Reel Women: Black Women and Literacy in Feature Films

Joanne Kilgour Dowdy really goes in-depth when speaking about the portrayal of African American women in films. In most instances we are shown as illiterate, loose, and uneducated. What she tries to do is get her students to look at the films from an analytical lens instead of the average person watching a film for entertainment. Dowdy chose nine films to analysis, the films consisted of African American women as the lead roles. In each film, black women are given very stereotypical roles. In the "Passion Fish" Alfred Woodard's character was designed to fill the role of "mammy," who leaves her own child to take care of her white crippled mistress. In the other films the women were portrayed as homemaker who is illiterate and a bystander in the household decisions, the rags to riches story, a junkie who can't take care of her children, being put in a position of power and being ignorant, and also being constantly abused and misused by man. The stereotypes put upon black women are shown to our society everyday through film and book. Both are forms of literacy that we are meant to not understand.

Reading this article makes me look at all the films from a different angle. I've watched all nine movies and it never occurred to me the way that black women were being portrayed. I watched for entertainment only. To think that through these movies society's ideas of the ideal black women is enhanced is saddening. Not every black women aspires to be a singer/actress/model or cocaine addicted. Not every black women wants to be abused and misused. Everyone of us is different. Circumstances do not allow everyone to aspire to do great things. Though when given the opportunity many black women succeed and become very literate. These stereotypes in my opinion should not be portrayed any longer. There is more to black women than the beauty that is bestowed upon us.

I will aspire to make a change to these stereotypes. I also know that my fellow Spelman sisters will do the same thing especialy since wisdom last forever but beauty fades. Also most black women that I know want  family to take care. Many of us want to work in professional fields and make a difference in others lives other than their own. We do not esteem to be selfish. These stereotypes being portrayed have to go.