Abstract

TIPA, Juris. Why are all the kids white? Colorist racism and the corporal representation of infants in Mexican advertising. LiminaR [online]. 2023, vol.21, n.1, e951.  Epub Jan 20, 2023. ISSN 2007-8900.  https://doi.org/10.29043/liminar.v21i1.951.

Given the potential risks and social consequences involved in normalizing racism through media representations, this article exposes colorist racism in advertising for food and child hygiene products in Mexico. Using descriptive statistics (n=50), we analyzed the patterns and the underlying rationale of the profiles of children who participated in auditions (castings) to determine the body-image representation of infants in advertising. We conclude that the representation of children’s bodies in advertising is based on greater body “whiteness” compared to representations of older people, a fact that potentially strengthens the normalization of colorist racism in Mexican society beginning at an early age.

Keywords : infants; mass media; advertising; colorist racism.

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