Black Women's Empowerment

How Madison Avenue Keeps Stereotypes of Black Women Alive

The media is still at work to remind the world that black women are mannish, hyper sexual and repulsive. Does this photo ring a bell? It’s a screen shot from an Allstate Insurance commercial.

Screen Shot 2016-06-19 at 9.57.40 PM

Now before we go any further, let’s take a look who the demographic is for Allstate insurance services:

Ya gotta hand it to Allstate. The “good hands” company has managed to work its way towards the top of the property/casualty insurance pile. The company is the second-largest personal lines insurer in the US, just behind rival State Farm. Its Allstate Protection segment sells auto, homeowners, and other property/casualty insurance products in Canada and the US. Allstate Financial provides life insurance through subsidiaries including Allstate Life and American Heritage Life. It also provides investment products, targeting affluent and middle-income consumers. Allstate Motor Club provides emergency road service. [SOURCE]

 

Hmmm…affluent and middle income customers by and large will include whites, Asians, and further down, Hispanics, and finally Blacks. Now why is this information important? Well…take a look.

https://youtu.be/H_peiKZZB_c

Images matter, people. The mainstream media is the key vehicle that isolated groups learn how to behave toward outside groups. What is more, the advertisers picked a woman that many groups feel comfortable seeing black women depicted.

So what to do? You could write a nasty letter to Allstate Insurance or start a petition on Change.org, but why? When your dollars speak more loudly than any letter or e-signature. Let your money do the talking, ladies. Patronize the companies that convey positive and feminine images of black women. Black women have tremendous spending power and it’s time we use it.

Carry on.

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