Tems' Symbolic #OscarsSoWhite Costume at the 95th Oscars

 

Tems' Symbolic #OscarsSoWhite Costume at the 95th Oscars 

Tems, the co-writer of Rihanna’s Oscar-nominated song, “Lift Me Up” was the talk of the annual 95th Academy Awards held on Sunday, March 12, 2023 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Her spectacular white costume blocked the view of those sitting behind her. 

Of course, she and the designer deliberately wanted to raise eyebrows at the Oscars and make news headlines and they succeeded. The white Lever Couture gown “stole the show" and became the talk of Tinseltown from Hollywood to Nollywood of her own country, Nigeria. 

To me, Tems' awesome all white costume echoed the #OscarsSoWhite first tweeted in 2015 by activist April Reign in response to the 20 acting nominations for the Academy Awards all being granted to white actors. The hashtag raised the question of white racism of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and called for diversity and inclusion in the nominations for the Academy Awards. But as much as AMPAS has tried to end the dominance of Whites in the American nominees, we can see that the Oscars are still So White.

Hollywood, Bollywood and Nollywood Prefer Fair and Light Skinned Actresses

Hollywood Actresses.

If you have been bingewatching Nollywood movies, you would have seen that majority of the Actresses are competing to look like the actresses in Bollywood and Hollywood in makeup, hairstyles and haute couture on the red carpets. They want to be fair and light skinned and with wavy long hairs. They are the most influential models who have made a "staggering 77% of women in Nigeria to use skin-lightening products. The skincare and cosmetics industry is taking advantage of their craze for lighter skin according to a report by the United Nations published on https//www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/april-2019-july-2019/paying-high-price-skin-bleaching

Many of the young women in Nollywood and the Nigerian society want to look as fair and pretty as the celebrated Nollywood actresses like Monalisa Chinda, Tonto Dikeh and Mercy Aigbe. And so they bleach the skin to boost their self-esteem and egos among their peers. 

Bollywood ActressesSara Ali Khan 

Scarlett Johansson

Emma Watson

The actors (both male and female) say there is a rule of thumb preference for fair and light skinned people in the entertainment industry for decades in Hollywood, Bollywood and Nollywood.

The controversial #OscarsSoWhite campaign years ago on the predominantly white nominees with the exclusion of filmmakers of colour made the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to come up with programs and rules to favour diversity in the film industry and campaign against racism. But colorism is in fact worse than racism, because "Colorism is the practice of favoring lighter skin over darker skin by people of the same race and tribe. The preference for lighter skin can be seen within any racial or ethnic background. Such as preference for  Asians and Africans of fair and light complexion in the film industry. You can see the preference in over 90 percent of the movies, TV series and music videos. 

Colourism is encouraging skin bleaching and the popularity of skin lightening creams, lotions and pills which the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning about the harmful side effects of dangerous consequences, including dermatitis (skin irritation), blue-black discolouration, skin cancer and even blindness.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series.

Fair and White So White Skin Perfector Serum 30ml - For Face, Elbows Knees, Feet - with Kojic Acid and Castor Oil

#fairandwhite

#beauty

Fair and White So White Skin Perfector Serum 30ml - For Face, Elbows Knees, Feet - with Kojic Acid and Castor Oil

A complete range of Lightening and Brightening Skin care products for modern young women of all complexions. 

A Good Filmmaker is A Good Storyteller

"You cannot be a good filmmaker if you are not a good storyteller."

- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima.

A good filmmaker is a good filmmaker regardless of the gender, race, tribe, class, religion and location. And every good filmmaker should be rated by the quality of the work whether in #Hollywood, #Bollywood or #Nolllywood .

 It is unacceptable to me to rate a filmmaker by the color, class or location in the world.

Every good black or African filmmaker should be rated and valued as every good white Caucasian or Asian filmmaker.

- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor, NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series

mehohome

The Birth of a Nation: The Rebirth of a Racist Nation

#KKK#racism #Bigotry#BlackLivesMatter @TIME @TheAcademy @AmericanFilm @BFI @Festival_Cannes @BarackObama @SamuelLJackson @Oprah @ava @badassboz

A Tarnished Silver Screen
How a #Racist Film Helped the Klu Klux Klan Grow for Generationshttps://t.co/Dr0NK14fTA pic.twitter.com/nkLnolNF7l

— 247 Nigeria (@247nigeria) March 25, 2021