Is Hollywood and Social Media Destroying Black Women

Hollywood and social media have transformed the way Black women share their voices, build brands, and influence culture around the world. From entertainment and entrepreneurship to activism and education, Black women continue to use platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat to tell their stories, challenge stereotypes, create opportunities, and inspire future generations.

This engaging discussion explores the intersection of media, technology, beauty, culture, and influence while examining how Black women are shaping conversations both on-screen and online. The program celebrates resilience, creativity, leadership, and the power of representation in a rapidly evolving digital age. Join us as we examine the opportunities, challenges, and impact of Black women in Hollywood and across today's social media landscape.

"Doing the Do" in Business
Hosted by Ms. June

Transcript

SPEAKER_06 0:00

Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of Doing the Do in Business. I'm your host, Miss June, and this is where information meets inspiration and conversation will create transformation. Oh, that was a good one, huh? Well, today's topic is going to ask you a very important question. Are you ready? Brace yourself. Is Hollywood and social media destroying black women? Oh, that's a tough one. Now, before we begin, let's establish some facts. Okay, here we are. Black women are among America's most educated entrepreneurs. Black women lead churches, schools, corporations, businesses, nonprofits, and most importantly, black families. Black women have made extraordinary contributions to every area of society. Now please understand that this show and this conversation is not an attack on black women. It's about influence. It's about image. It's about culture. It's about asking whether the most visible images being promoted today, do they accurately represent the majority of black women? Because when young girls spend hours each day consuming content, they're learning something from it. But the question is who? Again, who is teaching them? And what exactly, for God's sake, are they learning? This show in this conversation will provide a few facts along the way and some responses to a few listener questions to be addressed as we seek and strive to do, and most importantly, be better as a whole. This portion of today's program is brought to you by Shownuffs Premium House Blend Seasoning, your one-stop seasoning for meats, vegetables, marinades, seafood, soups, and more. Created from a family tradition of flavor and excellence. Whether you're grilling, baking, frying, or even slow cooking, shownuffs delivers delicious flavor every time. Shownuffs premium house blend seasoning. It tastes great on everything. Visit their website at www.crearfamilyfoods.com. So let's just go here and just take this at the top. Every entrepreneur today, to my knowledge, is going to understand one simple truth. That one simple truth that we expect them to understand is that attention has value. Oh, that's a deep one. And when you really look at it, television networks, at the end of the day, excuse me, what they're really doing is competing for attention. You have your streaming platforms competing for attention. You have your social media platforms competing for attention. You have your advertisers competing for attention. Attention has become one of the most valuable commodities in modern business. Here's the challenge, okay? Just hear me out. The challenge is that positive behavior often receives less attention than controversy. Controversy sells, okay? A woman quietly building a business rarely trends. A mother helping her children succeed rarely goes viral. A woman earning a doctoral degree rarely becomes a headline. But baby, let me tell you, conflict, drama, public arguments, controversy, all these things are going to generate hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of views. And those views, when it comes to social media and uh, I guess the advertisers, it's gonna generate revenue. Many media analysts they tend to argue that modern entertainment is going to reward whatever is going to keep the um audiences watching and what's going to keep the audiences engaged, okay? Because here's their little formula the longer viewers stay engaged, the more money is generated. The concern is not that media companies are evil. The concern, in my opinion, is that the marketplace is going to reward certain behaviors, and those are the behaviors that would become highly visible. Oh man, that's deep. Look at that. I gave you something deep. Now, let me just give you a question that was, of course, sent by email. Here's the question: Miss June, are entertainment companies responsible for what people choose to watch? This is a listener question. Okay. Here's the answer. Partially, but the audiences also play a role. Because, see, as individuals, when we click the dial, flip the switch, click the remote, what we watch is going to influence what gets produced. Now, here's the other part of that. What gets produced influences culture. And let's go ahead and extend that. And culture is going to influence behavior. See, there's a system, and once you put that all together, we all have a part and we all have a role into what's happening with Hollywood social media, the portrayal of black women. So if you just join us, you're inside doing the doing business with Miss June. And today we're just having a brief little conversation about Hollywood and social media destroying black women. And so when we come back, we'll talk a little bit about reality television, social media, and the algorithm and how it works, and also the health image and viral trends. And later we will definitely get into what media critics are saying. And before we close, we will talk about some positive examples of black women and leadership. So if you just joined us, you're inside doing a do in business with Miss June. Don't touch that dial. We will be right back.

SPEAKER_05 5:39

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SPEAKER_06 6:39

Welcome back. You're inside doing the do in business with Miss June. And earlier you heard me say this is where information makes inspiration and conversation creates transformation. I just love that. Well, today's topic, it is one of interest, I would say, is Hollywood and social media destroying black women. Again, in the beginning, I made it clear this is not an attack on black women because black women have made extraordinary contributions to every area of society. This is just a conversation about influence image and culture and these visible images being promoted today. Well, before the break, we did touch base just a little bit about um what gets attention. You know, we've seen the conflict, the drama, the controversy on TV, reality shows, etc. Oh, speaking of reality shows, let's get into that for a quick second. Let's talk about reality television. Reality television, as you and I both know, has become one of the most profitable forms of entertainment. Many programs feature friendships, relationships, marriage, business. They have these shows that have these, oh my goodness, such opulent luxury lifestyles. And of course, there are some show shows that have their social circle, but you have critics that are beginning to make notes, and they are noting that conflict often is the centerpiece for these reality TV shows. And let's just be real, a lot of this reality TV, it's not automatic, it's not organic. Quite a bit of it is scripted. So, first and foremost, let's let's just keep that in mind. But anyway, you have your arguments, you have public embarrassment, confrontations, insults, and of course, plenty of drama. And you have some media scholars out there that are starting to question are these portrayals beginning to distort the perceptions about women, especially black women? Just bear with me. Think about this for a second. Just think about this. How often do we see programs focused on financial literacy? Hmm? What about becoming an entrepreneur or a business owner? Do we see programs out there focused on investing? Are there programs out there about generational wealth? Now we know Susie Orman is out there and she's been out there for quite a while. And of course, she talks about money, financial literacy, and wealth. But we're talking about these reality TV shows. Are they actually out there putting things out there for us to grow? And let's take it to another level. Are reality shows out there focusing on leadership development? There are stories out there that exist on these subjects, but when you really think about it, these type subjects they don't receive as much visibility as the conflict and the drama. And don't get me wrong, the issue is not whether reality TV should exist, the issue is the balance. What stories are being highlighted and which stories are being ignored. Just let's just look at this from the Real Housewives franchise to the Bad Girls Club to Married to Medicine, okay? These are popular shows because of the conflict, the drama, the fight, the cursing, the drinking, the backstabbing, blah blah blah. But these are on television networks, especially Bravo, that is destroying black women. I mean, if you look at these shows, you will see excessive cursing, betrayal, backstabbing, drunkenness, adultery, toxic friendships, destruction of marriages, and much, much more. But then people want to say, well, hey, isn't reality TV just about entertainment? Okay, let's look at that question. Okay, yeah, it's about entertainment, but entertainment is also something that can teach every story, should communicate some type of value or some type of value system, every image should also communicate value. Okay, you gotta you really have to think about that. Every message should communicate value, and the big question is whether the lessons being communicated regarding black women in this reality TV is it helping them grow? Is it helping anybody that watches them grow? Is it helping the future generation grow? That's definitely something that should give you some food for thought. If you've just joined us, you're inside doing the do in business with Miss June, and today's show is sponsored by Small Black Business International Magazine, celebrating entrepreneurs, authors, investors, inventors, educators, and innovators from all around the world. Discover inspiring success stories, learn practical business strategies, and support small businesses making a global impact. Small Black Business International Magazine, where small businesses get a global spotlight. Don't touch that dial, we'll be right back. And when we return, we'll continue this topic and talk a little bit about social media and what's called the algorithm. We'll be right back.

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SPEAKER_06 14:11

Welcome back. You're inside doing the do in business with Miss June. And today we're just having a really quick, simple conversation about is Hollywood and social media destroying black women. I have to say this again. This is not an attack on black women because black women have made extraordinary contributions to every area of society. Again, this is not an attack on black women. It's more about influence and image. And we talked a little bit about uh attention and how attention has value and that public conflict, drama, arguments, controversy that often generates millions of views. And we also talked briefly about um entertainment companies. Are they responsible for what people choose to watch? Partially, but what we watch influences what gets produced. We touch based briefly about reality television and how it has become one of the most profitable forms of entertainment. And you know, did I did have to go there and say that a lot of these reality shows they don't put anything out there for financial literacy, leadership development, investing, and of course, we know these shows are out there, but they don't get as much visibility because in this day and age, hey, conflict rules. Oh man, that's crazy. Well, let's talk a little bit about uh social media as something called the algorithm. You have your Facebook, your Instagram, your TikTok, you even have something called YouTube Shorts. And when you really look at it and you really just really do a deep dive, social media has really created opportunities unlike anything we've ever seen before. People can start businesses, they can build their audiences, they can share knowledge, they can make money, and they could can connect globally around the world. However, social media operates through algorithms, algorithms, and algorithms reward engagement. Now, this does not necessarily mean there's any wisdom involved, there's not necessarily any character involved, there's not any excellence because this whole system with these algorithms reward attention. Many parents express concerns about their children being exposed to content that is exclusively and again exclusively designed for adults. Others worry about the pressure to seek validation through likes, views, comments. And the experts that are out there, excuse me, studying this social media phenomenon, they are reminding us that children are learning through observation. Because when certain behaviors are repeatedly rewarded, these behaviors behaviors they start to let's say they start to appear as if it's normal again. Now hear me on this. Technology is not the enemy. Technology is simply a tool. The question is, how is this tool being used? So then you want to ask yourself, well, what can the parents of uh black girls do? What can the parents of young black women do? What can parents do as a whole? The only thing that parents can do at this point is stay informed, know what your children are watching, discuss what they see, and parents, you have an obligation to your daughters, all daughters, not just young black daughters, but parents, you have an obligation to your daughters to teach what's called media literacy, and at the end of the day, you also have to model this behavior yourself. Now, what do I mean when I say model this behavior yourself? Oh, there is nothing worse than to see a parent posting something of their young female child on social media. It can be as innocent as playing with a baby dog, but in the background, they have music playing that's using the N-word, calling people B-I-T-C-H-E-S, um, just everything. And I say to myself, how in the Sam Hill can you, would you, or should you post a video of your young black female daughter, or even your young daughter on social media with music in the background that belittles women, cursing, using the uh N-word. I'm like, give me a break. Well, speaking of break, it's time for another one. This portion of the show has been brought to you by Miss June's Gumbo and Greens, getting people in the kitchen, gathered around, celebrating, living life, and enjoying family, all with the common interest of good tasting food. Don't touch that dial. You're inside doing the doing business with Miss June. And when we come back, we're gonna talk a little bit about health image and viral trends. And today's topic for this show, again, if you just joined us, is Hollywood and social media destroying black women. Don't touch that dial. We will be right back.

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SPEAKER_06 21:25

Welcome back. You're inside doing the do in business with Miss June. And today we're just taking a really quick look at just something that's going on. It's Hollywood and social media destroying black women. We've talked a little bit about how the reality shows and all this social media they thrive off of attention, but it's not the good attention. The negative, the fighting, the cursing, the drinking. We talked just really, really briefly about some of these reality show franchises that are really showing black clothes. Black women rather in a bad space such as the Real Housewives franchise, the Bad Girls Club, Married to Medicine. We talk really briefly about Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and how this is not based upon wisdom or character. That they are platforms that reward attention, the bad kind, of course. And we also talk briefly about what parents can do in regards to the shaping of the minds of their young girls. And like everybody says, technology is not the enemy, it's just a tool. And the parents can stay informed and know what their children are watching and doing. Well, now that we're back on this subject, let's look at health image and some of these viral trends that we see black women, black women doing. Another conversation happening across America involves viral trends, food challenges, extreme eating content content known as a muckbang. That's M-U-C-K-B-A-N-G. Now, this is part of what you call the influencer culture. And again, this is part of that constant pursuit of online attention. Now food is not um food is not the issue. Food is culture, food is family, food is and should be celebration. But these things called mukbangs are showing black women eating like absolute toe, filthy pigs, doing things such as purposely smearing ranch dressing on their faces for low-key sexual connotation. Now, these black women who have become overweight, they are now being riddled with diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension, and now they're starting to bring their children into the mix. And I'm going to be the first one to say that no amount of clicks or the little bitty coin, because it's not any real money that Facebook is generating for these black women to make themselves look like total fools. The money's not that much to replace a 9 to 5, nor does it provide investment into a 401k. But you have health experts that are consistently reminding us of the importance of balance. Nutrition matters, exercise matters, sleep matters, mental health matters. The question becomes this are we encouraging lifestyles that help people thrive or lifestyles designed to generate views? It is a shame and a scandal if you see some of these mukbangs and if you watch them enough over a period of time because they keep showing up in your algorithm and on your feed, you can see from the beginning when you first seen some of these black women to a certain period of time, they have become big, fat, filthy, nasty, gluttonous pigs. You can actually see where they have gained weight. And then there's one, uh her name is Zakia Jones. She is now trying to put something out there to encourage people to send her cash out so that she can have the uh bariatric surgery. Like, really? You did this to yourself, you now want the followers to send you money to save yourself. I mean, it is a shame and a scandal to see these black women on TikTok, Facebook, and all these other platforms are sitting in their cars, sitting in their homes, eating like pigs. I mean, they're smacking, they're woofing that food down, they are uh uh slamming this food into their faces, both of their cheeks are puffed out, they're chewing and smacking like pigs, and then when you actually go do a drill down through the comp the comics, people are making a fool and a mockery out of them. You don't see any non-black women doing this. You may see an Asian, uh, an Asian here or there. But for the most part, you see these black women, and now they are starting to have their young children to do these mukbangs, and it is disgusting. I mean, they dig into this food with their hands, they slam it into their face, they're just eating like gluttonous pigs. It is a shame and a scandal, but I guess they say that those clicks is where the money is, right? Oh well. Well, if you've just joined us, you're inside doing the dude in business with Miss June, and we're just asking an important question Is Hollywood and social media helping or hurting the image of black women? As we continue, let's hear some thoughts that come in in regards to what some parents, educators, ministers, and even community leaders have been discussing across the country in this regard. Don't touch that dial. We will be right back.

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SPEAKER_06 28:15

Welcome back to doing the do in business. We're having a fun ride here today, buddy. Just talking a little bit about uh is social media and Hollywood destroying black women. And I can't say enough this show is not an attack on black women because black women definitely have made some uh extreme marks in good things in every area of society. We talked a little bit about social media and how it is driven by the business of attention. Then we touch base really briefly about reality television and how they go for the clicks, and if there's controversy and fighting and drama, they are going to definitely highlight that. We talked really briefly about social media and this thing called the algorithm, and we touch base about Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and then this thing about health image and viral trends, such as this food thing called a mukbang. That's where we ended before we went to the break. And then I did tell you that we're gonna take a look at some of what some of the media critics are saying. Many media critics argue that the business of entertainment has shifted from storytelling to shock value, and according to cultural commentators and communication scholars, audiences are increasingly rewarded for watching conflict, controversy, chaos. Critics often point out that when television executives and social media platforms discover what gets attention, they will create more of it, and that result becomes a cycle, which is why you have the Bad Girls Club, which is why you have the Real Housewives franchise, which is why the Real Housewives of Atlanta, the Real Housewives of Potomac, and also why Married to Medicine, why they do so well, because the audience is watching and the platform is making a profit. So what happens is this behavior gets repeated, the audience watches again, and so the critics refer to this as the commodification of conflict. In other words, human behavior has now become a marketable product. The louder the argument, the louder the fights, the bigger the audience. The bigger the audience, the larger the profits. And many scholars are now even talking about how um many scholars are now talking about uh how this repeated exposure to certain images can influence how groups are perceived by others and also how individuals see themselves. I mean, come on now they are starting to call black women clowns, apes, monkeys, saying that we're uncivilized and all kind of stuff. And that's why representation matters. What people repeatedly see often become what they expect, and expectations influence opportunities. So let's just look at this as a question. Okay, what if someone says, Well, hey, are you saying that women should not be on social media? Absolutely not. Social media is one of the greatest business tools ever created. It allows entrepreneurs to market products, it allows authors to sell books, it allows musical artists to reach audiences, it allows churches to reach members, and it allows families to stay connected. The issue is not the platform, the issue is the purpose. Are we using social media, black women, or is social media using the black women? That is the question. See, it's just something to think about. Well, then another question may come up to say, well, isn't this just another generation that now has an opportunity to criticize the young people? Okay, that's a fair question. Every generation has criticized the one behind it and the next one. Okay, however, today's challenge is different because technology allows behavior to be amplified instantly around the world with the push of a button. What once happened in the neighborhood, you know, it stayed in the neighborhood. Now something happens in the neighborhood, it gets millions of views. The scale is different, the speed is different, the reach is different. You have black women fighting. Oh boy, this is gonna get some likes. Let's put it on TikTok. You have black women setting up skits of them going catching an alleged husband with um another woman. Oh, let's put this on Facebook or let's put this on Snapchat. You have all of these things that black women are doing for attention, for likes, and the media is eating it up. Okay, we talked about all the negative stuff, but we definitely have to talk about positive black women and leadership. Let's talk about something that we don't see enough of positive images. I mean, come on, just think about it. You have a group of people calling the highly educated, well-accomplished former first lady Michelle Obama. You have people in groups calling her eight. You have people in groups saying that she's a man. Come on now. She's very positive, uplifting. She was in the White House with her husband and children. Not one scandal, but I digress. Let's look at positive examples of black women. There are millions of black women doing extraordinary things every day. Black women are leading corporations, running successful businesses, teaching future generations, serving in government, advancing medical research, leading nonprofit organizations, and the list goes on and on: building wealth, writing books, creating technology, strengthening communities. Think about these black women that own childcare centers, black women mentoring young girls. You even have black women starting businesses from their kitchen tables. You even have so many black women out there serving as caregivers for their aging parents. You have black women earning advanced degrees. You have black women serving in the military, serving in ministry, and also black women that are preserving history. You have black women out there creating opportunities where none existed before. But you know what? These stories they deserve attention too. These stories they deserve cameras too. These stories, they also deserve headlines, but they don't get them. Really? You know, parents often scratch their heads and they ask, Well, what can we do? Okay, parents, first of all, you need to monitor what your children consume. You don't have to watch everything, but you should know what they're watching. You need to have conversations with your children, you need to teach them about discernment, and you need to introduce these children to positive things. Now, as we get ready to close, I want to challenge every listener. Okay? I want you to support content that uplifts black women. I want you to support businesses that empower black women. I want you to support these creators that are out there who are providing education and inspiration. I want you to support organizations that are building communities. I want you to start rewarding what elevates instead of what desecrates. Why can't we get out here and celebrate intelligence and entrepreneurship and service? Oh man, we have to celebrate service. Why not celebrate faith and purpose? Because see, when it boils down, what we celebrate today becomes what our children will pursue tomorrow. And I will be the first to say the future image of black women will not be solely determined by Hollywood. It will not be determined by social media. It will be determined by millions of women making decisions every day. Women that choose education, entrepreneurship, excellence, leadership, purpose, and faith. And I'll tell you, when those choices are made, you have to understand when these choices are made consistently, no algorithm can stop them, no television network can define them, and no stereotype can contain them. So I just had to just put that out there just a little bit today, you know, about black women and the social media and Hollywood and all that stuff. So this portion of the show has been brought to you by Show Nelson Premium House Lin Seasoning, bringing flavor to every meal and every gathering. Small Black Business International Magazine, celebrating entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders making a difference around the world. And the Check for Babyside, helping families build stronger futures for the next generation. So in closing, thank you so much for joining us for another edition of Doing the Doing Business. Remember, success is not determined by what trends. Success is determined by what endures. And if the next time you keep learning, building doing the deal. And if the next time we learn,