Whitewashing in Hollywood: Where Did it Begin and Where Will it End?

Looking back on the films from the early 1900s and comparing how they depict minorities to modern day films, you would say that films have become a lot more progressive. This is hard to dispute considering Hollywood films from the early 1900s were filled with blackface and horrible racial stereotypes attempted to be reinforced in the most offensive ways possible. Blackface was prominent in the early 1900s by minstrel shows and vaudeville, both theatrical performances that gave blackface actors a platform to play the role of a black person in the most exaggerated, offensive and stereotypical manner. Not only was blackface relevant in live theater but also in Hollywood mainstream films, many films flourished like The Jazz Singer with Al Jolson or Birth of a Nation which followed the KKK through South Carolina. As the Civil Rights Movement progressed, as early as the 1940s, blackface became less accepted and was deemed racist, though racist ideas and characters still remained in movies. While the movie industry was trying to become more conscious of its offensiveness and attempted to avoid insults, the industry ultimately shut out minorities as a whole in doing so. Though blackface “stopped” around then, the movie industry has still not fixed its evidently large race issue and still overlooks minorities.

Obvious racism is in modern films, like Robert Downey Jr. blackfacing for his role in Tropic Thunder in 2008, which can easily be compared to the same racist characters that were shown in films in the early 1900s. On the other hand, racism can also been seen in casting choices where white actors are seen playing ethnic characters. Emma Stone is seen playing Allison Ng, a supposed half Chinese and half Native American girl, in Aloha. The casting of Emma Stone for that specific role is a prime example of the whitewashing issue that we see in Hollywood today. Rather than most movies getting an actor who would fit the “racial requirements” for a role, they go for the easily recognizable white actor whose clothing or makeup they can manipulate in order for them to come across as ethnic. This white prominence can seen in most Hollywood films, especially ones recognized at the Academy Awards.

In 2014 and 2015, zero minorities were up for any Academy Awards in the categories of best actor/actress or best supporting actor/actress. The fact that the Oscars do have a history of lack of diversity and that 94 percent of academy voters are white, does reflect poorly on the awards. Though the academy does reflect Hollywood films and society, which lack also representation and recognition of minorities. The Academy Awards are a product of the racist precedent that we set as a country and have been continuing on for a hundred years now. While progress is being made, like Tiana, a black Disney Princess in The Princess and the Frog or Finn in Stars Wars: The Force Awakens, these roles shouldn’t be milestones for the film industry and controversy shouldn’t come with introducing a black character to a franchise. Society needs to standardize African Americans and other minorities being important roles in films without it being a “black movie” and color blind casting should be a norm. All of this is easier said than done but if the academy, the Hollywood film industry and society as a whole wants to fix this race problem, we need to have a set agenda and institutionalize this idea of equality which we are missing now.