The US media and entertainment industry represents chic by pushing a certain image to the masses. With the help of social media; companies such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. we are all at the mercy of it’s cookie cutter idea of “cool.” Especially when it is constantly in front of our faces.

Regarding to gender in media, women are pressured on how they present themselves. You have to be flawless and sexy to be determined worthy. However, don’t forget that oozing sex appeal will result in backlash. Too much skin you are deemed a thirsty, attention seeking whore. How’s a girl to succeed with such opposing criteria.

Many of US social media influencers are highly criticized for their appropriation of minority groups. White instagram models dress up in feather headdresses claiming it is “cool” and post photos from there *insert festival name here.* It leaves a very negative taste in mouths when white women appropriate minority’s cultures when they don’t show respect or advocate for those people. Being the sexy Indian, feathers and all in disrespectful to Native Americans who have suffered greatly at the hands of colonialism. Another is example is when white women began to wear certain styles of braids because they saw a celebrity doing it. It is hurtful to many black women because they take so much pride in their hairstyles. When white women wear braids they don’t have to carry the baggage of marginalization and oppression that a person of color does.

When it come to sexuality and how the media utilizes it as hip, I think is more a newer issue. Within media we have negative and hurtful commentary trying to tear down women, people of color, and individuals in the LGBTQ2+ community all the time. We are constantly *ding* notified of how terrible trolls can be.

In order to combat this seemingly never ending newsfeed of hate and disrespect I think an intersectional approach would bring forth a platform for inclusive discourse. Learning and applying aspects of Critical Race Theory, examining how we can reconstruct how society views and interacts with race, racism, and power.

Bibliography:

Noble, Safiya Umoja, and Brendesha M. Tynes. The Intersectional Internet: Race, Sex, Class and Culture Online. Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2016.