Male Mammies: A Social-Comparison Perspective on How Exaggeratedly Overweight Media Portrayals of Madea, Rasputia, and Big Momma Affect How Black Women Feel About Themselves
2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/15205436.2011.569682
ISSN1532-7825
AutoresGina Masullo Chen, Sherri Williams, Nicole Hendrickson, Li Chen,
Tópico(s)Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
ResumoIn-depth interviews with 36 Black women, ages 18 to 59, reveal that exaggeratedly overweight depictions of Black women portrayed by men dressed up as women had a strong effect on their identities. The women reported that portrayals, such as Madea in Tyler Perry's films, Rasputia in Eddie Murphy's Norbit, and Martin Lawrence's Big Momma, were "mammy-like" and the fact that men dressed as women to depict these roles heightened the stereotypes these images evoke. The male mammy portrayals increase the mockery of Black women in the media and contribute to the effeminization of African American men, according to women in our sample. Social comparison, social identity, and self-categorization theories are used for interpretation.
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