From the abstract for Always a Bridesmaid and Never a Bride: Portrayals of Women of Color as Brides in Bridal Magazines:
… [T]he number of African American married couples is only half the number of married Whites. And, an even more alarming statistic is the increase in the number of both African American men and women who have never been married … The problem here may be explained in large part to favoritism as displayed in the media and in ads. Perhaps the presence of Caucasian women as brides has sent an unintended message to African American women and that message is: The only qualified woman for marriage is a White woman.
Erm, except that:
- Bridal advertisements are almost exclusively aimed at women
- Men do most of the proposing
- Men generally don’t read bridal magazines and therefore aren’t absorbing that imagery
Besides, don’t most women read bridal magazines after they have accepted a proposal and shown a willingness to get married? It seems awfully implausible, then, that there’s an epidemic of black women becoming engaged, and then not getting married — at a rate of almost 60% — because we’re not featured as brides in bridal magazines.
So what’s really going on?
Black women aren’t getting married for one, very simple, very logical reason that doesn’t have sh*t to do with bridal magazines: there aren’t any men in proximity to say ‘Yes’ to.
In many, if not most black neighborhoods, the numbers of marriage-worthy black men — and by that I mean: alive, legally employed, disease-free, addiction-free, never been to jail, not crazy or abusive and actually want to get married — are low.
If you have the nerve to also want “child free,” “reasonably fine” and “compatible with me,” giiiirl, just give up and invest in a B.O.B. Physical and cultural racial isolation means there’s also no opportunity to marry someone of another race or ethnicity.
If no one is asking — or as importantly, you don’t want to say yes to the one that did — there’s a good chance you won’t get married even if every bridal magazine featured Alek Wek on the cover.
• • •
That said: I think advertisers and bridal magazines that don’t feature women of color are missing out on a market opportunity. Check the demographics, man: a full 25% of the United States is of color. That percentage increases among younger people (who will probably get married some day).
Those of us who have the means are quite keen on seeing people who look like us in the media we consume. Fiercely loyal to those brands, too. So while I disagree about effects of the conclusions these researchers draw, I completely agree with the notion that advertisers and magazine publishers could and should feature models of color.
