Entertainment

Colorism Blurs ‘Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B’

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The image00“Aaliyah” movie. That is all I need to say. It is hard to avoid the fact that Lifetime’s biopic, aiming to follow the singer’s life in a realistic way caused much controversy. Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B premiered on Saturday, November 15th. Almost immediately, all social media sites were flooded with tweets, facebook updates, and instagram photos attacking the people responsible for the film. Admittedly, the executive producer Wendy Williams seemed to take most of the backlash.

There were many problems with the film, such as the script and acting. However, the larger issue most took with the film was the casting. As you can see, the cast looks very different than the actual stars they were hired to play. The most blatant difference between them all is their skin tone. The actors cast to play Missy Elliott and Timbaland are significantly lighter than the actual people. No one can know for sure why this choice was made, but it’s hard to deny what we see.

The issue of colorism has plagued the African American community for many years. “Light skinned vs. dark skinned” has been the center of debates for as long as I can remember. It does not help when the media plays into this insecurity. I am part of the media community, but I do not think blaming the media is the answer. These ideals were instilled in our community well before the media began to portray it. Nevertheless, in the year 2014, “the modern age,” we are still seeing this issue.

I did not watch the film, but judging from what the public has said about this movie, the acting was horrendous. If that is the case, why were these actors even cast, no matter their complexion? Is it because the casting director and his/her team really felt they were best for the job or was it for some other reason? Do you feel that the issue of colorism is apparent in this situation?

– Olivia Johnson

A staff report from the online editor of Hers Magazine.

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