A Qualitative Content Analysis of Colorism in Black Sitcoms

Abstract

This paper examines colorism in twenty Black American sitcoms ranging from the 1960s until the 2010s. Although previous researchers have looked at how colorism has presented itself in various forms of mainstream and Black media, not many have looked at the Black sitcom genre as a whole. Through the use of qualitative content analysis, this research suggests that Black American sitcoms tend to spread colorist messages in how characters are portrayed in the areas of romance, aggressiveness, criminality, and class status. Under the cultivation analysis theory, this research argues that because of this Black sitcoms have been used as a tool to spread colorist messages which plays a part in real world discrimination typically felt by darker skinned Black people. This study could be used by both audiences and content makers to acknowledge and fight against the biases present within previous and future forms of media.