bell hooks was a powerful Black feminist scholar, cultural critic, and writer who used her voice to challenge how race, gender, and class are represented in media. One of her most important ideas is the Oppositional Gaze, a concept that encourages Black women—and others who are often misrepresented in film and media—to watch actively and critically. Instead of accepting what they see, hooks urges them to question it. The oppositional gaze is a way of refusing to passively accept images that leave out, distort, or silence people who look like us. It’s a rebellious way of watching: when Black women notice that media often erases or misuses them, their very act of watching and noticing becomes resistance.
Using this lens, I will critique the Glo holiday advertisement titled “Feliz Navidad Nigeria!” which celebrates Christmas in a colorful, music-filled Nigerian setting. While the ad looks inclusive on the surface, a deeper look reveals how Black women are used more for decoration than for representation. Through the TSC method (Theory – Scene – Comment), I will analyze key moments in the video and show how the ad falls short when it comes to meaningful inclusion, voice, and agency for Black women.
One of bell hooks’ main ideas is that Black women are often present in media, but only in the background. They are there physically, but their voices, emotions, and importance are ignored. This kind of “presence without power” is what she calls a form of invisibility—when you’re seen, but not really acknowledged. In the first few seconds of the Glo ad, we see people preparing food in what looks like a family kitchen. A Black woman is standing behind the group, stirring a pot and smiling. The camera moves past her quickly. She doesn’t speak, and we don’t see her clearly. This is a clear example of bell hooks’ idea. The woman is shown, but she doesn’t matter to the story. She’s not introduced. She has no lines. The camera doesn’t even focus on her. She’s there just to add a “festive feel” to the scene. This kind of invisibility is common in ads that want to look diverse but don’t actually center Black women in meaningful ways.
Another part of the oppositional gaze is about how the camera treats people—especially women. bell hooks argues that Black women are often filmed in ways that turn them into objects instead of full human beings. They are shown to please the eye, not to share their stories or personalities. Their beauty is highlighted, but their minds and voices are ignored. Later in the Glo ad, there’s a short clip of a teenage girl dancing in festive clothes. Her smile is bright, her look is carefully styled, and the music matches her movement. The camera pans across her quickly and then moves on to another scene. This moment looks cheerful on the surface, but it still follows the pattern hooks warns about. The girl is used like a visual ornament—something to add sparkle to the ad. We don’t know anything about her. She doesn’t speak or do anything important. Her body and smile are used for beauty, not for meaning. This is objectification. Instead of being treated like a full person, she’s reduced to how she looks in one moment.
bell hooks also talks about how real representation means giving people a voice. Just being seen is not enough—people need to speak, lead, and shape their own stories. Too often, Black women in media are silent. They may smile, laugh, or cry, but they don’t speak for themselves. This silence is another form of erasure. In the final part of the Glo ad, we hear a male narrator say, “Spread the unlimited joy.” As he speaks, we see women laughing and dancing. They are clearly a big part of the visuals—but none of them talk. None of them explain what the message means to them. Even though women are everywhere in this part of the ad, their silence is loud. The voice that carries the message—the only voice we hear—is male. This matches the kind of gender imbalance hooks points out. Women are there to support the mood, not to own the message. Once again, Black women are made quiet, used only to support the story instead of tell it.
hooks also criticizes how Black women are often shown in the same roles over and over again. One of the most common is the “nurturing mother” or the woman who is always happy and caring. While there’s nothing wrong with love and joy, these roles become a problem when they’re the only ones shown. They flatten real human experience into simple emotional images. In one part of the Glo ad, a Black woman hugs her children in a warm, glowing kitchen. The lighting is soft, and everything looks perfect. She smiles, and the moment is heartwarming. But again, this scene fits exactly into the pattern hooks warns about. The woman is shown only as a caregiver—gentle, loving, and smiling. We don’t hear her speak. We don’t see anything else about her life. Her job is just to comfort, to nurture. It’s a stereotype. Real women have more complex emotions, stories, and roles than this. But the ad keeps her in one safe, sweet box.
Finally, bell hooks talks about the importance of agency. This means that Black women should not just appear in media—they should act, speak, lead, and drive the story forward. True representation happens when they are placed at the center, not the edges. In the Glo ad, most of the active, leading roles are given to men. Men lead the dancing. A man delivers the voice-over. Even during gift-giving scenes, men are often shown in charge. The women in the ad are dancing, decorating, or smiling in the background. They are included, but they are not leading. hooks would say that this is another missed opportunity. Instead of placing Black women in positions of strength and leadership, the ad keeps them on the sidelines. They are involved, but not empowered. This reinforces the idea that men lead, and women follow—even in a celebration meant to show love and togetherness.
The Glo “Feliz Navidad Nigeria!” ad is bright, cheerful, and filled with music and togetherness. But when we view it through bell hooks’ Oppositional Gaze, we begin to see the cracks underneath the surface. Black women are included visually, but they are not truly seen. They are silent, background figures who smile, dance, and care—but are never allowed to lead, speak, or show deeper emotion. Their presence feels more decorative than powerful. hooks reminds us that watching critically is a form of resistance. The oppositional gaze means not accepting everything we see without question. It means noticing when we are being used for visuals but left out of the message. If Glo and other brands truly want to show inclusion, they must go beyond surface appearances. They must give Black women room to speak, lead, and be represented in full color—not just as smiles in the background.
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