I'm not operating under any assumption but that which I've determined logically.
The unattractive cultural representations of black women are perceived by men of all races, not just white men, so your statistical evidence could be said to actually *support* my hypothesis since it's what the idea would have predicted. Black women have an unattractive cultural representation to men of all racial groups, not just white men, so of course they too will be less likely to be receptive to a relationship with a black woman too. It's not the attitudes of white men but the social attitudes, which become the attitudes of many men of any race. This doesn't apply to black men, probably because they do not hold this cultural representation due to their black female family members, making black men the most receptive group to black women leading to far more marriages between those groups.
"The unattractive cultural representations of black women are perceived by men of all races"
I can see your point now but I just don't see this unattractive cultural representation you talk about. While I could agree that black men in popular media often get cast in certain stereotypical roles, I just don't haven't seen the negative representation of black women that you do.
I'm not saying it is necessarily not there (I might just not watch TV enough) but I'm not seeing it. When I think of black women on TV, I think Tyra Banks, Oprah and Michelle Obama just off the top of my head. Can you give an example of what you mean?
The cultural representation isn't something I feel personally either, but I think that's because you and I aim to be active and objective cultural observers and we are able to by and large see past cultural representations. I think most people don't engage in observing society, and do internalise these representations if only subconsciously.
And, also like you, I don't watch the sort of TV and films that reflect those representations. However, while I hate using links to make my points for me, I'll use this link features a lot of media examples of the sort of depiction I'm talking about: http://bitchmagazine.org/post/six-annoying-women-character-tropes-in-black-romantic-comedies I'm only linking to that article for its examples, not it's assertions. I don't think the stereotype categories it names are perfect - some of them overlap and I don't think the list is exhaustive. I also think white women can often be placed in those categories, but less often and I think there are other more positive stereotypes which apply to them in addition to these. So the article itself may be flawed, but I think the examples are good.
The article also links to an essay which I've skimmed and I believe holds some academic value, but it's feminist and I think we've rather talked feminism to death already :P
I'll give the other common example of black women in music videos. They're often hyper-sexualised and removed of any distinct identity - you often see these rows of black female backing dancers who are identically dressed and who have no obvious role other than to be ornaments. It's much rarer to see white women cast in that sort of role.
I also accept that empowered, strong black women do exist. However, I don't think that necessarily combats my point. As far as I know, neither Oprah or Michelle Obama are commonly thought of as "attractive" since they present themselves asexually, uninterested in male companionship (despite the fact they both have very long and committed relationships). Tyra Banks is seen as attractive, and I would argue this is because she is an anomaly in that she's played a wide range of roles including herself which allow her to express multiple personality traits and make her seem more like a real person, breaking the stereotype.
Why are there more black men with white women than reversed?
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I'm not operating under any assumption but that which I've determined logically.
The unattractive cultural representations of black women are perceived by men of all races, not just white men, so your statistical evidence could be said to actually *support* my hypothesis since it's what the idea would have predicted. Black women have an unattractive cultural representation to men of all racial groups, not just white men, so of course they too will be less likely to be receptive to a relationship with a black woman too. It's not the attitudes of white men but the social attitudes, which become the attitudes of many men of any race. This doesn't apply to black men, probably because they do not hold this cultural representation due to their black female family members, making black men the most receptive group to black women leading to far more marriages between those groups.
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SuperBenzid
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"The unattractive cultural representations of black women are perceived by men of all races"
I can see your point now but I just don't see this unattractive cultural representation you talk about. While I could agree that black men in popular media often get cast in certain stereotypical roles, I just don't haven't seen the negative representation of black women that you do.
I'm not saying it is necessarily not there (I might just not watch TV enough) but I'm not seeing it. When I think of black women on TV, I think Tyra Banks, Oprah and Michelle Obama just off the top of my head. Can you give an example of what you mean?
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dom180
9 years ago
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The cultural representation isn't something I feel personally either, but I think that's because you and I aim to be active and objective cultural observers and we are able to by and large see past cultural representations. I think most people don't engage in observing society, and do internalise these representations if only subconsciously.
And, also like you, I don't watch the sort of TV and films that reflect those representations. However, while I hate using links to make my points for me, I'll use this link features a lot of media examples of the sort of depiction I'm talking about: http://bitchmagazine.org/post/six-annoying-women-character-tropes-in-black-romantic-comedies I'm only linking to that article for its examples, not it's assertions. I don't think the stereotype categories it names are perfect - some of them overlap and I don't think the list is exhaustive. I also think white women can often be placed in those categories, but less often and I think there are other more positive stereotypes which apply to them in addition to these. So the article itself may be flawed, but I think the examples are good.
The article also links to an essay which I've skimmed and I believe holds some academic value, but it's feminist and I think we've rather talked feminism to death already :P
I'll give the other common example of black women in music videos. They're often hyper-sexualised and removed of any distinct identity - you often see these rows of black female backing dancers who are identically dressed and who have no obvious role other than to be ornaments. It's much rarer to see white women cast in that sort of role.
I also accept that empowered, strong black women do exist. However, I don't think that necessarily combats my point. As far as I know, neither Oprah or Michelle Obama are commonly thought of as "attractive" since they present themselves asexually, uninterested in male companionship (despite the fact they both have very long and committed relationships). Tyra Banks is seen as attractive, and I would argue this is because she is an anomaly in that she's played a wide range of roles including herself which allow her to express multiple personality traits and make her seem more like a real person, breaking the stereotype.