As Seen On TV: An Autoethnographic Reflection on Race and Reality Television
2008; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 25; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/15295030802327758
ISSN1529-5036
Autores Tópico(s)Cinema and Media Studies
ResumoAbstract Studies of reality television often overlook a first-hand, first person account of the implications that representations of race have on individuals. This autoethnographic essay discusses the multiple consciousness of a Black female scholar. Layering storied excerpts and theoretical framing the author proposes the use of an “oppositional gaze” and “oppositional reading” to interrogate and engage images and representations of Black women on reality television shows. Given the historical legacy of Black female representation and the destructive images that result, a critical awareness could ultimately alter or inform the images of Black women we see on reality television. The author urges Black women to become critical consumers of how their experiences are depicted on reality television. Keywords: Black WomenReality TVOppositional GazeOppositional ReadingAutoethnography Acknowledgements She thanks Dr. Mark Orbe and the anonymous reviewers for their continuous encouragement and guidance with the project. She also thanks Antoine Hardy for his insightful commentary and suggestions which were immeasurably useful in the final draft Notes 1. The crisis of representation in qualitative research refers to the concern about whether or not researchers can ever accurately represent the experiences of participants, particularly those of marginalized populations, without further marginalizing them. In response to this “crisis” many researchers who were also members of oppressed groups began to step forward to tell their own stories, in their own words. For a historical discussion of the crisis of representation, see Denzin and Lincoln's (2000) introduction to the Handbook on Qualitative Research. 2. Some criticisms of Crenshaw's theory of intersectionality claim that her categories are overly simplistic therefore creating problematic binaries. Gendered racism, which is the main premise of Crenshaw's argument, is not created exclusively by sexism and racism—but additional factors including but not limited to sexuality, class, age, ability, education, etc. However, as a legal scholar, Crenshaw's theory has a limited aim to highlight how crimes against Black women are not only sexist but also hate or racist crimes. The double impact of hate that is both gender and race-related impacts Black women in a unique way in the judicial system which explains her simplified version of intersectionality. 3. Collins explains the various distinctions of a bitch, a term that like the n-word has been re-claimed in the black community. “Not all bitches are the same … all women potentially can be ‘bitches’ with a small ‘b.’ This is the negative evaluation of ‘bitch.’” The positive bitch is with a capital “B” and they are “super-tough, super-strong women who are often celebrated” (p. 123–24). There are also “bad bitches,” “sexualized bitches,” and “educated bitches.” Other contemporary examples of how black women proudly embody the label and/or use it as a weapon is found in popular hip hop songs. For example in the anthem-like rap Queen Bitch, Lil’ Kim self-describes herself as a Bitch (capital B) and it is repeated in later songs I Need A Bitch (2007). 4. In Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination, Toni Morrison discusses the dualism between Whiteness and blackness in literature. She posits that the role of blackness is always offered in comparison to Whiteness because there is a need for an exoticized “other” by which to compare, differentiate and explain Whiteness. Particularly, here, this ideology is reinforced through the reality television genre because even in the absence of Whiteness (or the presence of blackness) the idea that White is good and black is bad is continuously reaffirmed. 5. The reality dating show, I Love New York, debuted with 4 million viewers nationwide, breaking all records to date of any series debut on the VH1 network. 6. New York (whose real name is Tiffany Pollard) is a television personality from the reality dating show VH1's The Flavor of Love. Her widespread popularity led to her being a finalist in two consecutive seasons of the popular dating show. New York appears in a spin-off reality dating show of her own, I Love New York, which premiered its second season on VH1 October 8, 2007. 7. Clair Huxtable was the fictional wife on the popular television series, The Cosby Show. Clair was a successful lawyer, attentive wife, doting mother and was amazingly successful at all roles. The television version of a superwoman, Clair Huxtable was able to manage a career, home life, and marriage while looking good doing it. Though unrealistic, her portrayal of the contemporary successful black woman (portrayed by Phylicia Rashaad) became an icon and role model of what black women could be. 8. Sapphire images are prevalent on various types of reality television shows including, but not limited to, dating shows, talk shows, and court shows. Some of the most widely known Sapphires are Coral from The Real World, Bootz from Flavor of Love, Saaphyri from Charm School, Omarosa from The Apprentice, and New York from I Love New York and The Flavor of Love. 9. In the reality show Charm School, a spin-off of The Flavor of Love, actress and comedienne Mo'Nique serves as a mentor to the women who were dismissed from The Flavor of Love and gained celebrity for being disrespectful, ignorant, belligerent, confrontational, promiscuous, and desperate for love and temporary celebrity. Mo'Nique attempts, at the beginning, to give the women their respectability back (which was lost as a result of their public behavior on TV) by first allowing them to re-claim their ‘real’ name and dignity by throwing their previous reality TV show re-names into a burning fire. 10. Ironically, my references to reality television personality New York, in the paper, follows this logic. I automatically and unconsciously see her as the character she portrayed rather than the person she is, as if they are interchangeable. Though, perhaps, by now they are. 11. The hyphen acknowledges the identity of the researcher and their social location in relation to the subject/topic of study. Michelle Fine (1994) explains, “by working the hyphen, I mean to suggest that researchers probe how we are in relation with the contexts we study … understanding that we are all multiple in those relations” (p. 72). 12. A view of intersectionality theory asserts that “the intersection of racism and sexism factors into Black women's lives in ways that cannot be captured wholly by looking at the race or gender dimensions of those experiences separately” (Crenshaw 1991, p. 1244). Additional informationNotes on contributorsRobin M. BoylornRobin M. Boylorn (M.A., University of North Carolina at Greensboro) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of South Florida
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