Black and White
Transcript: Mock Feminism: Waiting to Exhale (1996) Bell Hooks Gloria Jean Watkins (pen name: bell hooks) born on September 25, 1952 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. She grew up in a working class family with five sisters and one brother American author, feminist, social activist writings focus on the interconnectivity of race, capitalism, gender, perpetuate systems of oppression and class domination earned B.A. in English from Stanford University and M.A. in English from University of Wisconsin-Madison began teaching in 1976 as English professor and lecturer in Ethnic Studies at the University of Southern California published first book in 1978 under her pen name "bell hooks" by adopting her grandmother's name because her grandmother "was known for her snappy and bold tongue, which she greatly admired" Notable Works: Ain't I a Woman?: Black Women and Feminism; All About Love: New Visions; We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity; Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center; Reel to Reel: Race, Sex, and Class at the Movies Waiting to Exhale Written by Terry McMillan and Ronald Bass Starring: Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon Release Dare: December 22, 1995 Focusing on four African-American women go through different stages of love and life in Phoenix, Arizona Characters: Savannah Jackson: television producer, holds on to the belief that one day her married love will leave his wife for her Bernadine Harris: rich, divorced because her husband is leaving her for a white woman Robin Stokes: a high-powered executive and the long-time mistress of Russell; having problems in finding a decent man of her own after dumping Russell Gloria Matthews: a beauty salon owner, falls in love with a new neighbor The film Waiting to Exhale took the novelistic images of professional black women concerned with issues of racial uplift and gender equality and turned them into a progression of racist, sexist stereotypes that features happy darkies who are all singing, dancing, fucking and having a merry old time even in the midst of sad times and tragic moments. (311) But, alas, such an image might have ruined the racist, sexist stereotype of black women being hard, angry, and just plain greedy. (312) Better to give them what they are used to, stereotypical representations of black males as always and only lying, cheating dogs (that is, when they are involved with black women) and professional black women as wild, irrational castrating bitch goddesses. (314) Black men are irresponsible and uncaring; that black women, no matter how attractive, will still be alone and unloved. (315) Questions: "We saw four incredibly glamorous women obsessed with getting a man, with status, material success and petty competition with other women (especially white women)." (311) 1) Why the author emphasize "especially white women"? 2) Why would the writer of "Waiting to Exhale" will choose professional black women as the main characters? 3) Why there is a certain type of film called "black film" in the beginning of the article?