Essence: Accurately Reflect the ethnic group or does it ...
I purchased the November issue of Essence Magazine, which is primarily an African American publication. Judging by the type of products being advertised in this magazine its target economic demographic is middle to upper class. Does Essence magazine accurately reflect the African American ethnic group or does it merely cast black models into "white roles"? This magazine is filled with articles that relate to women, while some of the pieces are not limited by a specific race, most of the content is meant to reach the middle class African American woman. One of the major articles is a piece on domestic violence and the rising occurrence of violence among teenage couples. This is a concerning issue among many races, but the article was laced with black stasticis and the real-life stories involved black girls as the victims of domestic violence at the hands of black teenage boys. There is no doubt that this article could have been written with facts and stories featuring any race. This does not discount its validity as an ethnic article, or its importance to its readers. Domestic violence is a global issue we cannot limit the contents of this magazine only to things that happen to or affect the black population.
Recently on a TV show this same type of boot was featured as the newest trend maybe it is the intention of the media to just embrace the largest group possible by using broad content knowing that not all content will appeal to every reader. Mothers might find it easy to identify with the story because a mom can understand wanting your child to do well and grow up to marry in the image of their mom. There are multi-racial marriages amongst all races but the black man and white woman is the most common with over 200,000 such marriages today. These ads do not appear as made over white ads with black models dropped in. The piece "Bring me home a black woman" breaks down the common side effects of black men marrying outside their race. These ads all seem natural and well fit for the economic class of Essence's intended audience. In most of these ads the models are black and are similar to ads in other magazines for the same products. General merchandise ranges from personal care to automobiles. The emotions and ideas described are more commonly felt among minorities. Essence targets and reaches a distinctly defined group; middle to upper class, educated African Americans. This article could be written to portray any race but we live in a time where as a society we try to create racial harmony, to valiantly declare white women should only marry white men would be insensitive and racial. Both pages were created similarly and both seem to be a little on the outrageous side. Ads are believable and display natural interactions, they appear no more perfect than any other ad containing white models. The ethnic specific advertisements include specialized hair care and make-up to compliment the darker complexion. The mom gives great details as to how a black man not marring within his race makes the black woman feel rejected with this information she is trying to raise awareness with the hopes of building proud, strong black communities.
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