the multiracial trend
2.03.2004
I read an article (on msn.com, I think) awhile back on how media trends are favoring ethnically ambiguous models. Multiracial is in, apparently. The article cited actors like Jessica Alba and Vin Diesel as examples of the multiracial “look.”
Now, on one hand, you could say that this trend is a reflection of how the world is changing, and that the media is choosing people with the faces of the future, so to speak. From that perspective, the trend is a positive, a sign of progress.
On the other hand, you might say that this trend is, in fact, objectifying the people it is popularizing: that multiethnicity is hot because it's “exotic,” and these models are chosen for their “otherness,” rather than because they reflect the viewing population. In this light, media trends have not progressed at all — it's business as usual on Madison Avenue.
So which perspective holds the truth? I tend to think that, as in most situations, both do. I think it's pretty safe to say that the number of people with multiethnic backgrounds in the U.S. continues to grow. And I think any media trend that mirrors reality is a positive thing. Speaking as someone from an ethnic minority, I know it's usually pretty nice to see someone who “looks like me” in the media — it lets you feel you're not forgotten. And yet it is true that any media trend that focuses on a “look” inevitably objectifies the people with that look, to varying degrees. It's part of the nature of advertising and entertainment; they are machines to create desire by association. And though that process may have its negatives, it is at the same time universal — the blonde with the blue eyes is no less an object of desire than the brunette with the mocha skin.
So, in sum, it's all business as usual, no great enlightenment on the part of ad execs. But I do get to see a lot more faces that look like they might belong to my distant relations.
