Minorities Still Under Represented

[amietron]

November 22, 2002
Minorities Still Under Represented on Magazine Covers

Minorities continue to be under represented on the covers of pop culture magazines and publications, according to a recent survey by the New York Times. Examining hundreds of magazine covers from 31 publications, the Times found the percentage of minority cover persons grew to just 20 percent in 2002 from 13 percent during 1998 to 2001. While minorities are gaining more exposure in fashion versus other pop culture magazines, Halle Berry in the December issue of Cosmopolitan remains only the fifth black Cosmo cover woman since 1964, the last one being Naomi Campbell in 1990. Details magazine editor Daniel Peres acknowledged, “Everyone is terrified of a misstep…While most people in the business would prefer it go unspoken because they are horrified at being perceived as racist, it is a well-known legend that blacks… do not help generate newsstand sales.”

Still, with minorities comprising 30 percent of the US population, some publications are shifting towards greater diversity. Teen magazines, for example, feature minority cover models on one-fourth of their issues. In the popular men’s magazine Maxim, nonwhite women took 5 of 12 covers last year. However, in pointing out that the change has more to do with “a certain attraction to exotic women” rather than “any political motivation,” editor-in-chief Keith Blanchard demonstrated that women, particularly minority women, have more obstacles to overcome.

The third annual Feminist Primetime Report, released last month by the National Organization for Women (NOW) concluded that television shows overwhelmingly focus on violence and sexual exploitation. NOW President Kim Gandy remarked, “Network programming sends a distorted, often offensive, image of women, girls and people of color—brought to you through the point-of-view of white men and boys. Television remains very much a man’s world, with women serving primarily as ‘eye candy.’” Last season, Asian American women portrayed only four key roles, and no representatives existed for Native American or Middle Eastern women.

http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=7302

[SunWuKong]

yup, asian women are good enough for white media to have a fetish for, but not good enough for high profile magazines to put on their covers.

[angel nympho]

I didn't know even MAGAZINE COVERS...something totally superficial as FUCK... can be turned into a political thing. *Sigh*

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by angel nympho@Nov 23 2002, 03:34 AM
I didn't know even MAGAZINE COVERS...something totally superficial as FUCK... can be turned into a political thing.  *Sigh*
just trying to make asian americans become more accepted to mainstream culture. each group has to strive for its own gains. statistics show that a woman's non-whiteness works against her being on a magazine cover. what else could that be but a "political" issue? and it's not what people wants to buy, it's what magazine editors think that people want to buy.

[angel nympho]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 23 2002, 08:36 AM
just trying to make asian americans become more accepted to mainstream culture. each group has to strive for its own gains.
I think Asian Americans are pretty mainstream. I just think there's not enough out there in the entertainment industry to have them on like, that many covers. Especially since the American media isn't about to put EVERY single Asian American entertainment person on a cover.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by angel nympho@Nov 23 2002, 03:37 AM
I think Asian Americans are pretty mainstream. I just think there's not enough out there in the entertainment industry to have them on like, that many covers. Especially since the American media isn't about to put EVERY single Asian American entertainment person on a cover.
how about african americans then? do you think there are enough famous ones? for a monthly magazine, there's only been 5 african american women on the cover of Cosmos since 1964.

[amietron]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 23 2002, 12:39 AM
how about african americans then? do you think there are enough famous ones? for a monthly magazine, there's only been 5 african american women on the cover of Cosmos since 1964.
Think of how many African American women there are/have been/were in the industry. Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Vanessa Williams, Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton, Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah :cry: and on and on and on..

and Mariah Carey and Tyra Banks..

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by amietron@Nov 23 2002, 06:44 PM
Think of how many African American women there are/have been/were in the industry. Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Vanessa Williams, Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton, Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah :cry: and on and on and on..

and Mariah Carey and Tyra Banks..
well, not sure if mainstream media ever considered mariah carey to be african american.

[AliBabaIncorporated]

Originally posted by amietron@Nov 24 2002, 07:44 AM
Think of how many African American women there are/have been/were in the industry. Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Vanessa Williams, Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton, Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah :cry: and on and on and on..

and Mariah Carey and Tyra Banks..
they got quite a bit of exposure in magazines targeted to blacks, as well as in general purpose entertainment magazines. beauty magazines basically exist to sell beauty products, many of which necessarily are gonna differ by race due to differences in skin, hair texture, etc. advertisers rely on this fact when placing advertisements - they want to maximize the response rate to their ads. magazine advertising prices are based on circulation - so it's cheaper to advertise in a magazine that has a smaller target market. If that target market matches the target market for an advertiser's product, the advertiser would obviously much rather advertise there rather than in some magazine which tries to be all-inclusive for the purposes of political orthodoxy. Expanding your reader base can have a negative effect on revenues from certain types of advertising.

If you really don't like a magazine, vote with your wallet. screw magazines anyway, i'm not basing my self-image or self-worth on whether the girl who shows up on the cover of Cosmo traces her ancestry to the same continent as me, people whose self-worth is tied up in mainstream perceptions of them need help in the form of a good talk.

[VV o n g B a]

i purposely avoided the recent maxim with lucy liu on the cover b/c of the exoticization issue. however in this month's magazine, some jackass white guy wrote in to complain about her interview where she said she had a tendancy to avoid men with "yellow fever." GO LUCY!!!

[Green_Circle]

Originally posted by VV o n g B a@Nov 24 2002, 09:05 AM
i purposely avoided the recent maxim with lucy liu on the cover b/c of the exoticization issue. however in this month's magazine, some jackass white guy wrote in to complain about her interview where she said she had a tendancy to avoid men with "yellow fever." GO LUCY!!!
I used to think that Lucy was really fugly. I think it's her eyes; too far spread or something, dunno. But these days all the photos and what not I've been seeing of her! Well she's looking none too shabby these days. I think it's the way the makeup fixed her up. And it helps that at least she screens out all the Asiaphiles b4 bedding them. But some of these philes are really sneaky, answering all queries as correcto as can be just to get the pokey pokey! Then after they get it they say, aha tricked ya!




;)

[Green_Circle]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 23 2002, 08:39 AM
how about african americans then? do you think there are enough famous ones? for a monthly magazine, there's only been 5 african american women on the cover of Cosmos since 1964.
Hey come on. That's about one every 8 yrs. Let's not get greedy!


:blink:

[angel nympho]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 23 2002, 08:39 AM
how about african americans then? do you think there are enough famous ones? for a monthly magazine, there's only been 5 african american women on the cover of Cosmos since 1964.
You're basing this on ONE magazine? Go to your local newsstand and see how many black people are on the covers of magazines OTHER than Cosmo.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by angel nympho@Nov 24 2002, 03:29 PM
You're basing this on ONE magazine? Go to your local newsstand and see how many black people are on the covers of magazines OTHER than Cosmo.
i think that is a good example of what other magazines like Cosmo does.

[angel nympho]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 24 2002, 08:41 PM
i think that is a good example of what other magazines like Cosmo does.
I don't think so. Cosmo isn't your "typcial" magazine. Cosmo is catered for white, horny, early middle-aged ladies in the business world. There's a lot of other magazines out there that do the same thing, only better.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by angel nympho@Nov 24 2002, 03:43 PM
I don't think so. Cosmo isn't your "typcial" magazine. Cosmo is catered for white, horny, early middle-aged ladies in the business world. There's a lot of other magazines out there that do the same thing, only better.
ok well. what are we really talking about here?

if the market research at Cosmo and similar magazines aren't accurate, then the editors are simply putting what's on the cover that they think their readers would like - which is unproportionately white.

if their market research is very accurate, then that means the readers care more about white people than minorities.

both are good issues to discuss.

so let's take it a step further. if their market research is very accurate AND their readers are mostly white, then that's a pretty good indication that white people care more about white people than minorities - which is perfectly natural, BUT considering that white people hold most of the decision making positions of power in this country, that is all the more reason asian americans and other minorities have to speak up, be political, and fight for their place in american society. because the people who are holding most of the positions of power in this country care more about white people than minorities.

[angel nympho]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 24 2002, 08:51 PM
ok well.  what are we really talking about here?

if the market research at Cosmo and similar magazines aren't accurate, then the editors are simply putting what's on the cover that they think their readers would like - which is unproportionately white.

if their market research is very accurate, then that means the readers care more about white people than minorities.

both are good issues to discuss.

so let's take it a step further.  if their market research is very accurate AND their readers are mostly white, then that's a pretty good indication that white people care more about white people than minorities - which is perfectly natural, BUT considering that white people hold most of the decision making positions of power in this country, that is all the more reason asian americans and other minorities have to speak up, be political, and fight for their place in american society.  because the people who are holding most of the positions of power in this country care more about white people than minorities.
It just bothers me that people complain about this, but when Maxim put Lucy Liu on the cover of their magazine, people call it exoticization or whatever that dood back there said. If Cosmo puts an Asian chick on their cover, what will you say about it anyway? "OHh, they're just trying to take advantage of the whole 'Asian is in' thing...."

Either way, I don't think there's enough well-known Asian hotties out there to have them be ALL over magazine covers. You really gotta be somebody to have them put you on the cover of Cosmo. And about the black people not being represented enough on Cosmo.... would you complain that there aren't enough white people represented on the cover of Vibe?

[angel nympho]

Originally posted by KuroBishounen@Nov 24 2002, 09:22 PM
Originally posted by angel nympho@Nov 24 2002, 08:56 PM
Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 24 2002, 08:51 PM
ok well. what are we really talking about here?

if the market research at Cosmo and similar magazines aren't accurate, then the editors are simply putting what's on the cover that they think their readers would like - which is unproportionately white.

if their market research is very accurate, then that means the readers care more about white people than minorities.

both are good issues to discuss.

so let's take it a step further. if their market research is very accurate AND their readers are mostly white, then that's a pretty good indication that white people care more about white people than minorities - which is perfectly natural, BUT considering that white people hold most of the decision making positions of power in this country, that is all the more reason asian americans and other minorities have to speak up, be political, and fight for their place in american society. because the people who are holding most of the positions of power in this country care more about white people than minorities.
It just bothers me that people complain about this, but when Maxim put Lucy Liu on the cover of their magazine, people call it exoticization or whatever that dood back there said. If Cosmo puts an Asian chick on their cover, what will you say about it anyway? "OHh, they're just trying to take advantage of the whole 'Asian is in' thing...."

Either way, I don't think there's enough well-known Asian hotties out there to have them be ALL over magazine covers. You really gotta be somebody to have them put you on the cover of Cosmo. And about the black people not being represented enough on Cosmo.... would you complain that there aren't enough white people represented on the cover of Vibe?
Let me ask you this:

If there aren't many African-Americans being represented in Cosmo(or other mags), why is it wrong for African-Americans to bridge that gap by putting themselves out there with their own magazine to represent themselves on their own terms?
It's not. That's what I'm saying. Instead of Asians bitching about not being on the cover of Cosmo, why don't they put themselves out there themselves...

[suresquared]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 24 2002, 12:51 PM
because the people who are holding most of the positions of power in this country care more about white people than minorities.
with that said, then isn't the lack representation an intrinsic quality of being a minority within an oversaturated majority?

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by angel nympho@Nov 24 2002, 03:56 PM
Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 24 2002, 08:51 PM
ok well. what are we really talking about here?

if the market research at Cosmo and similar magazines aren't accurate, then the editors are simply putting what's on the cover that they think their readers would like - which is unproportionately white.

if their market research is very accurate, then that means the readers care more about white people than minorities.

both are good issues to discuss.

so let's take it a step further. if their market research is very accurate AND their readers are mostly white, then that's a pretty good indication that white people care more about white people than minorities - which is perfectly natural, BUT considering that white people hold most of the decision making positions of power in this country, that is all the more reason asian americans and other minorities have to speak up, be political, and fight for their place in american society. because the people who are holding most of the positions of power in this country care more about white people than minorities.
It just bothers me that people complain about this, but when Maxim put Lucy Liu on the cover of their magazine, people call it exoticization or whatever that dood back there said. If Cosmo puts an Asian chick on their cover, what will you say about it anyway? "OHh, they're just trying to take advantage of the whole 'Asian is in' thing...."

Either way, I don't think there's enough well-known Asian hotties out there to have them be ALL over magazine covers. You really gotta be somebody to have them put you on the cover of Cosmo. And about the black people not being represented enough on Cosmo.... would you complain that there aren't enough white people represented on the cover of Vibe?
well no no, i mean i'm not going to protest in front of headquarters of various magazines or anything like that. i just think that it's good to be aware of what affects our community (the asian american community). and no, i always thought it did more good than bad to have asian women on magazine covers, unless they really fuck it up. but for the most part, i think they've been cool.

and no, i wouldn't complain that Vibe doesn't have any white people on their covers, because magazines like Vibe were created to purposely and explicitly target the african american market, and they were made to counter the absense of african americans in magazines like Cosmo.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by suresquared@Nov 24 2002, 07:10 PM
with that said, then isn't the lack representation an intrinsic quality of being a minority within an oversaturated majority?
absolutely. but that doesn't mean we should just accept marginalisation.

but yeah, this is the precise reason i'm going to take some of the advice i've been given and "go back to china".

[angel nympho]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 25 2002, 04:14 AM
Originally posted by angel nympho@Nov 24 2002, 03:56 PM
Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 24 2002, 08:51 PM
ok well. what are we really talking about here?

if the market research at Cosmo and similar magazines aren't accurate, then the editors are simply putting what's on the cover that they think their readers would like - which is unproportionately white.

if their market research is very accurate, then that means the readers care more about white people than minorities.

both are good issues to discuss.

so let's take it a step further. if their market research is very accurate AND their readers are mostly white, then that's a pretty good indication that white people care more about white people than minorities - which is perfectly natural, BUT considering that white people hold most of the decision making positions of power in this country, that is all the more reason asian americans and other minorities have to speak up, be political, and fight for their place in american society. because the people who are holding most of the positions of power in this country care more about white people than minorities.
It just bothers me that people complain about this, but when Maxim put Lucy Liu on the cover of their magazine, people call it exoticization or whatever that dood back there said. If Cosmo puts an Asian chick on their cover, what will you say about it anyway? "OHh, they're just trying to take advantage of the whole 'Asian is in' thing...."

Either way, I don't think there's enough well-known Asian hotties out there to have them be ALL over magazine covers. You really gotta be somebody to have them put you on the cover of Cosmo. And about the black people not being represented enough on Cosmo.... would you complain that there aren't enough white people represented on the cover of Vibe?
well no no, i mean i'm not going to protest in front of headquarters of various magazines or anything like that. i just think that it's good to be aware of what affects our community (the asian american community). and no, i always thought it did more good than bad to have asian women on magazine covers, unless they really fuck it up. but for the most part, i think they've been cool.

and no, i wouldn't complain that Vibe doesn't have any white people on their covers, because magazines like Vibe were created to purposely and explicitly target the african american market, and they were made to counter the absense of african americans in magazines like Cosmo.
It wasn't solely for the purpose of black people having a magazine, I don't think. But I do think it targets a black audience, the same way Cosmo targets a white audience. How come minorities can make magazines targetting their race, but white people can't?

[AliBabaIncorporated]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Nov 25 2002, 04:51 AM
so let's take it a step further. if their market research is very accurate AND their readers are mostly white, then that's a pretty good indication that white people care more about white people than minorities - which is perfectly natural, BUT considering that white people hold most of the decision making positions of power in this country, that is all the more reason asian americans and other minorities have to speak up, be political, and fight for their place in american society. because the people who are holding most of the positions of power in this country care more about white people than minorities.
fighting for a place in the representative government is one thing. fighting to be shown on the cover of white people's magazines? why do we need that? if it's natural for white people to prefer to see other white people in spheres like entertainment and fashion, and as a result of consumer preferences we're going to have too much trouble breaking in, and in order to break in we have to conform to their standards, why bother? leave them to their own cultural sphere ... we got better stuff to do with our time.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by AliBabaIncorporated@Nov 25 2002, 02:28 AM
fighting for a place in the representative government is one thing. fighting to be shown on the cover of white people's magazines? why do we need that? if it's natural for white people to prefer to see other white people in spheres like entertainment and fashion, and as a result of consumer preferences we're going to have too much trouble breaking in, and in order to break in we have to conform to their standards, why bother? leave them to their own cultural sphere ... we got better stuff to do with our time.
true.

bah! i'm so sick of "asian america". i miss HK. i loved living amongst the "really real" locals there.

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by angel nympho@Nov 25 2002, 01:16 AM
It wasn't solely for the purpose of black people having a magazine, I don't think. But I do think it targets a black audience, the same way Cosmo targets a white audience. How come minorities can make magazines targetting their race, but white people can't?
actually i would love to see more white groups that openly declare that they're doing things for white people, without being racist at the same time. the problem is that this is extremely rare or even non-existent.

[wylin]

look at the cover of import tuner or super street lotsa asian ladies and asian men at times! go ricky!

[LCY]

I think the Asian American community is trying to create their own images in independent film and alternative magazines, since the mainstream media doesn't seem to care. It's more than about putting pretty Asian (or Black, Latino) faces on pop culture magazines. It's about fair representation of minorities in all venues. Because race and representation does matter.

White people DO have their own magazines. Just look at the magazine covers in your bookstore the next time. Or the television. Or movies. It'll be mostly white, mostly young, mostly thin. Is it any wonder that Asians, Blacks, Latinos, and other minorites want to see faces that look like their own once in a while?