Racism is deep-rooted in Hollywood culture, and stars of color have been struggling with it for decades. Black stars, hailing from Africa and other countries, struggle with racism every now and then. Hollywood icon Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once made public comments about “fandom racism” in Hollywood.
The former athlete told his audience that he had been a bullying victim because of his skin color. Although Hollywood claims that racism has no place on this platform, The Rock argued that it was never confirmed, and according to him, all black celebrities have been dealing with racism, he said. Likewise, stand-up comedian Kevin Hart also spoke up about his experience of “fandom racism” in Hollywood.
Essentially, fandom racism is the latest wave of racism where elites are made victims. These people are not like common black people. Or, it is not something relevant to the notorious “Black Lives Matter” movement. Why do you think fandom racism is different from the “Black Lives Matter” movement? Well, the latter deals with common folks. On the other hand, the first one – AKA fandom racism – targets elite folks—highly influential people like celebrities and stars who have massive fan followings, fame, and wealth.
Nevertheless, platforms like Disney, Marvel, and Hollywood have taken some steps to counter fandom racism in Hollywood. To begin with, Disney and Disney+ have given some central roles to black stars. For instance, Disney gave the role of the hero to a black girl – named Leah Jeffries.
This teen actress hails from South Africa and is only 12 years old. Thus, this was an attempt to counter fandom racism in Hollywood, but it backfired badly. Very badly, in fact.
To begin with, fans ruthlessly criticized this initiative from Disney. Fans from all walks of life criticized it on social media platforms. One user said that a 12-year-old black girl could not be staring at this big screen, while others criticized the “immaturity” of the girl who was simply not prepared enough to play this massive role.
This is too much to ask for, one comment said. Hinting at the starring of Leah, another user asserted that it is “very unprofessional” of Disney to give such a massive role to a 12-year-old black girl.
Nonetheless, it is essential to note that Leah’s age is not the problem here. Instead, the real problem is that she is black. The color of her skin raises eyebrows.
Thus, there are hundreds of other instances where black stars have been victims of public scrutiny. Why? Because of the color of their skin. And platforms are trying to counter it. But looking at the increasing stats, it turns out that these initiatives are not enough.