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ABSTRACT OPRAH WINFREY AND SHONDA RHIMES: CHANGING THE FACES AND STORIES ON CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN TELEVISION Caprice Butts, M.A. Department of Communication Northern Illinois University, 2018 Laura Vazquez, Director This thesis explores the history of Black women in television beginning with the start of Black women being on air and to the present. It investigates the politics and education of Black women to tie into both the history of Oprah Winfrey and Shonda Rhimes to make connections on how these factors had an impact on their professional careers and storytelling and conclude that, while the background of television with Black women and individual lives of these two women have made differences in the world of Hollywood, there is still much that needs to be done. It also discusses the importance of storytelling and representation in the media, not just on the screen, but behind the scenes. Even though there have been stories told about minorities, it is different from having them told by people who have lived the inequalities perpetuated in American society. Unless one has lived the actual experiences they are portraying, it is hard, or perhaps impossible, to tell the story in a meaningful way. Having other Black women tell stories about shared experiences is a way to relate, to know that someone else out there understands, and ensure that they are getting the representation they deserve. NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY DEKALB, ILLINOIS AUGUST 2018 OPRAH WINFREY AND SHONDA RHIMES: CHANGING THE FACES AND STORIES ON CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN TELEVISION BY CAPRICE BUTTS © 2018 Caprice Butts A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION Thesis Director: Laura Vazquez TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 5 3. POLITICS OF RACE IN AMERICA AS IT IMPACTS WOMEN OF COLOR ... 16 4. EDUCATION AND MENTORSHIP ...................................................................... 22 5. ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY LEADERS ....................................................... 26 Oprah Winfrey ................................................................................................... 26 Early Years .................................................................................................. 27 Education ..................................................................................................... 32 Professional Life ........................................................................................... 34 Storytelling .................................................................................................. 38 Shonda Rhimes .................................................................................................. 45 Early Years .................................................................................................. 46 Education ..................................................................................................... 47 Professional Life .......................................................................................... 48 Storytelling .................................................................................................. 58 6. LIMITATIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH ..................................................... 63 7. ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION ......................................................................... 65 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 70 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The Hollywood industry has never been an easy place for a Black woman. Once, not even being allowed to grace the screen, Black women have struggled and fought for their place in an industry that did not want them nor felt they needed them. Even when they could be on the screen it was in positions of servitude and always beneath a white person. For example, the first Black woman to star in a major television series was Ethel Waters, who played the maid in the show Beulah (1950-1951). Over the last few decades, things have changed greatly, but it still is not easy. Women of all races still struggle for positions not just on the screen, but behind the scenes as well. Even today Black women are still a minority in Hollywood, despite some of the growing recognition that they are achieving. You hear even less about the women that work behind the scenes creating ideas and stories for people of color so that relatable stories can be told for an audience that does not always see themselves represented in television. In the new scripted shows for the 2016-2017season, 90% of showrunners are white and 80% are male. Based on the five broadcast networks: NBC, CBS, ABC, The CW, and Fox, only 4% of the showrunners are non-White females (Ryan, 2016). With such a small percentage it is still hard to get the representation that is needed for Black women. 2 This representation is becoming more and more important to people who watch these shows. Even though the numbers are small, the industry is recognizing that with America’s increasingly diverse audience, that audience demands characters whose experiences are like theirs, characters who look like them, and with whom they can relate. The best way to do this is to hire showrunners who have lived experiences, of racial, economic and social inequality. By having programs that were primarily in scripted shows for female leads, broadcast television for leads, and show creators of colors they gained a wider audience. The increase is very small and could use a lot more work, it is headed in the right direction (City News Service, 2018). It is vastly important that women of color have this representation of themselves, especially in the media that is such a large part of people’s everyday lives. The average American spends 719 minutes daily with some source of media, whether it is television, computers, radio, or cellphones (Statista, 2018). That means that daily people spend almost half of their time with media. With this much interaction with media on a regular basis, people are constantly having information input from the daily usage of their chosen media platforms. If people are spending this much time with media, it is important that they are seeing people who look like them and who share their goals and aspirations. When you see someone that is like you achieve a goal, it becomes much easier to believe that the same successful path is possible for you too. It could be a young girl dreaming of what she will be when she grows up, or a graduate starting off their career, or a middle manager aspiring to reach the senior executive level — they will all set their sights higher when they have someone to look up to. So, if you think of these success stories as nothing more than 3 entertainment, it’s time to look again; they are powerful tools in the push for gender equality (Varalli, 2017). It is easy to tell people that you can be anything you put your mind to. We ingrain in children from a young age that they can be anything that they want to be. As inspiring as this is, it is hard to believe when you are not a member of the dominant group. It is far easier to believe when everyone that is successful looks like you. When one is a member of a minority, that belief diminishes especially when no one in power looks like you. If children of color do not see doctors, lawyers, actors, actresses, entrepreneurs, or any other profession that looks like them, they are not going to believe that they could do it as well. More recently, however, researchers have documented the heterogeneity in academic achievement among African American students and have explored factors that may contribute to positive educational outcomes within this group. Among the factors that have been explored, racial identity has emerged as a construct that has been predictive of African American middle and late adolescents’ academic outcomes. Researchers have, for example, found that stronger racial group affiliation and connectedness may promote more academic motivation among African American middle and high school students. This increased motivation may stem from a heightened awareness of the institutional barriers African Americans have traditionally faced in accessing education and a desire to work hard in school to overcome these barriers. Furthermore, feeling connected to other African Americans may help African American adolescents reject the negative perceptions of their group held by members of other racial and ethnic groups. (Hurd & Sanchez, 2012, p. 1196) Minority characters in film and on television are most often represented as stereotypes with no social power and little or no economic wealth leaving them with no place in the American dream. In 2008, America got its very first Black president. Out of 45 presidents so far only one has been Black. Yet we continue to tell children that they, too, could be president one day. For Blacks everywhere, Obama’s election was a groundbreaking event but even more so 4 for Black children who finally saw someone like them leading the most powerful country in the world. America is still struggling to have a woman of any race become president. Instances like this is so important. Even on a smaller scale of television production, it becomes important