I was recently introduced to an
unsettling trend in movies and television. I was made aware of it
when a friend sent me this video of Dave Chappelle on Oprah.
Black comedians are frequently
appearing as women. Comedic movies featuring cross-dressing aren't
really my thing, which is probably why I hadn't really noticed this
going on. Of course white men cross-dress in movies as well, but they
seem to be portrayed as better, often noble, characters.
I had a glimpse of this trend a
few days ago while watching the show “Happy Endings.” Damon
Wayans Jr., has not, as far as I know, worn a dress on the show (I
haven't seen the first season). However, in a recent episode, in
reference to a dream, he said, “He made me keep my heels on!” At
first I thought it was nice that a straight male character was not
being portrayed in a stereotypical way. With this latest episode, I'm
not so sure. To my knowledge, none of the white male characters have
been feminized to that degree.
Michelle McMonagle
In my opinion, this is less about black men but more about the exploitation of all people involved in mainstream media productions. So many are asked to fake sexual acts, go totally or partially nude, and sexualize themselves in many degrees. Putting black men into makeup and woman clothes is also another sexual exploitation. The producers know a very valuable piece of information about their audience, sex sells. Its is very alarming at how you can't even watch the news without commercials being sexual. Obviously sexuality is an integral part of the human psyche but it is made to look acceptable to exploit and poke fun at in daily life. No wonder actors, models, and entertainers often feel exploited while working on a production. I feel for people who have to deal with this and I commend Chapelle for taking a stand.
ReplyDeleteHeather Bennion
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DeleteI'm not so sure this is so much exploitation as much as just comedy. Dave Chapelle wasn't forced into doing the dress scene, he wasn't comfortable doing it so he didn't. A lot of other actors do, not just black men, pretty much any man that cross dresses is going to be funny in some way if shown in a comical situation. Adam Sandler in Jack and Jill, John Travolta in Hair Spray, every white guy in Saturday Night LIve, it's just funny. In a certain irreverent way, but it's just a gag. Robert Downey Junior in Sherlock Holmes, Kevin Kline in Wild Wild West, Robert Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, Ben Stiller ... tons of white men have been in dresses on screen. It's certainly funny when Dave Chapelle references tons of other black comedians cross-dressing, but to say it's a racist issue is completely false. Even Buzz Lightyear did it.
ReplyDeleteThe sexual, or even sexist side of this argue notwithstanding, my only point is that it isn't a racist issue. In terms of exploitation, for as much money as these men make I'm pretty sure most men would wear dresses on camera. That may or may not be ethically correct but it is a choice that they are allowed to make.
- Taber Gibbons