Lee D.T. sent in an Australian ad for Fernwood Fitness. It’s a great example of the sexualization of women of color, specifically (compared to white women). Notice that the white women in the ad simply exercise, but the ambiguously-raced woman with darker hair and skin gyrates, pumps, and poses.
See also a history of the hypersexualization and exploitation of black women by white people, the hot Latina, the fetishization of black women’s butts as symbolic of their (supposed) hypersexuality, the only thing important about black people is their butts, and the frequent exposure of black women’s bodies.
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 46
Ricardo — January 15, 2011
Being usually so reflective on how binary distinctions reduce the world's complexity -particularly regarding skin tones-, it called my attention that you used the white/color one here.
WG — January 15, 2011
I just don't see it. First off, how can we tell the race of any of the people in the video? Races is social, not bio.
Second, all of the women could either be seen as being sexually provacative or not.
Penny — January 15, 2011
This does seem to be a bit of a stretch. All fitness ads, and her all of the women shown, can be seen as being objectified, or not. I'm not really convinced of the point you're trying to make.
Alix — January 15, 2011
I see it; it's not difficult.
The woman of color is posing and dancing/gyrating for the camera; on the other hand, the Caucasian woman is jogging, stretching kickboxing -- all elements you'd see in an exercise class. One woman is definitely modeling "exercise"; I think the other woman is supposed to be modeling "fun" from the text of the ad. Can't you all see how the woman of color is moving in a very sexual way, and the Caucasian woman is just straight up exercising?
While neither of these roles is a bad thing, it is almost always the woman of color who gets the hypersexual role, and THAT is a bad thing, because it plays into the stereotype of women of color being hypersexual.
CCLoman — January 15, 2011
I don't understand why everybody thinks the black haired woman is "of color," She just looks tan, yeah, but still white.
Alana — January 15, 2011
She's doing that because the gym probably offers danced based classes (think ZUMBA.) I don't know why a Caucasian woman couldn't have played that role, but this is a case of missing the point, methinks.
Jo — January 15, 2011
I'm an Australian and I can not see a racial binary here. Latino is not a word we typically use, and people of Italian heritage are considered white (whether or not this is good or right is beyond me).
I really enjoy this blog but in this particular case I don't think it's a racial dichotomy. Perhaps your view of this video is skewed by US experiences (not to say that Australia isn't racist, it is unfortunately, but it's racist in a different way).
Dhawgg — January 15, 2011
Wow. This was offered up by someone who was really reaching for something about which they could be offended. Everyone knows white girls just don't have the rhythm.
Oh You — January 15, 2011
I noticed that the white woman was bending over in a sexual manner. As if she were preparing to be mounted.
JBee — January 15, 2011
I don't really see the problem with this ad, I couldn't really tell at all that the black haired woman was "of color." It looked to me that they have different women modeling the different fitness things you can do, and she was chosen for the ad because she is a good dancer so that she can model the dancing side of fitness (like in Zumba classes). The other women seem to be modeling yoga, stretching, floor aerobic, and kickboxing type things, and the way the white woman stretches with breasts to camera certainly seems sexualized so I don't think there's a race issue here. I just think it's odd that the odd says "forget females" and other "F words," seeing to conflate femininity with the negative 4 lettered "f" word, and yet focuses so much on the women's bodies and breasts. I really don't get the message they're going for.
Ann — January 15, 2011
The woman of colour appears to me as a 'teacher' or 'expert' of the service, the others seem like 'regular athletic/health conscious people' exercising. Did anyone else get that impression?
It seems to me the idea (music and woman) is exoticised within the Aussie context/viewer and that is how 'sexy' is pinned onto non-white culture.
Erinkyan — January 15, 2011
My partner was the one to send this in - we didn't send it in because it was an example of women of colour being sexualized (?????) we sent it in because it's such a male-gazey advertisement... for a WOMENS gym. Which just seemed weird.
So, uh, yeah. We thought all the women in it were super sexualized, and that that was kind of odd. The fact people are focussing on the racial (or not?) aspect kind of blows my mind a bit. Are we all that desensitized to the objectification of women??
Lynne — January 16, 2011
I'm an Australian woman, and I don't see the colour here. These are fit women showing us how fit they are, and how much fun they are having, in the hope that we'll spend money at their gym. One of them has a tan.
This did make me think about sociology though. It's interesting to think that there are countries out there where race is a way to interpret life. If the dancing woman looked 'Asian' - what would that have meant, and why?
Moji — January 16, 2011
I kind of think it is too picky!
editrix — January 17, 2011
A reach.
Madam Q — January 20, 2011
The ad is a great depiction, however, of Fernwood's slide into gym-going for "feeling foxy" as opposed to being a friendly place where women of all shapes and sizes were welcome and there was little weight-loss pressure and body negativity. At least the few that I attended were like that, and I left when they started marketing like this.
joe — January 26, 2011
The...lol..."woman of colour" is by far the hottest chick there.
Shes the 1 i'd wanna "spen time with".
Jezebel « Raised By Racists — January 27, 2011
[...] to justify the slavery, rape, and exploitation of black women, and women of color generally. And we continue to see examples of this stereotype today. Allowing the media to shape the current perceptions [...]
Richo_c — February 5, 2012
Hi,
I have stumbled across this smal like debate...
I thought REALLY!
I'm 34 love to be fit, have a christmas pudding like belly from festive season just gone and really can't believe people (not just women) feel they are insecure with buff or toned built physiques close by.
I really enjoy working out, not interested in to much chit chat in the gym and admire people for what they do and this should be up to idividuals to challege themselves and not get caught up in all the hype of she looks like that and he looks like this...
WHAT A CROC!
People, i can't believe what i come across these days when i read some articles.
Love whom you are, think not what someone would think of you and enjoy every moment you are here for we are all individually special and no matter what someone else looks like we are all imperfect and perfect at the same time...
Love one, love many, just have compassion and respect.
Richo.C
Silverdog11 — February 12, 2012
Dear stupid people
For those of you who are unaware, that girl is a Caucasian female. Because she is tanned does not make her of another race....yes there are many Australians who are this colour. Why do you people have to make everything about race?
Davishire — February 14, 2012
TThe girl is a kiwi Half maori
And she's having fun showing herself
I like it I'm white married to an island girl
I think I detect a bit of jealousy from a white girl lol
Because simply dark girls sweaty dirty just woken up
Or any way don't need makeup and they look great
That girl is stuningly beautiful and natural love her lovely face and smile
She's great good on her no one is exploiting her she's just super fit
and proud of her hard work she's done
She's not being sexual that's rubbish she has discrete clothing
Love her she's decent and wonderful
Being herself instead of being a stereotype blond sheep
Good on her you act as if your defending black women your actually just jealous
LMAO island girls rule
Davishire — February 14, 2012
LLol the kiwi girl makes me want to work out
She's an assets to fernwood
It frustrated me someone would say she's being sexualised
She's in humble black boxing outfit not tight liotards
She looks like a lovely mum enjoying her time
Suck it up white girls lol
Davishire — February 14, 2012
come on give it a rest enough of my dark girl fetish I'm just teasing
On a serious note
There's more sex in the simpsons
And southpark and sea patrol or neighbours
Fernwood
It's a great commercial brilliant catchy tune
I'm a dad and a hubby I don't look sexual at that commercial
I actually look at a group of mums keeping fit
And I admire them all of them
Fernwood is a safe place for women
Because honestly I've been to gyms
And girls aren't safe with all those mucho H.Ks around
Women feel violated please don't bag the place
I rather my dark wife and dark daughter went to Fernwood
Than city Jim
Cheers to all from my white butt lol
Shadows_of_light01 — January 2, 2013
I think it's called.. Dancing! She is dancing. That should be a compliment as it only proves dark women have rhythm and she is fitter than all the white women in the video if it proves anything it is making darker women look fitter, stronger, more sexually appealing than white women. However this ad didn't set out to sexualise anyone I think the dark women dancing makes the ad, women's confidence in her sexuality and body is only natural and a beautiful thing, race or the colour of your skin has nothing to do with it. I am white and I look up to her I work out to have a body like her when I found this I was looking for photos of her in the ad for motivation pictures.