Black Women in Progressive Animation: Stereotypes Remain

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the portrayal of Black women in animated cartoons due to the boom of animated cartoons progressing towards the positive representation of marginalized groups such as the LGBT community. Such change reflects the television industry as a whole as well, however, Black women remain negatively depicted in television and in animation. Black women are typically depicted in either of the three categories: The promiscuous and hypersexual Jezebel, the jolly caretaker called the Mammy, and the bossy, stubborn Sapphire. Black women have been categorized into either of these stereotypes since the beginning of television, therefore this paper will analyze two popular animated shows that portray marginalized groups in a positive light: Craig of the Creek and Steven Universe, to determine the portrayal of Black women in the shows and how the portrayal may differ or coincide. This paper is important because psychologists and scholars have determined that black youth view more television than their white peers. A black high schooler watches television three times more than a white child, starting at four hours a day. These psychologists and researchers have argued that the repeated exposure of television shows that feature stereotyped Black people creates negative perceptions of Black people by others, and these stereotypes may also have a negative impact on black youth and how they perceive themselves. Major findings have determined that the Cartoon Network show Steven Universe does an ill portrayal of Black female characters while Craig of the Creek does a positive portrayal of Black female characters. In spite of the shows having white creators, the contrast may be due to the off-screen representation has Steven Universe's team does not have Black women in executive or production, while Craig of the Creek has a flux of Black animators, producers, writers, and executives, thus giving them power and a voice to portray their story in a more accurate manner.