Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Late 20th century ·1972
Blaxploitation
Black exploitation
- Meaning
- A 1970s film genre aimed at urban Black audiences.
- Source words
- Black + exploitation
- Coined by
- Junius Griffin (NAACP)
- Year
- 1972
Background
Griffin coined the term as critique, not endorsement — arguing that the genre exploited Black audiences with stereotyped narratives. Later reclaimed by some filmmakers as a positive genre label.
Late 20th century
Marketing, media, and the early internet. Infomercial, emoticon, workaholic — the coinages name phenomena of mass media and white-collar life. Several predate the decades they're associated with.
Two words, one coinage.
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