Why is it always in the female’s nature to change and risk everything? Why can’t I see a movie where the white man risks everything to be with his black partner? Another thing that disturbed me was her inability to choices. It is like throughout the movie she loses sight of what she feels is truly important, her career. One of the major choices she lets go of was towards her body. It was like in the Hammonds article, “toward a genealogy of black female sexuality: the problematic of silence,” when she talks about the black female’s sexuality. She talks about how “it has been renderedexposed, hypervisable” (170). In the scene after they come back from hiking, Kenya’s rights are officially taken away. If you notice, she told the landscaper that the relationship was going no further. Kenya even states coming in the door that her stance was no, there was no point where she consented to sex. This is a classic issue of “no meaning yes.” It is films like this that create this fantasy in men’s mind that if they simply push harder, they can get what they want, or rather, take what they want as seen in the movie. This seen tells people that black women can be “tamed” and “molded” into this sexually being, if one pushed hard enough.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Something new?..or rather something old in a new media?
The movie “something new,” which I’m sure was meant to break down the social barriers, in reality simply played on the fears of the average black woman. This movie only reinforced the major stereotypes of black women. It showed the “different types of black women” and showed how they all came together to talk about sex, and their sexuality. The movie, even looking visually transitioned from a more conservative Kenya to the fun, frisky, natural hypersexual female. It was as if to tell me that I was not going to truly be happy or free until I start living this sexually pleasing life with this white man. As if I don’t find some way to please this white man by changing my whole lifestyle or demeanor I will never truly be “living life.” This reminds me of the classic Hottentot presentation, only instead of being on a block, she is in a movie. Hammond discusses how “the racial difference was linked to sexual difference in order to maintain white male supremacy during the period of slavery” (173). Kenya, a strong independent black woman had it all, and at the end of the movie risks everything to be with a man who doesn’t change at all.
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3 comments:
I agree with you. I believe that the sex scene was a mere depiction of how black women are hypersexual. I also agree with your comment about how women are always encouraged to change by men. Kenya changed her hair upon the request of the white man. The movie also shows how men can become the savior in any given situation. Kenya was lonely, uptight, and boring before she met Brian. After their relationship, she became a whole new person by changing her appearance and outlook on life. This film clearly defines and limits Black women to a certain sexual stereotype.
I agree with purplegirl08, it seems that in almost every black movie the heroine is dependent on the man; without him she is incomplete and until she meets him she's not satisfied. Kenya was educated, beautiful and about to make partner at her law firm and her friends were just as successful but they had to get together on Valentine’s Day and talk about how much they needed a man in her lives. Although I would like to point out that I feel like the stereotype of women needing men to validate them reaches across all stereotypes and I think that it becomes difficult to challenge this notion when society keeps pushing you and telling you, that you are less of a woman unless you have a husband, boyfriend, male friend, or some form of man in your life that you can cook and clean for and your family, friends, coworkers and associates are pushing you to believe the notion as well.
Wow. I totally agree with your blog. I am currently taking another women’s studies course titled “black woman as hero in cinemythic journey” in which we explore movies staring black women. Hollywood often presents Black women as solving there problems through a man. It seems that no matter how successful they are, beautiful they are, or supported by their family they are; they are nothing (or totally unhappy) if they are not in love with a man. It seems women are often willing to risk everything they have going for themselves to receive a mans love; whether it is staying with a man who cheats (Why did I get married), changing your career goals (Deliver us from Eva) or “being his secretary for eleven years” (Waiting to Exhale). What’s funny is, this phenomena does not just occur in cinema. Perhaps the reason it is depicted in movies so often is because it actually occurs in real life. LMAO!
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