Activity #4

Activity #4


After viewing “A Girl Like Me” and reading, I came to a very harsh realization: In society today, the way we look and our ethnicity make a great deal of influence on how we are seen by others. When it comes to race, it can either hurt or help us. I believe that the concept of race in African American’s decreases self-worth. When watching “A Girl Like Me” during the part when they had the children pick which baby they would rather play with, most all of them chose the white doll. I think the reason that they did that was because they have grown up thinking that white people always have the upper hand in society. It is discouraging because it may make them believe that they can’t succeed as well as a white person. When it comes to white people though, I think the concept of race neither enhances nor decreases self-worth in a child. A white child has never known being “less” than anyone else so there is no decreasing or enhancing.
I believe when it comes to the issue of skin color and hair texture in valuing a person, I don’t believe there should be a reason for a stereotype for who is valued more than someone else. Society on the other hand has made it clear that there is something that is considered “normal” or “better.” In our society, light skin is much preferred over dark skin. Not only is being “white” supposed to be better but also among African Americans, they believe they will be given more respect if their skin is as light as possible. Being lighter skinned is much preferred and found to be much more desirable. I never realized this until after watching the film clip. Though, I believe different skin color is valued more than others traits, I do not believe that a person’s hair texture is. In the film clip it says that “wild and untamed” hair was not desired at all, though I do not see our society judging hair texture at all, and if it does, I have missed it.
Is there really such thing as a mythical norm? In “Women’s Voices, Feminist’s Visions” it states that a mythical norm for women is middle class, white, heterosexual, thin, young, and able. Is this really true? Are women really judged in society by those criteria? The film that I watched talks about how lighter skin females are more desirable and are considered better than darker skinned females. I think this shows that even still in society today, white women still have privilege over dark skinned women. The mythical norm states that you have to white, and in the film, the African American women all wanted to get as close to “white” as possible. Some of them even going as far as bleaching their skin to be more appreciated in society. I do not believe that skin color should be a judgment of character at all and I think it is a shame that this society still has a stereotype for what a “normal” women should be.