Paper Title
The Resting "Bitch" Face: Exploring The Intersection of African American Women, Race, Class, Sexuality. Gender and Reality TV
Location
Room 220, DiGiorgio Campus Center (DiGs)
Keywords
Intersectionality; African American Women; Gender; Race; Class; Sexuality; reality TV
Start Date
March 2016
End Date
March 2016
Abstract
"The Resting "Bitch" Face: Exploring The Intersection of African American Women, Race, Class, Sexuality, Gender and Reality TV"
The contemporary controlling image of the “Bitch” represents African American women both poor as well as middle-class, as loud, mean, aggressive, rude, gold-digger, sexually promiscuous, emasculating and pushy. It is designed to defeminize and demonize African American women, however, Black popular culture has “repurposed and reclaimed” the term Bitch (Collins, 2005).Among the most persistent stereotypes of African American women, our historical past has created and sustained this image of the “Resting Face Bitch.”This paper will explore how the politics of race, gender, sexuality and class are wrapped into the controlling images of the African American women as a perpetual Bitch in reality and television programing. As a commodified controlling image, consumers can enjoy the “Resting Bitch Face” behaviors safely in their homes (Harris, 2014). The mass media of technology and television has altered the impact of fact-to face communication. Viewing these behaviors safely packaged within the television and reality genre protects consumers from any possible contact with its’ participants (Collins, 2005).
Take a look at current television and reality programming: Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder; The Real Housewives of Atlanta; Blood, Sweat and Heels; Married to Medicine; La Hair; Love and Hip Hop; Basketball Wives; R&B Divas; Hollywood Execs; and Sweetie Pies. In these programs African American women have become icons of aggressive and hypersexual caricatures (Harris, 2014). Furthermore, without any other images for comparison, these behaviors are believed to be an innate part of who African American women are. Therefore, African American women are brought together to entertain and at the same time these images are perpetuated globally (Collins, 2005).
Collins, P. H. (2005). Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender and the New Racism.
Harris, F.C (2015). Black Sexuality and Health: Exploring Issues of Race, Gender, Sex and Health in the 21st Century.
The Resting "Bitch" Face: Exploring The Intersection of African American Women, Race, Class, Sexuality. Gender and Reality TV
Room 220, DiGiorgio Campus Center (DiGs)
"The Resting "Bitch" Face: Exploring The Intersection of African American Women, Race, Class, Sexuality, Gender and Reality TV"
The contemporary controlling image of the “Bitch” represents African American women both poor as well as middle-class, as loud, mean, aggressive, rude, gold-digger, sexually promiscuous, emasculating and pushy. It is designed to defeminize and demonize African American women, however, Black popular culture has “repurposed and reclaimed” the term Bitch (Collins, 2005).Among the most persistent stereotypes of African American women, our historical past has created and sustained this image of the “Resting Face Bitch.”This paper will explore how the politics of race, gender, sexuality and class are wrapped into the controlling images of the African American women as a perpetual Bitch in reality and television programing. As a commodified controlling image, consumers can enjoy the “Resting Bitch Face” behaviors safely in their homes (Harris, 2014). The mass media of technology and television has altered the impact of fact-to face communication. Viewing these behaviors safely packaged within the television and reality genre protects consumers from any possible contact with its’ participants (Collins, 2005).
Take a look at current television and reality programming: Scandal, How To Get Away With Murder; The Real Housewives of Atlanta; Blood, Sweat and Heels; Married to Medicine; La Hair; Love and Hip Hop; Basketball Wives; R&B Divas; Hollywood Execs; and Sweetie Pies. In these programs African American women have become icons of aggressive and hypersexual caricatures (Harris, 2014). Furthermore, without any other images for comparison, these behaviors are believed to be an innate part of who African American women are. Therefore, African American women are brought together to entertain and at the same time these images are perpetuated globally (Collins, 2005).
Collins, P. H. (2005). Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender and the New Racism.
Harris, F.C (2015). Black Sexuality and Health: Exploring Issues of Race, Gender, Sex and Health in the 21st Century.
