African Americans are the most stereotyped group of people in modern and historical United States. America’s history with racial prejudices/biases against African Americans dates to the early eighteenth century, “in the 18th and 19th centuries, many prominent whites in Europe and the U.S. regarded black people as mentally inferior, physically and culturally unevolved, and apelike in appearance” (Racial Stereotypes from the Days of American Slavery, 1994). Despite their efforts to combat racial stereotypes, African Americans are still being perceived by many as being lazy, unintelligent, loud, immoral, destructive, and obnoxious.
A contributing factor to keeping racial stereotypes prevalent today is entertainment media. Entertainment media, particularly television and film along with other forms of popular culture plays a significant role in shaping the public perceptions of other racial groups. In classic television and cinema, Arabs were often depicted as belly dancers, harem girls, and oil sheiks, Hispanics were depicted as maids and gardeners, Asian men were depicted as non-masculine nerds and geeks, and African Americans were depicted as “magical negros” or “mammy’s”. Members of all racial groups have worked extremely hard and have taken great strides in combating on-screen racial biases. The United States is more diverse now than it ever has been, but from watching Hollywood films and television programs it’s easy to overlook that development when it pertains to African American women. In this research paper, I will analyze how African American women in television and film are portrayed by addressing a list of stereotypical and demeaning roles played in mainstream media.
For decades, the media has been criticized for their continual negative representations of African American women in television and film. African American women have been historically depicted in Hollywood film productions as sapphire, prostitutes/jezebels, and over-weight mammy’s, and while African Americans women may be scoring more substantial parts in film and television, but many continue to play roles that fuel stereotypes. When television and film misrepresent black women, the effects are felt in the real world
The Mammy Caricature
The character known as “mammy” is a racial caricature that was created to represent African American women and reinforce racial stereotypes of inferiority and servility. The mammy caricature represents one of the most unescapable images of African American women. During slavery, the mammy caricature served as proof that African American women understood the value of the white lifestyle and were happy being enslaved. Physically, Mammy is often portrayed as being dark-skinned, unattractive, overweight, large-breasted, middle-aged, and always having her hair tied in a bandana. She is commonly characterized as being, domestic, uneducated, religious, nurturing, strong, and loyal to her owners. Mammy’s primary responsibility is to take care of and provide support for her White family over her own.
Originating during the time period of slavery and progressing through the Jim Crow era, the mammy caricature worked to serve the economic, political, and social interests of mainstream White America. The mainstreaming of the Mammy caricature was primarily a result of the growing advertising industry. The mammy image was used to sell all types of household goods and products, including the popular breakfast pancake mix “Aunt Jemima”. In 1889, Charles G Underwood a Missouri mill owner, and Charles Rutt a newspaper editor decided to use a fictional mammy image along with the name “Aunt Jemima” to market their product to the public. Unable to sustain the growing business Underwood and Rutt sold the pancake recipe and the accompanying Aunt Jemima marketing idea to R.T. Davis Mill Company.
After purchasing the recipe and marketing idea, the R.T. Davis Mill Company improved the recipe and came up with an idea to rebrand the product by using an African American woman named Nancy Green to portray the fictional Aunt Jemima character. Born a slave in Kentucky in 1834, Nancy Green became the first official African American woman to physically portray the stereotypical mammy image in state fairs worldwide. The use of Green as Aunt Jemima proved to be beneficial to the R.T. Davis Mill company, “by 1910 more than 120 million Aunt Jemima breakfasts were being served annually”. (The Mammy Caricature, 2012). Green would go on to impersonate the fictional Aunt Jemima character until her death in 1923. After being a successful marketing idea used to sell pancake mixes, the stereotypical mammy character would later appear in plays, vaudeville stages, novels, plays, and finally, in films and on television.
Gone with the Wind
The most notorious on-screen mammy portrayal occurs in the classic romance film “Gone with the Wind”. Released 79 years ago, the classic film Gone with the Wind was produced by David O.Selznick and based on a 1936 novel written by Margarett Mitchel. The film featured a series of successful actors and actresses including African American actress Hattie McDaniel. Hattie McDaniel was born on June 10, 1895, in Wichita Kansas to former slaves: Susan Holbert and Henry McDaniel. McDaniel, the youngest of thirteen children discovered her love for acting early on in life. Throughout her career, McDaniel was often casted as a maid in several films including the 1932 film “The Golden West”, the 1933 film “I’m No Angel”, however, it wasn’t until she landed the role of “mammy” in Gone with the Wind did she experience true success.
Hattie McDaniel is a perfect representation of the mammy caricature in Gone with the Wind She’s dark-skinned, middle-aged, overweight, and unattractive according to society’s standards. However, White America loved the performance put on by Harriet, so much so that she went on to make history. In 1939 Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to not only be nominated for an Academy award but also win the award for best-supporting actress. White America celebrated McDaniel’s performance as mammy. Her act reinforced the notion that African Americans were obedient slaves and lived to serve slave owners.
However, not everyone shared the same excitement. Gone with The Wind capitalized on the mammy stereotype, which caused members of the Black Community to criticize McDaniel for accepting the role they viewed as demeaning. McDaniel’s response to the harsh criticism she received was “why should I complain about making $7000 a week playing a maid? If I didn’t, I’d be making $7 a week being one,” (This week in history: Hattie McDaniel, first African American Oscar winner, 2016). With all the success of the film, Hattie McDaniel’s depiction of mammy did very little to uplift women in the African American community. Since her Oscar win for best-supporting actress in 1939, only six African American women have gone on to win an award in that same category. Of the six to win in the best-supporting actress category, three of the wins were for stereotypical portrayals of African American women: Mo’Nique - Precious, 2009, Octavia Spencer - The Help, 2011, Lupita Nyong’o - 12 Years a Slave, 2013. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2019).
While I understand that everyone must do what is necessary to survive, I believe integrity is something that cannot be bought. On the night of the Oscars, McDaniel was forced to sit in the back section segregated from her cast members and accept her award. Instead of breaking racial stereotypes, McDaniel’s performance further reinforced stereotypes about African American women being unattractive and content with their roles of servitude.