Reflection

Like many of my classmates, I thought I knew the meanings of the images in the movies I watched. I found it interesting that all of the things that I thought I knew were only barely the surface of what was really going on in movies. I suspected that I was in for a uphill battle since I was formerly a journalism major. I was surprised that I was able to understand and grasp the concepts presented in class. I found myself telling people of the topics we discussed in class. Many people found it hard to make certain connections, but in some cases it sparked conversations. I most enjoyed the Blaxploitation movies and readings in Unit II. “Im a Militant Queen” was most interesting to me because of the way it explained the portrayal of homosexual characters in movies. Now I analyze the images of black people that I see in movies. 

 I enjoyed the class but if I had to change one thing it would be the midterm and final projects. I believe that I would have enjoyed doing it more if it was not a group assignment. The advice that I would give future student is to always get their work done on time and be very detailed with notes and readings.  It is not impossible to do well on exams and assignments. It just takes a little effort. I hope to have future classes that are as interesting as this one was. Thank you Dr. Jackson for opening my eyes to the messages in movies.

Unit 4

Films like Middle of Nowhere are important because they tell the stories that mmost people shy away from. Nobody wants to be the one to talk about what happens to a woman when her man is incarcerated. Or how a woman can focus on a career and miss out on love and stable relationships. So much so that she is willing to settle for the wrong person just to have somebody. (Being Mary Jane) It is important to tell those stories because these are real life situations that everyday people go through. People need to see themselves reflected on screen. From these films I learned that black women do not always have to be a costar or exist in relevance to the man and his story. She can have her own story too.  It is smart to make films with the black woman in mind because we as black women are often overlooked. There are so many untold stories from the perspective of African American women.

Attached is the pilot episode of Being Mary Jane. The quality of the video isn’t very good but the message is the same. Black women can be anything, and do not have to exist with a man. Mary Jane has a career and a life filled with obstacles. Much like regular women today.

https://youtu.be/-iKlsg5qHFs

Unit 3

In bell hook’s Selling Hot Pu**y we learned that black bodies in their natural form represent hyper-sexuality to the rest of the world. Having a curvaceous body is a blessing in the black community but a curse when attempting to exist in a world with Eurocentric views. Black bodies are manipulated in the media to either look less like black bodies and more like European bodies, or as savages who are good for nothing more than sex. The model, Iman, is also discussed in the essay. She is known for her European looks and yet she was seen in the October 1989 edition of Vogue with full lips and breasts. Photographers often edit photos to suit the image of the publication or their own person preferences. For instance, a more resent incident occurred with Zendaya at a photoshoot. Her photos were retouched to make her shape less noticeable. Even the roundness of her face was lessened in an attempt to make her more “appealing”.

 Zendaya in her usual fashion has a few things to say to the modeling company and requested that they either use her original photo or not use her image at all. Zendaya is 19 and attempting to maintain control over the image that her young fans see. However, most entertainers are told what to do, what to say, and what to wear. Although they may believe that theya re in control of their lives and bodies, it is mostly controlled by the public and those helping them with their careers. Recently, there was a show that aired titled Atlanta Plastic. This show is full of plastic surgeries gone wrong and surgeries in which regular people attempt to look more like celebrities. 

Attached is a clip from the show. In this a woman is attempting to have her extra fat and skin graphed into her buttocks.  

https://youtu.be/g9CGIj9NBjY

Unit 1

It was hard to narrow down the things that I most enjoyed about unit one. There was a lot of information presented to me that I might not have paid much attention to before. One thing that did manage to grab my attention was when bell hooks spoke about internalized racism and the lack of role models in the black community. Thinking of internalized racism as seeing things through the lens of white supremacy, it would only make sense for the world to be uncomfortable when someone steps out of the “molds.” Celebrities are some of the best examples of this. There are artists like Beyoncé  who are praised for looking the most “fair”  

and there are celebrities like Zendaya who constantly push the envelope and receive a lot of harsh words for doing so. http://defamer.gawker.com/giuliana-rancic-says-zendayas-hair-must-smell-like-oils-1687678763

Who says that we are inferior because we are black? Sadly, some black people really feel this way. After reading the intro to Black Looks, I actually had words to explain the problem. I could relate to the young girl who was convinced that straight hair and light skin was beautiful. It is not something that I learned specifically from TV and movies. My mom and unknowingly inflicted those views on me by straightening her hair and mine when I was young and being told that I should stay out of the sun.  After my first year at NCA&T, I started to see the beauty in all types of hair and skin tones. We are all beautiful in all shapes, sizes, and colors. 

Bell hooks talks about how white supremacists had already constructed their ideas of what blackness was long before ever reaching what is now the United States. They did this to uphold their racial superiority, and today, instead of fighting against that design; we continue to exist in it. Below is a link to a clip from Malcom X by director Spike Lee. In the clip Malcom X (Denzel Washington) talks about internalized racism using the mindsets of two slaves.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_5oacrr1ts

We must create role models who encourage us to change our current ways of thinking and press forward to be better.