Monday, February 21, 2011
Follow Up: Sex "R" Us and Why Black Sexual Politics
The most striking thing about these two articles, which I felt they shared in common, was the idea of black women's portrayal in the media. One quote I found that really embodies this is when Watkins says that young black women are asking, "We love hip hop, but does hip hop love us?" (179). The paradox that black women feel that they so identify with hip hop, when it completely demoralizes and stereotypes them is a very interesting. They believe it is giving them a voice and and outlet, yet, even women who are in the hip hop industry are still using negative slang and creating lyrics that reflect poorly on the gender. In Collins's article, she notes that Destiny's Child is in "celebration of the body and the booty" yet they still dress in clothing which people identify with the negative qualities of black people (29). It's like taking one step forward and two steps back. This reminded me of the idea that in order to break down things we don't like about society, we need to step out of the rules of society. By adhering to the stereotype of black women being animalistic and sexual by wearing skimpy animal print outfits, Destiny's Child is essentially playing into the role laid out for them that keeps them oppressed. In order to move forward, women, especially women of color, need to stop allowing themselves to be sucked into these roles.
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I too was instantly intrigued by these comments and the notion of what is almost a double standard among media representations and real life. I thought the idea of hip-hop music loving black women back was a particularly powerful idea which highlights very clearly the way in which women continue to support the industries which are acting as agents to propel discrimination and stereotypes. Similarly to the way women are portrayed in hip-hop videos as being overly sexual objects ready for the taking, it also made me think of how women also tend to buy into other media representations. I would say that most women enjoy watching the very shows which degrade us! I know for myself i enjoy a variety of tv shows and movies which portray women in a sexist (or enlightened sexist) manner.
ReplyDeleteEven realizing this about myself i know it will be hard to tear away from watching guilty pleasure shows/movies! I think it will be interesting to see if any of our future readings touch on how we, as knowledgeable women, can change our course and better the media representations of women that we love to watch.