Reclaiming Stereotypes. An Analysis of the Continued Struggle to Counteract Stereotyping of African-American Women in Contemporary Hollywood Cinema

Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject Cultural Studies - Miscellaneous, grade: 2.3, University of Bremen, course: Analyzing Hollywood Cinema, language: English, abstract: This analysis serves to outline the continued struggle of African-American women to counteract racially and sexually biased stereotypes as perpetuated by the popular media domain of Hollywood cinema in a white-dominated, patriarchal society. Moreover, it serves to shed light on recent activism and achievements, which are now commonly referred to as 'reclaiming stereotypes'. Resistance from within the industry will be exemplified by juxtaposing the 2009 film "Precious", an independent production which was majorly successful, with other film productions from the same year, which serve to perpetuate the misrepresentation of African-American women. Furthermore, activism stemming from sources outside of the cinema industry will be detailed, as part of a growing mind state of contempt for stereotyping African-American women.