As humans, both nature and nurture influence our character, identity, and opinions. Nature refers to the biological things that we have no control over, such as skin color, eyes, hair and other physical characteristics, while nurture focuses on the environment we grew up in. Family, schools, life experiences tremendously affect us as people. Sadly, we often overlook one of the biggest factors, Media. No matter who you are or where you go, media is everywhere. Media takes stories, wraps them with encoded messages, and sends them out to the people. These messages do a great job of reflecting our society’s values. In the Principles of American Journalism book, Stephanie Craft and Charles Davis refer to media as the “mirror”, meaning it reflects our society as well as shows us what we want to see (5).  Although that mostly applies to news channels, movies and tv shows also hide subliminal messages as well. Unfortunately, for most interracial couples these messages do not always support their relationships. If media does not depict interracial relationships, what will people think of them? Will interracial relationships be seen as abnormal? Media’s lack of diversity when picturing love needs to be addressed. Love has the power to unite people, break barriers, but it also has the power to cause damage. For interracial love to become more common, race relations to improve, and hope for a more united country,  media must start showing interracial relationships on screen. 

A very recent film, Get Out, has put interracial relationships under scrutiny. This movie follows a young african-american male, Chris, on his trip to visit his caucasian girlfriend’s family, Rose. While staying with her he feels uneasy with her family, but is not able to put his finger on why. After awkward moments with everyone he meets, small racial comments, microaggressions, and Rose’s lack of concern, Chris realizes he needs to leave. It’s revealed that Rose’s mom hypnotized him.She uses her hypnosis skills to stop him from leaving. He later discovers that all the other african-americans he has seen were kidnapped and had their brains replaced by other people. Eventually he escapes with the help of his good friend. The director, Jordan Peele, did a great job of bringing more social awareness to microaggressions, the idea of “casual racism” and adds social commentary on unhealthy interracial relationships (Marques, “Review”). Peele produced a phenomenal movie for the world to see, but he also did something much greater: reopened the discussion about race. 

Previous movies caused chatter about race, but only told it from one perspective, which is one of white privilege and ideologies. Peele, a mixed man, wrote and directed Get Out. His race may seem like such an insignificant detail to some, but producing such a great film as a mixed man in an industry mostly ran by white men says so much about the diversity issues and growth within Hollywood. For years, Hollywood refused to even portray black and white love, and when they did the black man typically fit into a horrible stereotype. The first depiction of a interracial couple was in 1915 in The Birth of a Nation (Blay, “Watch how”). Although this was a huge step in the right direction, interracial couples were not allowed to do the same things that other couples could do on film, such as kissing.  Around 1930, lawmakers passed the Hays Code making it illegal for movies to show interracial couples. It was not until five years later, 1965, that someone challenged this law. Two years later the court case, Loving v. Virginia, changed people’s attitudes to seeing interracial love on the big screen (Blay, “Watch How”). That was only a few decades ago. Back then, a movie like Get Out would have angered people, led to riots, or possibly new laws. 

Although Get Out does not necessarily encourage people to date outside their races, it does spark that interest. There are shows out there like The Bachelor, and now, The Bachelorette that hope to spread a more hopeful message. The message says that the sacrifices of those now who bravely show their love or how they positively treat each other can lead to better race relations (Root 1). These shows also have the ability to help viewers understand the “difference between infatuation and sustained love”, and also the damage that fetishizing could cause (Root 74). In the latest season of The Bachelor, Nick Viall had three beautiful ladies left to choose from, including Rachel Lindsay, an african-american woman. They do not get engaged, but their date back to her hometown said more than their engagement would have. Nick and Rachel attended a church service at Rachel’s church which has a predominantly black congregation, ultimately a brand new experience for Nick. After service, they had a genuine conversation and race comes up. Nick stated that he was not colorblind, knew that Rachel was black, but he saw nothing wrong with that. His small statement goes a long way for showing others how they should view race when discussing relationships. The Bachelor has been around for years and has had a direct impact on the way some people view romance, marriage and relationships according to a survey conducted by the University of Michigan ( Carra, “Hometown Date”). Currently with the nation more divided than ever, seeing two people from different racial backgrounds coming together could help further racial relationships and promote more positive reactions towards interracial couples. 

Nick and Rachel do not get engaged, but something more inspiring happens. Executives pulled Rachel so she could star as the bachelorette for the upcoming season, Lindsay will be the first african-american lead for this show. She is excited to represent black women, but also is looking to find love regardless of race. Lindsay is no the only one excited about the show. Many black women now have a show that showcases a woman who people believe is beautiful, desirable, and hopeful- an image black women do not get to see very often. It also doesn’t define who a black woman should be with. For Rachel, she does not have a type. Attraction is solely based on the traits and characteristics a person possesses (Carra, “Hometown Date”). With a show like The Bachelorette  airing, more people may grow supportive of interracial relationships. Just three years ago, only thirty percent of people truly supported interracial relationships. Nick and Rachel may have caused a rise of acceptance for interracial love while also bringing awareness to a huge issue: Colorblindness.

Colorblindness can play a detrimental role in interracial relationships. Most often media tends to say that race is not an issue, and claims they are colorblind when speaking on racial issues, thinking they are promoting equality.  More than likely, they mean well, but if everyone believes in colorblindness, it could be catastrophic. If no one sees race, then we do not get to see all the things that make people so unique and special. Also,when racial injustice or problems arise if people choose not to see “color” they are choosing not to acknowledge the problems. For example, when the Cheerios commercial featured an interracial couple viewers immediately went to bashing the commercial. They claimed they were not racist and were colorblind, but didn’t believe that they had the right to force interracial relationships on them (La Rose, “Despite Acclaim”). Imagine if a significant other chooses not to see the potential problems that could arise due to their relationships. For one couple in Portland, Oregon, colorblindness almost tore them apart. 

Jagger laec, an african-american woman ended up marrying the love of her life, Xavier Blaec, a caucasian male. Jagger grew up in the suburbs of New York and lived in the city for most of her life. After marrying Xavier, she felt moving to a new place with him would be a grand new adventure. He explained Portland as the most amazing place with an awesome night life, millions of things to do, and great people. However, when Jagger arrived she noticed one thing he forgot to mention: Their lack of diversity. Most times she was the only black person in the room, and it astonished her that he never noticed that before. Looking at it from a journalistic perspective, it only makes sense that he did not notice it. If all he sees around him and on tv are things about how great his home is, and all it has to offer he’s never going to look beyond that. He is not going to see the lack of diversity, because news outlets do not address that issue or question it. After just a few short months, Jagger felt out of place, unwelcomed, and uncomfortable in Portland, Oregon. She discussed it all with Xavier and he seemed understanding of the situation and her feelings (Blaec, “The Challenges”). Now if anyone were to google interracial relationships or Portland, Oregon they may be able to find her article, and recognize the potential threats to their interracial relationships. 

Aside from the tv, both the internet and galleries in museums serve as forms of media. They are both everywhere and have the ability to reach large audiences. Anyone who has access to the internet can now read Blaec’s article about her experiences. Another source of media that has stuck out to me is art galleries.The University of Arkansas Anne Kittrell Art Gallery now shows Donna Pinckley’s exhibit “Sticks and Stones”. It depicts interracial couples and families with the worst things people have said to them written below their photographs of them. Pinckley hopes to bring awareness to the harsh comments that these couples have to hear way too often. Donna Pinckley’s friend’s daughter inspired her after she shared many comments said to her about her interracial relationships. She hoped her exhibit would increase awareness amongst students about the things being said on their campus to those in interracial relationships. Pinckley thought it would teach students to “think more critically about race” as well (Mitchell, “Arkansas Exhibit”). Some of the comments are offensive to both people in the relationship or just one half of the couple. Most of them allude to some sort of racial slur or joke that people felt comfortable to say. Just reading through the comments appears harder than expected. The fact people still feel it is okay to say things like this proves her exhibit’s importance. Donna’s exhibit s also available via web at www.donnapinckley.com/sticksandstones. She gives people the opportunity to see it in person as well as online, helping her reach a larger group of people. 

Art galleries like Donna’s, shows like the Bachelor/Bachelorette, and movies like Get Out all play a part in normalizing interracial relationships. Psychologists have determined that we learn best from “seeing and observing models”, also known as the Social Cognitive Theory. Albert Bandura, father of this theory, believed that “ Symbolic communication influences human thought, affect, and action”. He considered social media as a form of symbolic communication. That’s why seeing couples like Olivia and Fitz on Scandal and Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on every magazine cover mean so much (Krupnick, “Changing America”). They help normalize society’s definition of love, perceptions of interracial romance, and help people talk about gender and racial problems, which are all topics the average american finds difficult to talk about (Root 52). 

The average person may not see such a big deal with media’s neglect or negative portrayal for interracial couples, especially if it does not pertain to them. However, there are people who constantly struggle due to media’s downfall. For example, the interracial children who make up almost 7 percent of the US population. They never see their parents love depicted on screen, so they may begin to question if their parents are normal, if they are normal, or start to see themselves as outcast. It is common for mixed children to experience bullying at a very young age. Since children are not sure how to see people who are not completely like them, they tend to ostracize them. It is more common for mixed kids to have depression, negative thoughts about their self image, and struggle to make friendships (Root 148-149). Not only does this make life confusing for the children, but the parents as well. They do not have the luxury to hold off on very serious talks about race or bullying, since they have to address them early on in their children’s lives. It is already difficult enough to worry about your significant other, but to have to worry about each of your children makes life way harder than it should be. Most of the rude nicknames, opinions on interracial love, and reactions have been taught. Someone taught their child to make fun of those that were different and taught them not to accept  mixed love. Those same kids grew up, started families, and taught their kids the same beliefs. If there is nobody or nothing to break the cycle, these opinions will never die out. 

Although it’s been years since lawmakers have done away with laws forbidding interracial marriages or other laws, some of those opinions still linger. The government may not carry these same ideals, but it’s taking a little longer for people to change their minds. For one South African couple, incidents still occur showing them just how unaccepting the world is towards them. Pippa Tshabalala, a White woman, and Sekwa Tshabalala, her black husband, have been together for almost twenty four years. Their relationship seems perfectly normal to them as well as the people closest to them. Aside from their friends and family, or the people they feel most comfortable around, the couple hears mean comments, sees rude reactions, and sometimes gets called hate filled names. Most times the incident is subtle, but occasionally it escalates and can easily get out of control. They’ve found the best thing they can do when facing a slowly changing world towards to their love is to be there for each other and constantly check in with one another (Koopman, “23 Years”).It’s sad to think that some people do not get the fully enjoy their relationships for fear of how other will react towards them.  Couples that endure discrimination like this need hope and reminders that their love is just as special and important. 

Media has the possibility to be the constant hope and reminder that interracial couples need. Interracial couples need media to send more messages focused on inclusive love. This would allow them to take a break from always having to be there for each other, which is a very tiring and emotionally draining duty. With signs all around them, they would be able to worry less about their significant other’s reaction to hateful words and glances and themselves.  They need media to normalize their relationships and let them know they are not outcasts, despite the differing views on dating outside their race. They need validation that their love is just as important as the next person’s. With constant disapproval, one little show could be the spark to keep their interracial love going. 
