'Mirror Mirror', Carrie Mae Weems (1987)

Throughout the History of Art it is in essence the white male that has been at it's epicentre. Within the latter half of the 20th century, Black art began to grow, but again, the emphasis was on the male. Carrie Mae Weems' work dealt with what it was to be an African American woman within a white mans world. Within 'Mirror, Mirror' Weems deals with the ideals of beauty and the prejudices that African American women deal with when sex-symbols are predominantly white.

The work references the well-known tale of Snow White (as seen above within the 1938 Disney animated feature) and specifically the way she is seen to represent the epitome of feminine beauty and grace. Her name itself emphasises the connotations of black and white on a purely aesthetic basis. White is the colour of purity and light whereas black is dark and menacing. It's ideals such as this that seem to be learned from an early age. Snow White as a feature film appeals to children, entertaining but also teaching with it's depictions of good vs evil. Weems plays on the fact that Snow Whites pale complexion is an integral part to her perceived beauty. Weems sees the lack of black female sex symbols and relates it to such childhood stories as Snow White and how during the 20th century, it was the white female that came to represent glamour, beauty and sexuality.