AAS 358 Final Paper PDF

Zoe Allen Professor Strongman AAS 358 17 December 2019 Lizzo vs The 'Madea' Problem: Media Representations of Fat Black Women I. Representation of fat Black women in media continue to diversify near the beginning of a new decade. Rising stars such as Lizzo provide a better framework that all...

Zoe Allen Professor Strongman AAS 358 17 December 2019 Lizzo vs The 'Madea' Problem: Media Representations of Fat Black Women I. Representation of fat Black women in media continue to diversify near the beginning of a new decade. Rising stars such as Lizzo provide a better framework that allows larger Black women to be seen as desirable, sexual beings. Amidst support of her body positivity, she also receives vitriol that stems from fatphobia ingrained within Black communities. Commonly referred to as 'the Madea problem', fat-face minstrelsy (Mobley) performed by Black men confined larger Black women to the Mammy archetype through both unlikable characters and positioning their sexual expression as comedic. Fatness goes largely unmentioned when discussing beauty standards in Black spaces. Adhering to or rejecting Western beauty ideals, such as lighter skin, high cheekbones, a slimmer nose, and straight hair are emphasized. However, desirability politics within African American communities both uphold and circumvent Eurocentric beauty standards. Black high fashion models as well as pageant queens possess Eurocentric features like high cheekbones and slenderness. This ideal coexists with another beauty standard in Black spaces that praise hourglass shapes, defined by a small waist, large bottom, and large chest. Curvy body figures are prominent on social media, with prominent examples like Nicki Minaj and Cardi B. Both sets of women within these standards are in positions which define desirable features on Black women Standing in opposition, the Mammy archetype acts as an antithesis to both within Black spaces (Shaw, "The Other Side of the Looking Glass"). Through employing fat-suits and body-doubles, *Big Momma's House* and *Norbit* participate in 'the Medea problem' of Black male comedians (most notably Tyler Perry) stifling fat Black women's sexual expression. Performances by Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence designate gender roles to larger Black women. Following notions of either weight loss or caregiving, these were messages necessary for larger Black women to exist within their own communities. Earlier representations like Murphy and Lawrence prevented fat Black women from representing themselves; it became a trend of Black male comedians taking over their spaces. Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy\'s performances of fatness were compliant with and promoted Eurocentric beauty standards in Black spaces. The fatphobia received by larger black women like Lizzo, when representing themselves, can be attributed to the normalization of fat-face minstrelsy by Black male comedians. II. Eddie Murphy's *Norbit*, produced in 2007, was not the first time he depicted larger bodies through fatsuits. Dating back to the 1990's, his earlier series *The Nutty Professor* did the same. It carried a similar premise of 'thinner bodies are better, thinner bodies deserve better'. However, Murphy\'s *Norbit* is unique in its portrayal and character development of Rasputia. She is described as Norbit's 'monstrous' and abusive wife who he stays with until his childhood love, Kate, re enters his life. Rasputia's character is resoundingly unlikeable but, it is often attributed to her fatness throughout the film. Moments meant to be comedic are often done at her expense. Murphy's performance as Rasputia communicates that fat Black women are physically and personally unlikable due to their size and, thus, are undeserving of sexual pleasure. Norbit's backstory begins at Wong\'s Golden Wonton Restaurant and Orphanage where he found his first love, Kate. After her adoption, Norbit meets Rasputia. It is important to note that throughout the film, her desirability (or lack thereof) is later positioned in contrast to Kate. Rasputia's introductory scene foreshadows her role in Norbit's life: his protector and bully. She is shown as physically stronger than Norbit, grabbing and tossing two white bullies beating him up. Their conversation immediately after goes: Norbit: Why'd you wanna beat those boys up? Rasputia: To protect you. You got a girlfriend, Nesbit? Norbit: Norbit. No. Rasputia: Well you do now. Getcha ass up and hold my hand. In being his protector against white bullies, Rasputia symbolizes the universal expectation that Black women should protect Black men. However, in the absence of White terror, she is depicted as Norbits enemy in the same fashion Black women are viewed in opposition of Black men. Camera angles make a point to emphasize Rasputia\'s figure towering over Norbit during this interaction. Being in a position of dominance, looming over him, she asserts herself into the role of Norbit's girlfriend without his permission. Scenes that follow are a medley of moments where Norbit is either no longer bullied because people fear Rasputia or he is in turn bullied by her. Traditional gender roles between them are imbalanced, evident by earlier stages of their relationship. It is attributed to Rasputia's size; her physical strength emasculates Norbit and parallels the bullies she protected him from. The movie seeks to redress this by promoting Norbit's relationship with Kate. Prior, it makes a point to display Rasputia as unfit for Norbit, emphasizing her size. Rasputia's fatness is centered in later scenes where her body is on display. Through employing a body-double alongside heavy video animation, DreamWorks projects Murphy's face onto the real body of a fat Black woman (Desowitz). This technique is used in scenes such as their marriage consummation and trip to the waterpark. Plastering Murphy\'s face over a larger woman's real body reflects the perpetual invisibility of fat Black women in earlier media representations. "Apart from the marginalized voices of fat activists, there has been little outcry over fat minstrelsy\...they are on the rise. There are few demands for authenticity, for real fat people with real fat bodies" (Lebesco 236). While critics avidly disliked *Norbit*, its popularity resulted in receiving eight film nominations, eight wins, and making almost triple its budget in box office (IMBD). The film would have done poorly if it was an actual large Black actress playing Rasputia instead of Eddie Murphy using fat Black bodies as props. Desirability politics within the film are expressed through its screenwriting and differences in Norbit's sexual attraction to Rasputia and Kate. Rasputia views herself as desirable; she is confident wearing a bikini at the waterpark or entering the bedroom in various styles of lingerie. However, the screenwriters and Eddie Murphy\'s performance of Rasputia places her sexual expression in the context of comedic jabs. A sequence of scenes show Rasputia in various styles of lingerie before having intercourse with Norbit. *Sexual Healing* plays as background music but the anticipated sensuality is undone by Norbit. He looks uncomfortable when she presents herself in lingerie and proceeds to screams in fear when Rasputia jumps on top of him, breaking the bed from her weight. Rasputia's expression of her sexuality is never meant to be viewed seriously. In contrast, Kate is the foil character of Rasputia. She is written as a likeable character and filmed in genuine love scenes with Norbit. There is no mention of her beauty because she possesses qualities Rasputia does not. She becomes the standard of beauty introduced into the film, when there were previously none, in opposition of Rasputia. Kate magically develops from a brownskin Black girl into a fairer, ambiguously Black woman. She is slender, something Rasputia critiques throughout the film, and kindhearted to the point of being aloof. In scenes shared with Rasputia like the water park (Rasputia\'s weight down the water slide catapults her through a fence) Kates body type is privileged while Rasputia's exists as a joke. III. *Big Momma's House* (2000) takes a very different approach in representing fat Black women. It shows the main character, Malcom, and his partner constructing a fatsuit and prosthetics to go undercover as Hattie Mae "Big Momma" Pearson. In disguise, he emphasizes established traits that align with the Mammy archetype as well as erase possibilities of her own sexual desires. While the real Hattie Mae has a male admirer who is attracted to her, Malcom rejects him. He offers Big Momma's admirer advice on how to treat women. Although the admirer continues to pursue her, Malcom's choice to distance Big Momma from her admirer asexualizes her. Even her title, Big Momma, reinforces caretaking as the center of her character. Prior to this, the real Hattie Mae is perceived as unlikable. Lawrence's performance of fatness confines larger Black women to the Mammy caricature: unthreatening, invisible, and palatable to Black and White spaces. Prior to going undercover, the film establishes traits of Big Momma that Malcom reinvents. She is an older, Black southern woman who frequently attends church and meets with other older women within her neighborhood. Big Momma's bluntness, assertive demeanor, and unexplained dislike of dogs are presented as evidence of her unlikeableness. Within the first minute of her scene, the audience sees her tossing a dog off of her lawn. She then greets Malcom's FBI partner, partially interrogating him as to why he moved into the area. During their interaction, Malcolm is in her home installing microphones and cameras. When they get wind that she is leaving town for a few days, Malcom and his partner implement plans to go undercover. Big Momma's physical body is not a focal point throughout the film, rather, it is the perceptions that come with a woman of her frame and age. Malcom's formula for going undercover centers Big Momma's ability to cook and nurture children. In this respect, he categorizes her as a 'Mammy'. Malocm's choice to follow the Mammy archetype when undercover could explain his lack of care during this high-risk FBI operation. Similar to White patriarchy's acceptance of the Mammy, Malcom projects ideas of non disruptive and subordinate Black womanhood onto Big Momma (Shaw 20). While Big Momma is considered non threatening and often disregarded (physically as a disguise and literally when she returns), Malcom's distinction between himself and representation of Big Momma lessens. Although he starts off practicing her speech, mannerisms, etc., he forgets that he is in disguise throughout the film. Malcom expresses his own sexual desires for Sherry, both in and outside of the fatsuit. His sexual expression, something Big Momma is not granted, ranges from avid flirtation to sharing intimate scenes with her. Breaking out of character so frequently shows that he views his disguise as nothing more that a costume. Big Momma's existence as a real person is forgotten until her return. IV. Previous sections have established there was a trend within the early 2000s of average size Black male comedians being primary representations of fat Black women. Both films seek to either (1) represent larger Black women as unlikable or (2) asexualize/treat them as undesirable. Fat-face minstrelsy by the hands of Black men promoted larger Black women to follow mainstream beauty standards. They were expected to lose weight, assimilating into thin society, or exist in the confines of caregiving roles. Some examples of larger Black women outside of films fell within these spheres. Jennifer Hudson, known for her role in *Dreamgirls* as Effie, was the plus size love interest of Curtis (Jaime Foxx) who eventually left her for Beyonce's character. Within the film, Effie was shamed for her weight. However, as an actress and singer, Hudson joined and showed up in advertisements for weight loss programs like Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. Oprah Winfrey also has investments within Weight Watchers. She also notably lost weight after appearing in *The Color Purple*. Even when larger Black women represented themselves, normalization of fatphobia and social pressures of thinness influenced their extreme weightloss journey. V. The second half of the 2000s thus far has shown numerous representations of fat Black women representing their own bodies, sexual expressions, and without falling pressure to weight loss. Lizzo is a prominent example of larger Black women representing themselves. As a breakout artist, dating back to her first studio album in 2013, Lizzo has portrays herself as a subject of desire and uplifts other fat Black women through her music. In being a fat Black woman (something she has acknowledged about her body) representing women like herself as sexual beings, she challenges desirability politics within the Black community. Reclamation of her body as a site of desire places the subject of fatphobia at the forefront of conversations regarding her actions, style of dress, and peoples' response. Recently, Lizzo's choice of attire and actions at a Lakers game caused controversy on social media. In attendance, she wore a black dress with the backside cut out, exposing her thong. A video of her twerking in this outfit surfaced. While this only lasted for a moment, conversations on social media and blogs continued for days. Sentiments in opposition of her 'inappropriate' clothing choices had reasons along the lines of (1) there were children, (2) it was tacky/extra, and (3) she was 'doing too much'. Critiques Lizzo received also incorporated comments on her body, suggesting she should not wear revealing clothing because of her size. Lizzo later addressed the backlash, stating she loves her body and will continue to do as she pleases. Discussions about her have begun to cease, but the fatphobia her criticisms stemmed from remain unacknowledged. Much of the harsh criticism Lizzo receives is rooted in normalized fatphobia within Black social spheres. Most representations seen of fat Black women have often been as jokes at their expense or impersonations performed by Black men. Until recently, it was uncommon to see larger Black women representing themselves and being comfortable in their own bodies. Rather, fatness as well as Blackness have been situated as undesirable in relation to idealized Western beauty standards. The politics of fatness challenge privileging of slender body types. Within Black spaces, fatness is used to create an intraracial hierarchy of desirability. Fat Black women are left at the bottom, deemed as undesirable, undeserving of sexual pleasure, and pressured to assimilate into a thin society. Lizzo is confident in her body, is often centered as desirable and expresses her sexuality with her music. She garners attention by virtue of going against what is expected of Black woman of her size. VI. Society has come a long way in its representation of various body types in the Black community. Portrayals within the earlier 2000s were frequently limited to Black male comedians. While the most visible being Tyler Perry, whom 'the Madea problem' was coined after, other comedians participated. Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence benefitted from imitating fat Black women within their comedies *Norbit* and *Big Momma's House*. Their imitations of fat Black women parallelled minstrel shows on the 19th century. Instead of blackness being impersonated by white actors, 'the Madea problem' centered fatness through the use of fat suits, prosthetics, and video manipulation software. It project intra racial hierarchies of desirability, perpetuated by Black men, where slenderness was praised and fatness was shamed. While these representations have faded out of style, similar to conversations about Lizzo's controversy, work is necessary to dismantle fatphobia that has been normalized within Black communities. Works Cited Desowitz, Bill. "Digital Dimension Weighs In On Norbit." *Animation World Network*, 20 Feb. 2007, https://www.awn.com/news/digital-dimension-weighs-norbit. Lawrence, Martin, actor. *Big Momma\'s House.* Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 2000. LeBesco, Kathleen. "Situating Fat Suits: Blackface, Drag, and the Politics of Performance." *Women & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory*, vol. 15, no. 2, Taylor & Francis Group, 1/1/2005, pp. 231--42, doi:10.1080/07407700508571513. Manigault-Bryant, LeRhonda S, et al. Womanist and Black Feminist Responses to Tyler Perry's Productions. Palgrave Macmillan, 2/7/2014, doi:10.1057/9781137429568 Mobley, JS. Fat-Face Minstrelsy. *Female Bodies on the American Stage*. Palgrave Macmillan. 2014 Murphey, Eddie, actor. *Norbit*. DreamWorks Pictures. 2007 Patterson-Faye, Courtney J. "'I like the Way You Move': Theorizing Fat, Black and Sexy." Sexualities, vol. 19, no. 8, SAGE Publications, 12/2016, pp. 926--44, doi:10.1177/1363460716640731. Shaw, Andrea. *The Embodiment of Disobedience: Fat Black Women's Unruly Political Bodies*. Lexington Books. 2006 Shaw, Andrea. "The Other Side of the Looking Glass: The Marginalization of Fatness and Blackness in the Construction of Gender Identity." Social Semiotics, vol. 15, no. 2, Taylor & Francis Group, 1/8/2005, pp. 143--52, doi:10.1080/10350330500154725