“Dark Girls,” a documentary exploring the impact of equating beauty with whiteness, will be played at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Art and Journalism building room 175.
The documentary emphasizes the impact racism has, specifically on women. Women throughout the world share their stories about how their self esteem has been affected and questions of what beauty is and how the idea was established are discussed.
“Whiteness often becomes this kind of invisible default,” said Emily Rutter, assistant professor of English. “The film works to make whiteness visible as a race and teach us that it comes with certain privileges.”
Rutter said the film is important and relevant as media, including movies and commercials, constantly influences how individuals view themselves.
“The media represents the ideal woman as someone who is white, thin, heterosexual in orientation,” Rutter said. “That becomes internalized and it’s difficult to have self esteem when those images are so pervasive.”
Associating beauty and skin color is something that Kathryn Gardiner, assistant professor of English, said is being spread throughout the world. With commercials like the Dove advertisement that shows an African American removing her shirt to reveal a white woman underneath, Gardiner said “we are accidentally exporting self-hatred.”
“‘Dark Girls’ sheds light on a topic that gets lost inside larger discussions of race and gender,” Gardiner said.
While the film focuses on women specifically, Rutter said that the documentary can be relatable to anyone because it brings up the point that “the principal of what our society defines as normal” is a category that “hardly anyone fits into.”
“I think everyone feels a sense of self doubt and insecurity when they aren’t capable of living up to those ideals,” Rutter said. “Men and everyone can relate to that rigid notion of what’s beautiful and how it becomes destructive for self esteem.”
Rutter and Gardiner want the film to prompt discussion and inspire creative resolutions to issues on campus and in the classroom. Rutter also urges students to view both the documentary and media they consume “with a critical eye.”
“We must be reminded of the importance of critical thinking when we’re engaging with media,” Rutter said. “We can come together as a campus and community across the lines of difference.”
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