Full Description
This book is a provocative and fresh look into how Black women display an authentic identity in the face of constant negative images and portrayals of themselves in the media over time. Idrissa N. Snider explores noteworthy occurrences when prominent Black women, including First Lady Michelle Obama, Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis, and Grammy-winning songstress Beyonce Knowles, have used their platforms and notoriety to push back against age-old stereotypes used to justify their subjugation and mistreatment, such as the mammie, angry black woman, jezebel, or the tragic mulatto. Snider emphasizes and honors how Black women uniquely identify as a form of resistance and positive self-actualization and argues that both everyday and socially elite Black women and girls can - and do - utilize self-definition to disrupt and reject inauthentic and harmful representations of themselves.
Contents
Introduction: Sojourner Truth & the Birth of Self-Defining
Chapter 1: The Truth About How America Sees Black Women
Chapter 2: The Truth About How America Sees Black Women (The Lies Mammie, Sapphire, and Jezebel Characters Spread About Black Women)
Chapter 3: Contesting Stereotypes: Standing Straight in Crooked Rooms
Chapter 4: Michelle Obama: Defining Black Motherhood
Chapter 5: Viola Davis: Complex Characters
Chapter 6: Beyonce' Knowles: Black Women, Sensuality, & Skin Color
Chapter 7: Appropriators, the Next Generation of Real Black Beautiful Boss Ladies
References
About the Author
