WILD THINGS

Throughout the recent years society has pressed for a more aware and conscious way of speaking about races, ethnicities, and religions—the desire to be politically correct. In today’s modern culture, especially in the United States, a consciousness has developed within the way one speaks and represents people of different colors or cultures. It is not politically correct to call someone a nigger, spick, redneck, or chink; there is a form of speech that entails us to refer one another as African America, Latin, European American or Asian American in hopes of showing a dose of respect or awareness. Although many advertisements from companies like the United Colors of Beneton or J.Crew strive to embrace a mix of cultures, sometimes their representations fail to embody them in a politically correct way.

Some of the most beautiful and famous models are African American and still with their notorious experience and notorious career success they sometimes are doomed to the habits of the past. A famous spread featuring Naomi Campbell did just that when Harper’s Bazaar released the September 2009 issue. The spread was called Wild Things where Campbell was portrayed as one with the wild outdoors of an African safari landscape. Campbell is dressed in furs and animal prints as she runs with cheetahs and plays around with monkeys; she looks like an untamed animal—a stereotypical representation that has followed the African American woman long throughout history. Representations of African American women have long been categorized by the idea that they are untamed, wild, animal-like people who can be related to that of actual wild animals. The only times where black women are recognized as “white” blacks is when their hair is straight or have thinner features all over their physical anatomy whether it be thinner noses, lips, or body figures.

In this ad, Beyonce looks white. Her hair is straight with a blonde tint and her skin tone has been altered to look paler. Her behavior seems serene and poised as oppose to other advertisement that show African Americans as more “black” with untamed hair, sweat, and a more “savage look.”