8/30/2012- Gabby Douglas

Gabby Douglas, Gold Medalist All Around 

Very rarely do we hear of African-American success stories in media. Very rarely are those stories portrayed truthfully. In class we have looked at how people from different racial and ethnic groups have little control over their image in the media. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, an African-American won the individual gymnastics gold medal. Gabby Douglas was instantly a media sensation. Her success in the Olympics came from a long journey of sacrifice and hardship. We know this because Gabby Douglas was able to share her own story. Her control over her own image in the media is what makes this story such a big deal.

Gabby Douglas reported claims of being the victim of racial slurs and being bullied while she training for the London Olympics. For the full interview with Oprah, here is the link. 

Her story hits home for me because I have seen first hand how these young girls can be mistreated. Growing up in the gymnast community was a tough place for young girls, especially African-American girls. I remember some of my African-American teammates getting told they didn’t belong on our competitive team. These girls were my long-time friends, and were the victims of racial insults even in the late 1990’s. Gabby Douglas’s story is monumental because she was able to do something about it. She pushed boundaries and let people know there still is a racial problem even in this day and age. She was not represented or controlled, Gabby Douglas was able to share Gabby Douglas’s story with the world. This story affects me because too often we rely on the media to reflect reality. As consumers of media, we need to take everything with a grain of salt. In this case Gabby Douglas was not victim to false coverage or weak representation. She pushed boundaries and shared her struggles with fans all over the world. Too often we hear, “Change will come when all aspects of the media, including media content more accurately reflect the racial diversity of society.” This time the media got it right. Gabby Douglas being in control over her individual image in the media marks a great step in accurately reflecting media diversity. 

Article from Gawker interviewing Gabby Douglas, for the full article the link is here: 

http://gawker.com/5938384/gabby-douglas-was-bullied-called-slave-by-fellow-gymnasts-in-virginia

The quote was taken from our Monday reading "Social Inequality and Media Representation." The full story is here: 

http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/CurrentCourse/Chapter%206%20Social%20Inequality%20and%20Media%20Representation_p185-215.pdf