The Liberation Of Aunt Jemima Analysis

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Stereotypes in artwork can either be perpetuated or challenged depending upon how the artist presents the material. Sometimes this is clear, as in The Liberation of Aunt Jemima where the artist deliberately uses different representations through time to illustrate the deconstruction of a racist stereotype. However, art can sometimes be quite extraordinary in that the waters are never clear; is a particular piece perpetuating a stereotype or challenging it? In 1971, a Public Service Announcement (PSA) on television featured a character so stereotyped he could have been a cigar-store Indian come to life. The ad contained a very powerful message about pollution, and some say that the environmentalist movement was sparked by it. But classic