By Kailey Franklin, staff writer
When a movie is released, usually it’s critiqued for its acting, screenplay and things like that. However, when it comes to the new remake of Annie, it’s instead being critiqued for Annie, the main protagonist played by Quvenzhané Wallis, being African American.
In fact, some critics are saying the movie is ruined solely because of that.
The Little Orphan Annie comic was first published in 1885, and in 1982, a movie was made based on the comic. It starred the red headed, freckled Aileen Quinn, and was nominated for quite a few awards.
Many people agree that Annie’s trademark was always her red hair and her freckles. While they’re not wrong, it’s absolutely insane to say that the franchise is ruined by Wallis’ lack of Irish heritage.
Firstly, there was a reason that Annie had red hair, and it wasn’t because it was cute. It was because, back in 1885, the Irish were heavily discriminated against.
The Irish were stereotyped as lazy, unintelligent criminals and alcoholics. Women and girls were considered promiscuous, especially those with red hair.
Annie was a redhead to oppose the awful stereotypes that were abundant, not because it was fashionable.
Presently, the Irish aren’t discriminated against, with the exception of the occasional ginger joke. This pretty much makes the point of Annie being a red- head moot.
So, it makes a lot of sense that the new Annie is now African American. Despite what many people think, racism is a problem that was never solved, and it’s abundantly clear in the media.
While there are so many obviously negatively stereotyped black characters in television and movies, there aren’t very many well-rounded, fully fleshed- out African American characters.
There are even fewer female African American characters. The only big-time female African American characters in film that come to mind are Tiana, from Disney’s Princess and the Frog, and Celie, from The Color Purple. In TV, there was Zoe from Firefly, The Proud Family on Disney Channel, which featured an all-black cast, and Uhura from Star Trek.
The lack of representation of strong black female leads in the media perpetuates that these types of characters don’t matter.
While of course there was the awful backlash after Quvenzhané Wallis was cast, there were also some positive repercussions.
In the movie, Quvenzhané Wallis’ hair is completely natural. Many people have posted their stories on Instagram and other social media, reporting that their daughters have become more en- couraged to wear their natural hair.
Representation in the media really makes a difference in people’s lives, and this movie could have the ability to make a difference in the movie industry and in individual lives. To say that changing a fictional character’s skin color completely ruins a franchise is horribly racist.