Constructing Love
Visual Representation of Blackness in the Obama Marriage
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21747741 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ajia Meux (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 250-265 |
| Publication date | 2022-10-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Visual Communication Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1555-1393 • E-ISSN: 1555-1407 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/15551393.2022.2129658 |
| OpenAlex | W4302759433 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 29 |
A content analysis of 346 images was employed to study differences in racial presentations of Barack and Michelle Obama between the White House and African American media. The literature on symbolic interactionism, presidential and first lady presentation, African marriage, minority media, framing, and visual representation suggested there would be differences by medium in portrayals of the president and first lady on racial variables (egalitarianism, marital, affection, racialist, ethnic/cultural, kinship, political). Findings indicate that, across White House and African American media, the couple was often presented as egalitarian and affectionate. Statistical testing indicates that African American media were significantly more likely to depict Michelle Obama with racialist elements and the Obamas as a happy and affectionate married couple than the White House. A contradictory finding indicated that the White House was significantly more likely to focus on the extended family bonds of African Americans by depicting the Obamas in the presence of other Black people. This study is important because the Obamas are the first ethnic minority couple to hold the offices of president and first lady of the United States, and this study is the first to explore the two as an African American married couple. Findings extend research on how minority media help construct reality for their audiences and have implications for new White House image management strategies of presidents and first ladies
Egalitarianism · Ethnic group · Kinship · Political science · Politics · Presidential system · Sociology · Symbolic interactionism · Anthropology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Studies · History · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Psychology · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Social Psychology
A new look at Black families
Beginnings
The Visual Image and the Political Image
The levels of visual framing
From Segmented to Fragmented
Foundations of Black Solidarity
The Obamas and a (Post) Racial America
Bridging the Divide
Presidential rhetoric's visual turn
The Contemporary Presidency
B(l)ack By Popular Demand
Work and Family Roles
Visually Assessing the First Lady in a Digital Age
Blackness and Blood
A change has come
Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity
Storytelling for Oppositionists and Others
Framing
Media Framing of a Civil Liberties Conflict and Its Effect on Tolerance
A Schema-Based Approach to Modeling an African-American Racial Belief System
Division of Household Labor among Black Couples and White Couples
The Phenomenon Of The Public Wife
Race, Media and Civil Society
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |