1. Matthew Croak 13/12/2014
Dr. Katie Moylan MS2006
Change in the Representation of Race in Media Texts
Contemporary media, much like society, has evolved to match the ethos of the
particular time period in which it is presented. Government legislation as well as social
reformation has undergone radical changes in how diversity is addressed. Throughout
history, modes of representing race and ethnicity in the media are examples of this
societal change. “Critical Race Theory is the product of a specific geographical history
and context.” (Möschel, 8) While this statement was made in regard to analyses of
legislation, I think it can be applied to the critical analysis of racial representation in the
media and how it has changed over time.
In order to analyze media and its representation of race, it is important to look at the
context and time period in which the media representation is presented. Media texts, such
as television, advertisements, and print media reflect the audience and time period in
which they are received. Throughout history, social norms have been subject to change,
whether to obey legal reformation or social action. A myriad of influences can lead to
change is societal composition and ultimately change social ideals and understanding.
This means that the media’s representation of race is also subject to change. Media
representation of race has changed a lot over the last few decades and will change even
more in the future. One example of racial representation in media texts undergoing
extensive change to coincide with a specific time period is the Aunt Jemima logo.
Today, Aunt Jemima is a widely recognized brand that gained recognition for being
the first “ready” pancake mix. Now it is one of the largest companies to produce ready-
made breakfast products, such as frozen waffles and pancakes and probably its most
famous product, syrup. Chris Rutt and Charles Underwood of the Pearl Milling Company
established Aunt Jemima in 1889. There have been four logo changes and six different
female actors to be the live face of Aunt Jemima. It was in the early years of
establishment when the face of Aunt Jemima took on its first form.
The inspiration for the first Aunt Jemima logo came in 1889 when Rutt attended
vaudeville show. A performer in black face was singing a song called “Aunt Jemima.” In
addition to black makeup, the performer wore an apron and a bandana, depicting a
stereotypical black housemaid. Rutt thought the character and name were perfect for his
and Underwood’s new rising pancake flower. The first logo depicted a black-faced
woman with an apron and bandana with an absurdly wide grin and full lips. This logo,
given the time period in which it was established, was socially and commercially
acceptable. It was even enjoyable. Black face performance, the mammy character, a black
maid, this was a socially acceptable stereotype for black women in the United States.
However, based on today’s standards, this logo would be considered offensive. And as
the times changed, so did the Aunt Jemima logo.
The next alteration of “Aunt Jemima” in 1933 was not quite as absurd as the first
depiction. The second logo still showed a woman with a very black face, apron and
bandana, but her smile wasn’t quite as large and her features appear to be more detailed.
It looks as if the person who drew the second logo took more time and effort to draw the
“mammy” character, one that wears baggy, tattered clothes. The logo doesn’t look quite

2. as exaggerated as its predecessor. Despite the changes, today this logo is considered
racist. But if we look at its development in its historical context, it was socially
acceptable. Some advertisements for the pancake mix even contained narration along
with the image. The narrations were meant to be Aunt Jemima herself talking about her
product. But this Aunt Jemima was not very well spoken. Her vernacular sounded more
like the stereotypical black slang. She said things like fo’ when she meant for, I’se when
she meant I am, and chilluns was how she said children. Given the social context, this
was an acceptable and even enjoyable novelty that was added to the trademark. But as
time progressed, and society’s view towards black people and black culture changed, so
did the logo.
In the 1950’s, Aunt Jemima began to look more like an actual person than a cartoon.
Still adorning an apron and bandana, her face is not quite as black. Her skin was lighter,
but still very dark. She also looks much heavier than the first logos perhaps to better
emulate her human counter-part, Ayelene Lewis. Her smile appears more subdued and
genuine. She does not have a smile literally from ear to ear and her lips are not as wide.
By today’s standards, this can be looked at as racist, but the stereotypical assumptions are
not quite as overt in this logo as in its predecessors. The narrations also improved. There
were some instances where she said fo’ when she meant for, but the slang was not as
obviously derogatory as the prior advertisement. This logo managed to remain the
trademark image for the company until 1989, when the last logo was implemented.
For the last 25 years, the face of Aunt Jemima can be considered as more racially
tolerant and socially acceptable based on present media standards. Aunt Jemima appears
to be more slender than the logos before her, and her skin is much lighter. In addition to
anatomical changes, her clothes are different. She now wears pearl earrings, deviating
from the stereotypical plantation-style mammy character that would not be able to afford
such a luxury. Her hair is no longer hidden underneath a bandana and her torso is not
visible so we cannot see an apron. But are these changes making Aunt Jemima appear
more socially acceptable or just making her appear whiter? Of course black face is
offensive, but why make her skin so light? Could this media text be changing to
accommodate a white majority rather than simply appeasing offended minorities?
During the 1920’s, the black community “saw the figure [Aunt Jemima] as a
demeaning representation of white desires for blacks to smilingly accept servile, socially
inferior roles.” (Brown, 9) However, during this time period began the implementation of
Jim Crow legislation in the south. The Jim Crow laws legally segregated and ultimately
oppressed the black community. The concerns of the black community were recognized,
but not taken too seriously. Even though African Americans were legally free, they were
still socially inferior and legally constrained. This is why the first change to Aunt Jemima
slogan was minimal. But more substantial changes to the logo would soon be made as the
black community was becoming more socially accepted and respected. “Many of the
changes that occurred in the portrayal and appearance of the blacks in advertising were
directly related to adverse reactions by them [black community] to such pejorative
representations during the civil rights movement.” (Kern-Foxworth, xix)
It is apparent through Aunt Jemima’s rise to fame that the novelty of a cheerful black-
faced housemaid was very successful among an audience of a white majority. White
people seemed to enjoy looking at a black woman in the most stereotypical sense.
Perhaps this is because the media representation of black people only a few decades

3. earlier was mostly in some way related to slavery. Whether the media texts were
advertising slaves for sale or slaves that ran away or the civil war, the media
representation of black people was ultimately negative.
But with the abolition of slavery, and the end of the civil war, the white majority
began to form new opinions about the black community. Some good and some bad but
changes in opinion nonetheless. As the time period changed, so did public opinion and
the representation of race in media texts. As race became more diverse in the media,
black people became more popular in media texts. More evidence of media
representation of minorities improving over the past few decades is the change in which
black celebrities are becoming more popular in mainstream society.
The most prominent black figures in media texts in recent years have been considered
to have more white features than natural African ones. Celebrities such as Rihanna,
Beyonce, Will Smith and Chris Brown are only a few of the most prominent black figures
in mainstream society, but one thing that they have in common is that their lighter skin
color. Women like Rihanna and Beyonce have been considered among the most beautiful
black women in popular culture. But they have lighter skin, long straight (sometimes
blonde) hair as opposed to a more natural African look, with darker skin and Afro hair.
Black figures in media texts are no longer publicized in the stereotypical, servile way
they have been in the past, but is the media giving more favor for the figures that have
whiter characteristics? This seemed to be the case up until this year.
This year, People Magazine named someone with more natural black features as their
Most Beautiful Woman. In 2014, Lupita Nyong'o, with her short Afro hair and darker
complexion was named People’s Most Beautiful Woman. Other black women had been
named Most Beautiful, such as Beyonce in 2012 and Halle Berry in 2003, but these
women had lighter complexions and hair that was not Afro. In the 2014 People article
where she was named Most Beautiful, Nyong'o said that she used to think beauty
consisted of, “light skin and long, flowing, straight hair." This illustrates how her
perception of black beauty and representation has changed. She used to think lighter skin
and straight hair was more commercially desirable, but as race became more
appropriately represented she has confidence in her own beauty. In addition to Nyong’o,
other more natural African stars such as Viola Davis are more prevalent in media texts
than they were 20 years ago.
Marilyn Kern-Foxworth has brought up some very valuable points in her book about
blacks in advertising, but there is one argument she makes that I have to disagree with.
On page 49, she talks about black celebrities in advertising and she quotes Jube Shiver
from his book, Black Enterprise. The quote reads, “…Their [black celebrities]
appearance has increasingly become more strategic and less symbolic.” This quote is
included in the book in order to make a case for continued misrepresentation of blacks in
media texts. By including this quote, Kern-Foxworth is insinuating that casting black
celebrities in advertisements is merely a marketing strategy used to gain black
consumers. There could be a correlation between black consumerism and black celebrity
spokespeople, but I do think that casting black celebrities in commercials is more than
just a racial gimmick.
Kern-Foxworth uses three examples to present her argument for heightened use of
blacks in adveritising in the 1980’s. She presents Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby and
Michael Jordon. In the case of Michael Jackson, he was the Pepsico spokesperson in the

4. 1980’s after his success following his album, Thriller. Once Jackson started getting
plastic surgery and altering his skin tone to be lighter, it seems to have had an impact on
the black community. “Pepsico has shied away from Jackson in more recent years
because black youths have voiced disapproval of his plastic surgery and injections to
make his facial appearance and lighten his skin tone.” (Kern-Foxworth, 50)
It is true that black youths disapproved of Jackson’s attempts to “deny his heritage
and become more European,” (Kern-Foxworth, 50) but she fails to present any marketing
data that shows correlation between black disapproval and Pepsico reduction in sales.
Just because he isn’t as black doesn’t mean that he deterred the black community from
purchasing Pepsico products. He was not originally cast as the spokesperson because he
was black. He was cast as the Pepsico spokesperson because he was very famous at the
time. The case is the same for Cosby and Jordon.
Cosby was one of the most famous and successful black actors during the 1970’s and
1980’s. His recognizable humor and his popular voice-overs made him the perfect
spokesperson for products like Coca-Cola and Jell-O. Cosby was cast because he was one
of the most famous and commercially influential personalities at the time, not because he
was black. And the same goes for Jordon. He was (an is still regarded by many) the
greatest basketball player to ever play the game. Of course he was famous and
inspirational, someone that young athletes could look up to. He was used in advertising
for his public appeal, his impressive athleticism and not solely because he was black.
Kern-Foxworth is trying to equate black exploitation in advertising in the early
1900’s to the more socially acceptable and objective advertising of the late 1900’s. I
strongly disagree with this argument. I believe that media representation of race has
changed drastically since the first Aunt Jemima black faced logo. Present day
representation of black people does not reinforce and promote plantation life or the
mammy character as an icon of black culture. Racial representation in media today is not
perfect, but it has certainly improved.
Perhaps the reason why racial representation in media texts has changed is because
social norms have changed, not because minority celebrities inspire minority
consumerism. Throughout history, fashion styles, cultural behaviors and societal
migrations have changed (along with different cultural icons and influences). “The huge
migration of blacks into the cities and urban centres of the North…profoundly challenged
the ‘relations of representation’ between racially define groups in American society.”
(Hall, 256) This “huge migration” is an example of societal shifts that have occurred at
different periods in time.
Another reason why the racial representation in the media has improved is because
the means for monitoring media activity has improved. Also, the ability for people to
access media texts and the capacity to store said texts has become more innovative. John
Downing sheds light on the recent scrutiny that media has come under. In his book,
Representing Race: Racisms, Ethnicity and the Media, which he co-authored with
Charles Husband, he explains why the media has come under such increased scrutiny in
recent years. “From the individual concerns of committed young scholars pursuing their
own agendas in masters and doctoral research, through to the funded activities of
organizations such as Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting or Accuracy in the Media, the
media are subject to continued scrutiny.” (Downing, 145) By saying “the individual

5. concerns,” he is identifying the scrutiny that the media face under personal and individual
opinions, rather than institutional regulation.
On the institutional level, Accuracy in the Media was founded in 1969, well after the
initial logo for Aunt Jemima came to be the face of a company. Also, the Fairness and
Accuracy in Reporting foundation was not founded until 1986, this is only a few years
before the final alteration to the Aunt Jemima logo. Downing and Husband are not saying
that these foundations are directly responsible for the amendment of the logo and neither
am I. What I am trying to present is that the mere presence of more media monitoring
agencies could have given rise to more criticisms of various forms of media, such as
advertisements. Before any of these foundations were established, the acceptable mammy
stereotype and popularization of plantation life style was largely responsible for labeling
and identifying what black culture was to a white majority.
As time progresses, social norms and ideals evolve. As these ideals and norms evolve,
the media responds, adapting its methods of communication to reflect the time in which it
is being presented. This is applicable for technology, for popular culture, and for race. I
disagree with the argument that the representation of race in media texts has not
undergone some change. The changes to the Aunt Jemima Logo support the idea that as
time periods change and society adapts to new social standards, so does racial
representation in the media. In the early years of the Aunt Jemima Company, the socially
acceptable view of black people was a servile black-faced mammy character. But as time
progressed, new ideas and social assumptions drove the Aunt Jemima Company to
change its logo to appear more socially and racially acceptable.
The way in which race is represented in the media has changed quite a lot over the
last century. Even in the last few decades the media has become more racially inclusive
to more than just the black community. Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, these are just a
few races that were at one time or another virtually never in the media. I am not trying to
dispel racism or other types of racially stereotypical phenomenon. I am aware that racial
representation in media texts today is still suffering from various forms inequity. The
argument that I am making is that there have been many changes (even improvements) in
the representation of race in the media.
Society is constantly changing as time progresses. At one period in time, black people
were looked at as white property. At another time they were not property but were still
inferior. Today, schools are integrated and minorities have been accepted into the higher
political sphere. And as these social changes occurred to satisfy the time periods in which
they took place, so did changes in media representation. From an offensive, servile,
plantation-inspired logo to a more wholesome and neutral representation of a black
woman. In the past, the most beautiful black women were those who had lighter skin and
longer hair, but now it seems a woman with a more natural, African look can be
considered just as beautiful in media text. Representation of race in the media is by no
means perfectly equal and objective, but the positive changes that racial representation
has undergone are indicative of future progress.

6. References
 Brown, Nikki L.M. and Stentiford, Barry M. (2008) The Jim Crow Encyclopedia.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.
 Downing, John and Husband, Charles. (2005) Representing Race: Racisms,
Ethnicity and the Media. Illinois, USA/ West Yorkshire, England: Sage.
Publications Inc.
 Hall, Stuart. (1997) ‘The Spectacle of the “Other”’ in Representation: Cultural
Representations and Signifying Practices. London/Thousand Oaks, CA/New
Delhi: Sage.
 Kern-Foxworth, Marilyn. (1994) Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, and Rastus: Blacks in
Advertising, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
 Möschel, Mathias. (2014) Law, Lawyers and Race: Critical Race Theory from the
US to Europe. London, England: Routledge; Taylor and Francis Group.
 Aunt Jemima. (2014) The Quaker Oats Company.
http://www.auntjemima.com/aj_history/
 African American Registry. (2013) Black Women in America: An Historical
Encyclopedia. http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/nancy-green-
original-aunt-jemima
 Jordon, Julie and Coulton, Antoinette Y. (2014) People.
http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20360857_20809287,00.html