What's happened to dark women?

[Ollie]

In BLAZING SADDLES, Gene Wilder yanks Cleavon Little out from behind a boulder so he can ask some Klansmen, "Where are the white wimmen?!!"

I want to know "Where are the black women" and, more specifically, where are the dark women?

They sure aren't in Hollywood films, TV or marketing campaigns. I don't know the ratio of dark African-American males being employed in film, TV and ads compared to dark women, but it could be - what? - 5000-to-1? 100,000-to-zero? I can't remember the last contemporary film, TV show or ad (commercials or print-ads) where a woman darker than the man is employed.

What's happened to dark women? Have they been outlawed? I still see them in real-life...I believe I do, at least. But is Hollywood and Madison Avenue trying to propogandize them out of existence?

And where is the outcry from this segment (and all others) of the population? The silence is as deafening as their Hollywood/Madison Avenue absence.

By excluding these people from public embodiment, what signal is this sending? "You're not right for this..."? "You're not the market we're interested in"? "You're not attractive enough?" "You're just flat-out wrong for living"?

Oh boy...I can hardly wait for these standards to be applied to everyone. Steve Buscemi and many, many others may never see another dollar, much less daybreak.

[Ollie]

I apologize to those who find this topic offensive, but for the last decade, I've been among those silently wondering but never speaking this question out-loud.

[Opiate]

Okay, curious...do you think this is really a matter of "banning them" or maybe these woman may not be that interested in the profession?? Despite what people may think, no everyone wants to be famous. I mean, being famous there is a very high standard of "perfection" to live up to...for everyone. I happen to find everyone beautiful.

[Carl]

Ollie, I get the sense that Hollywood and Madison Avenue make a concerted effort to include people of many colors in movies, TV shows and commercials. Think about it - if there's a car commercial and 4 friends (not family members) are in the vehicle, I can almost guarantee they will not all be the same color. I don't watch enough TV to comment, but movies seem to be the same thing.

I read an article on race once where the author said that many people believe society is integrated because that's what we see on TV, but it's not so much the case in real life. Eventually, we'll all be brown and it won't be a big deal.

[MuzikTyme]

Eventually, we'll all be brown and it won't be a big deal.

Excellent insight. Frankly, I'll be glad when the day comes. But then, what will people bitch about?

[Andrea18107]

I see many black women in film, television, talk shows. In fact the richest female celebrity, I believe, is Oprah Winfrey. She's very dark. She's been in film, T.V. series, and she has her own talk show. If you want a list you can go to blackflix.com.

[Tenacious_Peaches]

One word...Omarosa!

[Tammy19018]

Doh!

[spawnfreak]

Well, Queen Latifa has my vote -

She is a strong, black, and beautiful woman (she's the covergirl on this month's GLAMOUR).

She has a rap career, and a movie career (Barbershop, Chicago, Bringing Down the House, etc.plenty others).

She is also a COVERGIRL makeup model.

Then there's always Halle Berry.

Gabrielle Union.

Jada Pinkett.

They are all talented, and beautiful.

I'm sure you guys out there could name more>>>>> Come ON!!

[Opiate]

Good point...except...by "dark women" he didn't mean just African American...he meant "dark" African American women...do you see the difference? ::