Miss Representin': A Historical Analysis of the Images of African American Women in Situation Comedies

Throughout history, the media has played an important role in the lives of the American public. Many people form ideas and opinions based on the messages they receive from the American media. Throughout history, there have been concerns regarding the media and its representations of the "real world." Over the past 50 years, African American characters have gone from nonexistent, to walk-ons, to the co-starring and starring roles we see today. Since television became popular in the middle of the 20th century, African Americans have been plagued by recurring stereotypes and problematic characterizations. African American women can be seen in every genre of the media. However, in the media and especially on television, African American women are often misrepresented. The largest numbers of African American women on television are featured on situation comedies. Throughout television history, African American female characters in situation comedies have reflected biased, stereotypical images and controversial characters.