Graph 1 and Graph 2 chart how race is represented on RBA’s two websites; their homepage and their frozen egg bank website. Graph 1 compares the RBA’s frozen egg bank link to the RBA’s homepage. The comparison between these two websites was made because freezing eggs successfully is a relatively new development, it is extremely expensive, and has been marketed to professional women as a way to delay childbearing without giving up the chance of biologically having children (Mundy 2007, 326). Therefore, my hypothesis with creating this comparison was that there could be a possible difference with how race is being represented when it could be assumed that those who will primarily utilize the technology will be white middle to upper class people because white people are more likely to have property benefits that their Whiteness provides them with (Harris 1993, 1713).
White babies are the most prominent faces on the RBA website, whether it is on the home site or the frozen egg bank site. Additionally, Non-White light skinned and dark skinned babies are represented on the website more than images of Non-White families. However, Non-White dark skinned babies and Non-White dark skinned families are not represented at all on the frozen egg bank site, but Non-White light skinned babies are represented on the frozen egg bank site over twice as much than as on the RBA home site. Additionally, while a shot of babies of different races is included once on the RBA home site there are no pictures of the like on the frozen egg bank site.
Graph 2 in particular demonstrates that while Non-White people are represented, the website significantly favors representations of Non-White light skinned people. Additionally, in continuing to highlight the differences between the home site and the frozen egg bank site, the frozen egg bank site does not have a single representation of Non-White dark skinned people. Interestingly the only group of photos that challenges this trend is the two pictures (one on the frozen egg bank site and one on RBA’s home site) of egg donors. Out of the four women in these two pictures combined, three of them are Non-White women, and one of them is white. However, all of the Non-White women portrayed as egg donors are light skinned.
Therefore, even though White people are the most prominent group represented on both websites, RBA chose to represent the races of their egg donors in a substantially different manner. By representing their egg donors as predominantly non-White, RBA intentionally promotes a pro-diversity image. However, by choosing to represent diversity through the images of egg donors, RBA is sending the message to their clients that: everyone uses reproductive technologies, and that many different races of babies are being produced through our services. Through covert pro-diversity messages, that favor non-White light skinned people ,while still placing White people in the most prominent positions on the website, RBA effectively shields the reality that predominantly White people can afford their services.
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