| dc.description.abstract | Always the Aunt Jemima. Always the submissive servant and comforting mammy. At least these are the portrayals of African-American women that the media often glorify. As society's primary informant, the media, especially the advertising industry, are able to influence perceptions about social images of African-Americans. Thus, the media have a responsibility to create positive representations of the African-American culture. However, Dr. Marilyn Kern-Foxworth, associate professor of journalism at Texas A&M University and author of Aunt Jemima. Uncle Ben. and Rastus - Blacks in Advertising, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, believes that historically the media have wronged the black woman by promoting cultural stereotypes instead of realistic portrayals (87). Her true identity has been devalued and overshadowed by an image of a character created straight of the ante-bellum southern plantation - Aunt Jemima (Kern-Foxworth, Aunt Jemima, 88).
This paper concentrates on the impact of historical stereotyping on contemporary women of African ancestry via the Aunt Jemima trademark. The primary purpose is to identify how this image affects the self-image of African-American women. Moreover, the paper will discuss how the media initiated and continues to help perpetuate these stereotypes. | en |
