fuckyeahfeminists:

afternoonsnoozebutton:

Study shows watching TV boosts self esteem of White male children, decreases self esteem of Black male and all female children. (x)

Boys making the transition from elementary to middle school are probably exposed to superhero cartoons, Jordan said, adding, ” ‘Superman,’ ‘Batman,’ X-Men.’ The lead characters of these shows tend to be male.”

But Jordan added, “In recent years, creators of children’s programming have worked hard to improve diversity and include strong female characters.”

For white boys, “regardless of what show you’re watching … things in life are pretty good for you,” Martins, an assistant professor of telecommunications at Indiana University Bloomington, said in a statement. “(White males) tend to be in positions of power; you have prestigious occupations, high education, glamorous houses, a beautiful wife, with very little portrayals of how hard you worked to get there.”

I think I’ve posted this before, but wanted to share again.

This is why the ’90s and early ’00s were good. While problematic shows still dominated television, we had the Cosby Show, the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, In Living Color, Martin, Waynehead, Cousin Skeeter, C-Bear and Jamal, Static Shock, Living Single, My Wife and Kids, One on One, Moesha, Sister Sister, Smart Guy, Kenan and Kel, My Brother and Me, the Hughleys, and more showing positive portrayals of black people on television. And for girls, there was Clarissa Explains it All, Alex Mack, Shelby Woo, As Told By Ginger, the Wild Thornberrys, and others. While some shows stand out as portraying non-SAWCSM groups positively, they’re far rarer than they were just ten years ago, especially in terms of shows where the leads and/or primary cast are not white men.