If they want a damsel in distress/a princess, they usuly cast lighter skin ppl - its sad tbh. Do u know they were gonna animate tiana as a lighter person.
Saron Asmerom right and when they want the black girl to be complex, multi dimensional and alternative they still have lightskin mixed girls be the faces for that even doe growing up in inner city Brooklyn there were dark skin black girls and women who were both hood and alternative and the lightskin mixed girls were straight hood and Thoting and bopping
"At worst these depictions risk implying that black women do not need systemic change because they're strong enough to withstand society's abuse...In reality suffering and abuse can frequently lead to trauma, mental illness and other toxic cycles." SPEAK
In highschool I always got told "you talk so white" Just because I'm a fairly shy well annunciated talker. I hate that white is associated with being well spoken and black is associated with being "ghetto"
I get that so much. If I don't snap off on someone or "check" them for something trivial then I am perceived as weak. If I use proper english then I'm told "I talk white". It's like a lose lose situation for black women.
"At worst, these depictions risk implying that black women do not need systemic change, because they're strong enough to withstand society's abuse." EXACTLY. Thank you.
Precisely, I wish that they'd depict more flawed, realistic and vulnerable black women in mainstream media, and not have them be the "Divine Mentor" towards the typically white protagonist. 👏🏽💚
Deer God. Everything is 'problematic'. No matter what you depict. You show a woman as evil? Problem. Good? Problem. Maternal? Problem. Strong? Problem. Sad? Problem. Happy? Problem. Get a life. Or better, see a shrink. You apparently need one.
This been a stereotype particularly associated with darker skinned black women. It important when black female writers do great things and bring that stereotype out to put them in diverse personalities and characteristics
it reflects society in its pursuit nature, American predominantly. a person of color who rises above the stereotype they are given, to show they are more than they are worth are encouraged, and hoisted on sholders. yet, if they fail to achieve that, riches grandeur and the such, they are seen, as as failure, even when surpassing that of the racial majority.
It's so interesting that you mentioned that. I have a sister who is light skinned (I am a light skinned male) and she had to deal with the feelings of not being black "enough" because.of her skin tone. I have also had to deal with those feelings.
Raaid Cotman-El well I’m sorry you and your sister had to deal with that and that’s why there are better shows to showcase the experience as lighter skin mixed race people that not black enough thing comes from the fact of course society pressuring negative stereotypes of black peoples that they have internalized as well as the fact that mixed race people are pushed together with black people when they are they’re own people
"She deserves a world that doesn't require her to be so strong all the time" "She Deserves A World That Doesn't Require Her To Be So Strong All The Time" (One more time for the people in the back) ✊🏾" SHE DESERVES A WORLD THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE HER TO BE SO STRONG ALL THE TIME" ✊🏾
That's because putting others before yourself is one of the strongest traits of a Christian. The more we get away from that and indulge in the concept of self-love and putting yourself above others, the less we get away from Christian principles, thus, salvation. A self-sacrificing woman will always warrant my respect and devotion. It's the only kind of woman I want raising our children.
This isn't 100%true. Tina Turner saves herself and her career. Living Single, Dream Girls and She's gotta have it have ambitious black woman whose eventual strength and triumph is self served.
That’s why I love Issa Rae. I can relate to her awkward characters more than Tyler Perry’s struggle baby mama drama characters lol Edit: whew almost 3k of us agree lol
This trope has also been used as a sexist attack towards black women who embrace their femininity. The stereorype that we are so strong is used to strip the femininity from those of us who like being feminine women. We are said to be manly, emaculating to our men and undeserving of romantic love without struggle. This trope teaches black women to accept struggle love like no other.
Gurlllllll You just said it all. I just broke this down to a caucasian woman that took issue with the video. This trope has completely brainwashed most Men, making it dam near impossible to form Healthy relationships. The minute you don't eat shit and take it, You're a Man.
@soul sessions tv Bdhrh No Sweaty, Struggle love as in A relationship where you are habitually treated unfairly and then are expected to stay. MONEY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT LOL. If you unfamiliar with this term, You're probably living this way convinced that crap is normal when it isn't. There is a difference between natural ups and downs in a relationship and someone who is a habitual line crosser.
The worst part is society's view of everyday feminine black women is more like the jezebel, sexually obsessed and wearing revealing clothing etc. It's rather rare in recent decades to see a feminine black woman in media depicted as a glamorous, demure, graceful beauty that turns every head in the room like you'd see with Grace Kelly or Scarlett Johansson. White women get to play those roles all the time, but black woman are shown as more abrasive, strong in a masculine way, or the sassy best friend. I know it all comes down to the "male gaze" and how white men view white women as these dainty little princesses on a pedestal and black women as jezebels that "give you a good time" or whatever but what the hell? Black women are just as diverse in personality as white women but rarely get to be shown as anything more than the tropes shown in this video. The fact that there are SO many videos on this channel of different tropes that pertain to white women "the weird girl, the cool girl, the tough girl, the mean girl, etc" but only one or two videos about black women tropes proves that.
Yep. Only those who date, work with or have siblings who are black women know the truth. Everyone else is just afraid to get close because they're raised to believe they're aggressive - especially dark-skinned women.
Is it? As a white girl, I am jealous we don't have that stereotype. It is kinda empowering. The closest to that is a bisexual kickass white girl. Still, I can't fully disagree with you, being put in a box is always uncomfortable and wrong. Edit: I got so many reply, everyone is either racist to black or white people or too deep in white shame. I doubt America would ever move on from racism, if everyone is unable to hold a calm, coherent discussion regarding race perspectives. I am not talking about a few of black folks who didn't jump to their guns and actually did a great job explaining their view.
My sister died because the nurse, doctors, practically the entire hospital ignored her after her C section surgery, then find out in America black females die from birth complications more because the treatment no one talks about after they give birth is lacking. Everyone keep saying she was so strong, yes black females can be strong but they are only human first and humans can be multi dimensional, its ok if they cry, its ok if they are not strong every day, why do everyone gets to be cuddled and get to be babied, get to be weak and black woman or men always have to be unbreakable, America that does not make sense.
@@augustm2771 Personally, I found it irriatating that the only black princess was less of a princess and more of a glorified strong, broke, black woman stereotype, complete with a dusty man that she "fixes up." I was waiting for the castles and ballrooms like the other princesses and instead her ending was here's your jobless man and 9-5 restaurant job!! Blech.
@@the_emmasculator ohhhhh I see it now cuz I was like why dose everyone hate princess and the frog but now that u mention that she didn't get her ballrooms and castles like all the other white princess it makes senses now such a shame cuz I loved that movie :(
There is this artwork of a little black girl in a tutu holding a shotgun and a picture of Ahmad Arbery, Even little black girls (especially dark-skinned girls) are expected to fight for black men instead of being protected by them
Ever After eww, that’s just disgusting. what was she supposed to do? all they would’ve done was do what they did to george. who should’ve helped george? the GROWN ADULTS who could actually take on the officer(s) without being sent to their grave🤦🏾♀️
Seconded, I love movies, such as "The Color Purple", or "Precious", which portrays black women as vulnerable and fragile, but through the obstacles that they face, they are able to earn their happy endings, in spite of their horrible, traumatic pasts. 😁💜
As a white writer, I just wanted to say this video really gave me a lot to think about regarding how I write my black female characters. Also wanted to thank all of the black women in the comments section for their insightful threads. I don’t want to be a disruptive presence by responding to anyone in particular, but I found this video and comment section to be really enlightening! Even though I’m white, I really hope that this insight will help me to do black women justice in my work and give them the nuanced, complex stories they deserve!
Great! Thanks for taking in the info in the comments well and reflecting upon it. And hopefully you won't be discouraged even if it gets hard to write, so I wish you the best of luck!
Thank you for being respectful in your comment. Yes, please take what you’ve learned to make productive and positive change. The world really needs it.
I’m currently writing and I’m doing the exact same thing! I’m glad this video exists, and many others, to help me flesh out my characters and write better.
@@prospus468 I don't know about apologizing for whiteness, but when someone clarifies that they are white, it is saying "I am aware that I am not central to this experience and therefore my opinions do not override the people who are". It's not apologizing for whiteness. Also, this isn't America. You are on the internet. FYI, that's worldwide.
YES. This. Besides the fact that it's just a feel-good trope which does not match the reality of the situation, we also need ideas on how to have characters help their beloved friends with darker skin tones in their times of need, WITHOUT coming across as this trope.
Percival917 I think I’ve seen some movies that could have been about the white savior trope, but I think they sort of manage to do something different and come across as less problematic. There was the Disney Channel movie called got a kick it up which is about a white teacher who starts working at a mostly Latino high school, and starts coaching the dance team which other schools would call the cheerleading team. And I feel like they somewhat avoid many of the white savior troves by portraying the teacher as having baggage from her past and by giving the students more autonomy and showing them doing stuff on their own when they feel unsupported by the teacher. Oh, and she doesn’t just decide to be the coach. She only becomes the coach because the students know she has a background in dance and they ask her to be the coach. So I think that’s one way to avoid the white savior Trove. Although it is subjective. And then I remember seeing the movie Australia starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Nicole Kidman’s character tries to literally save someone, specifically a half aboriginal/half white younger boy who is in danger of being taken away from his family. But that ultimately does not work out. I think this shows how the issues that aboriginal Australians phase is a huge issue, and it can’t be solved by a single white person who wants to do the right thing. Another movie might have showed her character rescuing the young boy from his fate and present it as a feel good sort of being wild glossing over the fact that the issue is more severe than just one person being put in danger of being removed from their family.
It made me at one point fear having a black daughter. I want her see herself as feminine or cute. Of course I wont push femininity onto her but I think black girls need to know they can be just as valuable as the white girl and just as feminine as the Asian girl. She can be pretty, kind, smart and not have to give one away to survive.
Exactly! And as a nerdy, quiet, and shy black girl it would be really nice to shy that represented. I plan on writing my own stories with feminine or nerdy or quiet black girls especially darker skinned black girls, but a lot more is needed than anything I alone could do.
@@ev6564 they generally don't make movies based on shy people. But the women in Hidden Figures checked all those boxes. There's a nerdy more quiet character in Black Panther.
Perfect timing to post this during Mental Health Month. Being a Strong Black Woman is exhausting. Don't praise her, give her help and let her take a nap.
I guess they are facing same problem what medical staff and essential workers are facing all over world right now..they need legit, tangible help and hollow words of praise..😅😧
I wonder why it is considered "hot and spicy" when Latina women are being angry, but if it's a black woman it's a fearful angry black woman trope? I just don't get it
As a black woman, I got emotional about 1 min into this. People act like black women can burn the candle at both ends for decades and we'll be fine. We're not.
I'm a semi-brown South Asian girl and I cried my eyes out at this. I hope everyone facing bad behavior because of their color get more respect and the attention they deserve. ❤
I'm am quiet, soft spoken, and nurturing. People always assume I am one of these tropes. In general, I am never treated like a lady. I have been told when I showed any emotion to suck it up. I find that a lot of people treat black women like they are men. Because of all this, despite how gentle and loving I am, I never truly felt feminine until recently when I found a man who saw me for who I truly am.
Could you please explain what you mean by "being treated like a man?" I've also been told to not show my emotions, but I've also seen women of all races get ignored and made fun of if they cry or get super emotional especially in a work environment.
@@sheonnaharris2317 being treated as though, because of the color of your skin (especially for darkskinned women) as a black woman, you must be masculine or have masculine traits that correlate with the "strong black woman" trope.
I resent the strong black woman stereotype because it gives us no space to be actual human beings who hurt and feel. Black women have so many positive qualities, I hate that the defining quality we're value by is strength which in codeword is how well we can take pain and anguish. That's just not a compliment to me at all. I rather be known for something beautiful, fun, creative not extremely abusive.
Hi, currently writing a novel that has a black teenager that has this stereotype. She is a side character, and is in short describes as a tomboy with a talent for mechanics. She lives with her father who runs an auto shop, and due to her mother being absent she has to play the role of employee, daughter and housekeeper. I was only half aware of the implications of this stereotype so I tried to balance her out in two ways. 1) I try to hint typical teenage curiosity and insecurity, particularly relationships. More development for the character is planned further down the line, primarily to peel back her layers. 2) Make the other characters within similar circumstances. Ex: the main character, despite being white is living with his uncle due to his parents being dead, has to work for him at his restaurant, and as a result is socially stunted. A supporting character is Hispanic and based on personal experiences, and another is a girl living in a hotel with someone who isn't related, struggling to become an artist. The reason I comment this is because I want to write a story that isn't only entertaining and unique, but also authentic to people's experience. I've tried engaging with people from multiple backgrounds in this pursuit. And likely I wish to further improve. Would you by any chance have any helpful suggestions? Is there a message worth expressing and form to display it? I hope this helps foster further discussion.
@@juanmanuelpenaloza9264 honestly the best thing I could suggest as a black teenager would be for you to trying to give her more personality traits instead of explaining why she's so strong explain how she feels about acting strong like is she sad that she has to be such a strong girl I would suggest you expand on her emotions so it doesn't come off as if she's just strong and that's the way she is
It's interesting to compare the contrasting meanings of "strength" in women across color lines, isn't it? When the image is of a black woman, it means endurance and stoicism, to the end result of selflessness; whereas if it's a white woman, it means wielding weapons, kicking ass, breaking rules, the very opposite of selflessness. The word itself cannot be depended on.
my dad always told me that just because you CAN live through something terrible doesn't mean you should have to. even if black women all would be strong enough to withstand society's abuse, doesn't mean they would have to.
Two: medical issues I can attest to black women getting inferior care due to these stereotypes in both of my pregnancies I had significant issues. With my first son I expressed concerns about breastfeeding (my son literally ripped the flesh off of my nipple) I was told "black women have tougher skin I've never had an issue with a black woman feeding" I was then encouraged to continue feeding and expressing despite bright blood red bottles. Finally another lactation consultant had my son checked for a tongue tie. My second pregnancy was much worse I had sever hip pain that was continually dismissed it turned out my son's skull was against my hip bone and he got stuck during my C section and would up with an indent in his skull. He also ended up with a host of other issues but is doing well now. When he was in NICU i was still recovering from my csection, haemolysis, and blood transfusions; rather than be wheeled to go see my baby I had to walk to the children's Hospital with no assistance from nursing staff to feed him at all hours day and night. On my walks I could see other women being wheeled over but when I asked I was told they were too busy and I'd have to go myself.
this is disgusting... id be lying if I said I was surprised. I have endometriosis, a condition that I've complained of symptoms for since my periods started at age 10 yet I was told the all consuming paid is normal. the ovulation pain is normal, the inability to move for days is normal, throwing up for the entirety of my period is normal. the accompanying other issues are normal and I would be fine. now, as a 26 year old, nearly 27 is when a black female doctor has finally started taking me seriously and has prescribed me medication to help with the pain. Another instance: I complained of severe knee pain to my doctor that started suddenly and without my hurting myself. went to the doctors 3 times over the course of 3 months and was told nothing was there and I should take ibuprofen and I'll be fine (he did not even check). finally saw my new black female Doctor, she made me lie down and checked the movement of my knee and she could see the swelling I had said was there and after an xray - I was told my right knee had become badly inflamed due to a repetitive strain injury. my work place has yet to take my pain seriously though. one step at a time right. I'm sorry you had to endure that, stay strong ♡
This is EXACTLY why I'm writing books with various Black girl leads. The gist of this video is that Black women are individuals and women like any other. We need variety in media because there is no singular way to represent us, and media shapes people's views of us. There are strong Black women. There are weak Black women. There are girly Black women, ditzy, clever, naive, goofy, shy, sexual, chaste, and *all kinds* of Black women. We are diverse women with different personalities and interests and deserve the same kind of judgement of individuality rather than group that white women are afforded.
Neal Brennan said this on his podcast recently: "White women want to be princesses, black woman want to be queens." I think it goes along the idea that "she deserves a world that doesn't require her to be so strong all the time." Princesses get to be protected, carefree, and feminine; while queens have to be protective, responsible, and assertive.
I never thought of that, it kind of reminds me of how Tiana is portrayed, even though she is a Disney princess she actually has the qualities that are attributed with being a queen.
@@Melcatsite I have such a huge love/hate (well more of disappointment than "hate") relationship with this film. I adore Tiana and certain side characters that help drive the story, but this film still leaves me confused and conflicted all at once. It also doesn't help that she is the only Black woman/princess in the Disney line-up, and yet they still keep on churning out more white princesses/main leads with each new movie that they make (Moana and Coco being the exceptions/Big Hero 6 also counts considering the main cast has POC in the main roles). I still care deeply for this film, but I will not deny my critical side and act as if this movie has no problems. :/
@@majeedmamah7457 It's an effort to reclaim black women's experience as never being considered as worthy of protection. Black women have come to collectively identify with being "strong" and "independent" because they have no choice but to be.
That really depends on the situation. As someone who's been watching on the sideline of these debates where comments like “Don’t make this about race” happen, I think it depends on the context and subject. Certain times race is called into the topic without relevance. And other times race is indeed a major factor and should be talked about. So I think just because someone says “Don’t make this about race” doesn't mean they are a racist. It depends on what's being talked about.
@@Jasmine-mw5ku exactly. where I live, we have a very famous reality show (Big Brother), and almost half of the cast was black. While in the beginning it sounded great to have some representation on the media, by the end of the first month we had the biggest rejection, from all reality shows. A black woman, a rapper, was eliminated with 99,17% of the votes. One week before her, another black man was eliminated from the show with 98,76% of the votes. They were tremendously cruel to other participants, expelled another black man (who quit the show) from the table were they were going to have lunch, humiliated him when they were on live, made fun of the accent of a woman who comes from the northeast of the country and many other awful things. If you look, you'll see that most of the rejected are black, and if you don't know the context, you will assume it is because of race, but if you watched the show, you'll see it wasn't.
@Nia M Looking up on wikipedia, it classified "sassy" under the sapphire category. I'm guessing the sassy black woman is downplayed version of the angry black woman (Disney channel's ones comes to my mind).
There's not enough balance to counteract this "Strong Black Woman" and "Social Justice Warrior" representation. We need more variety in stories. I want to see black women playing the parts of house wives, career women, manic pixie dream girls, damsel's in distress, quarky geniuses. I'm tired of seeing black women being masculinized and portrayed as these independent women that don't need men, women that have to protect men, have to take care of everyone, embittered, women that don't need support, women that don't need validation, etc. This imbalance in representation is toxic. We're NOT SUPERWOMEN. The average black woman can't match men in strength, agility, and speed. We're women just like any other non-black woman. I'm human first, a woman second, and that other stuff later. Also, I'm so tired of seeing black women being treated like an equal physical threat to men. Further, people are less likely to help us because of this "Strong Black Woman" crap. Apparently, we can handle it. Look at rates at which we're being physically abused and killed. Obviously, we're not super human. Obviously, we can't take it. Resilient, sure. Magic, no. I will say, there are some positive changes in the media that I appreciate, but again, it's not balanced.
I agree with everything you said ! The only thing is, do you want to be as much objectified as white woman ? People assume that they're weak and dumb with no character They can sexually assault them easily because they're seen as weak. We should stop making tropes because it puts everyone in cases, and start writing women as human with flaws and qualities, sensitivity and strength.
@@irene5298 There's something wrong with it when BW aren't deemed worthy of protection because of some notion that we're these super human beings that can go through anything. BW are not born with exceptional strength, we live in a society that forces us to be strong.
Outside of Black Panther, I noticed the black female superheroes are portrayed by light skinned or mixed race actresses, even if they are based on comic book characters who are dark skinned. Black male characters can be portrayed as any complexion. The most appropriate opportunity to have a strong black woman in a movie or TV series and she's automatically light skinned...
The problem with the strong black women trope is that that they portray one form of strength. It is like when we tell men not to feel or get emotional, we tell black women the same thing. Just because a person cries and is vulnerable or soft spoken or not confrontational, it does not mean they aren't strong. It also shows that you have to go through some deep hardship to be strong. That isn't always the case. Plus you can express your femininity to be strong. Now you need to do the token black guy.
I just rewatched “Not Another Teen Movie” and was blown away by how a 20 year old movie, we still have all the same stereotypes, Token Black Friend being one of them.
Ditto, I'm glad that they got a woman of colour to narrate this video, since Susannah and Debra, the women mostly behind this channel, are white, and she might understand the topic a little bit more, plus she helps to disprove stereotypes commonly associated with this archetype. 👩🏾💙
I am hoping too that she doesn't just narrative videos that take on POC discussions/portrayals/films-- I would love to hear more of her! Let her do videos that aren't just about race
@@MissEricaFlowers one of the biggest retroactive cringes I ever had was remembering how when all the moms in my 4th grade class all said "Gone With The Wind" was their favorite book.
Me too but I hope she narrates more videos and not just on topics related to race. And I hope black women actually wrote this video and were involved with the research
I bet she didn't write it though. This should have been deeper than what it was. And I feel like it just stereotyped nearly every black women on TV as a stereotype. But also, looking at a selection of their other videos, this appears to be a "video bait" channel where they generate tons of content.
To the non black women arguing with black women about how they're portrayed in the media.....STOP and LISTEN! This is the problem! When ever black women come forward and say our perspective on our experiences here comes someone who has no idea what it's like to be us telling us what they THINK! We are well aware of our stories, how we are depicted and how it makes US feel! How can you possibly come here and argue with us about that? If we say the Strong Black Woman trope lessens our femininity then guess what it's true! If we say there is a lack of diverse depiction of black women in the media because of this trope then guess what it's true. Stop telling us that we're wrong for feeling this way or seeing things this way because you have no idea what it's like to be us. The audacity, entitlement, arrogance, and amount of privilege it takes to step to someone who experiences you will never understand, and tell them that THEY are wrong for their views about this is abusive! This is exactly why things are the way they are. Did the video not highlight for you why this trope is problematic? Where you not paying attention? You're gaslighting us and people wonder why we get angry. Unbelievable!
You are clearly not familiar with this channel to know that the voice analyzing in this video ISN'T the two portrayed in the intro. I have no idea what race this voice belongs to but it's likely that it is a black woman because the voice doesn't belong to either of the two standard narrators. Next, your passion is NOT misplaced, but you have no enemies here. Take a breath. No one is arguing with you and your opinions are valid. Okay? Okay. Lastly, I think some of the points in this video are very insightful. Hopefully you can see what I'm talking about from a logical perspective.
@@jazthespaz837 i don't think Tiffany was speaking against the video at all. just to comments of white people who are, yet again, brushing off the discussions black people bring to the table
I feel you. I said that shit the other day. It is exhausting. I want a man that will pick me up so I can I fall apart. Real talk. I date white guys now. The emotional dependency that black men have is too much. They go from their mothers to their girlfriends, to their wives. They get their self esteem from a woman's attention. They thrive on women stroking their egos. It's one more thing that I have to deal with. I find that white guys don't always exhibit that same dysfunction. Not that they don't have it at all, but I think it's like 90% of black guys and like 50% of white guys. I need a protector. I need someone to look out for me and take care of me.
@@ineedhoez You know why? Mothers. Their mothers. Their mothers took care of them and nurtured them so they expect their wives to the same thing without complaining or needing for themselves. My mom's advice was to just get a nice, white man, lol. She was joking because she had been frustrated with my father, but the more I look at it, black men mostly go after white women because white women fetishize black men, I don't fetishize white people, but why not do the same?
The darker she is the stronger movie makes her.. when they want feminine black women they go for 1 that looks like zendaya or or 1 that you have to ask "is she black?" Basically a black woman closer to whiteness than the average black woman (the majority of black women in America dont look like zendaya they look more like lil kim before surgery) Edit: if I had this much subscribers as likes I'd be happy😂 thankkkkss y'all
I actually saw something on Facebook book the other day that made me wonder this happened. Someone made a post about the rise of the southern bell. What was said in the post makes me wonder if some of the things attributed to the southern belle didn't bleed over into black culture (after all, colorism did) because the southern belle basically drew her power from the fact that she was white. I wonder if subconsciously American culture hasn't just assumed that the lighter one's skin the more you have to be protected, cottled, etc. It's a stupid concept but the appears to be what happened.
@@shelisadaniel6718 it's not just Americans.. it bleeds over internationally granted jamaicans are protected by their men regardless of color but the lighter the skin the more dainty she's expected to be.. and you're expected to be STRONGer when you're darker..
@@aneshalove226 Yeah I thought about that after I wrote it. It's just a theory for now, one I would obviously need to research more as it just came off the top of my brain. In the Facebook post I watched, it only talked about the southern belle in the American South. I do realize that this is a thing in a lot of countries, usually anyplace that white people wound up colonizing. Do you suppose there's a reason why? (Sarcasm, of course. )
I just hope that when ever things like this are brought up that we don't undermine lighter skins and/or mixed girls black identity as well. The enemy and the wrong is the misuse and terrible real prejudices and purpose the white directors and casting and Hollywood truly are trying to portray which is force us to believe that lighter is still the only beautiful. Just bc we get to "pass" doesn't mean we are ok or do not struggle with our black identity or self-love. Especially people who are of mixed cultured. Do not undermine them or try to strip them of their black identity or assume things of how they identify themselves.
The minute Miranda Bailey (Grey’s anatomy) stopped taking care of everyone else and putting all her focus on the other characters and got her own personality and flaws and troubles people instantly started hating on her. I definitely think there’s a deeper meaning than that because the fans are more than happy to accept all the other women’s flaws
I find this trope absolutely disgusting it shows black women as inhuman strong men who can take on everyone’s problems. Black women, just like everybody else, are allowed to be tired and take mental and physical breaks. Doing it all, ALL THE DAMN TIME runs you ragged and should not be praised. I’m tired of seeing black women fighting and scratching just to get by, let us be human.
Exactly, you've really hit the nail on the head here!🔨👏🏽Let Black Women be vulnerable and flawed, but hopeful in the face of adversity, like Precious or Celie from "The Colour Purple". Nobody has all the answers, and it makes them more human and relatable. 💖
As a white woman, I always feel incredibly inspired by black women characters, or strong women in general. But this video made me see how these archetypes can also be sadly toxic. I will still forever be inspired, but will think twice before consuming narratives like this with a simple mind.
@@Chris-rg6nm I think when it was created it was used to showcase an aspect if black women that was never showcased or appreciated but as it was used by other people, the different dimensions of the trope (like to toll having to uphold this persona can take) were ignored and made the women one dimensional rather than an aspect of a whole person
I don't see this characters masculine, i just see one type of women, and that is very wrong, i agree with you on what you said, it has to give black women the same variety of characters as they do with white women
This trope ruined my life lol. Men of other races don’t take me seriously, they want me to twerk or give myself to them easily. I always get asked to work or stay long hours. If I don’t I get seen as lazy. People want to argue with me all the time when I’m being nice and reasonable because they want me to be the angry black woman. I get told I don’t act black or I get called an “Oreo” Because I dress modest and enjoy sims and anime. I don’t fit into their box they want me to so I make them uncomfortable.
@@rosejames5172 ...and also because way too many of your black sisters actually enjoy embodying these stereotypes and are impossible to interact with. It's a two way street, honey, not everything is always somebody else's fault.
I really cannot stand the strong black women stereotype. This affects black women in the worst way. I can’t tell you how many times people tried to use me like a mule and treated me like garbage because I’m suppose to be a “ strong black woman “ and should be able to take it. A lot of men also expect you to take on traditional roles as well as take on the role of a man like your superwoman. You also are called angry, aggressive, ghetto, masculine, etc for trying to express yourself. This also affects us in school and the work place as well not just relationships. This is how the WORLD perceives us. We need to see more positive representation of FEMININE BEAUTIFUL BLACK WOMEN who are HUMAN BEINGS WITH FEELINGS and aren’t expected to carry the world on their shoulders like a MULE.
@g7dmother •}:{• you'd enjoy being called "emotional" and "overreacting", and then "hysterical" if you dare to get angry because nobody takes you seriously or even listens to what you are saying.
as a dark skinned black girl this trope really affects us in a negative way. because of it we are dehumanized and masculinized. we aren’t allowed to be sensitive and feminine. people think we are strong and don’t need a man, but most black women want to find love but we’re seen as people who don’t. hopefully there will be more positive forms of representation for black women because we really are put at the bottom.
Women who are not black (like me) often mistake this portrayal as positive since they look badass and cool but we were too biased to see this negative traits. You deserved better and i hope more people learn (specialy writers) the trope can be dehumanizing
Chris black women are allowed to refer to themselves as whatever they want, and if they want to be independent they can do so. there’s an issue with the way white writers put us in these boxes that only give us negative stereotypes. what we need are more diverse roles in the media.
Chris the thing is that most black women arent like that to begin with. these writers created this character first and because it was one of the first representations of us we see, some feel like that’s what their identity was meant to be. but most of the black women i know are just everyday women. we aren’t just a character written for us. many people just assume we are and we get treated like that. from the day we are born the world is against us. i had self love and embraced my african culture and heritage. but people in america told me that i had to change who i was to be more accepted. as a child to now i’ve been told to lighten my skin, loosen my hair, treated like i was stupid, and nobody wanted me romantically. it was a role forced upon me by others. we go through a lot and in a way we are strong, but i had to realize that i didn’t have to accept those perceptions of me. i deserve to be loved and uplifted and girly, and so does every other black girl.
@@Chris-rg6nm also, if they're ONLY seeing Black women that way then they have a really skewed perspective of the world around them or they're basing it off the toxic stereotype already perpetuated by white writers who wrote shows they watched growing up and absorbed it into their material
The reality is that these stereotypes are also perpetuated by real people in our lives, not just in the media. Parents, teachers, peers etc. We are always expected to be super strong and nurturing it's instilled in us since childhood. An Indian male friend told me that I am behaving like a "western" woman when I mentioned that I have no desire to get married or have children. I'm from South Africa and have lived/worked in a few other countries. The problem with being an African black woman is that you are not expected to be assertive, you are mammy. When you do speak up for yourself, eloquently and assertively, they can't understand how you think that you are an EQUAL! They either gaslight you or call you crazy behind your back. This was a good video!
My manager (along w/ a slew of teachers) love to throw that “girlfriend” at the end of the sentence to address me like....I’m not even sassy like that. I don’t even use the term “girlfriend”! Wtf?
awkwardletter95 😂😂😂 I’m laughing at this because you bring up a great point. I’m Latina and was born and raised in the Chicago inner city so I speak with a certain dialect (didn’t notice it until I lived in Southern California for 4 years). My former roommate who was a lily blonde white girl from the suburbs would speak normally with everyone else but would start her sentences with “Girl,...” when she would talk to me. I was like🤔
I'm sorry you get gaslit left and right. That can get really exhausting. At the end of the day, your choices are valid--it's your life! Let ignorant bigots do and say whatever they want--they're not worth your energy or thoughts.
Writers literally pick one personality traits and discard all other emotional range for black female chatacters. Black women: Sensitive, strong, sweet, sensual, complex, angry, graceful, happy, tearful, empowered, healthy, and dynamic. We are everything every other women is. But no matter how an individual behaves, it still reflects on all of us. It isn't fair. We just want to be who we are and feel what we feel
If there's one black actress in a movie, she can't encapsulate the full spectrum of personalities without becoming a trope, and portrayed realistically would seem to promulgate one stereotype over another. Movies in general are formulaic and need events/circumstances/issues to push the plot, obstacles for protagonists to overcome. Who is going to watch Rambo balking at the thought of taking down an army, or a black woman who crawls into herself when her problems get to her? These are portrayals of people larger than life and movies always reflect the environment in which they're created, I get the point, but these are some of the worst examples I've ever seen of stereotypes being perpetuated.
The RU-vidr Chrissie is largely responsible for bringing this to light let’s all support her channel. They put dark skinned black women in these roles more than anything and it puts us in harms way while hurting our image. I’m glad black women are waking up to the truth.
Vampire Diaries did this to Bonnie sooo bad! Her entire life & After life was consumed with fixing white characters problems to the detriment of herself 😩
TheeBoujeeGypsy In True Blood’s Tara Thornton would be the stereotype of “the angry black woman”. Even though I enjoyed the dry humor she brought she is sort of a stereotype, even if it is warranted in order to ensure her own survival and of her friends and loved ones
hannah eve Yes! They were all “servants of nature” as if it justified the show not allowing them to act in their own best interest. Always serving others, like slaves
Spoiler for anyone reading the books or is at least interested. In the books, Bonnie ends up with Damien Salvatore. But of course she doesn't in the show. Which the writer was not happy about the direction they were going and she stopped contributing to the overall series at some point. I don't know why they ended up making her end up alone at the end. I don't know why in some shows, the poc always ends up alone. Not that there is anything wrong with being single, but it just gives the idea that poc are not deserving of love.
Exactly exactly. Which just want a good old normal film or show with a black women as a lead or supporting character is that too much to as for? No 'black struggle/gang/dysfunction' films
I don’t think people understand that we want black women to be in other roles that don’t just present them as strong and sassy I want black villains, black manic pixie dream girls, black mean girls, black housewives, black rom com leads, literally I want a black women in every trope they can be in we are just as 3 dimensional as other women and I am tired of us just being viewed in our current tropes!! It’s 2020 people Edit: this is ESPECIALLY important for dark skinned women the black women who are casted in the roles I mentioned above they are almost always light skinned and I am tired of it LET DARK SKINNED WOMEN BE SOFT they feel and experience just as much as us light skinned women do and they need to be represented just as much if not more
@@bumblebee_0112 it’s hard to understand cause a majority of women praise and are about this identity. BW who talk about not needing men, they can do it all etc etc etc. you can walk out side right now and find a BW who will be about this. Shidd sad af
I'm glad you showed Bonnie from The Vampire Diaries. That girl would go missing (literally missing) multiple times, and sometimes for months, and her "best friends" wouldn't think twice until they needed her to help them with their own problems.
@Weeby&Geeky Yep. That "team" worked really well saving everyone BUT Bonnie. And what happened to Enzo was honestly insult to injury. Literally showing how strong Bonnie was to stop the hellfire at the cost of her lover and then having to go through life alone. All that strength and throughout the series she had loss after loss (which she handled better than the MC) and suffered major episodes of depression and had very low self-esteem. But she pulled through and received little more than a pat on the back from her "friends".
@Weeby&Geeky I shipped Bamon too. Julie Plec is a racist though. We were all fooling ourselves to believe she would have ever put her dream boy with a black woman.
Weeby&Geeky I LOVED Bonnie and Enzo as a couple. They were arguably the healthiest couple on that show. I hated Bonnie with Jeremy. He was immature, cheated on her with a ghost, and basically gave up on her when she was stuck in the prison world with a murderer, even though she brought Jeremy back to life. TWICE. AND sacrificed herself the second time. Like, honestly, I couldn’t stand that boy. I couldn’t get into Bonnie and Damon because they were never meant to be together on the show. Damon was always going to be with Elena. ENZO on the other hand was PERFECTION when he and Bonnie got together. Before that NEITHER of them had a person in their corner. They were both very loyal to one another and at the drop of a hat they were willing to do what it took to protect the other. At the end of the day, every one of Bonnie’s friends had someone they prioritized OVER her (Damon was one of the only ones who did something selfless and decent by not hurting her to get Elena back), though she often put her life in jeopardy for them, and usually at the cost of her loved ones, her safety, and her emotional health.
Thank you for seeing our plight as black women, BECAUSE IM TIRED of being strong. We want to be soft and feminine and just live. Its so nice to be seen and heard.
But women don't need men and can do anything a man can! Accepting a woman as soft and feminine reenforces gender stereotypes that put women as more feminine than men, eww! Gender is a social construct, there's no such a thing as men or women, everybody is the same, everybody is alone and everybody must be strong! Thanks feminism for teaching us that femininity is a social construct imposed by the patriarchy to oppress women and must be erradicated from the female psyche forever! Oh, no, I said female as in one of two genders! I'm going to hell!
@@UntakenNick Don't listen to this fool. It starts like this and the next thing you know, men are taking away our right to vote. Feminism isn't an umbrella for other minority movements. The biological and social concept of gender is a topic that should be associated with the lgbt community. Secondly, the majority of feminist scholars have never tried to insuniate that men and women are exactlty the same, but that all individuals of both genders posses traits that are characteristic of both femininity and masculinity, and that that is okay, because nobody is a monolith. "The Strong Black Woman" trope isn't dangerous because it potrays black women that act in characteristiclly masculine ways. It's dangerous because it has become the ONLY way black women are potrayed in media, which is harmful because it places an expectation on black women to be superhumanly resiliant and strong at all times, an impossible feat to accomplish for anyone, male or female. We need more variety, because black women are a varied group of people. If other demographics of people are allowed to be represented in diverse ways in media, black women should have that luxury too. So please, with all due respect, shut the fuck up, and stop pushing anti-feminist rhetoric.
Maybe you need to write the story and start a new trend. Doesn't matter if you're a writer or actor or not. Apparently if you frame it as fanfiction and post it on the right site, it could be turned into a bestseller then a movie like Twilight and 50 Shades. Both started off as fanfic. Its not guaranteed, but who's to say your black damsel in distress getting rescued by Denzel or whoever fanfic won't be the next, and superior to, Twilight or 50 Shades? It could happen. It shouldn't be hard to outwrite those two. I have faith in you 💖
Weak shouldn't mean weakness because everyone is weak in their own respects. Black women need help and saving too. I see what this trope is trying to do, and a lot of people love seeing a strong black empowered woman, but when that's all we are, them something needs to change, and variety needs to be added. Life isn't all about strength. It's also about being human and being human means pain and weakness.
As much as I love having a black princess, Princess Tiana had the same strong black women ideology. I couldn’t get over how lazy Prince Naveen was, though 🤦🏾♀️.
Well when your pampered all your life and then your parents cut you off and no nothing else thats what you turn into🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️ but completely agreed about Tiana and they had her a frog for most the movie, no other disney princess besides Jasmine was turned into an animal and that was on the Aladdin series....
Partially the reason why the little mermaid is my fav disney princess movie :) ariel's so gullible, adventurous, curious and dreamlike but tiana just reinforces that godforsaken stereotype onto us like pls
I went into this video with a healthy amount of skepticism, thinking you guys wouldn't have the range to examine the real damage that this trope has done. But you surprised me by giving a voice to someone that can speak to this topic better than the usual people at The Take can. I really appreciate that. Too many black women have internalized this trope and see themselves as masculinized superheroes, especially dark skinned black women. But at the end of the day, black women are just women. And that's not an insult.
Ikr me too 😔 my hear was beating fast when i saw the video i thought they were gonna praise these stereotypes and not go into depth about it but I was so happily wrong they tackled the situation better than I could imagine 💖
I would argue that this can be very toxic. Our media are showing black woman (especially drak skinned) as independent and very masculine. White society tried to take away black woman's femininity since slavery times. The diversity of the characters played by black woman is very needed right now.
It was honestly more white women policing black women’s femininity once they realized their men were attracted to us. That’s why they had laws to cover black women’s afros.
We do need more diversity. I hope the 'strong, black woman' also gets the rewrite she deserves and is allowed to actually benefit from these traits. As a dark-skinned girl who has a more masculine aura and is fiercely independent I am often attacked for not muling (usually by people who have/ would never do anything similar for me) choosing to use my traits in a more self serving manner. I also feel attacked for celebrating my more feminine side.
As a white writer, I’m quite aware of this trope and I’m trying to make sure the largest black character in my book is empowered in a different way. She’s sensible, sure, but sweet and feminine, interested in flowers and botany.
Awwwww that sounds awesome and quite frankly the most realistic depiction I've ever heard. It's like we're black before we're women/ girls. Thank you for acknowledging that. It means alot. 😢❤
*All of the time Look at the new James Bond trailer. Lashana Lynch is one of the sexiest women on the planet when dressed up, but you take away the hair and clothing and she's deliberately drawing male comparisons with her physique.
Crippy Cooke exactly but when it was the new Charlie angles movie with Kristen Stewart they made sure the black girl in the angels trio be a light skin biracial Britain who emphasis on her liberated feminity and smart knowledge on technology smh
That part about how the worth of black women is often ascribed to our behavioral characteristics and not an innate respect of human value...i felt that. Didn't really think about it in that way particularly and I'm grateful to Ms Harris Perry for putting it into words. I definitely feel like once I am suddenly not agreeable or assert myself or express a grievance, I'm often ostracized or met with indignation or suddenly demonized even. It's hard to be a black woman. It's hard to have, navigate and express emotions as a black woman. We should be seen as intrinsically of value.
I am the nerdy, shy, antisocial black woman. I wasn't accepted in the black community because I wasn't "black" enough. I developed a persona of the stereotypical loud, sassy black woman around others just to be accepted and it was mentally exhausting. I'll just be me.
Same. I love anime and manga. I love basketball and science. People tell me I’m “different”. I don’t think people know how much black people love all of those things, especially anime.
The things i LOVED about Scandal and How To Get Away Murder was that they allow black women in LEAD ROLES to be flawed, hyprocrites, morally ambiguous, selfish, sexual and vunerable...a true 3 Dimentional Character. They weren’t excepted to be perfect, and they werent praised, awarded and or given social capital baised on their proxmity or wht they can do for their white male and or female counterparts! I loved this video keep up the good work 😍👏🏾
Pop Kulture Guru I haven’t watched scandal but the problem with the Annalise Keating and Olivia Pope characters is that there isn’t an equal portrayal of good black women in leadership roles.If the only black female characters in positions of power are hypocrites,unwholesome,and sexually deviant it plays on another myth that black women are these immoral,deceitful,power hungry people only fit to have sexual relationships with,not raise a family with.Dark skinned aunt Viv was an example of a career oriented,tough black women who was also a good family women.
g7dmother •}:{• idk about yalll but we like complete 3 Dimention characters over here. Black Women dont have to be “perfect and tradionally feminine” to be valueable all the time. That’s a very sexism and misogynistic view. Black Women have ever right to be both good and evil, happy and sad, heros and villians. Just like white men and white women and black men. Many of yalll are not trying truley to break down racism & patriacry. Yall just want promixy to whitewomanhood. Which idk why cause yeah white woman have priveldge, but those same white women still beat, raped, abused, and everything else under the sun just like black women the only difference is their white male counterparts as a collective take care of them fincially and promote them globally. Which in my opinion is not a good trade off.... yeah you get global promotion but it’s under the condion that you remain “tradionally feminine”. And the moment you step out of line, your treated like the rest of the whore and hoes across the street!
@@saeon4427 no, he has a valid point. There is a Strong black woman stereotype but this video doesn't do much to explain it. If you listed all the adjectives the video gives for this trope, its EVERY adjective. What do Precious and Kerry Washington on scandal have in common? What do Ola Mae (Ghost) and Ms. Cellie have in common? What do Tina Turner and the women from Hidden figures have in common? And don't say they had to endure racism, because that's all black people. And don't say they had to deal with sexism, that's all women.
@@khalmasonart Variety isn't that hard to reach. We want to also have nerdy girls, the girl next door, the girl in the corner in solitude, the girl who suffers because of mental struggles. Black women are strong, we know this. We've been strong and that has been shown. But that's not all we are. That's not all black people in general are. We want normal characters that don't have to be heroes or complete suffering outcasts to be noticed. Give us normal roles with normal yet important meanings like others, because we aren't bullet proof. We crack, and we aren't always strong. We want to be treated like people, given the chance and opportunity to be weak because we do break down. We aren't always strong black soldiers.
Riigghhttttt, or being called slow because you do not understand "black lingo" generally used in poorer and/or black majority communities. Or being made fun of for going to a private school, they only stop when they ask you to buy something for them. Like ewwwwwwww.
The strong black woman is often depicted as practically a-sexual or dating the single, left over man that no one else is attracted to. One example is Abbie Mills of Sleepy Hollow. She is an attractive woman, yet no man except for her ex seemed to be attracted to her, nor is she attracted to any one. Contrast that with Ichabod Crane, who seemed to attract just about every woman that he came across. Another example is Bonnie Bennett who had only 2 relationships over the multiple seasons of the show. The first relationship was with her friend's little brother and the second was with a man who had been rejected that same friend's boyfriend's mother. Every other guy that she was attracted to was used her, tricked her or was murdered.
Ugh, you triggered me with that Sleepy Hollow thing. That whole show was the trope on display. Ichabod running after his wife, the vulnerable and sweet damsel in distress while the black female sidekick was just masculinized to death. I’m sure the writers would have been tired at some point of that circus and have them hook up but the original set up was so comically one-dimensional, I’m not surprised it got canceled.
I rarely use this word, but, PREACH! As someone who watched both shows, it's nice to see others who understand. And you forgot the disgusting writer who actually tried to pair Bonnie up with the son of the man her biological mother married and practically raised after she ghosted on Bonnie.
Rewatch the first season. Tom Mison(Ichabod Crane) during an interview stated "he's clearly in love with her" when asked about Ichabod and Abbie, so he portrayed it that way. Also, Abbie Mills was originally written for a white woman to play, which would explain why there's a budding romance during the first season. I don't doubt the showrunners script sabotage/ship baiting in later seasons were purely motivated by race.
@@ebonspace lisa turtle was actually a pretty groundbreaking character. Before her, it was pretty unusual to see the pretty popular fashionista girl being black. And they made it clear she was one of the most sought after girl in school
Thank you for mentioning the Angry Black Woman! I remember an interview with Michelle Obama describing how she had to walk on eggshells trying to dispel this label, caught in a catch 22.
@@lavenderflowers1075 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 and to have ANY expectation to be treated like a woman gets you called a 'gold digger' but they have no gold to dig, so why are the broke boys worried?
It's not really a trope if there are people who are exactly like this. I'm more interested in the African Americans represent every Black person trope. The best thing that came out of Black Panther was not the all black cast, but that the cast was from all over the diaspora.
I loved this video. I am not a fan of the term "Strong Black Woman" it dehumanizes us, absolves us of pain and vulnerability and chips away at our femininity. It almost makes it ok for us to endure trauma.
Growing up as a dark skinned Nigerian girl in America, I always felt that I was treated as masculine and unattractive, unlike how my white female contemporaries were treated. I realize this trope feeds into how I was treated. I grew up in an era where the "pretty" black girls were those like Megan Good, Beyonce or Halle Berry, those who had lighter skin than I did.
There are drawbacks and perk side in it. Being treated as an unattractive woman all the time is bad, but it allow men to look at you with another perspective, and to know you better before try other things. Being looked upon as a sexy and fragile body all the time sucks.
Graziela Almeida yes but there’s a difference between assumptions having something “suck” and being marginalized, oppressed and traumatized. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to erase the hardships on either side, but we can’t act like they’re exactly the same. The long-standing effects are NOT the same.
I'm what you would consider as brown or light skin, and I always make it a point to uplift my darker skin sisters whenever I can. I lowkey wish I was dark skin though. You guys have the prettiest skin and features.
@soul sessions tv Bdhrh I believe it's a newer term but its existence has been w us since the 60s show Julia..w Dianne Carroll...the first tv show w a bw as a lead that was a professional ( RN). Shes safe brown...a beautiful woman and she landed on the 80s nighttime soap Dynasty...if she were darker neither of these roles would have been given to her. She's safe brown...
especially dark skinned black women never have the option to be selfish or to do something for themselves. they always have to be doing it for someone else.
They used her as a servant. It got to a time I hated seeing her because she's so unrealistic. How could someone be that self sacrificing and masochistic? Giving her life freely so her friends can live??? And when they found out, being more upset that they now knew she was dead and not even caring that her own dreams were all trashed??
Exactly. I hated how she was portrayed. Awful. She did EVERYTHING for everyone, and had nothing for herself. She was never given any value or care despite doing the same for others. The other characters got to abuse her. Really plays into the strong black woman stereotype again
The thing is black women especially my dark-skinned sisters have internalised these limiting stereotypes as we have been placed in positions because( ik I'm gonna be attacked but so be it that) our men simply don't protect us like we do and are willing to berate us with colouristic remarks - what other races of men subject their women with such treatment, so we adopting the strong blk women to counter this. We are perceived as masculine by accepting this stereotype through acting as the provider.
Protect you...how? From what? No women in my family have been assaulted or even disrespected on any level. Not on my watch. I’m 6’ 2”, 220 for a reason. I protect & provide for my family. My wife is the happiest, most chill woman on the planet. It doesn’t hurt that she’s beautiful & carries herself as a lady. She had a protective father in her life so she knows the natural order. I come from good stock myself; my mother & father, grandparents, etc instilled strong values & principles. I’m tired of this bullshit narrative. Most of the brothers in my circle are hard working family men..& definitely not punks!! Maybe y’all looking in the wrong places...
I think this and also that we HAD to be the head of households as men went to wars, took more submissive roles in relationships, and then were disproportionately placed in jail or simply abandoned us. We have to constantly be strong for ourselves and our families because no one. And I mean no one is going to help us. Not even our doctors 😓
I'm a disability activist and I always find it interesting the different parallels one can observe when looking at the plights of different minority groups. The strong black women trope is similar to the supercrip trope in the disability/impairment/chronic illness community, and it's similar to the smart asian stereotypes - it paints all three as someone to aspire to be, and by doing that, it becomes acceptable for society to punish those not working hard enough to achieve that nearly impossible standard. And that standard is reinforced everytime we praise disabled people online, sharing videos of them being able to graduate college while ignoring the greater problem of fixing the incredibly ableist educational system that made it so damn hard to achieve that. And it's reinforced every time we publically praise a woman of color who has to suppress aspects of her identity while working far more than her white counterparts to get where she is, while we ignore the problem of fixing obstacles that made it so damn hard to get there. And it's reinforced every time we expect an entire race to be more intelligent than their white counterparts, blaming them when they fail to live up to it, and dismissing their intelligence they worked so hard to achieve as nothing more than an aspect ingrained into the DNA of that race. MINORITY GROUPS DON'T WANT YOUR PRAISE. WE WANT YOU TO FIGHT SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WORK SO DAMN HARD TO ACHIEVE THAT PRAISE.
Which of the characters depicted as examples weren't vulnerable? I saw character after character who's defining trait was their vulnerability. I also argue that those characters don't fit the stereotype, and that the video did a very poor job. If I were a non-black person, I would watch this video and think that every positive black woman character was a trope
black women, especially dark skinned black women, are allowed to be soft and innocent and feminine and just be human and multidimensional. I hope more movies recognize that as time goes on 🥺
IAmAgainst Just say you hate Black women and go. We are feminine by nature because we are women. Your trolling is not going to work here, and everyone sees right through your inferiority complex.
That's why I'm so glad they referenced the show Chewing Gum, which I watched years ago and loved! The main character is a dark skinned black woman who is silly, goofy, inappropriate a lot of the time, sweet and kind sometimes, self-centered and naive at other times, and looking to grow into herself - just like any other nuanced and multi-faceted main character. From a Vanity Fair article, "For those two seasons, Chewing Gum was one of the rare modern comedies to revolve around black women simply existing, instead of stuffing them into stereotypical extremes. It also operated as light, yet razor-sharp social commentary on class. Coel explicitly set the show in a London neighborhood that reminded her of the one she grew up in, but only filmed the show in the summer. The end result was sunny and light and warm, in direct opposition to the typically negative portrayals of low-income neighborhoods. "
This is a very interesting video. As someone who grew up in a mainly white country, my introduction to black people were American films. I always thought it was so weird that black women all seemed to have the same personality. I remember looking at actresses that were so pretty and feminine, who I would expect to be the leading actress but were never given a softer side, always angry, always snarky, never weak, always acting like the queen mom not the daydreamer princess. The same happened with Latinas of course who were always fiery and passionate which made most people expect the same from me, me being half Colombian in a country that though all Colombians should be like a Shakira videoclip, while I was an introverted bookworm. I thank the internet for opening my eyes to other representations. Specifically English and French productions, either TV or films. It's there where I got to see people of other races playing diverse roles, were they were everyday people, either nerdy, stupid, mean, kind, fashionable etc. Just like white actors. It's there were I suddenly realised that something wasn't clicking with me all these years in American films. I always felt pressure to portray my Latin side as people expected me to which makes me realize that it must be so, so, so much more overwhelming and stressful for black women...
Do you mind referencing those films to me plz? I'm a young black girl and I'm tired of not seeing good representation of black girls in American media. It's super annoying and sends the message that all of us act like that when that's simply not true. The library is my haven and I've never gotten into a physical fight in my life. I'm usual that kid in the corner at parties waiting for my friends to be done so we can go. (I don't go to parties that was just an example).
Thank you so much. I just realized what a flip it was: from slave to strong warrior. Black women have gone through full character arcs in popular television. I just wish there was a delicate black woman, a girly girl... basically black women not being stereotyped.
The main problem with the character of the strong black woman is she is usually a character in someone else's story. She always has to be strong for others whilst sacrificing herself. Not once does she get to be strong for herself, vulnerable, or layered/multidimensional. She is always expected to be perfect or perfectly strong. That becomes an unfair and almost impossible standard to uphold when transferred to real life. That same expectations and standard is not extended to other women or people for that matter, which becomes inexorably exhausting.
I remember I seen a scene probably in a Tyler Perry movie. The old head got mad at the young head because she didn't make her man a plate. The old heads explained that back in their day the black man would go to work in white man world and have everything come down on them that his home was his escape . That wife made him that plate even though she is cooking and cleaning and taking care of the kids at home is where he could feel like a king. The outside world saw him as trash but at home he was king even for a moment. I wonder how the black man made her feel like a queen.
That scene is problematic because most Black women weren’t sitting at home as housewives. They were working too as maids, cooks or cleaners. So they went out in the world just like black men, facing racial AND sexist abuse, then they came home to cook, clean and take care of their children.
I've seen firsthand how being "strong black women" has damaged my mother, my grandmother, and my aunts. I thought I had to be a "strong black woman" and it was destroying me. It's long past time for this stereotype to die.
Often times people see the strong black women as superhuman that they can endure all but we must remember that she is human and she is flawed like everyone she has weakness. She deserves to be taken care of as well.
I'm a black woman and I hate that trope! It's whether an olivia pope or a sassy ghetto girl like cookie lyon! I'm happy that Issa rae brought other types of characters as we can see in insecure
@@TheSuperNats personnally i think she is still too much. If we have to speak of a more complex "strong black woman", i believe Analise Keating is was better written as a character.
This episode explains why I've always HATED watching movies with a black female character in the presence of white people. I'm mixed black and white but as I've been raised in a mostly white environment, so I've always been the "black girl". So I know that they will project all those tropes on me, even unconsciously, which is really exhausting because I don't want to be SKKRRRRONG, i.e less feminine.
My son almost died during child birth, because the doctor thought I wasn’t trying hard enough to push. Somehow after 22hrs of labor, the thought that I might have been exhausted or that the baby’s head was too big was never considered. The black nurses pleaded with him and looked on in horror as he delayed my C-section until the last minute. Thank GOD my son was ok...just had a few cuts from the forceps the doctor used to try and force him out.
Showing a black woman that loves her family and partner but cares about her own needs too is more valuable. Showing a black woman laughing, crying or acting goofy is more valuable. Your skin colour and culture don't define your personality as much as the media wishes you to believe. Humans are far more complex
Yes. Humans are and i am sure some/many black actors just want to be seen on screen as simply a "person" that did this role good and it not be something more and deeper than that.
This is why we need more black people in the writing rooms, behind the camera etc. Black stereotypes are still a big problem in media despite the push for me "diversity" in the past few years. As a black man I want to see more bubbly black women, perky, animated; excited etc. Also we need a video on the black secondary character or the black character trope in a mostly white cast.
Except many male black writers continue to push these negative/damaging tropes and stereotypes against dark skinned black women. But thank you for attempting to change that
I'm obsessed with Chewing Gum, very glad you included it, the writing and characters are incredible. However, it's important to note that the show, written and starred by Michaela Coel who is amazingly smart and funny, was cancelled after season 2 because SHE WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED DURING THE WRITING OF THE SHOW AND THE PRODUCERS DID NOTHING.
