“Dancing Around Objectification”
The women in Claude McKay’s “The Harlem Dancer” and Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” are objectified in both stories, but their circumstances are different due to their race. Instead of being wowed by the Harlem dancer’s personality and talent, the crowd is enthralled by her “blackness”. Meanwhile, Ellison’s white character finds herself stuck between being a divine entity and a whore for the racially different men. Both woman find themselves losing who they are as they perform, but Ellison’s character is able to fight back to a certain extent while the Harlem dancer does not. Although they face similar situations, their difference in race displays a problem with how black and white people are treated.
“Intersectionality 101”
As defined in the reddit post, intersectionality is a way of seeing how multiple aspects of life, such as class, gender, and race, relate to and affect one another rather than independently. Oftentimes, it has a focus on minorities, allowing us to see why some may be viewed in a negative way. Besides from seeing how the different social classifications are linked to one another, the standpoint theory discusses how one’s own experiences can influence their own perspective. In the example given, two Hispanic woman may share the same opinions on race and gender, but their opinions may be different if they grew up in different economic classes. Therefore, with intersectionality, we are able to see how these connections make people dislike or favor certain groups.
“The Urgency of Intersectionality”
In this TED Talk, Kimberlé Crenshaw discusses how we should be aware of intersectionality, particularly with black women. While we are aware of the black men that have been victims of police brutality, most of us don’t even know the names of the female victims. Due to how they are black women, they fit into two social classifications that are seen to be “weaker” or “lesser.” This means that when it comes to media coverage or applying for a job, they face issues with being treated fairly. As Crenshaw mentions in the video, we have to be aware of intersectionality and how it affects groups like this so we can stand up for them.
“Bechdel Test”
The Bechtel Test looks to see if the portrayal of women in a work of fiction is an accurate representation of women. The test is quite simple, with the requirements being that at least two women have to be present and have a conversation with each other on a topic that isn’t about a man. Since its introduction, it has spread awareness and pushed creators to have gender equality in their work. Not only that, it has also inspired the creation of other tests for sexuality and for people of color, such as the Vito Russo test and the the DuVernay test. As a test for gender equality and an inspiration for other tests for equality, the Bechtel Test is a very useful tool that can be used various forms of fiction.
Response:
As a lens, intersectionality is highly important when it comes to understanding people and their situations. Most of these readings discussed how we lack awareness in how black women are portrayed and treated unfairly due to being a combination of being of black and female. Unfortunately, racial and gender stereotypes have made others perceive them in a degrading way. Now that we know what intersectionality is, I think that it is important to use it to look closer into the picture and determine whether or not there is equality for all. This, in turn, will allow us to have a better understanding of what is happening and push us to change how people are perceived in all types of work.
Question:
Are today’s creators aware of any issues with regards of intersectionality in the characters in their work, or do they not realize it until their audience addresses it?