Passing for Black: A cultural hegemonic perspective on the signification of contemporary images of Black women in mainstream magazine advertisements to African-American female consumers

Hegemony theory explains that one mechanism through which advertising influences a subculture is by its ability to shape or redefine that subculture. It does so by creating new or more palatable representations of important features of the subculture in promoting products and services to mainstream audiences. One possible example of hegemony in American culture is the evolution of the portrayal of the African-American female in advertising. The derogatory stereotypic images used in the early part of the 20th century (e.g., dark complexioned, sexless characters such as Aunt Jemima) have given way to more contemporary images of blackness, which commonly depict African-American females as sensual beings with light skin and long, straight hair. As a result, the standard of what is considered an “attractive” African-American female, according to mainstream advertisements, is Eurocentric-looking models who are merely “passing” for Black.; This study explored the question of whether the images used to portray African-American females in mainstream magazine advertising today reflect how these women perceive themselves. The study used qualitative methodology, employing two sets of focus groups to collect data. Initially, focus groups were used to explore the perceptions of African-American models held by middle-class African-American females aged 24 and older. Participants' responses were analyzed using the CATPAC program.; These responses were then used to develop a battery of facial features, using a cultural palette, which was intentionally loaded with “cultural meanings and nuances of meanings” that are relevant to contemporary African-American females. Participants in the focus groups were then instructed to create two facial portrayals: one that represented the type of Black woman they see most often in mainstream magazine advertisements, and one that represented themselves. Semantic differential scaling was used to evaluate the completed facial composites created by participants.; The study found that contemporary images used to portray Black women in mainstream advertisements are not representative of how middle-class African-American women see themselves. This finding indicates that these individuals did perceive a ‘hegemonic effect’ of magazine advertising, although it may be much more subtle than that produced by the stereotypical imagery of the past. One other finding was that, based upon the significant differences between participants' perceptions of themselves and that of African-American models, ‘leaky hegemony’ may partially explain their ability to form counter-hegemonic meanings that reflect their own sense of what is attractive.