Tokenism vs. Genuine Diversity

 Zoe Touris

zt700218@ohio.edu 

Courtesy of Cleverism

While equal representation and diversity in the media are crucial, there is a right and wrong way to represent various groups within advertising. There comes a fine line between genuine diversity and tokenism within advertising when companies lack critical thinking and instead want to show the public that they include people other than the stereotypical straight white male.

During pride month, it is straightforward for brands to strategically place rainbows across their branding and profit off marginalized groups, but this is as far as some brands will extend their support. For example, although transgender people appear more in advertising, the New York Times states that most stock photographs are close-ups of their hands holding the symbol for transgender pride, without their faces or other defining features visible. 

Even though more transgender people are being represented in mainstream media, these stereotypical stock photos place this group within a box distanced from society. These photos state that brands may be happy to include transgender people, but only as long as these individuals are not fully participating in social life.

Courtesy of The New York Times

Additionally, in a Dove advertisement, a black woman used Dove's body wash and then transformed into a white woman. This blatantly racist advertisement lacked full respect and critical thinking, causing an uproar on Twitter and the trending hashtag #BoycottDove. Unfortunately, that racist advertisement is not Dove's only mark they have missed for their ads. Dove has also been criticized for tokening and profiting from feminism and female empowerment. On the one hand, I stand for women's empowerment and building women up, but as the Washington Post puts it, I also do not think this should be used as a marketing tool to persuade people to buy shower foam. 

Tokenizing marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ+ community, POCs, and movements such as feminism not only distances brands from the root of the problem but also creates a disconnect with their audience. Equal representation and diversity is crucial in the media, as it reflects the world that we live in, but advertisement should genuinely shows the brand's care for these issues and truly stands with the people that they are featuring within their advertisements.