How far have we come?

 In, 2005 America’s Next Top Model truly demonstrated how far the U.S. had gone in terms of racial equality and overall respect. In a stomach-turning episode of America’s Next Top Model, models were painted and represented as various cultures for a ‘Got Milk?’ advertisement. Each and every makeover was completely disrespectful as a whole and, at the time, did not receive a lot of backlash from film critics. Many film critics did not say a word or despise this episode till recent years. Likewise, as a whole, when looking back on this episode, it goes without saying how disrespectful people were towards race and various cultures. Not only is the model in the video doing blackface, but other women were made up to appear in other cultures as well. When I saw this episode for the first time, my jaw dropped, and hit the bottom of the floor with how shocked I was. I had to tell myself that society did not know, but people did blackface as early as the 1830s. So why and how did this episode of America’s Next Top Model ever appear on national television in 2005? To think of how far society has come since the 1830s is astounding, but to see this episode is a slap in the face. I think this show, as a whole, stereotypes people and belittles others' cultures. The point of stereotyping, in my opinion, is to simplify and exploit people. I think stereotypes are for the weak-minded and stand always to damage societal thoughts and opinions because you are placing people into boxes based on race, sexual identity, or orientation. Never once in the clip below do you hear anyone say, ‘this is wrong’ or ‘we should not do this’, and I think that is because not till recent years did people truly start to challenge society's beliefs and standards. Watching the clip below is almost bewildering because it shows that the U.S. has not come very far. Ultimately, I think the clip below should challenge people to speak up for what they believe in.