Students defy stereotypes in entertainment
The Oscars annually commemorates notable cinematic achievements; the televised broadcast garners millions of viewers and is widely considered a cornerstone of the American entertainment industry. However, due to its influence, the Academy itself has been the point of varied speculation.
The film “Selma,” based off the life and experiences of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, received only a few nominations for this year’s Oscars. While some credit this disparity on the quality of the movie, others have brought up the Oscars’ history of alleged racial bias.
According to a 2014 survey taken by the Los Angeles Times, 94 percent of Oscars voters were found to be white, and 76 percent were male. In the same year, “12 Years a Slave” won Best Motion Picture, making it the first movie written and directed by an African American to win this title.
Both “12 Years a Slave” and “Selma” explored racism in America. It has been noted that these two movies were only able to garner eminence by invoking the stereotypical views and roles of the black personage throughout history.
“The medium of drama itself does not innately rely on stereotypes,” drama department head Seth Cohen said. “But it is prevalent.”
Junior Maija Nahte notes that entertainment can have insidious effects on an impressionable audience.
“I’ve noticed that, for example, most African American girls on television have straightened hair,” Nahte said. “So whenever I wear my natural curly hair, both I and the people around me tend to see it as somewhat out of place.”
Former Peninsula student Kristin Andersson graduated in 2007, and has since then pursued professional acting and make-up artistry outside southern California.
“As I’ve explored other mediums of film more, I’ve come to regard the Oscars as somewhat stereotypical in themselves—like a popularity contest,” Andersson said. “The Oscars makes up a very, very small portion of the entertainment industry as a whole; it’s just the big history and weight of the Oscars that makes certain things seem contrived and misrepresentative of the industry.”
Andersson notes that certain big names in the entertainment industry such as the Oscars often end up misrepresenting the industry as a whole.
Cohen notes that Peninsula drama students promote a close environment that does not employ stereotypes as a required impetus or a hindrance, but rather encourages students to play roles based on their individual goals and incentives.
“Our students work together enough both inside and outside of class, which altogether helps to promote that sense of community and family,” Cohen said.
