Face Value
Tiffany Ying
Offensive stereotypes, typecasting and a lack of representation are symptoms of a larger ethnic diversity issue in Hollywood. In 2016, approximately 70% of speaking roles were represented by Caucasian actors or actresses. Actors of ethnic minorities are often reduced to stereotypical or non-speaking roles.
Face Value aims to call attention to the lack of representing of various ethnicities in Hollywood. It includes a poster series that amalgamates faces of archetypal characters in Hollywood movies, such as superheroes, villains, and romantic interests. By visually exposing the lack of diversity in these stereotypical roles, the posters further demonstrate the biases present in the film industry. In addition, a website allows the user to explore issues further, allowing users to role become actors or actresses within a biased industry. From scriptwriting, production and casting, the website illuminates multiple levels of discrimination within each stage of film production.
Hollywood movies have an indisputable influence on our culture. Ethnicity inequality creates biased perceptions and behaviours that perpetuate offensive racial stereotypes. With 1.32 billion tickets sold a year in America, Hollywood has a responsibility of creating content that represents all ethnicity and cultures without bias.