The Portrayal of Black Characters in Teen Movies
Think about your favorite teen movie. Are there any black character's in it? Can you think of a teen movie that has a black character as the main character that doesn't have an all black cast? Better still, can you think of teen movie with an all black cast that isn't rated R and doesn't deal with gang violence or drugs? Let's talk about the portrayal of black characters in teen movies.
Introduction
I want you to take a minute to think about the movies that defined your adolescence. Which characters were you favorite? Least favorite? Now tell me, are those characters the same race as you? Can you name characters in the movie that are a different race than these characters? Despite the fact that the U.S. is quickly becoming majority minority, our movies still relegate minorities to back court. Since it's black history month let's talk about the portrayal of black characters in teen movies (we'll get to TV shows next time).Race in Teen Movies
Photocredit: Mean Girls (2004) |
BET's Top Ten
BET's list has quite a few movies I've never seen (such as Lean on Me and Stand and Deliver) because they came out the same year I was born. Other movies they list, I simply missed because they weren't promoted the same way "mainstream" movies are (part of my whole point). They included movies like Dangerous Minds (white savior trope), Clueless (black character is the best friend of the white main character trope), High School Musical (same trope), Bring It On (aren't the Clovers actually the antagonists?), and Boyz in the Hood.Movies I Remember
As I thought harder, I came up with Dope, Take the Lead, Light it Up, Let it Shine, Cheetah Girls, Remember the Titans, and Radio.Tropes
The tropes in these movies are overwhelming. Most of them feature characitures of black life, rooted in stereotypes. A lot of them are the same recycled plot lines and themes. They don't explore the full range of experiences we have as black people.Inner City Struggles
Photocredit: Dope (2015) |
What I find interesting however, is that while I'm comparing these movies, the only similarities they have is that they're about kids in high school. When I think of teen movies, the likes of which churn out teen heart throbs (like the movies that starred Lindsay Lohan, Chad Michael Murray, etc., during my teen years), I think of movies that are targeting teenagers. The target audience is kids, that means 13 - 18 years old; needless to say most of them are rated PG-13. There's something angsty, a romance plot (probably even a triangle), and adults getting in the way of your dreams. Boyz in the Hood, Dope and Light it Up, contain these themes, but are all rated R. This means that to see it in theaters, you had to be 17 or your parents had to buy the ticket for you. It also makes you stop and ask if it was actually made for black youth or for black adults reminiscing about their youth?
Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed movies, but I'm pretty sure I was out of high school before I saw Boyz in the Hood and I was definitely out of high school when I saw Dope. Regardless, these movies are serious social commentaries on the serious struggles facing teens in the inner city; they're nowhere as lighthearted as say Freaky Friday or 13 Going on 30.
White Saviors
Photocredit: Freedom Writers (2007) Notice anything interesting about the movie poster? |
I've seen all of these movies—I actually own Take the Lead (awesome soundtrack!) and Freedom Writers—but once again, they pigeonhole us (and other minorities, because those are usually the other classmates shown) as being misunderstood hoodlums that need white people to show us better.
In Take the Lead and Freedom Writers, the lone white student is met with open hostilty, which is probably why Mean Girls refers to the black people as unfriendly in the infamous cafeteria scene. They always paint us as rude, mean, and unaccepting, but in movies like High School Musical, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Clueless, the black best friend exists in a world where there is no racism... How Sway!?
Black Man = Athlete
Photocredit: She's the Man (2006) No black main characters, but the love interest has black friend on the team |
Think about this: in both High School Musical and Jump In, Disney cast Corbin Bleu as an athlete, first as a basketball player, then as a boxer. Corbin Bleu is a professional dancer, singer, and model; while he's in shape, he doesn't looks like a jock at all.
Think about this: Michael Oher, the man The Blindside was based on, doesn't really like the way the movie depicts him.[4].
Do you think it's a coincidence that all my black male friends who went to college with me were asked what sport they play on a regular basis? I mean, what kind of black man goes to school and doesn't play sports, right?
Entertainers
Photocredit: Bring it On (2000) At least Gabrielle Union made it on the poster |
Speaking of Bring it On, it fits in this category too. You could argue the Clovers (the black cheerleading squad) are athletic since they do flips and stunts, but the crux of the movie is on their dance moves, style, and of course, attitude (re: showmanship). Plus, the Clovers are portrayed as the antagonists even though they're the underdogs? Yet, the movie wants us to root for the white squad as though they're the underdogs... Why couldn't we get the movie as an underdog story from the Clover's side instead?
I know you didn't think a white girl came up with those moves Gabrielle Union's character Isis
As a band geek, I love Drumline. We get to see an HBCU and a band director who wants to focus on music over showmanship. I used to be able to quote this movie word for word from beginning to end. The point of this post isn't to say these are horrible movies, but to remind you that this isn't the only type of movie we should get. Drumline features a predominately black cast and focuses on black musicianship at HBCUs, but how does a talented black musician, like Devon, fit in white musical spaces? Movie wise, think Raise Your Voice, a movie about teens at an elite music camp staring Hilary Duff. The black character is pushed off to the side. It's not her story, it's Hilary Duff's; she just happens to be there. Real life wise, I want to see the come up story of someone like Misty Copeland.
Photocredit: The Cheetah Girls (2003) |
The Best Friend
Photocredit: Clueless (1995) |
The Bigger Issue
Despite the fact that we shouldn't try to emulate TV, there's already proof that images in the media negatively affect the way young girls see themselves. Negative body images are a direct result of the media promoting certain body types over others. Black teens have even less positive representation in the media. These movies reinforce stereotypes and even worse, heavily favor lighter skinned black women over dark skinned black women. We know major networks like Disney churn out teen stars; from Justin Timberlake and Brittany Spears to Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. But what about black teen stars? Can you name any black teen stars backed by these networks? Did they end up successful? Just think about the multiple movies and shows afforded to the Olson twins versus the few movies that featured Tia & Tamera Mowry. I can't tell you if life is imitating art or if art is imitating life, but it definitely says some thing that when you think classic teen movies, black characters are either absent all together, or playing second fiddle.References
- Ellie Bate. "Have You Seen At Least 50/98 Of These Classic Family Movies?". Buzzfeed. February 9, 2018
- "Ten Best Black High School Movies". BET. September 6, 2012
- "Antonio Banderas". Wikipedia; visited February 2018
- David Newton. "Michael Oher doesn't like 'The Blind Side,' but Panthers teammates love movie, and him". ESPN. January 21, 2016
- Tabatha Leggett, Rossalyn Warren, and Ailbhe Malone. "A Ranking Of 27 Classic ’00s Teen Movies, From Worst To Best". Buzzfeed. July 18, 2014
- Noelle Devoe. 20 Best Teen Movies You Can't Grow Up Without Watching". Seventeen. October 3, 2017
- "Robert L. Johnson". Wikipedia; visited February 2018
- "Viacomm". Wikipedia; visited February 2018
Published on Sunday, February 11, 2018
BHM 2018, Black History, Culture, Entertainment, Movies & TV Shows
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BHM 2018, Black History, Culture, Entertainment, Movies & TV Shows
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