Controlling Images of Black Womanhood

All African-Americans have been portrayed in stereotypical roles since their arrival into American society for the entertainment and amusement of others. Many people find it difficult to appreciate the diversity of the African American women. So instead of trying to do this, they create identities based on negative stereotypes. There are several negative stereotypes associated with the African American woman. The Mammy archetype is the one chosen to be analyzed in this essay. Collins described the mammy as “-the faithful, obedient domestic servant. Created to justify the economic exploitation of house slaves and sustained to explain Black women’s long-standing restriction to domestic service…” (72) She is commonly seen trying to soothe

Patton, 1993). Hence, the Mammy in the white household is seen as an intelligent servant to the white family, solving wisely and even god-like every duty she has to fulfill. Unsurprisingly, she constantly balances between the white and the black community, being a spokesman for the black minority (cf. Atkinson 2004, 2). Although the black servant is a slave within a white household, the Mammy is portrayed as being content with her way of living, having a satisfying master-servant relationship and feeling not inferior, but rather seeing herself as a member of the family (cf. Jewell, 1993: 38). In acquiescence with Kimberly Wallace-Sanders, the image of the Mammy has been applied to create an atmosphere of racial harmony within the slave system (cf. 2008: 13). Hence, the role of the Mammy in the late 19th century and beginning of the 20th century is established in effort to create an image of the Mammy contrasting to the stereotypical image of the African American slave, who is inferior to the white

“No other group in America has so had their identity socialized out of existence as have Black women… when Black people are talked about the focus tends to be on Black men; and when women are talked about the focus tends to be on white women.” - Bell Hooks

African American women have been an oppressed group since slavery times and are still being oppressed in one of the simplest ways: through stereotypes. Though there are several stereotypes of African American women we will only focus on three of them, which have transcended through time and taken on new names, the mammy, the jezebel, and the matriarch. All three of these stereotypes have an origin in slavery times and were used to justify mistreatment of African Americans (Collins 2000). In fact, portraying African American women as jezebels, mammies and matriarchs helps to justify the continued oppression of black women in the United States (Collins 2000). These controlling images are designed to make racism, sexism, and poverty appear as a normal part of an African American woman’s life (Collins 2000).

African American women, often perceived as a sexual object or the Jezebel (the stereotype of white man view of the black woman as loose and over-sexed) have struggled to eliminate images that promote sexual exploitation such as their promiscuity (showing off their breast, behind, legs, and showing much of their skin on television, music videos and magazines) through the use of feminist movements and the creation of the womanist movement. However, in modern day society, black women have accepted these sexual ideas which were once considered to be dishonorable. The acceptance of this image, a direct cause of social construction and suppressed oppression, has given rise to a disturbed vision of black womanhood for years to come. Despite this,

The Mammy is perhaps one of the most recognized stereotypical caricatures of African American women in popular culture. Mammy is depicted as a dark-skinned obese unfeminine African American woman who is “servile, loyal, [and] obedient” to her “white family,” but neglectful to her African American family (Mullings 113). She is very protective of her white “Massa” and his family; she dispenses helpful and “wise” advice to her white enslavers (Mullings 113). Even though she is enslaved, the Mammy figure is always smiling and gracious to her white enslavers- in essence she is the perfect slave. If compared with Victorian beliefs the Mammy deviates from standard perceptions of femininity. Instead of being “fragile” and “petite” the Mammy is strong and masculine. The mere notion

The practice of the White ignorance of not seeing Black women as humans creates their invisibility as well as produces racialized images to justify their beliefs. The dominant ideology of the enslaved Black women as less-than human continued when slavery ended and they entered the workforce. To maintain control of domination the Mammy image was created to keep Black women in a subservient passive role of the obedient servant who knows her place and accepts her subordination. Collins (2000) explains further, Whites expected Black women to assume the Mammy image and did not see them as their equal. The Mammy image is the public face of what Whites expect Black women to assume for them. “Juxtaposed against images of White women, the mammy image as the Other symbolizes the oppositional difference of mind/body and culture/nature thought to distinguish Black women from everyone else” (Collins, 2000, p. 73). Today, as Black women are working in professional fields, the terminology has changed from Mammy to the

African American mothers provide for their children’s physical survival and attending to their emotional needs happens, but there is a collective responsibility to look out for other mothers children as well (Collins p. 328). This community-based childcare and reliance on others stems from the exploitation of Africans as slaves. No one more could nurture her child and take that up as an occupation; they had to look out for one another at their place of employment. Even when the Emancipation came about and the political role of women changed in America with domestic jobs, the meaning of work and the way women handled family never changed (Collins p. 330).

Of the six main Eurocentric constructions of black womanhood, each are categorized and constructed to bring about a stereotypical image of the Black woman. African American women are depicted in a few cliché categories; that of Mammy, Jezebel (or sexual siren), Sapphire (or likewise called Matriarch), and the Welfare Mother (Queen). The conduct and attitudes represented in these stereotypes can have harming impacts on and in view of African American

Black women are showing why they belong in entertainment. Whether it’s acting, writing, or producing they are well needed. Shonda Lynn Rhimes is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author. She is known for shows such as Grey 's Anatomy, its spin-off Private Practice, and the political thriller series Scandal, all of which have aired on ABC. I will be using Scandal to analyze the ideology of a black dominant women in a white male patriarchal world. The show is centered on protagonist Olivia Pope who is a professional fixer. If there is any crisis, problem, or scandal Olivia Pope is always the first person to call. Kerry Washington who plays Olivia Pope is the first black woman in forty years to star in a network drama in this

The primary issue of this article lies in the perpetuation of the “angry black woman” stereotype. The “angry black woman” stereotype can be seen as an extension of the matriarch and sapphire stereotypes, both derivative of the dominant ideology of the slave era that was created to maintain black women’s subordination. The matriarch stereotype is presented as a domineering, aggressive, masculine, and fiercely independent black woman whose forceful nature emasculates and demoralizes black men to the point that they abandon their families (Newsome, 37). This image functions to devalue, exploit, and subjugate African-American women through an idealized wielding of power that is in no way supported by the actual power structures of America (Newsome,

American culture has developed stereotypes in relation to both African American women as well as Asian Pacific American women. For instance, Ammons suggests that historical caricatures of Black women include the Mammy, Aunt Jemima, and Jezebel; modern stereotypes include Sapphire, the matriarch, and the welfare queen (264). Consequently, as these labels suggest, in most instances Black women are typecast as fiery, strong, and not in need of any help. Therefore, if something does happen to them where they are a victim of sexual violence, they may not be seen as an actual victim and rather as someone who can take care of themselves (Ammons).

“They never seen black people kissing or making love on screen” (Lee ,1987).After decades of black love not being portrayed in the film industry, one young black director, by the name of Shelton Lee, also known as Spike Lee, brought this new visual aspect of African American love. Lee was the first to display black love, both figuratively and physically, on the big screen. It is not only the intimacy of black people that attract larger audiences but it is the inclusion of black female sexuality. The look of a woman through a male gaze quenches the subconscious thirst of a male’s fantasy. In Lee’s films, males portrayed on screen as multidimensional, and are defined by their unusual characteristics and attributes. The women, on the other

Black women of America through time have stood faced with the loss of virtue and individuality. They have had countless obstacles placed before them in their attempt to obtain freedom: mentally and physically. Although the journey for freedom is still underway, the effort has gained more progress than ever before. The photographer of this image is conveying the message that the modern day black woman in America has the ability to experience freedom in environments that in the past have been symbolically and literally oppressive using color, setting, and symbolism.

A prominent and respected figure within upper class white males was known as a Mammy. She was considered “someone special, not just another house slave” (White 48). She was the primary child caregiver and a “model of politeness” (48). Mammies served as “friend and advisor to master and mistresses; her judgment was “sound and relied on” (48). In the image “How Slavery Improves the Condition of Women”, the reader can