Black Women's Portrayal in Media

               It is February.  Meaning that it is Black History Month, but people are more caught up with the one day of Valentine’s, than the whole 29 days of the month. Instead of they could become aware of the stereotypes that come along with the history of this beautiful group of people. In this modern day society, we would like to believe that there are no longer any stereotypes or stigmatisms about those who are of a race other than Caucasian. I will be addressing more so the stereotypes of the Black woman in modern popular culture, and some reoccurring themes that happen in film. This includes the stereotypes of the “Angry Black Woman, “Divas”, “Evil Black Woman”, and “Bitter Black Women”. As well I will be deconstructing the stereotypes that occur in the film  The Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

 

Figure 1

Figure 2

               The term “diva” is usually used to describe a black woman with a lot of attitude, and has now begun to be used as the embodiment of a powerful and entertaining, yet pushy and bitchy woman. For example, Figure 1, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey. The term diva has come to mean something totally different over the years. The label diva was once afforded to an opera singer with amazing talent, and now it is used to describe powerful, entertaining yet demanding icons. (Springer, 2008, pg. 76) I personally believe that this shift came after the presence of powerful, black women actresses like Lena Horne began to be seen in movies, and were not cast as a mammy figure. Seeing women like Lena Horne in the media was empowering for the black audience, because it was an opportunity to see one of their own become famous without being cast negatively. However, it also brought up another problem, which we as a society are still struggling with. The problem being that those individuals with lighter skin, and those who don’t necessarily have the “negroid” features become way more successful in media. An example of this I found in bell hooks’ article The Oppositional Gaze, and is like, how again, Lena Horne ( Figure 2) was complimented by Tallulah Bankhead, a white actress, on the paleness of her skin, and her non-negroid features. Ms. Horne became infuriated, but the truth of the matter is, that now almost any Black woman would love to be told that. A modern example of how the modern day diva incorporates this mindless thinking is Mariah Carey. Mariah Carey is a light skinned Black woman, and often people even question if she is Black. I would like to say that she has become who she is based solely on her talented 5 octave range voice, I believe that to be untrue. You see, when Ms. Carey first entered the music scene in 1990, she had a beauty that was simple, and classic. But as her career propelled, her image and music changed, as you can see in Figure 3. It began to be more about her as a sex symbol, and less about her music. And believe me, you can see the change lyrically just as much as physically.

Figure 3

                 

We all know the “Evil Black Woman”. She is that black girl on TV, most popular when watching reality shows. She is the one with arms akimbo, always sucking her teeth, rolling her eyes, wagging her fingers, and always becoming confrontational at the slightest comment. Springer states that “She is the Sista With an Attitude”. A prime example of an “Evil Black Woman”  is  Bianca Golden from America’s Next Top Model, Cycles 9 and 17. In both cycles, she is constantly portrayed as picking fights with the other girls, not caring who likes her or who doesn’t like her. She is known for not caring who she hurts in the process, because she has her eye on the prize, and she isn’t going to stop until she gets that prize. This clip exhibits different moments from both cycles 9 and 11, of how she acts toward the other girls, whether it be starting a cat fight, or just being downright rude. As you will see, it seems like she always seems to feel negatively towards something anyone says or does.  
 
              Because the being a domestic servant was one of the few employment opportunities afforded Black women in the 1860- 1960 time period, The Mammy figure/stereotype became a standard characterization of Black women in film and television. The mammy roles were most famously played by actresses like Hattie McDaniels, Louise Beaver, & Ethel Waters, and they put on a happy face, even though their characters held such a lowly position, as they eased the hearts of the white audience. Mammies were shown to be so happy to serve whites that they were shown giving up their pay and even their freedom for the chance to continue serving "their white family". The clip below shows examples of the portrayal of Black women in media at the time, along with clips of the civil rights movement, which is a proper representation of of the women should have been portrayed. 

            In modern film, multiple stereotypes still show up, Such as in Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Perry’s character of Madea can be seen as a mammy figure gone wrong. She is like a blend of the Mammy, the Bitter Black Woman, and the Evil Black Woman all rolled up into one. Madea’s character is like the Mammy, not in the sense that she is so happy to serve, but because she is the matriarch of the family, and she gives out advice to everyone, if they want it or not.

  The first clip is from the scene in Diary of a Mad Black Woman, where Madea meets the mistress of her granddaughter's husband. You can see  that  Madea is exhibiting Springer's characteristics of the Evil Black Woman, when she becomes confrontational, and is sassy. Second clip shows Madea in a slightly different role. The clip if from Madea's Family Reunion, and she is shown giving advice to her great niece about what to do to get out of marrying an abusive partner. Madea still exhibits a confrontational approach, but her nurturing side is shown through the fact that she is looking out for the better interest of her family.

                Even though the amount of stereotypes of women in film and media are negative, I agree with a passage found in Audre Lorde's article " Age, Race, Class, and Sex.", in that it states, " Change means growth, and growth can be painful." (Lorde,71) I agree with this because in order for us to break down the barriers of stereotyping, and create better images to live up to, we must first endure the categories that Black women are forced into, and slowly work to define women in ways different, and more positive than what is offered. 

Works Cited:

Lorde, Audre. “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference.”  Race, Class and Gender. Eds. Margaret L. Andersen and Patricia Hill Collins. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2004. 64–71.


hooks, bell. "The Oppositional Gaze." Black Looks: Race 
           and Representation. (1992): 115-31. Print.


Springer, Kimberly. “Divas, Evil Black Bitches, and Bitter Black Women: African-American Women in Post feminist and Post-civil Rights Popular Culture.” Feminist Television Criticism: A Reader. Eds.
Charlotte Brundson and Lynn Spigel. Maidenhead, England; New York: Open University Press, 2008. 72–92.