In this episode of Paper Tiger Television, acclaimed author and activist Professor Myrna Bain gives us a critical reading of Ebony Magazine. This publication was started by media conglomerate champion John Johnson in 1945 as the “colored answer to Life”. In 1983, when this show was produced, Ebony had a nation-wide circulation of 1,600,000 readers. Focusing on several issues of Ebony Magazine, Bain highlights the ways through which the magazine projects unrealistic, frivolous and misleading expectations of a “black middle class” while forgoing any coverage of important issues or political statements from local communities. Bain also playfully points out the abundance of exploitative – advertisements, for a range of things from hair products and alcoholic drinks to, armed services recruitment and menthol cigarettes. These ads, designed to capitalize on the magazine’s target audience, reinforce stereotypical assumptions about black readers, while advocating consumption and assimilation as the keys to success. The show also features interviews with community members and readers’ of Ebony magazine, who respond to the magazine. Taped during a period of Reagonomic recession, the show underlines the sharp discrepancies between the glamorous lifestyle depicted in Ebony magazine and the harsh reality of unemployment and lack of public resources in many African American communities. The result is an honest, humorous piece brought to life through Bain’s charisma. A professor in the Black and Puerto Rican Studies department at Hunter College, Bain also served as a founding member of Advance Magazine, the Wild Womyn’s Archive, and the Kitchen Table Women of Color Press.