Should She Suffer?

Today we’ll be talking about the representation of black women in movies. We’ll discuss Acrimony, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and A Fall From Grace. So, if you haven’t seen those films, this blog will be full of spoilers.

Stereotypes and Media Tropes

First, let’s talk about stereotypes and media tropes. Watch the video below to learn more.

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a “stereotype is a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude.”

Just a few stereotypes I’ve heard about black women are that we’re bitter, angry, loud, and hard working.

Thinking about stereotypes, let's talk about them in the media. In the media, they’re referred to as tropes. According to Literary Terms, a trope is “any type of speech, theme, image, character, or plot element that is used many times.”

There’s often a “strong black woman” media trope associated with black women. I’d describe the trope as the representation of black women being physically and emotionally unbreakable.

Meet Makayla Jennings

While I am a Communication Studies (Comm) student, I’m not a film expert. So I asked another Comm student, and close friend of mine Makayla Jennings. Makayla is a senior with a digital media focus, so she spends more time analyzing film production and script writing than I do. I’ll have her chime in with her thoughts as we get into each movie.

Acrimony

A devoted wife, Melinda supports her unemployed husband and becomes angry when she feels she has been deceived

Melinda was a “bitter black woman”. But, can you blame her?

First her mom died, then her boyfriend cheats on her, then she has to get a hysterectomy, then she finds out her husband is a felon and can't work, then she has to remortgage the house to pay for his invention equipment, she finally decides to leave him, and of course he becomes rich and successful once she leaves.

The fantasy he sold her for twenty years now belongs to another woman, the one he cheated on her with in the beginning. She has to watch this woman live the life he promised her all because she decided to be a “strong black woman” by leaving. Now she’s stalking the couple and threatening their lives, making her the bitter black woman.

I asked Makayla if she thought this was a fair representation of black women.

She responded, “No, I think it shows black women to be either very stupid with attachment issues or showing them as being vengeful. I feel like this shows black women as villains and untrustworthy, especially when a black woman tries to stick up for herself.”

If black women aren't strong enough, they suffer. When black are strong, they’re depicted as bitter or angry. Black women can’t win.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman

A happily married woman’s life, Helen, takes a turn when her cheating husband, Charles, kicks her out of their house and plans to divorce her.

Why did I have to watch a black woman be dragged out of her house and emotionally abused by her husband? Charles didn’t want to give Helen any money even though he’s the one who kept her from working during their marriage. He wanted her to suffer, but why should she suffer?

Because she’s a strong black woman, that’s why. She can deal with any abuse you put her through with no retaliation in return because she’ll be okay. In the end she's rewarded with a happy ending because she's a “strong black woman."

Makayla brings up a great point that black women were made to feel pity and meant to be caretakers. “I think it shows that black women are supposed to be pitied when we are not desired.”

Not only is the woman Charles leaving Helen for younger, she’s white. Makayla says, “When watching it, it made me feel that black women are placeholders for men until they find someone they deem more desirable, in white society, and we’re only useful when we are providing a service whether that be sexual or caretaking.”

I agree with Makayla. It goes back to the strong black woman trope. There’s no room for black women to be human beings, only laborers. Black women are constant caretakers throughout history. Slavery, Jim-Crow era, Civil Rights Era, and even today black women make up a high percentage of domestic labors.

A Fall From Grace

Grace Waters is a divorcee since her ex-husbands affair. She meets a new, young man and he ruins her life and frames her for his murder.

Grace paid off her home, had a great career at a bank, and was a grandmother. She was set up by her own best friend by this guy who wined and dined her and did a whole 180 when they got married. He remortgaged the house without her permission, stole all her money, cheated on her, and stole her bank’s client information. She was fired because of it.

When she had enough, she beats him with a bat. He survives, but her best friend turns out to be his mom and help him frame Grace for his murder. She was in on the scheme the entire time.

Why did Grace have to suffer? Was she too naive? Was she too vulnerable? Grace was a sweet woman and because wasn’t “strong” enough, she had to suffer. We had to watch Grace go from a content life to sitting behind bars for a crime she didn't commit.

Makayla says, “I feel like it just shows black women getting abused and becoming desensitized to it, almost expecting black women to face this level of abuse.”

Seeing black women abused in all three films has made us desensitized to it. We expect black women to be treated poorly, it’s becoming a standard.

The strong black woman media trope has real life consequences. There is no kindness or empathy given to black women. Teen Vogue goes into even more detail. Even at a young age, black girls are robbed of kindness and human decency.

The representation of black women as strong is harmful. Movies like Acrimony, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and A Fall From Grace further push the narrative that black women are vengeful, doormats, and unworthy. In return, black women are treated that way in real life.

When interacting with a black woman, be kind, show her empathy, and know her worth. I hope y’all think twice about the way you treat black women after reading this Forbes article.

Come back in two weeks for a look at the representation of LGBTQ+ black women. “The Brown in the Rainbow'' will be up Monday, October 11th at 11 a.m.