The entertainment industry is making strides in diversity when it comes to the actors and directors leading films. But in some areas, representation efforts still fall short. One of the biggest problem areas? Hair and makeup.
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Being Black in Hollywood
It's not all rainbows and butterflies. Take a look at the strides the entertainment industry is making toward diversity — and where representation efforts are still falling short.
Hollywood's Black Hair Problem
Only 200 of the 1,700 stylists in Hollywood's hair and makeup union are Black. Amid calls for more inclusion and diversity, Black entertainers say the industry isn’t making the cut.
A New Class of Superheroes
A new class of Hollywood superheroes are emerging: women directors. Here’s how filmmakers like Chloé Zhao and Nia DaCosta are blazing the trail for women and people of color behind the camera.
The days of the DC and Marvel boys club could be coming to an end as directors like Cathy Yan, Chloé Zhao, and Nia DaCosta blaze a trail for women and minorities behind the camera.
Grassroots Efforts Toward Change
Protests last summer brought heightened awareness to Hollywood’s diversity issues. We saw statements of solidarity and promises of improvement, many of which fell flat. Here’s a look at some actual grassroots efforts to improve representation in the entertainment industry.
The murder of George Floyd shed a brighter light on the entertainment industry's struggles with diversity. Producer and TV executive Prince Baggett talks the launch of a new pipeline program and why he's confident this diversity movement will be the one that sticks.
No More Black Trauma Exploitation
Silver screen stories of Black trauma are so common — and critically acclaimed — it's basically become a genre. Here's why 16-year-old executive producer Marsai Martin is saying: "Enough is enough."
Hollywood loves blockbusters about the American slave experience and greenlights too many projects that center on Black trauma. But 16-year-old executive producer Marsai Martin is saying: "Enough is enough."
Twice As Good For Half As Much
As Viola Davis said in her Emmys acceptance speech, “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.” But when given the opportunity, their compensation is rarely fair. Let's unpack why Black stars must be twice as good for half as much.
Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are just a couple of the Black actresses who have called out the pay gap and opportunity disparity. But the struggles of Black stars are reflective of a widely held belief: You have to be twice as good for half as much.
Zola, Sex Work, & the Female Gaze
Janicza Bravo knew she was the best person to direct — and protect — the new film "Zola," ensuring its controversial female characters were cared for and given a fair shot. We explore the importance of the Black female gaze in a new age of Hollywood.
'Zola' director Janicza Bravo deserves praise for her "protective" approach to the story and its controversial female characters, shining a new spotlight on the importance of the female gaze.
