With the concerns of the #OscarSoWhite issues growing, many feminists have expressed the sentiment that the movie industry is not only overwhelming white but also overwhelming straight. There is not only bias against those who are people of color but those who identify in anyway as queer. While many Black films have been snubbed at the Oscars, a queer-themed movie has never won, and only two actors have won Oscars for playing queer characters that lived throughout the entire movie. Even seeing as it is 2016, this probably came as no surprise to anyone.
While queer roles and representation exist in visual media, it is often stereotypical and cater to the straight gaze. Queer people aren't seen as people or made with queer audiences in mind; they only exist to embody tropes and symbols and mediating stories through the more "acceptable" perspectives of outsiders. Queer characters are often a footnote in the stories of their straight counterparts, and in their own stories even, they are either deranged, dead, or doomed as if their identities forces the world to constantly punish them. In the ways that people of color are often delegated to roles in movies about their past sufferings or movies that only illuminate the skewed and outdated stereotypes of their people, queer people can not exist in media outside the cookie cutter positions that society has made for them. Any effort to do so is either ignored or belittled.
These visual representations of queer people begs questions explored and applied to black people in the film Ethnic Notions: if all queer people aren't like that, why do we pretend in movies and television shows that this is the only representation of them that is needed? Why does this say about those who readily create and consume this media? As a queer person, the pervasions of these representation only hurt our community; we don't see these people or roles as relatable, and we then began to see them as fictional and valueless which only serves to excuse and justify the violence, harm, and exclusion that happens to us.
Personally, I think queer representation is just as necessary as black representation seeing as I am both. There is not one that exists more readily than the other; I cannot only be just black or just queer. Those identities are constantly intersecting. However, there needs to be more representation. Without proper representation in my youth, I was left to think that either my identity was invalid, disgusting, and unwanted, and it wrecked severe havoc on my self-esteem. The idea that I'm still supposed to relate the tired stereotypes that only existed to belittle me in the past is insulting. Maybe that is the message that the mainstream media wishes to invoke, but I reject that notion and do not wish for any queer or black person to grow up with these pervasive beliefs.
In the vein of How Race is Made, how do you feel the senses, physical and metaphorical, have defined our modern day representations of queer people in visual media? What is the harm, if any, of these representations? Do you think the struggles of queer representation and representation for people of color have the same needs? Are they even necessary?
-Kristal Williams
(Inspired by this post)
This is a very important issue and a wonderful topic to write on!
ReplyDeleteI recently learned in another course that I am taking this semester that the term “intersectionality” is sometimes written as “intersexionality” in an effort to be more inclusive of queer people—who have been time and again relegated to the outskirts of more prominent social justice movements. I suppose the question would then be whether or not this recentering equates to an inclusivity that is readily accessible.
In no way am I implying that popular media is wholly reflective of this recentering. But, especially this year, we have seen a more radical shift towards LGBTQ+ representation in pop culture. Movies such as “Carol” and “The Danish Girl” received much critical acclaim in 2015. More and more television shows are unveiling queer characters.
However, the hype surrounding this supposed “onslaught” of representation masks just how empty much of this pop symbolism is for queer-identified people—especially queer-identified people of color. Lavish period pieces featuring lily white actors is hardly cause for a joyous celebration of an all-inclusive state of affairs.
I think that Mark Smith’s focus on sensory analysis applies in this context seeing as often times queer relationships, especially lesbian-identified, are made to be sensorily appealing to the white male gaze. The film “Blue is the Warmest Color,” received critical praise for it’s sexual depictions of a lesbian relationship. Many spoke out against this movie, however, claiming that the hypersexualization of the two women in the film was overtly performative and not at all realistic. In this sense, the director of the movie made a conscious decision to concentrate on the voyeuristic element of his craft; inviting the audience to visually consume pre-packaged and exploitative frames of two women contorting themselves into a variety of ridiculous sexual positions. Certainly the senses are used as a means of claiming representation while instead, perpetuating no small amount of exploitation. The message then becomes that only the conventionally attractive and sexed up queers deserve to be looked at.
Background on "Blue is the Warmest Color:"
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/movies/the-trouble-with-blue-is-the-warmest-color.html?_r=0
I certainly agree that media representations often (nearly always) perpetuate stereotypes, whether they seem damaging at first or not. These can, as in How Race Is Made, form around non-visual stereotypes, including hearing (Smith [too many pages to count]). For example, while waiting for class a few semesters ago, I overheard someone complaining about people asking if he was gay. Despite not being within my sight, I noted that his voice sounded very much like those cast into the role of a homosexual man. Though I am not sure why being mistaken for a different sexuality would be frustrating (beyond unwelcome advances), this stereotype did serve to cause him emotional distress.
ReplyDeleteWhile I absolutely think that representation for groups considered to be in the "minority" (reaching into various genders, sexualities, "races," classes, etc.) should be better, I also think that nothing will change. Imagine this: the federal government of the United States of America manages to somehow pass a bill attempting to better representation for these people. How would this be implemented? If the government attempts to restrict media images to what they decide is the truth (which does not necessarily match the actual facts and is generally problematic for reasons unimportant to this argument), the media industry fights back with Constitutional freedoms of speech, press, or whatever other representation freedoms they feel would be best. If this is left open, then literally nothing changes; all people would have to do is declare their production "educational" for whatever halfway plausible excuse they can think of ("This educates them on my opinion!").
--Forest Copeland, part-time cynicist
Hey Kristal!
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you brought this up because there’s a lot that can be addressed when discussing the film industry and the ways they choose to portray LGBTQ+ and African Americans. I want to start out by saying that I believe the film industry, the media, and a good amount of people’s views in America are pretty skewed. It seems that a lot of times, people come up with ways (i.e. ideologies) to justify what they “can’t” understand, what they simply are not, or what they choose to ignore. Unfortunately, the film industry and the media, although having taken great strides towards awareness and equality, they still have a long way to go. I do want to point out that 2015 was a year of chaos but a lot was achieved. And, even though we aren’t where we would have hoped to be in terms of equality and openness, I think we have gotten a lot closer then we were before.
In regards to representation, the misleading ideologies and stereotypes that we still see represented in the media today continue to have an affect on a countless amount of people. The power that an image or film holds is huge. Once something is released, it is out there for everyone to see. And so, these images are the ones that are learned in day to day life. Race is not something we are born with; it is a social construct. Therefore, it is learned. And things that we learn are so often embedded in our minds as we are growing up, that it is almost difficult to unlearn. Not to mention, I think it is a huge disappoint for those who are LGBTQ+ and/or African American because the desire for change is real and it’s here to stay. On the other hand, I think it is important torecognize that there are great media sites that have made an incredible foot print on the way to equality. BuzzFeed.com (my favorite website ever), has done an incredible job demonstrating what an all-inclusive world should look like! (Below I have listed different BuzzFeed links for reference.) Overall, I think the need for change will be ever-lasting. Diversity needs to be embarrassed and representation of LGBTQ+ and African Americans needs to be transparent, not stereotypical or ideological. Even if we are taking baby steps, if 2016 turns out to be anything like 2015, we have a lot to be excited about!
-Gabby Castriota, BuzzFeed and Equality enthusiast
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tag/african_american
http://www.buzzfeed.com/lgbt
Hi Kristal,
ReplyDeleteI really inspired by your post since it raised a big issue has been going on for a long time. People's common sense and perspectives were generally effected by the media, like movies, TV shows and news. All of them tend to show the audiences that one character of LGBT group or race minority would get a sad ending. That certainly delivered a bad news to those people who belong to LGBT group or some young audiences who haven't identified their real sexuality, those groups were mostly vulnerable as they might already have a lot to go through in their lives, and with the bad news delivered, I cannot start to imagine how much tragedy was caused by the media, we so called popular trend. In my opinion, I think the reason why the media always play a story ends with sadness was based on the general perspectives, movies were made by companies which pursing money and benefits, so they told those sad story because they think that was what people normally think, and if they tell a story based on this rules, it would sell well. Thus, we cannot completely blame the movie makers, the real one we should blame is the majority of society. If most people would not change their biased opinions towards either queer people or blacks, then there is no ideological concept in our community.
I love the fact that you spoke up and out on this heavily ignored issue. In 2016 as you stated it seems as though people only portray the negative aspects as of both communities. The negativity and the disrespect that the industry allows still shocks me. It's an injustice and should be more broadly spoke upon, the reality of the real world should get a chance to be exposed, not the just the masked hatred for both communities. Again I really appreciate your courage to speak up and out for what you believe in, I think you can never let this world and it blindness define or characterize who you know you are. This issue may one day get a chance to stand if more people show the same courage as you.
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