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Light, Bright, and Out of Sight: Hollywood’s Representation of the Tragic Mulatto

The purpose of this research is to examine the longevity of the stereotype of the tragic mulatto in American film history. Specifically, my research focuses on the portrayals and perceptions of biracial actresses. Media informs, entertains, and influences how we, and especially youth, self-identify and interact with others. This research focuses on the portrayal of biracial actresses throughout film history. It is also important in its investigation of the perpetuation of the one-drop rule. In this research, I will examine if historical stereotypes of tragic mulatto are apparent in contemporary Hollywood film. The methodologies used in this research include a content analysis of films with biracial actresses and an online survey of respondents’ perceptions of four actresses. Statistical techniques used for analysis include ordinary least square regression and multinomial logistic regression. Findings suggest that the tragic mulatto stereotype is not blatant in contemporary Hollywood film, but issues of colorism may be apparent.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc407836
Date12 1900
CreatorsBrunson, Alicia
ContributorsYancey, George, Moore, Ami, Benshoff, Harry
PublisherUniversity of North Texas
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
FormatText
RightsPublic, Brunson, Alicia, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved.

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