We touched briefly on the idea of “white-washing” in class when we read the article by Bell Hooks, “Madonna: Plantation Mistress or Soul Sister?” “Blonde ambition” or “white-washing” is a desire, envy, or appeal for white culture that black female artists may have and appropriate into their image.
These women perform this way to assimilate and be accepted. This reflects the assimilation and acceptance black women must suffer in society.
They are the accessible black female figure; still black for all intents and purposes, but not too black as to cause discomfort. Sure they might sing R&B, they might rap, because those aspects of black culture are cool, hip. These women have just enough swag to claim the responsibility of empowering other black women, and enough whiteness and “class” as to be acceptable and appealing to the masses.
This might not even be the artists conscious choice, magazines or managers might “lighten them up” to make them more culturally “beautiful” and acceptable.
Or, conversely, to shoot female models in such a way as to darken the skin of African women to further exoticize them.
Aside from the more obvious reasons behind this play into acceptance, there is a more subtle one in the media arena. Black bodies are constantly portrayed as negatively sexual, as corrupted, wild, feral and impure.
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