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Courtesy of Bleu Diamond Phillips

Courtesy of Bleu Diamond Phillips

I don’t usually write about dating websites, but a commercial from eHarmony.com completely caught me off-guard. If you watch television, you know very well the testimonial based commercials of this online dating matchmaker.

Generally, they show a man and a woman who met via the website and are now happily married, engaged or dating. The message is clear; matches are based on compatibility, not racy photos or the potential for one-night stands. I’ve always noticed how their couples were generally the same race (if race could be determined) and economic class. For example, one commercial features two artist small business owners who were matched by the service. 

This commercial was different. While little to know emphasis was directed to the socio-economic class of the individuals being matched, the commercial did stress the fact that all matches are based on compatibility. How is this different than past commercials? The testimonial couple was interracial. It consisted of an African American female and a Caucasian male. Most striking is the fact that the female was dark-skinned. Often interracial relationships depicted in the media involve lighter-skinned African Americans or bi-racial individuals. There was no mistaking the origin of the female member of this couple. She was beautiful and enchanting and her Caucasian mate was obviously enamored of her.

However, I did notice that he referenced her as “this crazy beautiful lady”. I often wonder, what are the social connotations for “crazy” in White society? Among African Americans, depending on the context, it often means someone who is witty, sarcastic and humorous. Of course, the term is used in a literal sense as well.
The “crazy” reference aside, this online matchmaker definitely wanted to drive home that compatibility has little to do with skin color.

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