Introduction Over the past couple of years we have begun to see the power of social media in combating a variety of issues in our society. Moreover, across various anti-whitewashing campaigns we have been able to educate others about the homogeneity and preference for white actors and actresses in Hollywood. Interestingly, recent research show that social media has a very important role in new-age activism; it "has a mobilizing effect on young adults," giving people the opportunity to become agents of change in their community and providing outlets to achieve their social and political objectives (1). Below are various forms of social media activism, which have put the detrimental effects of whitewashing on the map:
Example 1: #OscarsSoWhite The #OscarsSoWhite campaign was able to incite a boycott of the Academy Awards for having an underrepresentation of marginalized communities. On January 2015, after the oscar nominations came out, April Reigns realized that there was a substantial lack of diversity in the Oscars (Click here for my infographic). Since then the hashtag went viral on social media and has had a lasting positive impact on whitewashing (although there has been some controversy). In other words, people are becoming aware of the tremendous gap that exists in the recognition of actors, actresses, and other filmmakers of color.
Example 2: #Racebending This is a hashtag that arose from the original Racebending movement against whitewashing in Avatar: the Last Airbender. It has become a standard of social activism against whitewashing.
Example 3: White Feminism and #Whitewashing Scarlett Johansson has been recently involved in feminist activism, speaking about the importance of gender equality. She has even been praised for fighting for women's rights. However, after playing Major in the live-action movie Ghost in the Shell, she was criticized for only caring about 'white feminism' and hypocritically taking blockbuster roles from minority women, which would empower them. Recently, in an interview with Marie Claire, she stated that she would never play a role of a character of a different race (2). Nevertheless, during an interview with Good Morning America (see below), she denies the fact that she has had a large role in the whitewashing of the film, thus not following through with her promise of fighting for the "equality of all".