The negative stereotypes of blacks in advertising

Tifair Gillespie
Stand up and say something...now!

Aunt Jemima, Darkie toothpaste, Uncle Ben and the infamous "Waaaaaz up" crew from the people at Budweiser are some blatantly stereotypical roles that have had many conscious blacks frustrated during the past century.

Darkie toothpaste may be unfamiliar to many Americans today because it was marketed in Hong Kong until March 1990. The toothpaste package featured a minstrel character with a wide smile. The character appeared to have placed black soot on his well-rounded face and red lipstick around his mouth while smiling large with gleaming white teeth. To make the character completely minstrel-like, the character added a large brimmed top hat to grace his head.

According to Jamieson and Campbell, the authors of "News, Advertising, Politics and the Mass Media: the Interplay of Influence," Darkie toothpaste was removed because of its negative connotation of the word "Darkie" and not so much the image on the box. The regional commercial director for Hawley and Hazel (the makers of Darkie toothpaste) said, "We want the name of our toothpaste to be internationally acceptable. However, some people consider the word 'Darkie' racially offensive, particularly in America."

It's not that the name is not offensive, but the image was not even discussed. Associating the name with such an offensive image makes the toothpaste≠s image just a bit more offensive. If Darkie toothpaste were associated with an image of dark yellow teeth with a contradictory image of a bright smile shown next to the crude picture, it would have shown a whole new connotation to the brand name. The frightening thing about this image is it was only removed from circulation 13 years ago, well after the Civil Rights Movement.

Aunt Jemima has been a character that has shown a dramatic change throughout the years. I remember in my lifetime, and I'm only 22. Aunt Jemima wore a red and white scarf over her head. Now Aunt Jemima has a well-groomed coif and a slimmer face that graces the boxes of pancake, waffle and syrup bottles across the world. The changing images of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben are representative of the changes in American culture today.

Although we do not see blacks as cooks, maids and servants anymore, we may see a new stereotype arising. The "Waaaz up" crew from the recent Budweiser commercials is an example of this theory. This campaign was very effective and catchy. It had people - black, white and every race in between - making it a staple in our ever-changing language. Budweiser did not only stereotype blacks in America but also other often-stereotyped groups. The Italian mobsters constantly repeating "How you doin≠" and the "yuppie" stereotype stating, "How are yooooooou doing." The only people that spoke proper English in these advertisements were the upper class white men.

How do these images affect the psyche of the people viewing them? I know in my experience as a young black woman, I have had many of my white and black cohorts address me by saying "waaaaaz up." Do all blacks speak in slang? Absolutely not. Categorizing a group in an effective ad campaign takes blacks and Italians back a step in our roles in society.

The images of blacks have increased by number but not by quality. According to the Journal of Advertising, blacks spend more than $279 billion a year on consumer goods, yet the advertisers are only spending approximately $865 million a year to reach them. This disproportionate figure reveals why many advertisements misrepresent blacks across America.

Only a small percentage of the black population is professional athletes, yet they are the majority of endorsers for black products. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and women must demand a wider variety of roles in advertisements for it may negatively affect the children of tomorrow.

If we are only being shown in narrow roles, our future generation may not aspire to be anything but rappers and athletes, instead of politicians, doctors or lawyers. Ask the advertisers, "Waaaz up wit dat?"

Stand up and say something now appears every Monday. Tifair is a senior in advertising. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Egyptian.

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