(PHOTO: REUTERS/MARIO ANZUONI)
Rap artist Nicki Minaj (with microphone) performs “Trini Dem Girls” at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, August 30, 2015.

The degradation of black women has long been promoted in the porn industry and dehumanizes people of color, says Carolyn West, associate professor at University of Washington.

During the second annual Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation Summit held last month, West explained that words used by the sexual entertainment industry bonds African-American women to derogatory terms such as “hood rats,” “ghetto freaks,” and “hooker.”

“In the 1990s we saw hip-hop and porn brought together in one place. Hip-hop almost became indistinguishable from pornography,” West asserted. “They are pushing the message of minors, teens being pimped out … that’s pseudo child porn to me. They promote messages that portray them as ‘screaming wild animals’ that further dehumanizes them as well.”

West cited examples of common video titles such as “Pimp my Hide” and “Pimp my black teen.”

“Porn mirrors the same kind of historical colorism that we see throughout history,” she added. “A few videos [aimed at young girls and teens] focused on the innocence of black girls, but not many because innocence or purity is usually not contributed to black women.”

She then delved into stereotypes associated with colorism in which “lighter-skinned black women are portrayed as prettier, and darker-skinned women are portrayed as ‘hood rats.'” She warned pastors and parents that darker skinned girls who process these stereotypes as being true can start to believe that they’re less attractive and could be at greater risk of engaging in sexual intercourse for affirmation.

West believes this has “real life implications for African-American girls,” but asserted that there are solutions to resolve this long-standing problem in the culture “if we understand history and contextualize” the way African-American women are being portrayed.

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SOURCE: The Christian Post
Ray Nothstine