What is an Ugly Black Woman? What are Angry Black Women? Why must black women continue to be stereotyped by America with words such as these? Recently, I was watching a TV show called Being Mary Jane and in one of the episodes Mary Jane Paul, played by Gabrielle Union, does an interview with Elizabeth Foy on Elizabeth's new book, Charting a Better Course.
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Mary Jane asks Elizabeth if she feels as if her book is being used as a "political football” for the Republican campaign and in response, Elizabeth says she feels ambushed. This causes Elizabeth to lash out Mary Jane Paul, telling Mary that the rest of the world sees her as an ugly black woman who is constantly playing the victim; who is always misunderstood; who is always playing the race card and is nothing more than a broken record. Mary Jane Paul responds by saying that in the end they are both women fighting to be heard in this world; the only difference between them is that Mary Jane is black and a black stereotype is placed on her because she speaks on black issues while Elizabeth Foy is a Caucasian woman fighting to be heard and respected in like fashion. Therefore, in reality they are the same and she sees Elizabeth Foy as an Ugly black women too. The link to this episode is http://www.bet.com/video/being-mary-jane/season-2/full-episodes/episode-210-primetime.html . Seeing this made me think more about Black women in America and how they are perceived by the world. It made me ask myself why, when a black woman speaks up on a topic she feels strongly
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about in her community, is she considered an angry or an ugly black women? As young ladies we must realize that we, as a group, are a minority and being such, we have to fight to be heard or to be respected. Yet it seems as if whenever we do show the courage and bravery it takes to speak out on matters that hold significance in our lives, we get bashed for it, judged, and labeled incorrectly. How can our society demand we speak up if we want to be heard, then insult us for doing so? In this land of the slaves and home of the timid, how is that rational? How is it fair?
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I recently read an article in the New York Times written by Alessandra Stanley on Shonda Rhimes and the article opens with the following lines, “When Shonda Rhimes writes her
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autobiography, it should be called How to Get Away With Being an Angry Black Woman.” The link to the article ishttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/arts/television/viola-davis-plays-shonda-rhimess-latest-tough-heroine.html. This article caused a lot of controversy in social media and many black women were offended by it. The article talked about how Shonda Rhimes has become a very successful woman through the success of her her TV shows Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder and Grey’s Anatomy. Although, within these TV shows, Ms. Stanley believes Shonda created these strong, successful black women in the mold of the Angry Black Woman, an archetype cast in her own image. Looking at this article one has to contemplate: why is the black, successful, intelligent and outspoken woman considered to be angry? Is it because black women have gone through so much and they tend to come off too aggressive for the people in the U.S.? I must admit black women can come off quite intimidating, but it is because people have walked all over black women from the very beginning. From the time of slavery black women have had to work in the fields and do as much work as men while still taking care of their children. As well as carrying their children during strenuous pregnancies and enduring the heart wrenching experience of having their children sold into slavery. Imagine watching a child that you carried for eight to nine months be taken away from you and sold into a harsh life? What would you do or how would you feel? See this was African American women's reality during slavery time and they could do nothing about it at the time. No one expected any less from them just because they were pregnant. Then,moving on to after slavery, where women were struggling in their attempts to gain the right to vote, there was also legalized segregation within the suffragist movement for women. The Caucasian women wanted the black women to walk separately from them but Ida B. Wells, being who she is, refused and said we are all equal fighting for the same cause so we must fight together. It takes strong and aggressive black women to stand up to people in order for them to protest segregation because she has to be unafraid of the consequences. When one considers Black Women’s history, it becomes clear that it is only right they get angry because of all the suffering they have endured in America and the toll it has taken on them. It, in turn, makes them strong and if being angry is what makes them confident and bold, so be it. In the end, we are all the same regardless of race, ethnicity or nationality and as fellow brothers and sisters in the United States we must stand together in order to gain the respect that we deserve; we should not separate ourselves by putting stereotypes on each group, breaking down and shunning each others movement. We are all fighting for the same privilege:to be respected and accepted in America. Thus, in the wise words of Mary Jane Paul, we are all Ugly Black Women!
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Great post Chioma!! It's really annoying when people judge others without knowing where they come from. Many people assume that people are the way they just becaue...but they forget that we all come from somewhere and have different circumstances or have had tough times that has influenced who we are. Everyone takes in things differently. And everyone can make either something good from their tough times or allow their hardships to bring them down. For instance, some people who grow up in abusive families either end up abusers themselves or let that experience make them change world by maybe rescuing others in abusive homes. We all have different strengths and we all make something different out of our worse situations. This said if others want to define black women as "angry", let them go ahead. Just because they rose up from their hardships and are successful doesn't mean they are angry. Like you mentioned before, they had to be strong, they did not make their tough times define them. They fought back hard and if they call that "angry", how about they try placing their shoes in a black woman's place and see what it really means to grow up as a black women and maybe they'll understand.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great topic to bring up because even now in the fight for women's complete quality to men black women are still being put down. if a African American women speaks out on her opinions and her thoughts she is looked down upon as that angry black women that you're talking about. Also, you talked about the fact that women can be seen as aggressive and intimidating, i would like to add that they also see us as loud and violent. For example you usually see fights of black women and see them burning their cheating man's clothes so it is preconceived that black women are these crazy wild girls that use violence to solve problems because they can't resolve anything with knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI always watch Being Mary Jane and I that one episode stood out to me as well. Mary Jane wants to make her show all black based and when she went to the CEO about it he said oh you want to turn this into a black show and be angry black women. Of course he was white but I feel as though like Chioma previously just stated that we are called "angry black women" because of something we feel strongly about and debate on it. If the passion in our hearts and the excitement in our eyes is considered being an "angry black women" then what do you call men who do the same ? A powerful man who will stop at nothing to get his point across ? The stereotypes need to be stopped and revised because black and white women are doing the same as a man is but because we are women we have to be angry or emotionally unstable. So I agree with Chioma people shouldn't judge if they don't know the whole story.
ReplyDeleteNice post Chioma, I really liked the how you said we are all Angry Black Women. Even though I am not of the same Ethnic background, I see what people think of black women. When a black women speaks I see the faces people make and I always hear them whispering that they are too loud and when they are speaking for themselves they want them to shut up. The things that they are doing and saying to Shonda Rhimes I think is pathetic, I love all her shows especially How to get Away With Murder is like my favorite show, and it bothers me even as a general person they people will belittle someone who is making their way up in the world and especially for the black women in the world. I agree also that black women have had it hard since the beginning with slavery and everything so to know someone you have to walk a mile in their shoes which is exactly what the media should do .
ReplyDeleteI think the point really is what does being "an angry black woman" even mean. I think it goes beyond just women, and targets the Black race as a whole. If we look at civil rights protests in 2015, Black protests carry headlines which include words such as "riots" and "mayhem." However, protests done by other racial groups carry lighter words such as "a cry for help" or "rally." When Black people speak out and try to voice their opinions, we are labeled as angry and uncivilized. I believe that the attack on the race in its entirety has grown to be an attack on the Black women who are responsible for creating the race.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good blog Chioma! It is very important to emphasize that us females are all angry black women. As females we are all fighting for equality and to stereotype a black girl or women because she speaks her mind is very unjust. The oppression of women affects all women of all ethic backgrounds, but black women have been oppressed the most. Now stereotypes or negative depictions are being put on them by society. A black women voicing her opinion should not subject her to being angry because any women who speaks out is just stating what they know. This labels being put on black women need to come to a end. We are all equal no matter what race or gender.
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