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Troy
Veteran Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 635
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 06, 2007 - 05:36 pm: | 
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I held onto my issue of Ebony with the most recent incarnation of the Dreamgirls on it. I seem to recall another similar cover in my coleection which I finally got around to digging up today:
The covers are so similar I have to believe it was intentional. I was curious if the contents were similar as well.
The majority of full pages ads were for hard liquor; in on such add the dude was also holding a cigarette (a true man’s man). Virtually all of these ads were in full color. They really stood out considering the rest of the magazines content is in black and white.
Really the most disturbing things was the preponderance of ads and images directed at women to lighter skin: “Brighten your skin brighten your life with NADINOLA” or how about a “glamorous new you with a lighter, clearer skin…You will love your new look he will too” . Looking at these ads with a 21st century sensibility they are sickening.
Almost all of the men and women models in these ads were fair skinned with straight hair. This line for a hair straightening product Promises “Swim, Shower, Shampoo! Hair Can’t revert!
Today’s Ebony is much smaller, but it is a slicker package. The 1965 version had a ton of liquor ads I only noticed one in the 2006 issue and no cigarette ads. I image the absence of cigrarette ads is due to legislation.
Surprisingly there were still skin lightening products, but they were couched a little differently as products to even skin tone: ”fades dark spots, even skin tone Maybe I’m overreacting a little.
Otherwise there many more dark faces in the ads.
What is the same? The content continues to highlight the accomplishments of not just celebrities (which they do) but everyday Black people.
Even more impressively is the presence of Lerome Bennett Jr’s (http://authors.aalbc.com/lerone.htm) books in both issues 1965 (The Negro Mood http://aalbc.com/cgi/aalbcamazonproductsfeed.cgi?locale=us&input_string=The+Negro+Mood&mode=books) and in 2006 (Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America). Lerone Bennett’s name should be a household word.
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Mzuri
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Mzuri
Post Number: 4695
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 06, 2007 - 07:30 pm: |
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Nice story. Notice that the 1965 Dreamgirls are exposing their cleavage and the 2006 ladies seem to be dressed more conservative. What's up with that  |
Troy
Veteran Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 636
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 06, 2007 - 09:30 pm: |
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That is an interesting observation Mzuri. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 8533
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 06, 2007 - 10:22 pm: |
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Watta blast. Seeing that Ebony magazine cover from the 60s is like opening up a time capsule. And Lerone Bennett's Book "Before the Mayflower" really has been around forever. So much of what is common knowledge about blacks and slavery today comes from that book and people don't even realize it. |
Mzuri
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Mzuri
Post Number: 4696
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 06, 2007 - 10:34 pm: |
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Troy should post more often 
They lightened the ish out of JHud!
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Troy
Veteran Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 639
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 07, 2007 - 10:36 am: |
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Mzuri, all three were lightened, wow I missed that too. This -hit is almost subliminal. We are a culture of conflicting messages and images. |
Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 2210
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 07, 2007 - 01:51 pm: |
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Interesting post Troy. You beat me to the punch. I'm currently in Ohio at a public library and just two days ago, I was looking through some archived copies of Ebony (1965-69) they have in book binding (thank God! I despise microfiche!). I was looking at those ads and I did document a few of the skin bleaching ads. You did say something that I do take exception to and do not completely agree with but I don't have the time to detail our differences. I'll save it for a later date when I get back to the West Coast. I'm under time restraints at the moment. Anyway, that was a nice post and glad to see you bring it up. More to follow....
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