"The most disrespected woman in America is the black woman.
The most unprotected person in America is the black woman.
The most neglected person in America is the black woman."
-Malcolm X
Recently, I watched the film Pariah (2011), which sheds light on the experiences of a young black teenager who attempts to find her sexual freedom and identify her own place in her sexuality. Pariah largely challenges many of the original notions revolving around mainstream hegemonic tendencies as the main character, Alike (Adepero Oduye), battles with the conventions of heteronormativity as she navigates through high schools as a gay black woman by fixating her female gaze on other black women while attempting to perform as masculine. The director, Dee Rees, uses her filmmaking to portray the contentions of being queer and black through the lens of the black perspective in order to introduce this narrative into prominence. She illuminates the experiences of those who grapple with the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality. The director’s portrayal of the black lesbian experience provides for an alternative to the accepted identity of mainstream culture as cis, straight, and white.
Further complicating the plot, Alike struggles with her sexuality in her home life as she attempts to liberate herself on this front, but faces a major pushback from her family. Throughout the film, she is constantly at odds with her mother, who continuously attempts to dress Alike in more feminine clothing for a more respectable image. Alike's family dynamic very much reinforces these gender stereotypes, because her parents' relationship falls into the conventions of the father being the head of the household while her mother is extremely subservient. At one point, it becomes clear that Alike's father cheated on her mother some time in the past, constraining this relationship. Rees very effectively weaves in many of the traditional challenges that black women face, highlighting the internal strife and dialogue that is much to be discussed.
Many attribute Pariah as the female Moonlight (2016), but these films are vastly different in their depictions of the gay black experience, because the black experience itself is not a monolith. Of course, Pariah never quite made it to the forefront of American mainstream culture like Moonlight, perhaps due to the subject matter with the main character being a female rather than a man.
You've intrigued me - I want to see this film. Looking back, I don't believe I've ever seen an on-screen portrayal of a black queer woman, or at least not one that wasn't intended to be comic relief. We need to see more representation of this demographic. In the real world, even queer black women who are doing work on the national stage (Alicia Garza, for instance), are largely unseen. One of the best ways to remedy this, I think, is to consciously represent them more and more in news and entertainment media. This film "Pariah" seems like a good start.
ReplyDeleteJessica, you should definitely see it! I think it's on Netflix if you have a subscription. It's hard to watch at times but very insightful.
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