Atlanta Season 3 Episode 6
Season 3 Episode 6 of Atlanta takes place in France and is titled “White Fashion.” When a major fashion designer insensitively puts “Central Park 5” on a new clothing line and uses the tragedy to promote the brand a diversity board is put together to help with public relations. Paper Boi is asked to be on the panel and initially agrees to get free clothing from the brand. He appears to care more about the clothing than the cause. During a press event to talk about the issue Paper Boi is asked if racism is over and exclaims that it is not and begins to discuss why not. Before long another member of the panel, Khalil, jumps in and pushes a message of inclusion desired by the brand. After the press event the panel meets in private. But rather than discussing steps to create change each member angles for money and personal perks like Black Panther 2 premiere tickets. Paper Boi’s stance shifts, and he takes a different approach and proposes an idea to support black owned businesses. The group initially thinks he’s crazy but they come around and support the idea. He records a video talking about it and is excited to make a difference.
When a commercial using Paper Boi’s audio comes out it is not in line with what Paper Boi envisioned. Rather than a push to promote black businesses the commercial is diverse and features other races. Paper Boi is incensed and goes to confront the designer and others from the brand. He is very upset when he gets there and Khalil attempts to calm him down. He reminds Paper Boi that he can still change things and suggest he start his own charity. But Paper Boi seems worn out from the experience. The episode highlights two concepts from Chapter 8. The first I noticed was viral media. The brand goes viral for a bad reason at the beginning and tries to create a new campaign to go viral in a more positive way. Even though Paper Boi did not approve the new commercial seemed to go over well and achieve the desired result. Another concept it made me think about was brand exploitation. But whereas brand exploitation uses established companies to promote products people were exploited to help the brand. Although the diversity group gained some benefit, they were used to promote the brand as inclusive. This method is often used in real life situations where a company or individual lean on the reputation of someone or an institution to help clear their name. The episode does a great job showing a peek behind the curtain of brand management and public relations.
Atlanta’s sixth episode was a strong addition to an already great season. Paper Boi’s approach changed throughout the episode from not caring to caring a lot to appearing disheartened in the end. He did not accomplish what he wanted but he got more done than he would have previously. This episode was not only a societal critique but a moment of growth for one of the show’s main characters. Paper Boi has been finding his voice outside of singing this season and has been going hard for what he believes in. This was a great opportunity to weave his emergence and drive home a problem with how celebrities and brands interact with the public when under duress. It will be interesting to see where this season goes as some episodes have been standalone while others have included the main characters. If episode six is any indication there is much to look forward to this season.
