# Why is it more common to see black male/white female couples than white male/black female on TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2018, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106 "2018-03-06T09:51:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/21 "2018-03-06T17:27:50Z")
One show that stands out to me is _The Flash_, which has a white man (Barry Allen) married to a black woman (Iris West). ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/22 "2018-03-07T03:59:54Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > IMO more lopsided than the white/black interracial couple mix is the White/Asian mix. Lots and lots of white guys involved with Asian women; not nearly so many white women involved with Asian men. Either depicted on TV or IRL. I predict this will change as the overseas-Chinese population in the West grows larger and wealthier. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/23 "2018-03-07T04:46:08Z")
This may be a controversial opinion but I believe black man/white women pairing has a cultural element tied up in sexuality, racism, social status and more. White (esp. blonde) women are stereotypically seen as the benchmark for hot, desirable and mostly unattainable women. Black men have been stereotypically seen as hyper-masculine, larger and stronger with larger genitalia. Add to this the historical (as well as current) oppression and mistreatment of black men in our country, being with the sexiest of the sexy, who is WHITE (gasp!) is a status symbol and source of pride. This is obviously just my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/24 "2018-03-07T06:32:11Z")
I knew my post was going to catch hell but I don’t have my head in the sand like a lot of you do. Too many blacks in this country were and still are following the wrong role models. I don’t care what race you are if you don’t do your best to fit into the main stream your chances of success will be lower. Nothing to do with racism everything to do with being an isolated society within a society. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/25 "2018-03-07T06:45:15Z")
I’ve noticed more black female/white male pairings on television. I believe that’s because it’s generally considered less threatening than the reverse. > [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I knew my post was going to catch hell but I don’t have my head in the sand like a lot of you do. Too many blacks in this country were and still are following the wrong role models. I don’t care what race you are if you don’t do your best to fit into the main stream your chances of success will be lower. Nothing to do with racism everything to do with being an isolated society within a society. You obviously don’t know as much about black people as you think you do. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/26 "2018-03-07T11:03:35Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > You obviously don’t know as much about black people as you think you do. To paraphrase Mark Twain: "When America was younger, Blacks isolated themselves so much it could hardly stand to have them around. But when America grew up a bit, it was astonished at how much Blacks had decided to assimilate more into mainstream culture.” :rolleyes: **HoneyBadger** , viewing Black culture a) as isolationist; and b) as an exclusive choice of Blacks and not a byproduct of a long, complex history doesn’t really work. Also, who moved? If populations like Blacks, Latinos and Asians (and LGBTQ folk, and Women, etc) are seen as “more mainstream,” did they come to the Mainstream, or did it come to them? Hint: it wasn’t the populations who have moved. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/27 "2018-03-07T13:14:07Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I knew my post was going to catch hell but I don’t have my head in the sand like a lot of you do. Too many blacks in this country were and still are following the wrong role models. I don’t care what race you are if you don’t do your best to fit into the main stream your chances of success will be lower. Nothing to do with racism everything to do with being an isolated society within a society. I strongly disagree with your assessment of where your head is if you believe that the degree to which blacks have advanced in American society is based on them having changed who they are to fit more with the mainstream. I think any further comment along these lines is getting too far afield of the topic of this particular thread, but I may start another one. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/28 "2018-03-07T13:26:52Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I knew my post was going to catch hell but I don’t have my head in the sand like a lot of you do. Too many blacks in this country were and still are following the wrong role models. I don’t care what race you are if you don’t do your best to fit into the main stream your chances of success will be lower. Nothing to do with racism everything to do with being an isolated society within a society. The problem has never been black people resistant to trying to fitting in with the mainstream of society. The problem has always been about the mainstream of society resisting the efforts of black people to fit in. This is one of the simplest (and kindest, in that it doesn’t mention the mass brutality, rape, and murder that mainstream society directed towards black people for centuries) ways to sum up the history of white supremacism in America. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/29 "2018-03-07T13:45:09Z")
Here in Canada (where our urban centres are incredibly diverse), I’ve noticed that our national marketing campaigns represent mostly multi racial families. Happy families are often shown as Guy of Colour and White Female. I took an informal poll while binge watching the winter Olympics, and the majority of families depicted in commercials were multi-racial. Anecdotal, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/30 "2018-03-07T15:42:32Z")
I think you were sitting here just waiting for your Pit thread. HoneyBadger. Well, [here it is!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20831375) ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/31 "2018-03-07T16:21:04Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > I see more white male/every other race female EXCEPT I rarely see white male/black female, there it’s overwhelmingly black male/white female. > > Is it actually more common in real life or do they do that because it’s considered more provocative? I recall there was a thread (or a theme that took over a different topic thread) recently where somebody claimed exactly the opposite, as it regards TV ads. My impression is that ‘black’ (or racially ambiguous but might identify as ‘black’) woman and ‘white’ man couples on TV commercials have exploded in frequency just recently, like even in the last year or so. Although, they don’t necessarily outnumber the reverse in TV couples. In real life ‘black’ man/‘white’ woman couples are much more common in my casual observation in the NY area of the US. Again, counting people you’d guess had those racial affiliations if it was any of your business to ask, and assuming they themselves cared (at least some Hispanic people IME who ‘look black’ say they don’t think of themselves in terms of black/white, whereas the children of ‘white’ and ‘anglo black’ parents seem more likely to choose a specific racial identity be it black, white or biracial). ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/32 "2018-03-07T16:53:32Z")
We actually have census data. The most common interracial (among Blacks, Whites and Asians)pairing is… White husband with an Asian wife. The least common is Asian husband with a black wife. If we get into percentages, what is most clear is that most people marry within their race. Of those that marry out of their race, black women and Asian men are always the least represented pairings. I have always theorized that we see disproportionate white husband/black wife marriages in media is because media is well aware that it is a major social scripter and often uses its influence to change societal trends. I assume that it is an attempt to remedy the black woman marriage squeeze that is caused at least in part by exogamy that disproportionately disfavors them. I don’t know, it’s just a theory. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/33 "2018-03-07T18:09:29Z")
> [@senoy](#): > > 1. We actually have census data. The most common interracial (among Blacks, Whites and Asians)pairing is… White husband with an Asian wife. The least common is Asian husband with a black wife. If we get into percentages, what is most clear is that most people marry within their race. Of those that marry out of their race, black women and Asian men are always the least represented pairings. > > 2. I have always theorized that we see disproportionate white husband/black wife marriages in media is because media is well aware that it is a major social scripter and often uses its influence to change societal trends. I assume that it is an attempt to remedy the black woman marriage squeeze that is caused at least in part by exogamy that disproportionately disfavors them. I don’t know, it’s just a theory. 1. Yes we have census data about marriage by race in general. However, the OP didn’t ask about Asians at all, and limiting ‘race’ otherwise to ‘black’ and ‘white’ and making ‘Hispanic’ an ethnicity which overlaps both is a peculiarity of the US Census which adds more confusion than information compared to what is generally meant by ‘white’ (in particular) in social discussions in US society (even other govt orgs have to back out what the actual ‘white’ component is, for example in CDC’s crime stats). Plus ‘couples’, either on TV or in real life, aren’t necessarily married and in real life the frequency with which they are married isn’t necessarily uniform across racial make ups of couples. But yeah, the census doesn’t contradict the day to day observation that if one sees a man and woman walking around as if perhaps a romantic couple and one person is apparently ‘black’ and the other apparently ‘white’, the woman is ‘white’ much more often than ‘black’. 1. Who knows why, but again seems to me a big increase quite recently. Non-scientifically I don’t recall even one case of ‘white man/black woman’ on a commercial say 5 yrs ago, but lots now, again making the comment on another recent thread that ‘white man/black women’ couples on TV ads now outnumber the opposite credible (though I’m not sure it’s actually true). It might just show the hive mentality of the ad industry. One does it, so they all do. I have no (conscious) opinion whether it’s ‘good’ what race of couples is shown on TV ads or whether they match ‘real life’. The recent change is noticeable though IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/34 "2018-03-07T19:39:24Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > One show that stands out to me is _The Flash_, which has a white man (Barry Allen) married to a black woman (Iris West). But she is also his sister so ew. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/35 "2018-03-07T20:51:51Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The OP’s observation seems correct; however there are at least two national ad campaigns running now (for a company delivering meal boxes, and for an anti-bipolar disorder drug) that feature a white male/black female couple. And the one where she knows she’s ovulating and they better get down to business. > [@Whiskey\_Dickens](#): > > I took an informal poll while binge watching the winter Olympics, and the majority of families depicted in commercials were multi-racial. Anecdotal, obviously. I was kind of laughing thinking wow, so many interracial couples all of the sudden! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/36 "2018-03-07T21:00:02Z")
> [@senoy](#): > > I have always theorized that we see disproportionate white husband/black wife marriages in media is because media is well aware that it is a major social scripter and often uses its influence to change societal trends. I assume that it is an attempt to remedy the black woman marriage squeeze that is caused at least in part by exogamy that disproportionately disfavors them. I don’t know, it’s just a theory. More cynically, they are avoiding “Black men are taking our white women!” backlash from certain areas of society and a white husband with a black spouse may be less threatening or likely to raise ire when looking for an interracial B/W pairing. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/37 "2018-03-07T22:13:54Z")
> [@senoy](#): > > We actually have census data. The most common interracial (among Blacks, Whites and Asians)pairing is… White husband with an Asian wife. This probably has something to do with the US military having a large presence in Asia. Furthermore, many of the Black man - Asian woman couples probably also meet this way. Asians in general are probably the “race” that in general is more integrated with “white” people in this country, socially, economically, and academically. (I hate the concept of “race” so much, it’s bullshit, all there are, are different phenotypes, the idea of race is made up, but when talking about different cultures, it’s unavoidable to generalize about it to some degree.) Chinese and Koreans are becoming wealthier and more prominent socially; slick-looking Asian bad boys with Ferraris, McLarens and Lotuses are becoming ubiquitous in America; I guarantee the Asian male-White female pairing is going to start increasing. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2018, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/38 "2018-03-07T22:50:39Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > As I recall, the Jeffersons had a neighbor couple that was WMBF and that was one of the earliest interracial couples on television. > > Not that I pay a ton of attention, but interracial couples that I have seen out and about have been largely BMWF. The actress who played the black wife was Roxie Roker who had a white husband in real life. Her son from that marriage is Lenny Kravitz. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/39 "2018-03-08T00:16:24Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > There was also the Cheerios family from a few years ago. > [Part 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRoe2-Tx6hQ) > [Part 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qkJHgkUzDA) > [@gytalf2000](#): > > I gotta say, that little girl is quite adorable. So cute! Let’s be huge optimists and fantasize that the ad agency discovered this super-cute little actress and just _had_ to cast her in the already written Cheerios spot. At that point it only made sense to cast a bi-racial couple as her parents. Prolly not, but it’d be nice. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106/40 "2018-03-08T01:00:59Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > …I think President Obama and several other sports and TV personalities have had an impact on the black culture in this country were we are seeing more and more blacks better adapting to a mainstream culture, language etc. Adapting? That’s quite a strange thing to say. :dubious: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-more-common-to-see-black-male-white-female-couples-than-white-male-black-female-on-tv/810106.md?page=1)