PASSING COMPLEXION

 “We are white children of white parents, white descendants of white ancestors, yet we have few ideas and even less language with which to make sense of our whiteness.”

- Natasha Stovall, Whiteness on the Couch

Like many American members of Generation X, I was raised consuming the popular media predominately created by Baby Boomers. 1980’s comedies were almost exclusively white and male; white men writing and directing content featuring straight, white male protagonists. While it’s easy to excuse this as the creators’ blindness to their own privilege, what’s at play in these films is actually a deliberate portrayal and reinforcement of the society at large, power being passed down from one generation to the next. This ugliness is masked as raunchy humor; even now, when I look critically at these movies, the reaction by many is: Relax, it was just a joke.

Passing Complexion is a photographic deconstruction of these films; the themes and “jokes” therein: Racism, antisemitism, rape, misogyny, homophobia and sexual assault are not merely tolerated but rewarded. Less overt crimes and indiscretions are deemed charming, shielded by skin tone. How did the repeated consumption of these films influence me and my generation which now holds the reins of power?

I am reflecting on the many systems of oppression that have benefited me. By using the common ground of popular culture, this project opens up a conversation about whiteness and the costs and benefits of American patriarchy.