Black B!+c#e$
"I don't want another black bitch."
Tyra Banks, host of UPN's America's Next Top Model, uttered these words to a contestant whom she perceived to be disagreeable and bitchy. The contestant would have joined a plethora of "black bitches" on reality TV, including The Apprentice's Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, Coral Smith of MTV's The Real World, America's Next Top Model's Robin Manning and Camille McDonald, Alicia from Survivor: Australian Outback and "New York" from Flavor of Love. It seems positive black women on reality TV shows are much fewer in number than their feistier counterparts.
Given the depiction of black women in reality television, is it safe to say that producers and American television viewers are under the impression that most, if not all, Black women are all neck-rolling, finger-snapping, well, bitches? Or is it that Black women on television--and in the real world--play into these stereotypes?
Kathy Griffin, a white, female comedian, recently aired her one woman stand up comedy show called "Strong Black Woman." In an Palm Beach Post article, Griffin articulated why she gave her show that title.
Question: OK, the last time I checked, you were white, yet your recent Bravo special is called Kathy Griffin: Strong Black Woman. What's the deal?
Answer: I'm a strong black woman on the inside. I'm also kind of a gay man on the inside, so I have a few different things going on on the inside.
Q: What's it like being a strong black woman?
A: Well, you got the weight of the world on your shoulders. Oprah and I have a lot in common that way. We're changing the world, we're fighting with our weight, we're very busy.
Q: What's the difference between a strong black woman and a strong white woman?
A: A strong black woman has just about had it. It's a lot of, "I'm calling you out on your (stuff)" and that's a big part of what my act is. It's, like, "OK, I'm just going to say it, we're all thinking it, and I'm just going to say it." It's a struggle. I struggle here in Hollywood. I struggle to be heard. I hope you think this is funny.
Do you agree with her assessment? Is calling oneself a "strong black woman" okay?
posted by BGSA @ 10:37 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
The first thing I'd like to comment on is the title of this post, which I think is very poignant. I agree with what I gathered you alluded to earlier; that essentially there are alot of perjorative terms like "bitch" out there to describe stereotypical roles that Black women can assume. The Omarosas, Camilles, Alicias and "New York" from Flavor of Love seem to be somewhat pervasive images we encounter on reality t.v. And while I tend to dislike stereotypes, I think that there is some element of truth etched in certain stereotypes. Far too often, I see Black women from a young age taught to suppress signs of so called weakness (i.e. showing emotions other than anger is not culturally sanctioned). I believe that the media in recent years has begun to capitalize off of certain negative traits like this, in an effort to further "exotify" Black women and create entertainment.
In my opinion, however, Black women are not inherently different than their White counterparts. I do believe that Black women display certain emotions more readily than others including anger but also pride, self confidence and assertive/aggressive communication styles. But do I believe that makes us "stronger" in some ways than White women? Not necessarily. While I feel that Black women face numerous unique challenges that White women do not, it would be overly simplistic to argue that Black women are somehow hard wired differently.
As a mental health clinician I'm very cognizant of this in relation to my practice with Black women. For example some of the research and my professional experience suggests that Black women manifest depression often through anger, irritability, and bouts of yelling/screaming, instead of isolative crying spells, self injury through cutting, talking about feeling worthless, etc common with my White female clients. My Black female clients more often report coping with negative emotions by becoming reactive or controlling in certain areas of their life, an example might be dealing with child rearing problems from a more authoritative/domineering perspective, or when problems arise at work they report feeling more comfortable confronting supervisors than some of my White female clients. Some might argue that Western White culture does not condone displays of assertiveness as evidenced by the necessity for equal rights/women's rights movements and the ongoing income disparity between men and women. However, again its important to not generalize, because for just as many Black or White women who exude said qualities, there are many who don't.
I also think its important not to rule out the impact of culture within the context of the Black community whether it be related to socio-economic status, sexual orientation, religious identification, geographical location, etc. All of these components will most certainly impact personality traits, tendencies etc. For example I notice with my Black female clients from wealthy educated backgrounds, there are fewer public displays of angry screaming bouts in my office and/or seemingly "confrontational" behaviors.
There are several Black psychologists who have brought up the theory of "Cultural Drag" to explain said tendencies, which posits that Black women have passed on over several generations the negative coping strategies which were once survival tools during slavery times. Some examples of "Cultural Drag" they argue, include severe corporal punishment of children to prevent them from being beaten and sometimes killed by their slave master for simple acts of disobedience. Thus Black women were reenacting learned behaviors where slave masters beat their slaves to instill fear and perpetuate unquestioning obedience. Essentially these modes for survival are no longer necessary to maintain physical safety in post slavery America, but it is the psychological trauma of living amidst institutionalized racism and oppression that perpetuates this cycle. But that's just one theory.
So in answer to your question, I dont know if American t.v. watchers buy into this depiction of Black women as "bitches" because of reality t.v., perhaps so. But I think it more likely that it is a combination of images in mass media along with everyday experiences of racial segregation and limited shared cross cultural experiences and understanding that play a role in the development and maintenace of this stereotype of the Black Bitch.
Ultimately, eradicating this dynamic of Black women acting as "bitches" involves more shared dialogue, awareness and compassion about the root causes of negative feelings and the culturally induced pressure to react to stress in stereotypical ways.
Much thanks for continuing the blog, Luckie...
The "Strong Black woman" label seems a little reminiscent of the "black is beautiful" mantra of the 60's. I think to a large extent we had to keep saying that (and still do) because we were trying to convince ourselves that Black really is beautiful. For so long we had been socialized to think otherwise and "black is beautiful" was our effort at resisting and reversing that miseducation.
Similarly, the "strong Black woman" label, I believe, is a way of resisting and reversing all we have been taught about black women being lazy, irresponsible, promiscuous, bitches. It's flipping the script as we have been trying to do with the negative connotations of blackness. It is an important exercise in self-definition and reclamation of self-worth. However, as Erica has alluded, in this process it is also important to recognize and address the self-hatred and many insecurities and self-doubts that have resulted from centuries of harmful socialization. Unfortunately, labels and mantras alone can not erase these self-image injuries.
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