The documentary, The Myth of the Black Woman, deconstructs many of the most common and pervasive stereotypes placed on Black women, including the jezebel, mammy and “angry black woman” stereotypes. By illustrating the ways that these stereotypes create harm on Black female bodies, the documentary highlights the othering effects that stereotypes have for Black women, regardless of their class or age. Furthermore, the documentary links the stereotypes to the legacy of slavery, which is still felt in systemic oppression today, and aligns with course content that emphasises that emancipation has not yet been realized. Filmed within a Canadian context, it challenges the myth that Canada does not have a legacy of slavery by emphasizing that Canada is still a racist and sexist country benefiting from the oppression of people of colour, and women, specifically, the bodies of Black women through that legacy. In this analysis, I will explore the themes of othering expressed in the video and three questions that came up during viewing for me: 1) How do Black women find a sense of self when they are raised in a culture that reinforces the stereotypes above; 2) How can Black women overcome respectability politics when their “respectability” is determined by oppressive systems and racist beliefs from birth; and 3) What can be done to challenge those narratives when stereotypes and society decree that a body is inherently unrespectable?

 

          “People know a lot about you” (The Myth of the Black Woman 00:01:10-00:01:12) is a statement that sets the theme for the documentary and highlights how society forces Black women into a set of narratives from a very young age. This presumed knowledge leads to Black girls and women having to fight constantly against stereotypes while experiencing large amounts of microaggressions about their features, skin colour, hair, sexuality and much more. If Black women have to start from a place of aggression directed at them, the struggle to find a sense of self becomes harder and even when they gain agency, they are constantly being bombarded with images and messages of how they align with the stereotype.

 

          As mentioned in the documentary, the power of stereotypes is that some small parts of them are true, such as those associated with Black motherhood and the fact that mothering is seen through the extension of women within the lives of Black people, such as Aunts, grandmothers, etc. The mammy stereotype takes the caring nature of Black mothers and reproduces it within a caricature that distorts the diverse reality of what it means to be a Black mother. This, in turn, allows for the exploitation of Black women through caregiving careers, or not seeing the needs that Black mothers have as individuals, which can be detrimental to their own self care and sense of self.

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          If we shift this oppressive gaze to the jezebel stereotype, we see further harm to black girls and women where their bodies are deemed as less respectable by dominant society as they begin to express themselves as a sexual being. When society sets what is considered respectable sexuality and sexual expression, they are forced on two paths that reduce Black women to either being a sexually promiscuous seductress, the jezebel, or the image of “chastity, piety, and thrift” that is tied into Black respectability politics, which we discussed in this course with the work of Brittney Cooper (198). However, when Black women express their sexuality, regardless of that expression, they experience sexual violence that becomes normalized within families, communities, and the Canadian judicial system as seen in the documentary. It creates a limitation for Black women trying to use their self agency in maintaining their rights over their own bodies.

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          When Black women adhere to respectability politics, they experience the othering effect of the Black mammy stereotype. However, this erases the diversity of Black mothers as mentioned earlier and can lead to Black girls being taught to be the support for their family and community, also known as the Potomitan, a support post in the home, mother. While this can be seen as a way to reclaim the stereotype of the nurturing Black mammy [mother], it also creates a layer of oppression within her community as girls “learn to fade away and just be that post…that stands there and supports everything (The Myth of the Black Woman 01:03:44-01:03:54). However, by taking care of their own needs, Black mothers are finding another way to challenge the mammy stereotype by finding a balance between establishing their own sense of self, along with their own unique needs and agency, and supporting their families, although it can be a struggle to find that balance.

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          The documentary not only explores the struggles Black women face throughout their lives, along with their self doubt, it also explores the ways in which Black women work to remove the stereotypes by constantly challenging through acts such as how they wear their hair, which is a political act both discussed in the class and the documentary, and reclamation of stereotype, such as Nicki Minaj reclaiming the jezebel stereotype for her music career. However, it should be noted that because Black women live diverse lives with thriving sexuality, families and emotions attempts at reclamation can create oppression in their own ways, such as when Black women raise their voices or push for change, they are often pigeonholed into the “angry Black woman” or sapphire stereotype.

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          The “angry Black woman” stereotype is often used to push Black women into adhering to oppressive racist systems that continue the legacy of slavery against them. In addition, the stereotype is used in ways to “erase [Black women], put a veil over [them], and reduce [them] to that character, where everything goes through the “angry Black woman” filter and the message [they are trying to say] doesn’t get through” (The Myth of the Black Woman 1:09:23-01:09:37). The image of the veil brings to mind the veil described by W.E.B DuBois and the double consciousness that Black people experience when navigating dominant society.

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          While all of these stereotypes come out of slavery, it should be noted that the continued violence is amplified by misogynoir, which is a form of misogyny directed specifically towards Black women (The Myth of the Black Woman 00:17:23-00:17:31). This discrimination normalizes the interpersonal violence that Black women face, whether that violence is sexual, physical, emotional, or manipulative, and leads them to have no support in their communities and judicial systems. It creates a narrative that says that Black women are not a body deserving of respect; however, the documentary challenges that narrative and creates a discussion around understanding who Black women are.

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          And who they are is varied. Black women’s identities, cultures, beliefs, and experiences are diverse, and it is this diversity that gives the greatest challenge to the stereotypes that are forced upon them.  As one of the women interviewed in the documentary said:

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          …when you travel and venture outside the guidelines, into the fringes, and start to see the scope of human existence,           you realize that what it means to be a woman extends so much further, historically speaking, into the soul of women,             into their strength. (The Myth of the Black Woman 00:19:25-00:19:38)

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          And that is what this documentary is really about. That no matter how rigid and dehumanizing the stereotypes are,    Black women move onto the fringes of that stereotype, showing that their self agency, their identity is more than just a structure set by the legacy of slavery. They illustrate their strength by overcoming oppressive views that society has created. Black women are doing the work to challenge these stereotypes, proving that their bodies are more than just one deemed as “unrespectable” and that they are “women of change” (The Myth of the Black Woman 1:26:32-1:26:35).  And while they are doing the work, it is time for society to catch up, to dispel the myth of the Black woman, and to celebrate their diversity, strength, and, most of all, their truth.

 

Works Cited

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Cooper, Brittney. “How Sarah Got Her Groove Back, or Notes Toward a Black Feminist Theology of Pleasure.” Black Theology: An International Journal, vol. 16, no. 3, 2018, pp. 195–206, https://doi.org/10.1080/14769948.2018.1492299.

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O’Shun, Ayana. “The Myth of the Black Woman | Films | CBC Gem.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 2022, gem.cbc.ca/the-myth-of-the-black-woman.