Black Feminist Theories demonstrated by Black women through social media
Black Feminist Theories demonstrated by Black women through social media
Black women have always been burdened by the fact that they belong to two distinct
minority groups: people of color and women. This dual responsibility is still in effect today, and
it has been defined through numerous media platforms. “Given this relative marginalization in
social science literature, it is not surprising that modern black women are frequently
misunderstood, mischaracterized, and misrecognized in public and private discourse,” writes St.
Jean and Feagin in Double Burden: Black Women and Everyday Racism (1998).
The negative portrayal of black women as domineering matriarchs or exotic sexual
objects was created and continues to be perpetuated by white (usually white male) social
scientists and a few black male social scientists trained by the images of hyper-sexuality and
overbearingness often merge to symbolize the black woman (Chepp, 2015). Beginning in
sixteenth-century Spain and brought to the Americas by mariners and colonists, this reading
clarified the historical backdrop for how the image of black women has been constructed in
modern media.
The enforcement of existing preconceptions about blacks and racist ideology was
represented on the “big screen” with the introduction of moving pictures in the 1890s. During
this time, white folks used blackface to portray African Americans on stage and in films (Rankin,
2020). In the early 1800s, Blackface Minstrelsy comprised plays, acts, dance, and musical
performances that humiliated people, particularly those of African descent. Typically, these
performances represented black people as dimwitted, lazy, buffoonish, illogical, and happy-go-
lucky.
Black women are discriminated against in ways that don’t often fit cleanly under the legal
categories of “racism” or “sexism,” but rather as a mix of both. However, the legal system has
traditionally defined sexism as an unconscious reference to the injustices suffered by all
(including white) women, whereas racism has been defined as the injustices faced by all
(including male) Blacks and other persons of color (Steele, 2021). Black women are routinely
rendered legally “invisible” and without legal remedy due to this system. Crenshaw discusses
many employments discrimination cases to show how Black women’s complaints frequently fall
through the cracks precisely because they are discriminated against as both women and Blacks.
The decision in DeGraffenreid v. General Motors, a case brought by five Black women in 1976,
exemplifies this argument graphically.
Why are Black women considered “mules” and allocated heavy cleaning jobs if women
are supposed to be submissive and fragile? Why are US Black women on public assistance
obliged to work and leave their children in daycare if good moms are meant to stay at home with
their children? If becoming a mother is a woman’s highest calling, why are Black adolescent
mothers urged to use Norplant? The angle of vision formed by being judged undervalued
workers and failing mothers might easily be turned inward, leading to internalized oppression
(Chepp, 2015), in the absence of meaningful Black feminism that analyzes how intersecting
oppressions of race, gender, and class nurture these contradictions (Chepp, 2015). However, the
history of struggle among Black women in the United States reveals that a collectively shared
Black women’s oppositional knowledge has existed for a long time. As a result of this collective
expertise, US Black women have developed a more specialized understanding, specifically,
Black feminist thought as critical social theory.
Of course, some films depict more “realistic” portrayals of black femininity, but these
films are frequently independent and seldom make it to the “big screen.” Girlhood and Daughters
of the Dust, two films written and produced by women of color, challenge stereotypes. Even
though it is set in an “undesirable” environment, Girlhood focuses on a sixteen-year-old black
French girl (Rankin, 2020). Marieme is the protagonist, and she lives in a public housing
development where she joins an all-girl gang. Marieme’s existence as a poor, black teen in
France is depicted in detail. The film’s expected conclusion is that “bad females” will corrupt
“nice girls,” but Celine Sciamma, the film’s author, believes otherwise.
Daughters of the Dust is the more out-of-the-box film of the two. The novel is set in the
Gullah community of coastal South Carolina and follows a family. Gullah has become the
standard moniker for the people of South Carolina’s islands (Steele, 2021). Many Gullah cultural
traditions were passed down through the generations through language, agriculture, and
spirituality. Starting in 1750, when antislavery laws in the Georgia colony were repealed, West
African ethnic groups were enslaved on island plantations to grow rice, indigo, and cotton. The
family is caught in the middle of a generational divide between Yoruba forefathers’ customs and
the impact of modernity on family relationships. Black womanhood is exemplified and cherished
in ways that Hollywood rarely portrays in Daughters. Family decisions are made by the
matriarch, who has control over both women and men (Steele, 2021). Because the Gullah dialect
employed in the film is not one that most Americans are familiar with, it’s easy to become
disoriented while watching it.
Hairstyles worn by black women are and have always been political statements. Women
use hair to develop a group identity and daily opposition to the dominant culture’s social norms.
Hair extensions, clip-ins, and headscarves to complement Sasha’s clothes symbolize the
individuality and variety black women create with their bodies through hair (Chepp, 2015). I
thought it was meaningful that the women were shown with their hair wrapped in their pajamas,
as this is something many black women do before going to bed, but it’s a habit that’s rarely
depicted in mainstream media, even in black-targeted outlets.
These films are significant not just because they provide a counter-narrative to the
popularized oppression films but also because they provide a counter-narrative to the oppression
films. Black women may see a reflection of themselves in production if roles are given to
actresses who do not fit into stereotypes but provide dynamic character development, albeit this
is more difficult to come by (Rankin, 2020). All of the films described in this section are
independent films, which are feature films produced and released by independent entertainment
firms outside of the big film studio system.
Because of the country’s long history of slavery and racial segregation, building a
cohesive women’s movement necessitates acknowledging the many ramifications of the racial
divide. While all women are oppressed, no movement can claim to speak for all women unless it
includes women of color, who are disproportionately represented in the working class and
impoverished (Steele, 2021). If the idea of women’s liberation is meaningful to those women
who are the most oppressed by the system, race and class must be at the center of it. Indeed, one
of the most serious flaws in the largely white feminist movement in the United States has been
its failure to address racism, devastating consequences. Failure to address racism results in the
status quo being perpetuated.
According to popular belief, the modern feminist movement began with white women in
the late 1960s and early 1970s and was later joined by women of color. However, this story is
untrue. Black women were mobilizing against their systematic rape at the hands of white racist
males, decades before the contemporary women’s liberation movement emerged (Chepp, 2015).
Women civil rights leaders, like Rosa Parks, were part of a vociferous grassroots effort to defend
Black women who were victims of racial, sexual assaultsat a historically unique convergence
of oppression for Black women in the United States.
The disparity between white middle-class oppression and Black women’s oppression in
the 1960s was stark. The same “experts” who advocated a joyful homemaking life for white
suburban women, as detailed in Betty Friedan’s hugely famous The Feminine Mystique,
chastised Black women for not following this model (Rankin, 2020). Because black moms have
typically worked outside the home in far greater numbers than white mothers, they have been
blamed for various social evils based on their economic independence.
In conclusion, outside of those labeled as heteronormative, black Hollywood films
frequently overlook the presence of any sexual distinctness. Unless explicitly addressed,
investigated, and taken apart, queerness is not centered in black mainstream film. The mention of
queerness in passing is kept hidden. Unless they are forcedly fixed on, queer romances are
invisible. Heteronormativity is associated with portraying power dynamics between men and
women in film production, which frequently reinforces male dominance.
References
Chepp, V. (2015). Black feminist theory and the politics of irreverence: The case of women’s
rap. Feminist Theory, 16(2), 207-226.
Rankin, Y. A., & Irish, I. (2020). A Seat at the Table: Black Feminist Thought as a Critical
Framework for Inclusive Game Design. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer
Interaction, 4(CSCW2), 1-26.
Steele, C. K. (2021). Digital Black Feminism. New York University Press.
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Black Feminist Theories demonstrated by Black women through social media
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Black Feminist Theories demonstrated by Black women through social media
Black women have always been burdened by the fact that they belong to two distinct
minority groups: people of color and women. This dual responsibility is still in effect today, and
it has been defined through numerous media platforms. “Given this relative marginalization in
social science literature, it is not surprising that modern black women are frequently
misunderstood, mischaracterized, and misrecognized in public and private discourse,” writes St.
Jean and Feagin in Double Burden: Black Women and Everyday Racism (1998).
The negative portrayal of black women as domineering matriarchs or exotic sexual
objects was created and continues to be perpetuated by white (usually white male) social
scientists and a few black male social scientists trained by the images of hyper-sexuality and
overbearingness often merge to symbolize the black woman (Chepp, 2015). Beginning in
sixteenth-century Spain and brought to the Americas by mariners and colonists, this reading
clarified the historical backdrop for how the image of black women has been constructed in
modern media.
The enforcement of existing preconceptions about blacks and racist ideology was
represented on the “big screen” with the introduction of moving pictures in the 1890s. During
this time, white folks used blackface to portray African Americans on stage and in films (Rankin,
2020). In the early 1800s, Blackface Minstrelsy comprised plays, acts, dance, and musical
performances that humiliated people, particularly those of African descent. Typically, these
performances represented black people as dimwitted, lazy, buffoonish, illogical, and happy-go-
lucky.
Black women are discriminated against in ways that don’t often fit cleanly under the legal
categories of “racism” or “sexism,” but rather as a mix of both. However, the legal system has
traditionally defined sexism as an unconscious reference to the injustices suffered by all
(including white) women, whereas racism has been defined as the injustices faced by all
(including male) Blacks and other persons of color (Steele, 2021). Black women are routinely
rendered legally “invisible” and without legal remedy due to this system. Crenshaw discusses
many employments discrimination cases to show how Black women’s complaints frequently fall
through the cracks precisely because they are discriminated against as both women and Blacks.
The decision in DeGraffenreid v. General Motors, a case brought by five Black women in 1976,
exemplifies this argument graphically.
Why are Black women considered “mules” and allocated heavy cleaning jobs if women
are supposed to be submissive and fragile? Why are US Black women on public assistance
obliged to work and leave their children in daycare if good moms are meant to stay at home with
their children? If becoming a mother is a woman’s highest calling, why are Black adolescent
mothers urged to use Norplant? The angle of vision formed by being judged undervalued
workers and failing mothers might easily be turned inward, leading to internalized oppression
(Chepp, 2015), in the absence of meaningful Black feminism that analyzes how intersecting
oppressions of race, gender, and class nurture these contradictions (Chepp, 2015). However, the
history of struggle among Black women in the United States reveals that a collectively shared
Black women’s oppositional knowledge has existed for a long time. As a result of this collective
expertise, US Black women have developed a more specialized understanding, specifically,
Black feminist thought as critical social theory.
Of course, some films depict more “realistic” portrayals of black femininity, but these
films are frequently independent and seldom make it to the “big screen.” Girlhood and Daughters
of the Dust, two films written and produced by women of color, challenge stereotypes. Even
though it is set in an “undesirable” environment, Girlhood focuses on a sixteen-year-old black
French girl (Rankin, 2020). Marieme is the protagonist, and she lives in a public housing
development where she joins an all-girl gang. Marieme’s existence as a poor, black teen in
France is depicted in detail. The film’s expected conclusion is that “bad females” will corrupt
“nice girls,” but Celine Sciamma, the film’s author, believes otherwise.
Daughters of the Dust is the more out-of-the-box film of the two. The novel is set in the
Gullah community of coastal South Carolina and follows a family. Gullah has become the
standard moniker for the people of South Carolina’s islands (Steele, 2021). Many Gullah cultural
traditions were passed down through the generations through language, agriculture, and
spirituality. Starting in 1750, when antislavery laws in the Georgia colony were repealed, West
African ethnic groups were enslaved on island plantations to grow rice, indigo, and cotton. The
family is caught in the middle of a generational divide between Yoruba forefathers’ customs and
the impact of modernity on family relationships. Black womanhood is exemplified and cherished
in ways that Hollywood rarely portrays in Daughters. Family decisions are made by the
matriarch, who has control over both women and men (Steele, 2021). Because the Gullah dialect
employed in the film is not one that most Americans are familiar with, it’s easy to become
disoriented while watching it.
Hairstyles worn by black women are and have always been political statements. Women
use hair to develop a group identity and daily opposition to the dominant culture’s social norms.
Hair extensions, clip-ins, and headscarves to complement Sasha’s clothes symbolize the
individuality and variety black women create with their bodies through hair (Chepp, 2015). I
thought it was meaningful that the women were shown with their hair wrapped in their pajamas,
as this is something many black women do before going to bed, but it’s a habit that’s rarely
depicted in mainstream media, even in black-targeted outlets.
These films are significant not just because they provide a counter-narrative to the
popularized oppression films but also because they provide a counter-narrative to the oppression
films. Black women may see a reflection of themselves in production if roles are given to
actresses who do not fit into stereotypes but provide dynamic character development, albeit this
is more difficult to come by (Rankin, 2020). All of the films described in this section are
independent films, which are feature films produced and released by independent entertainment
firms outside of the big film studio system.
Because of the country’s long history of slavery and racial segregation, building a
cohesive women’s movement necessitates acknowledging the many ramifications of the racial
divide. While all women are oppressed, no movement can claim to speak for all women unless it
includes women of color, who are disproportionately represented in the working class and
impoverished (Steele, 2021). If the idea of women’s liberation is meaningful to those women
who are the most oppressed by the system, race and class must be at the center of it. Indeed, one
of the most serious flaws in the largely white feminist movement in the United States has been
its failure to address racism, devastating consequences. Failure to address racism results in the
status quo being perpetuated.
According to popular belief, the modern feminist movement began with white women in
the late 1960s and early 1970s and was later joined by women of color. However, this story is
untrue. Black women were mobilizing against their systematic rape at the hands of white racist
males, decades before the contemporary women’s liberation movement emerged (Chepp, 2015).
Women civil rights leaders, like Rosa Parks, were part of a vociferous grassroots effort to defend
Black women who were victims of racial, sexual assaultsat a historically unique convergence
of oppression for Black women in the United States.
The disparity between white middle-class oppression and Black women’s oppression in
the 1960s was stark. The same “experts” who advocated a joyful homemaking life for white
suburban women, as detailed in Betty Friedan’s hugely famous The Feminine Mystique,
chastised Black women for not following this model (Rankin, 2020). Because black moms have
typically worked outside the home in far greater numbers than white mothers, they have been
blamed for various social evils based on their economic independence.
In conclusion, outside of those labeled as heteronormative, black Hollywood films
frequently overlook the presence of any sexual distinctness. Unless explicitly addressed,
investigated, and taken apart, queerness is not centered in black mainstream film. The mention of
queerness in passing is kept hidden. Unless they are forcedly fixed on, queer romances are
invisible. Heteronormativity is associated with portraying power dynamics between men and
women in film production, which frequently reinforces male dominance.
References
Chepp, V. (2015). Black feminist theory and the politics of irreverence: The case of women’s
rap. Feminist Theory, 16(2), 207-226.
Rankin, Y. A., & Irish, I. (2020). A Seat at the Table: Black Feminist Thought as a Critical
Framework for Inclusive Game Design. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer
Interaction, 4(CSCW2), 1-26.
Steele, C. K. (2021). Digital Black Feminism. New York University Press.
Applied Sciences
Architecture and Design
Biology
Business & Finance
Chemistry
Computer Science
Geography
Geology
Education
Engineering
English
Environmental science
Spanish
Government
History
Human Resource Management
Information Systems
Law
Literature
Mathematics
Nursing
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Reading
Science
Social Science
Liberty University
New Hampshire University
Strayer University
University Of Phoenix
Walden University
Home
Homework Answers
Blog
Archive
Tags
Reviews
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