping in an Ad for shoes they will sell. But I would need another model to don the footwear since the Nordic lass by dint of her height would require man feet to carry her frame, simple physics. And what about suits for men. I really doubt having 70% from the Masai regardless how well they carry the cloth would do much for shifting them out the door.
Further, the day of the dead is somewhat problematic in some sections of the A-A community with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_Vodun and Voodoo generally causing very real terror. Not the play scarey games of the trick or treat.
PS. a 14 yo young man still doing Halloween, how have you managed that feat. Never mind how you've a 14yo in the first place looking as youthful as you do.
I guess my point with this post is representation. I don't pretend to draw conclusions because I am not as well versed in race issues as I am in feminist issues. I am pointing out that none of the minorities is America are accounted for. In our history, it's basically history according to white folks. So much so that we try to cram history according to black folks into one month- February's Black History Month. Opening a history book or attending college, watching TV- if you are white you are guaranteed to see people like you, whereas in other races, that is not the case. I wonder what the implications are that it has permeated through to such unimportant details in our lives as models on packaging. Do you think it goes from details (like individual interactions or packaging) up or from major things (like complete history classes and public office) down?
And my son- you caught my error! I originally accidentally left out the word "month"- My son is 14 months old :)
Back in the day Hollywood produced a certain type of family film. In these films the central characters all had a Scottish servant or two. Or take the Westerns, it's the rancher that's the central actor. The officer corp in the army. Yes, you'll have character actors or colour actors that are from the under class. The Irish noncom in 'She wore a yellow ribbon'. The sparky cowboy that will die under the horse 20min before the end.
This type of film ended sometime about 1968. But really they had ended 15 years earlier when the price of a cinema ticket dropped so the great unwashed could sit on the velvet seats. But it took that length of time for people to go 'wow here, what's all this about'. Yes, time and a war out in the jungle of SE Asia.
But the really terrifying aspect to all this for me happened a few years ago. There was televised a study of little girls and the dolls they would pick. Chinese dolls, Native American, African north/south, an on. All picked the white doll. Not just leaned towards the white doll, but invariably picked it.
How much weight I should put on this, and where. I don't know.
It took a while for a chick to don the Green Jacket of membership at Augusta. And she needed to be the darn Sec' of State. But ask when they allowed Catholics, Jews, A-A's, I think it took Woods winning the darn thing to do that. But in general the House of Lords has a more open policy to those outside.
Once again..... another confusing and irrelevant comment from Vince.... Oy.
Anyways I agree Blythe. As a mother of a mixed race child I do not find very many toys/costumes/anything that it anywhere near her skin color. It is disappointing and disheartening to say the least. I know that many times in her life she will try to find someone to identify with and will find no one.
I plan to encourage to be and dress up like whatever and whomever she wants to for Halloween. White character or not. If little white girls can dress as Tiana then she can dress like Cinderella;)
I think the real key to abolish racism is to not see color in any instance.
To teach our children they can do and be whatever they want and their skin color has nothing to do with their ability to achieve that.
Being the mother of a bi-racial child it infuriates me that most adult male costumes with black men on them are pimps. Thank goodness for the Green Lateran! While shopping with a friend last year, whose husband is Palestinian, we came across a "sheikh" costume (the guy in the picture was obviously a bro) and her remark was my husband has a keffiyeh like that and it's not a costume. We just couldn't decide how we felt about it or pinpoint what was making us uncomfortable. I think it comes down to there being a very very fine line between racism and homage.
Vince,
I remember that doll study well. It was done by Mamie and Kenneth Clark, but it was set up with only a black doll and a white doll. It was a study of AA self perception. Here's a Youtube recreation of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG7U1QsUd1g
The answer is marketing. Obviously someone thinks they will sell more costumes with models of certain features. Much like adult female models have incredibly low, unhealthy BMI's and don't represent the "average" woman. If most of the customers for these products felt there was an issue of race, they would make it clear by voting with their wallets. I think until all the real racism is stomped out in the world, you're probably being oversensitive. Now for black super hero's for those still concerned here is a link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_black_superheroes More importantly, don't let your daughters go as princesses because that encourages sexism and gender stereotyping.
I think the one I saw was based on that one. And I could be mistaken but I though it was from the UK. Nor did it have that edge to it where the kids were making value calls on themselves. I really don't think kids that age do that. But it was in that same family where it was bringing out 'learnt' attitudes that were picked up from influences that impinge via media that isn't controlled. Nor really can it be controlled by parents or a small community. Still, you have the Amish. But you sorta have to wonder how much of their survival is due to a trained defense akin to military or para-military indoctrination like you'd have in a police force. 'Thin blue line' and all that, creating a them and us. No matter though you have to hand it to them, if for nothing else, grit.
Since you're going for all things being equal to racial demographics, the NBA is 76% black and 20% white and the NFL is 67% black and 31% white. Where blacks are considerably overrepresented and whites considerably under represented, wouldn't your same logic then suggest these leagues also change their racial makeup to match national demographics?
John,
That's an interesting point that I had not considered. However, I think of sports teams as achievements. One works to get oneself there rather than being a demographic representation. I don't see history or representation in advertising as such.
Are profits business achievements? So if the business finds it to be more profitable to use the models they used than other models and it achieves maximum profit, which is the purpose of a business, then hasn't it also reached an achievement?
Also, let's further explore your thoughts on achievement. If people should get when they achieve, then wouldn't you also oppose affirmative action policies? Let's take college admissions as an example. The requirements for minority admissions are almost always lower than for whites so a certain quota can be met. This policy persists through undergraduate and graduate programs. So people who have earned better grades, studied harder, and earned better test scores are discriminated against due to the color of their skin, despite their achievements. If you are against achievement being discriminated against in sports hiring, then to be consistent, you must certainly be against achievement being discriminated against in college admissions.
Let me tell you, I would have been admitted into my graduate program by my qualifications alone, regardless of my heritage. It only degrade my achievements to see the lesser qualified all around me who are treated as if they earned something they didn't because of the color of their skin.
John,
I would question whether a study has been done or a marketing strategy tried that supports that advertising with white models sells more. If it has, I would love to read the results and go from there. Clearly if there has, I would need to change the angle of this post.
As far as college admissions and affirmative action, I believe in blind interviews and applications- let the achievements speak for themselves. I had a professor who when applying for jobs would only write the first letter of her name so that no information regarding her sex could be ascertained.
On a side note, I would love to see your source about minority requirements for admissions being lower- I thought this was illegal, but could certainly learn something here.
Thanks for the comment!
Companies don't release their marketing studies. But it is logical, if the majority of the population is within a certain demographic, you will gain more cost effective advertising from that demographic. You seem to be looking for something that isn't really there and bordering on race-baiting.
As for minorities given preference in college admissions, despite lower qualifications, the supreme court has held it to be legal (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=ah4n2uAy0KWs&refer=home). President Obama also supports this kind of discrimination (http://www.newsmax.com/US/obama-race-college-admissions/2010/03/31/id/354391).
Affirmative action in this country is alive and well. It continually results in the less qualified being given admission, jobs, etc. they didn't achieve.
You say that I'm am race baiting, but I don't really feel that the language I used in this post is loaded or geared to make people angry. This is an observation and personal feeling about a particular event. I'm sorry if you feel I am trying to evoke a particular response, but we're allowed to disagree on this.
As far as companies not releasing marketing studies, that would lead me to dismissing the idea completely for two reasons:
1. I, as a sociology graduate, cannot see inherent biases, structures, and methods; all which are very important in the outcome.
2. If they are not published to me, obviously they are not a part of my knowledge/ information base. Therefore I can't use them to adjust my view.
Those aren't to sound crabby, more just matter of fact. I would enjoy reading over such a study.
I am surprised to read the first link- particularly about the point system and the extra twenty points. I can see where that would be frustrating to say the least. You don't need to argue affirmative action with me as I have already said it's not my cup of tea. Neither is Obama (Your comment seems to imply I support Obama, am I wrong?). I admit I like quite a bit about him, but I am no bigger Obama fan than I am Romney fan.
Meeting the standard for entry to university (matriculation)is a different thing to taking everyone starting from the highest mark on down.
Matriculation is a statement that you've the wherewithal to absorb the data.
But which would I prefer if I was the admissions dean for Harvard. The last boy out of a class of 150 from a prep where 99.99% enter with marks at the upper end of the range or the kid from a school where 1% go to university. Which do you think is the greater achievement, and which will gain most for the hot-housing provided by the Ivies.
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