Spotting the Stereotypes: He’s Just Not That Into You

by Latoya Peterson

Around New Year’s Eve, I started seeing commercials for He’s Just Not That Into You. I was amused at first – until the last five seconds of the clip. After carefully showing the tortured romantic lives of Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Kevin Connolly, and Ginnifer Goodwin, the camera cuts to two heavyset black women sitting on a bench.

One woman looks dead at the camera and says (to some unknown listener) “Girl, you better get yourself some ribs and some ice cream because you’ve been dumped!”

The first time the commercial aired, one of my friends from Houston flipping channels while we were waiting to go out. After watching the trailer, I noticed we had the same “WTF” face after that clip aired. I sighed. She sighed.

“They always do that to us, don’t they?”

She said this as more of a statement than a question.

I could understand her feelings. We’re always the punchline, never the bride. (Or the girl who goes on a date. Or anything but the sassy friend who shows up to give the real characters a dose of real-world truisms before disappearing back into the shadows of the script.)

To add insult to injury, I found out He’s Just Not That Into You is set in Baltimore. Yes, Baltimore. Apparently, there are brown folks in the cast with the bit parts – Tokyo Girl #1 and #2, African Woman #1, 2, and 3, and Hot Girl. There are even some PoC with names! Yet, I can’t seem to shake the idea that the poster basically tells me everything I need to know about this movie.

Trailer is below.

(Sidenote: I looked through at least seven different versions of this trailer online trying to find the one with the black women in it, to no avail. I had to stop searching for my own sanity. However, about half of the Racialicious contribs have seen the same ad. If someone knows where that section of the clip is online, drop a link in the comments and I will load it.)

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STOP Googling Your Ex + Poll « on 07 Feb 2009 at 3:05 pm

[...] http://www.racialicious.com/2009/01/27/spotting-the-stereotypes-hes-just-not-that-into-you/ This entry was written by sitinpretty2 and posted on February 7, 2009 at 2:05 pm and filed under Love with tags ad, advertising, annoying, ben affleck, boyfriend, bradley cooper, break, drew barrymore, drunk dailing, ex, film, girlfriend, google, google me, he’s just not into you, jeniffer aniston, jennifer connelly, justin long, kevin connolly, marketing, movie, myspace, myspace is the new bootycall, new movie, racialicious, release, scarlette johansson, stereotype, trouble, up, valentine’s day. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL. « To Marry or Not to Marry, That is the Q: [...]
Racialicious at the Movies: He’s Just Not That Into You at Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture on 10 Feb 2009 at 10:40 am

[...] to blame Joseph for this latest bout of killing the cat, since it was his comment (#58) on the original HJNTIY thread that led me to the Friday matinee [...]

Comments

Louise wrote:

The subtext is black women should be conditioned into exepecting that they are not “worthy” of anything other than being the butt of a joke. they do not marry happily and they are on screen for comedic effect only!! happy joy!

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 7:05 am ¶
Mimi wrote:

Even in the movies were we do get the guy or luck out in the end, we always start out as stereotypes… maids, salon girls, strippers… ay me.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 7:24 am ¶
Devin wrote:

The black women in that ad are called Frangela. They are comedians who contribute to VH-1’s “Best Week Ever” but I haven’t seen them on there in a while, so I don’t know if they’re still part of the show. I too, was disturbed when I saw them in the ad for “He’s Just Not that Into You.” It’s almost as if the editors thought they needed a big ol’ black moment to liven things up!

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 7:54 am ¶
Carla wrote:

It’s funny. I was staring at the subway ad for this movie last night, wondering why all the characters were white. Visually, the ad just looked weird… like it was advertising the 1980s or something. Then I shrugged and kept it movin’.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 8:39 am ¶
RMJ wrote:

Didn’t this all come out of a Sex and the City episode? No wonder it’s so white. And frivolous. And heterosexist. I don’t see any direct evidence of obnoxious materialism from the trailer, but I’m sure it’s there.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 9:13 am ¶
Rob Schmidt wrote:

Coincidentally, I was just watching a repeat of “Homicide: Life on the Street.” It was set in Baltimore and had one of the most diverse casts on TV. If you haven’t seen it, watch it instead of these dubious movies.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 9:14 am ¶
Rob Schmidt wrote:

Has anyone noticed that all the “court” reality shows have black women as judges these days? Because black women are sassy enough to put mealy-mouthed defendants in their place with no-nonsense comments, I guess. In their spare time, perhaps these women play sassy black friends, neighbors, and meter maids in movies like this one.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 9:38 am ¶
Phrone wrote:

Oh good, another reason for me to avoid this movie! Seriously, I’m pretty sure that this movie is not going to stop at the “black women are SASSY!” stereotype. From what I’ve seen, it looks like pretty much every stereotype possible will be there.

Sounds like it could make a fun drinking game, though. Perhaps being inebriated is the best way to see it.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:16 am ¶
thesciencegirl wrote:

I saw that trailer, and I had the same response. At first, I was thinking it might be a cute movie, then I realized EVERYONE was white, and then they threw in those black women at the end, all large&sassy. ugh. It felt like the trailer was trying to tell me “This movie is not for you. You may be a single woman who can relate to the topics in this film, but we don’t care to recognize your experience.”

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:19 am ¶
dvd wrote:

The cast is all white folks and they live in Baltimore. Must be in the white folks of town.

Wow! there is an Asian male but he is GAY.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:24 am ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:

@Devin – It’s almost as if the editors thought they needed a big ol’ black moment to liven things up!

Exactly.

@Phrone –

Sounds like it could make a fun drinking game, though. Perhaps being inebriated is the best way to see it.

You may be on to something. I just tipped Jezebel to a promo video made targeted at men to prove it’s not an ordinary chick flick by lampooning the common chick flick cliches. Maybe we should develop a “race cliches” movie drinking game.

@The Science Girl –

Oh yeah. They might as well have slapped a whites only sign on the end. Sometimes, I do think it is better to be invisible.

@dvd –

I think they set it 10 years in the future. Baltimore, like DC, is heading that way.

I also think they coded both of Drew Barrymore’s coworkers (the black male and the asian male) as gay, but I can’t be certain from the four seconds in which they are on screen.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:38 am ¶
Allison wrote:

Baltimore… really?? What does Baltimore have to do with the original self-help book this movie is based on? (Answer: nothing)

It’s embarrassing that B-more is being used to promote, as RMJ said, a white. heterosexist storyline in a city that, well, does not fit that description in any way. I can’t figure out why the director/screenwriter chose the highly diverse city of Baltimore to tell this tired, clichéd story.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:41 am ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:

The entire premise of this film is a bag of sexist racist ass.

@Devin: UGH. Frangela. I loathe them and their one-note comedy – at least Monie Love has made me laugh once of twice. I completely forgot about seeing any black women in any trailer for this film until you mentioned Damned Frangela. Then it all came back to me. Unfortunately.

@RMJ: A SITC episode that became a book that became a stupid misogynistic mantra that became a trigger phrase.

@ Rob Schmidt: Don’t even get me started on The Sassy Black Judge (Of Any Gender). It’s the perfect feel good formula! You get high-achieving black men and women, right? But they’re not all uppity and stiff – they’re sassy and they rhyme and they talk about beating butts just like the blacks you’ve always loved. Win/win.

I mean, all Judge Show judges are a bit sassy. But I’m sure that black judges are over-represented in the genre precisely because audiences (of all colors) really love the spectacle of black sass.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:47 am ¶
Monie wrote:

I guess to Hollywood Black people are just wisecracking accessories in their lives, not quite human and sort of magical in their insight into the lives of White people.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:53 am ¶
tracy wrote:

It’ll never stop until these women stop taking these roles that are degrading.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:54 am ¶
pumpkin wrote:

I wish I had something smart to say, but everyone who’s posted said it much better than I can. Ridiculous. As if I needed further reason to not see yet another movie about how stupid women are for not getting that men aren’t interested in relationships.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:57 am ¶
R. Prince wrote:

God, I thought I was being paranoid/bitter by being angry when the two big, black woman came at the end acting sassy as usual. Glad to I’m not the only one disturbed by this contrast of slim, beautiful, desirable white women contrasted with what it supposed to be their complete opposites at the end of the trailer…ugh….

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:02 am ¶
R. Prince wrote:

ooops, “is” supposed to be their complete opposites…

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:03 am ¶
Grace (blackbelt) wrote:

Well, they DO have diversity in their stereotyping by portraying Sorority Girl #1 and Sorority Girl #2
ha ha
ha.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:12 am ¶
Daomadan wrote:

“It’ll never stop until these women stop taking these roles that are degrading.”

And these women who take these roles need to work and pay the bills. Instead of blaming the women, let’s blame the writers and other Hollywood execs who feel this is the place of black women.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:15 am ¶
stephanie wrote:

What do you think motivates women like Frangelina to perpetuate the stereotype of the Sassy Black Judge? As noted above, this isn’t just a role in a movie, this is their full-time gig–what they are known for. Is it money, or fame? Do they think those things are worth the potential damage they do to themselves and to all black women?

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:21 am ¶
Monie wrote:

Oh and when I saw the trailer I wasn’t sure if the Black women were part of the film or just on the trailer; mainly because I remember those two women from VH1’s Best Week Ever. So I thought maybe they were put there as a play on the VH1 show?

Also is Viacom/Paramount Pictures responsible for this film? Viacom loves making Black people look like stereotypes.

Actually I’m still not sure. Are the two Black women in the film or just the trailer?

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:27 am ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:

@Grace –

Don’t forget Tokyo Girl 1 & 2. Wondering if there is going to be a heavy dose of “the perpetual foreigner” stereotype thrown in.

@Monie –

Wow, I should have checked the Frangela website. They have their appearance up.

http://frangela.com/

Also, in the IMDB credits, it lists “Frances and Angela” as “Frances and Angela” There are no pics, but I assume it’s them.

@Stephanie –

Like I said in the TP post, this debate has been going on since the days of Hattie McDaniel – doubt it will be resolved anytime soon. However, I agree with Daomadan – I get pissed because this particular trope is the predominant view of black women on screen.

One of the things that continues to irk me is the “get some ribs and ice cream” line. One, they put it in the mouths of the Frangela, effectively hitting the fat-lonely-black woman trope. Two, in the trailer I saw, this image is juxtaposed with the image of Ginnifer Goodwin anxiously waiting for this guy to call – while in a yoga class. Healthy, fit, quiet natured white woman versus the sassy black women. Three, the food was rolling into racially coded territory. If they said a bucket of chicken, I think I would have thrown the remote.

There is a racially ambiguous (I would say mixed, but not sure of her background) woman cast as “Hot Chick” but I am not holding any hope up on that end.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:45 am ¶
Monie wrote:

LaToya,

“If they said a bucket of chicken, I think I would have thrown the remote.”

I bet they had a discussion. Chicken was probably the original line but someone (the lone POC in the room) probably said that would have been a bit much. lol

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:53 am ¶
Cara wrote:

….just a side note – did anyone see Wilson Cruz?!!! (of “My So-called Life” from the mid-90s on ABC) He and a gay (I assume by the language) Asian male are in one of the ads as well. Soooo we can add the gay male (”girlfriend, no he didn’t” lingo) to the mix. and I actually think the Asian male say, “girl, the text message is the new booty-call”…..wow.

Oh, and I’m still waiting on Wilson Cruz – like a lot of my gay male friends say they are still waiting on Brad Pitt…hey a girl can dream! : P

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:53 am ¶
A.D. Nix wrote:

ok – just watched the clip for a refresher.

Sweet Jesus. “Stop being nice to me unless you’re going to marry me?” WTF. I don’t know any women this sad let alone and entire cast.

@ Latoya: God, I’m not even sure if a bucket of chicken beats ribs. Maybe they land on equal footing? And, so clever pairing it with (everybody loves) ice cream to neutralize the taunt. “We said ice cream, too! We could have written it as watermelons! Or grape drink!”

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:54 am ¶
Jasmine wrote:

I’ve only seen Frangela in the trailer shown in theaters, where I’ve seen it in front of “Last Chance Harvey” and “Bride Wars”. Please don’t judge!

I don’t think I’ve seen Rosario in the trailer at all, but she is in this movie, right? Otherwise, I only recall Wilson Cruz and Leonardo Nam as the gays of color choir to serve as backup/background to Drew Barrymore’s character.

My plan was not to see this movie, and it still is, so I think I still need a Valentine’s Day movie (theater or on DVD) for this year. Suggestions, anyone?

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 12:12 pm ¶
Lisa J wrote:

@Cara, I saw him too. He was cute as a teen but he is HAWT now. I am with you, we can dream together. Loved, loved MSCL, wish they made more shows like it. Even though it was about teens, it appealed to people across generations. I started watching it right after college b/c my 50-something college professor, who was also the Chair of the English dept, mentioned the show in passing one day in class, and I knew that since I loved is class and taste in books, I’d love the show and I was right. I still watch it and though I id a bit more with the parents now, it still works.

As for the real topic, yeah the film looked cute but fluffy and I remember the SITC episode it was based on but wasn’t going to go out of my way to see it and I wasn’t crazy about the ribs and ice cream line either though I found it midly funny and offensive at the same time. But I generally don’t expect too many Hollywood films, especially with Drew Barrymore in them to show too much in the way of diversity. No hating on Drew, she is a great actress from a long line of great thespians, but I can’t think of any film of hers that I personally have seen that wasn’t white, white, white. Then again that goes for most big names in Hollywood unless they are with Will Smith, or Eddie Murphy or maybe Chris Tucker.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 12:14 pm ¶
JenniferRuth wrote:

tracy wrote:
“It’ll never stop until these women stop taking these roles that are degrading.”

That’s not fair – without taking roles like that you are basically asking a lot of actors of colour to stop working. Most actors work hand to mouth. It isn’t their job to change the system, it is the writers and producers and Hollywood’s jobs to realise that people are more than boxed in stereotypes.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 12:35 pm ¶
Marla wrote:

Sadly, I saw the sistas.

Pitiful! That’s all I can add right now.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 12:46 pm ¶
Rosetta wrote:

@What do you think motivates women like Frangelina to perpetuate the stereotype of the Sassy Black Judge?

I’m sure that if they walking into an audition and read the lines in an unsassy way, they wouldn’t have gotten the part. We’ve all heard stories about black actors going into auditions and being told to act “blacker.” I can’t let them off the hook 100% but when the choice is between continuing your career or being unemployed, it’s a little harder to judge them. They’re not big name established actors, they’re two comediennes from a cable show.

I’m also surprised by how white that movie poster is. It looks like something by John Hughes.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 1:00 pm ¶
Fiqah wrote:

Okay. I LOVE Frangela. They are smart, funny and(thanks to rasist and sexist interpretations of fat Black women THAT THEY CAN’T ESCAPE) tremendously popular. It is NOT fair to give them shit for Hollywood’s fucked-up desired-Scarlett-and-desexualized-Mammy juxtapositioning in this stupid-assed movie. Oprah’s conte also appeals to White Mid-America’s need for a sassy but sensible neuter-sistah to show them The Way, but I do not believe this site has ever explored that. Just sayin’.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 1:17 pm ¶
blip wrote:

I thought I was the only one who saw the original version of the trailer. Thanks for letting me know I wasn’t delusional.

What kills me is that this guy’s book and subsequent movie wouldn’t have gotten so much press, if it weren’t for Oprah. It’s always large black women that are the target of this nonsense.

This movie sends the message that white women have legitimate grips for their loneliness and lack of companionship. Fat, sassy, black women have only themselves to blame. We don’t deserve empathy or screen time. The only thing black women deserve is never-ending stereotypes.

But I will say the antidote to these stereotypes is NOT thin, lifeless, obnoxiously, fake & demure black women, but black women that are authentic in all shapes and sizes. I have seen too many thin black women bash fat ones on blogs, as if the fat ones are the arbiters of such stereotypical nonsense.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 1:17 pm ¶
jen* wrote:

Latoya – I watched the Katt Williams special this wknd. The story about Flava Flav was Disturbing. Yeah – we all wanna get paid, but…man. I’m still not into Katt, but the story hit me hard after watching “Unchained Memories: Slave Narratives” earlier in the day.

I’ll probably watch this movie when it comes out on DVD, mostly because I will see Wilson Cruz in anything. Oh, Enrique Vasquez.

I’ve been waiting for the Shopaholic movie for a while though – because the books were so hilarious. That might be one I go see.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 1:26 pm ¶
evd wrote:

The trailer is right on Frangela’s website:

http://frangela.com/

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 1:39 pm ¶
gothchiq wrote:

These movies/shows make me cringe and make me feel embarrassed to be white. I feel like getting a T shirt printed up that says “I promise I am not a shallow asshat!”

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 2:08 pm ¶
Eva wrote:

This reminds me of that awful trailer for “Enchanted” where the black woman bus driver throws a grown white man over her shoulder.

It seems that black women are only good for comic relief in movies these days.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 2:13 pm ¶
Slush wrote:

Anyone looking for a pick-me-up after this conversation (and many similar ones here) should see Frozen River.

Directed by a woman, and with two female main characters, (one White, one Native American), it’s just really good, and reminds me that there is art and philosophy in the sea of stereotypes that is cinema. I won’t guarantee that it’s free of said stereotypes, of course, but it’s heads above the rest.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 2:59 pm ¶
Paz wrote:

Um, are people really shocked that a mainstream rom-com has an all white main cast? Not to say that I wasn’t put off by the “ribs and ice cream” comment — I was, but it;s pretty much a given that 90% of mainstream movies have negative, stereotypical and/or one dimensional portrayals of POC.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 3:32 pm ¶
nonogirl wrote:

I’m Asian and beyond tired of the “sassy black woman” stereotype that passes for diversity in films and other forms of mainstream media.

I’m also originally from Baltimore, which is and has been a very diverse city. Blacks, Asians, Latinos, Middle Easterners. Obviously this film doesn’t represent my city and I won’t be seeing it.

Whose fault is it that these films are still being made? All the ticket holders who titter at racist jokes. It’s amazing how many otherwise seemingly intelligent people will be EAGER to laugh at a racist joke, subtle or not,in public, or with their friends at home. This is a form of racist violence, making POC and other “minority groups” uncomfortable for a quick, cheap laugh, at their expense. This is telling us that we don’t belong, we’re somehow not “normal.” Only relegated to the butt of jokes, never existing as fleshed out characters with flaws and with real human qualities.

Just make a point not to see the film and spread the word to everyone you know. The only way to hit Hollywood is in their Financial Departments. I for one, will be dancing for joy the day Hollywood tanks, and that day is coming much sooner than the accountants and producers think.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 3:34 pm ¶
KatinPhilly wrote:

Not only is this racist and sexist and heteronormative crap, but you can be sure that the white characters will all live in fabulous condos/row homes (it is Baltimore, after all) and wear fabulous clothes (and of course all look fabulous and be fabulously thin). So classist, too. This movie is one big clusterfuck of offensive stereotypes any way you look at it. And it will make a bazillion dollars at the box office.

And I second the post above that recommends watching Homicide as a small corrective to all of this (it has its issues, too, but nothing like this and had some of finest character acting on TV ever).

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 3:56 pm ¶
ShelbyWoo wrote:

This movie isn’t based on a Sex in the City episode.

This movie based on a book of a similar name He’s Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo – which sounds as lovely as the movie…uhg.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 4:11 pm ¶
Rachel wrote:

The trailer on the Frangela website is actually more of a behind-the-scenes with commentary from the cast. It was interesting to hear them say how everyone would be able to relate to the movie… and yet the cast is definitely lacking diversity. And it also cleared up the gay/not gay Drew Barrymore co-workers: all three that were seen in the video played into some kind of gay stereotype.

At one point, they show the Justin Long character making out with a WOC only to be interrupted by a phone call. Perhaps she was Hot Chick. Another WOC is shown consoling Jennifer Connelly’s character. I’m not even sure where Frangela fits into the movie.

After seen that 13+ minute video of the actors gushing over the accessibility of the film, I am really not interested in seeing it.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 4:14 pm ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:

You know, I used to love Frangela back when they were the genius duo behind ‘Hey Monie’, one of the funniest, most slept on animated series possibly ever (definitely in my top 5). It’s disappointing to see them as the latest representation of a tired stereotype.

The last time I was home (in NYC), I happened to see the trailer for this film a hundred times while waiting for a pal at the movies and I couldn’t help but get a feeling like “this movie is not for you.” That is not to say that I can’t enjoy a film with an all-white starring cast or a conspicuous absence of fully-realized characters of color (we all do, all the time) but it just seemed especially evident in the promos I saw. I guess it was like ‘if YOU (person of color) are not like the actresses in the film, Hollywood is just not that into you.

I wonder if non-black people feel that way about movies with all black casts, or if that’s part of the reason behind why M. Night Shyamalan decided to go with his casting decisions for the Avatar movie…

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 4:28 pm ¶
Caro wrote:

I’m frustrated about this movie because, being from Baltimore, I would love to watch it just to see places and things I recognize. However, as everyone has stated already, it looks incredibly stupid — and I’m betting it doesn’t really convey anything about the intersection of cultures that makes Baltimore interesting anyway. Maybe I’ll just end up watching it on DVD on mute…

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 5:16 pm ¶
MinxL wrote:

some of you are REALLY hard on yourselves. And black women in general.

While I wish there was more diversity in roles aimed at ppl of Color in GENERAL, you forget unless they are willing to change roles, they can get ANYONE to do anything ( fear factor and reality TV come to mind).

Support POC in the arts, not just those in the limelight.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 5:28 pm ¶
MinxL wrote:

The sexism I see bothers me more!!!!!

Imagine a man punching his woman in the face and calling her a piece of $***. Then flash forward to her crying and her similarly abused friend telling her to give him another chance. He’s just got it rough.

Now, make them both kinder gardeners and you have the first 5- 20 seconds of the trailer! They just made that horrid scene “chick flick” friendly.

__________________________________
“If a guy beats you up and says mean things to you,
Take it as a compliment!!! ”

WTF?

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 5:35 pm ¶
lechatnoir wrote:

@ ROSETTA

I can’t believe in the states they also do the “act blacker” thing. this is what is routinely labelled over here as “put some colour in it ” i.e ( mettre de la couleur).

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 5:37 pm ¶
Rchoudh wrote:

That “spare ribs and ice cream” comment is so messed up…and I wonder why they think it’s ok to make fun of fat black women over food? Do they not think that these women like fat white women have feelings too? I know it’s pointless to ask this but I just don’t understand why it’s ok to make more fun of some women over their weight than others.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 5:47 pm ¶
Kendra wrote:

@ EvilAngelfish:

It took me a long time to remember “Hey Monie!” That show is so old, I can barely remember the few episodes that were shown on BET. I thought it was a cute animated sitcom; I guess what attracted the younger me to a show like to was the fact that the main character was single and interesting.

Hmm, just had a thought . . . it would be nice if “Living Single” or something equivalent to that show could be made into a movie.

Yeah, and the whole “if a guy beats you up” or otherwise bullies it’s a sign of his liking you makes for a lame-ass argument. That was never true for me, and I had a constant male bully during the start of middle school. My step-dad used that reasoning, so it was easier for me to ignore the guy, even though he didn’t like that I was smiling or sitting anywhere near him. He was such a curmudgeon.

But definitely if you placed said scenario in an adult life stage, that would be considered assault, domestic violence, etc. So why is it seen as more acceptable when you’re a kid?

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 6:37 pm ¶
Paz wrote:

@MinxL: I’m not sure what you mean by the sexism. I haven’t read the book, but the phrase “He’s just not that into you,” (which sprung from a SATC episode) means that if a guy doesn’t respond to a girl, the girl doesn’t have to obsess over what she did wrong or if she wasn’t attractive enough, etc. Simply, he’s just not that into you. Don’t take it personally. Move on.
Obviously though I have no idea how the movie’s producers decided to translate that to the screen.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 6:53 pm ¶
Lisa J wrote:

@ Shelby, I checked on handy wikipedia (man I love that thing), and the book grew out of the SITC story where one of Carrie’s boyfriends does a post-date analysis of Miranda’s date and tells her “He’s just not that into you” One of the co-authors was a consultant for the show and the other was a writer for the show. So the movie isn’t exactly based on episode but it was based on the book that was based on that SITC episode’s eponymoyous line “He’s just not that into you”

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 6:57 pm ¶
Lisa J wrote:

meant to say “isn’t exactly based on THE episode.”

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 6:58 pm ¶
Monie wrote:

@Kendra

I remember the show on BET and not just for the obvious reason. lol I loved it. I also knew it was way too non-stereotypical to last long on BET.

I always hoped it would pop-up again somewhere but it never did.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 8:13 pm ¶
Orville wrote:

Hollywood has a tendency to stereotype black women as asexual and to be viewed as not worthy of love. This negative stereotype of black women is not a surprise it is disgusting racist and sexist.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 8:56 pm ¶
anon wrote:

I hardly ever comment on websites but first of all to clear things up @ ShelbyWoo the movie is based on a SITC episode and the book was spawned from the response received from that ep. Secondly, while I probably won’t see the movie I have to say that reading the book was an incredibly positive thing for me as a woman. People keep bashing it as being really sexist but the fact of the matter is that there are many people I know who invest so much time/energy and emotions chasing a guy who just isn’t worth their time and it was soooo refreshing for me to realize that instead of frantically searching for invisible signs I could cut my losses and move on. That’s all

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 8:59 pm ¶
serendipity wrote:

Wow, lechatnoir, I didn’t know about the mettre de la couleur thing. Interesting

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 9:40 pm ¶
Joseph wrote:

While I am not arguing with the premise of this post–at all–the fact that the little bit of Frangela we see on the clip is based on their comedy makes it more complicated for me. They have an act–like Ray Romano, Kevin James and countless other comedians–that mines unflattering stereotypes for comedy. They are professional comedians and they know exactly what they are doing.

That doesn’t change the larger point–that black women are very often portrayed in mainstream films as the sassy, wise (and ultimately sexless) confidantes of white women. But while I might not be ready to condemn Frangela for this movie I do think they have some responsibility for how they are portrayed since they are basically doing their own act here.

On a related note: if I thought for a second that real women acted the way that they do in this trailer I would saw my penis off with my apartment key.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 9:54 pm ¶
Bagelsan wrote:

Do they not think that these women like fat white women have feelings too?

…they think fat white women have feelings? :p But yeah, it sounds like some sort of how-many-people-how-you-offend-at-once challenge. Jeebus.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 9:59 pm ¶
Minx wrote:

@paz
thats not what I meant. I was talking about the trailer’s frist few seconds. When the little boy pushes the girl down, and she goes to her mom. THe mother tells her its a compliment. It means he likes her.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 9:59 pm ¶
Ree wrote:

I remeber Hey Monie on BET and I had no idea Frangela had anything to do with that great show. I only kind of find them sort of funny when I catch them on the VH1 shows. Usually by accident.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:37 pm ¶
Ree wrote:

And of course I mean I remember Hey Monie.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 10:42 pm ¶
Nappy Mind wrote:

I cringed when I saw this ad just like I cringe at the Ikea ads with the asexual, omnipotent older Black women advising people to buy Ikea products to simplify their lives.

I also loved My So Called Life.

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:01 pm ¶
CitySwamp wrote:

Thank you for posting this! I am so sick of romantic comedies where black men and women are only in the films to help white people discover themselves. Enough already!

Posted 27 Jan 2009 at 11:49 pm ¶
Ron wrote:

I get what this post is about but I think the larger questions need to be asked. Why does Hollywood see making black women invisible as a viable cultural, social, financial and political stance?

What is the motive or rationale or purpose in keeping black women from being the main characters in romantic comedies or leading women in other genres?

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 12:29 am ¶
Visitor wrote:

I usually find Frangela hilarious. On Best Week Ever when Norbit came out they sarcastically thanked Eddie Murphy.

The problem does not rest with them. I’m so glad to see the comments. I can’t tell you how tired of feeling I’m the only angry, supposedly hyper-pc black woman out there.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 12:58 am ¶
Ashley wrote:

Its so annoying…and whats more disheartening is that…I want to see it! I want to see it because I want a damn “feel good” movie. Its sexist, racist, classist, homophobic bullshit…but I want to see that happy ending. And I aint going to find a Black chick flick that aint on the chitlin curcuit. I am ashamed but I just want to be honest right now. I’m going to see it, Im going to be pissed by it, but damnit..where else am I going to go? Point me to the theater thats showing the blockbusters that are representative of my life and the beautiful POC that flourish in it…nope, you cant direct me there so I guess Im going to take myself to this movie, with all my new white friends (im studying abroad and yes, i am the only black person) and im going to laugh myself silly all the while thinking…this aint me and the makers of the movie make it clear that all i am is an accessory never the outfit, a sidedish never the main course. I know. I know.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 7:28 am ¶
Lxy wrote:

@Ron

It’s called White supremacy and patriarchy.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 8:18 am ¶
Barbara wrote:

On a related note: if I thought for a second that real women acted the way that they do in this trailer I would saw my penis off with my apartment key.

Man Joseph. I wish you and your genitals the best!

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 10:01 am ¶
christine wrote:

And it becomes so reductive and gross.

When a film’s protagonist has three friends, and one’s gay&male, one’s black&sassy, and the other one’s her boyfriend, that makes the protagonist a lame stereotype too.

And in black-focused rom-coms, it’s almost more rare to see friends of “other” races or classes or sexualities, and that’s pity as well.

SO MANY movies and TV shows the protagonist is super-boring, even in shows that don’t necessarily suck. Rachel and Ross were boring, but I liked their Friends. Buffy Summers wasn’t too exciting, but I looooooved and identified with her friends and enemies. There’s a point in every screenplay where the writer has to ask who’s story it is, and I think most stories would be improved if they then changed their mind.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 10:10 am ¶
Lisa J wrote:

@Ashley, it is ok girl, do what you gotta do. In this economy and with all the problems in this world, you gotta get your laugh on as best as you can with what is available.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 11:36 am ¶
Ken Boe wrote:

I think all modern women are being pulled back down the tubes with these dating movies. Sex In The City; anything with Aniston or Barrymore in it. Watch this junk and you are a punching bag for nothing but stereotypes. I think one reason people elected Barach Obama as President is because they saw in his wife a strong intellectual woman who also happened to be the descendent of slaves, and they knew intuitively we need that team in there, even more than a strong vice-President, its the woman behind the man post-modern style. Same for their daughters, his sister, her brother, etc. Now they have gotten sucked into the media’s Sex In The City style obsession with Woman As Consumer, and its becoming a real drag. Now its just about dolls and clothes and sex appeal. I partly blame contemporary woman for mindlessly consuming this anti-intellectual junk, not just the media. People need to demand more. The comments on this blog are a form of that demanding more, but this issue is bigger than race, its all women needing to reject magazines like Cosmopolitan and start reading The New Yorker, the Economist, Art News, and Science.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 11:49 am ¶
SarahNicole wrote:

Maybe we should develop a “race cliches” movie drinking game.

Um. Yes, please.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 11:54 am ¶
bdsista wrote:

I am soo pissed, I really liked the book, actually helped me realize some stuff, although I have never been in some of the crazy scenarios in the book. But again something to boycott and tell everyone to boycott, like Seinfeld, Friends, Sex and the City and Thirtysomething (if you remember that show). I refuse to watch shows that act like Black people don’t exist. I won’t watch the movies either and I do loudly tell people why.
I like the Ikea ads tho, I’ve only seen one, but she reminds me of a combination of my grandmother and some of my mother’s friends.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 2:01 pm ¶
Daria wrote:

Has anyone noticed that all the “court” reality shows have black women as judges these days? Because black women are sassy enough to put mealy-mouthed defendants in their place with no-nonsense comments, I guess. In their spare time, perhaps these women play sassy black friends, neighbors, and meter maids in movies like this one.

To Rob: Yes! I have noticed all the judges are black women. Not just on reality shows, but also in movies and on tv shows. One day years ago, I was watching “Legally Blonde,” (ok, not the best example) and was like “why? Why? WHY?” My husband and I refer to it as the “Mammy Matriarch, Justice of the Peace” syndrome.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 2:23 pm ¶
Michelle wrote:

@ EvilAngelfish: “I wonder if non-black people feel that way about movies with all black casts”

I’m white and I do sometimes feel like “black” movies are not for me. Same thing for magazines, BET, etc. It’s sort of a tangent, but I’ve noticed that I feel that way with regard to art, as well. On TV/Movies/Magazines black homes will often have art depicting POC and I’m always struck by it, because I’ve never noticed art with POC in white homes, and it gives me that feeling that it’s not *for* me. And…maybe it’s *not* for me?? Like, aren’t POC allowed to have anything for themselves that white people can’t/won’t appropriate? OTOH, is it a personal act of anti-racism to choose a piece of art depicting POC just because it’s beautiful? I don’t know.

But I also remember the sitcoms from back in the 80’s that focused on Black people (Cosby show, the college spinoff, the one with Reginald Vel Johnson, the one with the four girlfriends) and I remember watching them all the time. And that rom-com with Queen Latifah going off to Europe when she thought she was going to die. Not to say that they weren’t loaded with offensive/racist stuff, but the fact that the TV shows had casts of mainly black actors didn’t keep me from enjoying them.

As for the topic: I’ve never read the book, and it certainly doesn’t look like Hollywood’s doing anything liberating with it, but I did see the SATC episode and I thought the whole idea was tremendously freeing. I think girls/women are conditioned to have a passive attitude toward relationships, which leads to all sorts of convoluted thinking, rationalizing, justifying, etc. when dealing with men. I took the idea to mean that a man needs to indicate enough positive interest that a relationship can move forward *without* a woman needing to do all these mental gymnastics. And if he doesn’t, then he’s just not interested enough for a relationship (for whatever reason), and a woman doesn’t need to waste her time obsessing over it.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 4:59 pm ¶
Shazza wrote:

Yeah, I saw this trailer and immediately thought where’s the women of color at? We have relationship problems too. You can’t tell me that you couldn’t substitute ANY of those white actresses/actors with black/latina/asian actors and it wouldn’t change much of the story. And I like Frangela-they guest host on Stephanie Miller’s show every Friday and have their own radio show on KTLK during the weekend. And I guess I’m the only one that watched Wilson Cruz on the second season of ‘Noah’s Arc’? He is hot! And I’ll bet that he and the Asian gay guy stay single ( they’re just there to back up Drew, right?) through the movie too.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 5:06 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:

@EvilAngelFish -

The “PoC characters aren’t relateable to general audiences” is an accepted marketing tactic. However, I’ve met a not-insignificant number of white people who enjoy media aimed at other audiences. Part of me thinks this is a lot like the “women don’t sell movies” Hollywood logic – though most of the top grossing movies this year had female leads, studio heads are treating these as strange exceptions, not the actual rule – regardless of increasing evidence to the contrary.

@Michelle –

I feel something similar. For example, films that are marked white (like this one!) or TV shows and such that have no PoC characters feel hostile to me because it is that rejection – yet again – that PoC are not considered marketable or worthy of their own characterization and stories. We’re always accessories.

However, I don’t feel that way with media created by (and presumably for) other PoC audiences. While the intention of the filmmaker may have not been to make a movie *I* would enjoy watching, there is still a very good chance I would find the movie enjoyable. And I also don’t feel deliberately excluded.

So, for example, I watch a lot of RomComs from Asia, specifically Hong Kong and Korea. Now, these movies will feature casts from that area and not mention other races often but it doesn’t feel exclusionary. If I am watching a movie from Korea, I would reasonably expect most of the cast to be Korean.* But in America, where there are so many different types of people – particularly in urban centers where most of these romcoms take place – it doesn’t seem feasible to have an all white movie take place in Bmore.

Or at least, that’s just my take. Anyone else have thoughts?

*leaving aside discussion of other marginalized ethnic groups that also exist in these countries

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 5:37 pm ¶
JessCanuck wrote:

Seriously, can I move to where all of you live? lol…I’m so happy to read this discussion and I agree with all of you….

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 5:38 pm ¶
DivergentDana wrote:

“I partly blame contemporary woman for mindlessly consuming this anti-intellectual junk, not just the media. People need to demand more. The comments on this blog are a form of that demanding more, but this issue is bigger than race, its all women needing to reject magazines like Cosmopolitan and start reading The New Yorker, the Economist, Art News, and Science.”

Do you request the same of men (with their equivalent poison, of course), or are women the only ones who need this “psychological detox?” Futhermore, people have to be entertained somehow, and even “the classics” — especially so, given the time and place when/where many of them were produced — are rife with tired gender tropes. Whether you’re reading Jane Austen or Zane, it’s still going to be there — some of the best writers — along with the most popular — have glaring blindspots, and that’s what we come here to talk about.

Furthermore, I’m sure you’re well aware of the spate of “sexy” science stories espousing essentialist notions about how women and men are evolutionarily wired to behave that fall perfectly in line with stereotypical romantic comedy storylines, cultural just-so tales, and the most degrading locker-room banter. Yes, there’s even sexism and racism in the intellectual world, from people who “ought to know better.” As a freshman, I spent hours listening to discussions, poring over studies, and watching intellectuals explain, in respectable publications, why and how my kind are genetically predisposed to idiocy, poverty, unchecked fecundity, violence and irresponsible behavior. No one’s hands are clean, so… I’ll have my entertainment and my enrichment while knowing and freely acknowledging that both are imperfect. And I say this as a woman who’s never picked up a Cosmo, hates romantic comedies and has never seen an episode of SATC.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 5:54 pm ¶
Cynthia wrote:

Latoya, why would you expect diversity? It’s something that I could *NEVER* understand. In any group I’m with (save for anything work-related), I can guarantee that I’d expect to be the TOKEN non-white person. Seeing another non-white person in the group is usually a (pleasant) surprise. And I live in Toronto. Where half the people aren’t even white.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 6:23 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:

@Cynthia –

You being the token non-white is a result of your choices. My social circle is a mix of Blacks, Asians, and Latinos – it gets bigger if you expand the definition to out of town/casual friends. And even when I travel to my friends circles, and there is a predominant group, there’s still diversity.

So, going to Hae’s birthday party, it may be overwhelmingly Asian, but there are normally other blacks and whites there.

If I hang with my friend Jeff and his friends, it may be predominantly Latino, but it wouldn’t be out of place to see blacks with him.

I went to my friend’s engagement/housewarming party – she’s white, her husband’s white, the family crowds were predominantly white. But their friends were blacks, Asians, Latinos, and a couple people who were racially ambiguous.

And even while going to anime conventions, where the groups are fairly homogenous, my regular crew consists of a black/philippina, two Latinas, an Asian and my black self.

Personally, I’m wondering how you fell into an all white social circle.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 6:31 pm ¶
Shawn wrote:

Related to this discussion line but not about the movie in question- does anyone here watch “The Unit”? If you do you’d see a rarity in television: a drama with a POC as the person in charge who is intelligent, well read, skilled in his job, and followed by his team no questions asked. It’s one of the few shoes out where the POC is in the promo shots. So why is it so hard for Hollywood types to believe people will watch well written shows with Asian or dark-skinned Latin, or (fill in blank) leads?

And why are Black characters (I’m Black, so it gets the tightest focus of my attention) so locked into the little circle of hobbies- watching sports, playing basketball, shooting pool, etc? You ever see them white-water rafting, hiking, flying (not on an airline)?

You watch television and movies and it’s almost like there’s a book somewhere that lists what you can do with POC for characters, and that’s all you have to choose from. Not looking up and realizing we can play any part if you don’t make our skin color the story.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 7:14 pm ¶
DivergentDana wrote:

“You being the token non-white is a result of your choices. My social circle is a mix of Blacks, Asians, and Latinos – it gets bigger if you expand the definition to out of town/casual friends. And even when I travel to my friends circles, and there is a predominant group, there’s still diversity.”

I’d have to say that lack of diversity among circles of friends in romantic comedies and reality alike is probably a combination of many factors. My circle of friends is relatively diverse, but I know that in my area, it’s definitely not the norm. It’s also probably generational, as well. My (millenial) nephew’s circle of friends is extremely diverse, way more so than would be expected of the average college educated, white-collar thirty-something in a coastal US urban area — the particular subset of the population that romantic comedies tend to revolve around, for some reason.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 7:41 pm ¶
furious_styles wrote:

@Jasmine:
I am developing a list of the best “off the radar” black rom-coms (That don’t involve Morris Chestnut) of this decade. Off the top, there are two that I recommend for your Netflix queue:
“Strange as Angels”
“Love, Sex, and Eating the Bones (Awkward title, I know)–Hill Harper (of CSI fame) and Marlyne Afflack (Last two seasons of the Wire) are in it.
@Shelby Woo-actually, there was an episode of SATC that spurred the book. The author Greg Behrendt was a creative consultant for the show.
Yeah. “Change” has not come to Hollywood yet. As that great philosopher and social critic Richard Pryor once said about the sci-fi genre–”there are no black people and it’s in the future…they don’t plan for us to be there!…that’s why WE gotta make our own movies!” I’ll take it a step further…we have been making movies. WE gotta support local black film festivals that show us in all of our beauty, ugliness, loftiness, and folly…AND show black women/men and relationships with normal problems and idiosyncracies. Can we really expect Hollywood to START doing it now? C’mon.
It seems like everyone here has some modicum of education and cultural awareness. WE are a tough crowd, let’s admit it. We want non-stereotypical characters with authority, complexity who aren’t “magic negros”, servants, eunuch sidekicks, AND who don’t cross-dress and moralize in that way that screams “MESSAGE!”. And i think it’s no less than we deserve.
Love you all.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 8:06 pm ¶
leslie wrote:

Maybe its me but I’m not that offended by the sassy black jude stereotype. Hopefully we moved away from the crackhead/hooker role, or the drunk mother. But I do wonder if a sassy, sexy sister like Kerri Washington was casted in Sex in the City if Carrie Bradshaw would have been blown out of the water in the sex appeal department.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 8:27 pm ¶
Cynthia wrote:

@LaToya: Most of my social circle revoles around people I’ve met in my volunteer groups (mostly predominantly and historically white). Outside of family friends, I rarely hang out with people of Chinese descent – most I knew in high school were foreign boarding students (I was a day girl and day students rarely hung out with boarders – we even had a different cafeteria)

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 9:05 pm ¶
Cynthia wrote:

^^^ (re: #87)

I should also add that the same goes for the Asian side – my cousin’s bachelorette party had 25 guests. Out of the 25 women in attendance, maybe 2 were non-Chinese (both girls were white). At a family friend’s wedding (the groom was CBC – Canadian Born Chinese), the only non-Asian guests were spouses/significant others of Asian people – maybe three or four people (five max). I think there were about 130 people there.

I’m just saying that in some circles, friends are still monoracial. Even in a big, multicultural city.

Posted 28 Jan 2009 at 9:28 pm ¶
April wrote:

Not sure why my post got deleted. I guess a lurker is all I can be.

Mod Note – I don’t recall seeing a post from you, so if it’s gone, the spam filter might have eaten it. Sorry! – LDP

Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 3:05 am ¶
MoeHailstone wrote:

thesciencegirl “This movie is not for you. You may be a single woman who can relate to the topics in this film, but we don’t care to recognize your experience.”

I swear this sums up my thought of all movies and television for me. Thanks for throwin’ it into a sentence for me.

Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 1:22 pm ¶
Miles Ellison wrote:

The shows with sassy black judges are judicial blackface that is designed to humiliate and degrade other black people. There is no redeeming quality whatsoever. The shows with white judges (and mostly black plaintiffs and defendants) are just racist.

Hollywood relies on stereotypes to create characters, not any kind of real life interaction with blacks or other ethnic minorities. Everything that the white people that make movies and TV shows know about non-white people comes from their exposure to television and rap videos. No one white wants to see three dimensional black characters on screen, judging from this movie, and most black people don’t either, judging from the popularity of Tyler Perry’s neo-minstrel revivals.

Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 1:34 pm ¶
MoeHailstone wrote:

Side note… What is the deal with the minority “two for one?” Hollywood loves to have the black, asian, or hispanic character actor / actress who’s also gay next to 6-7 white characters who are straight. Immediately will turn off anything that I watch when I see that. My girlfriend is going to shoot me one day…lol

In all seriousness that tells me as TheScienceGirl said earlier about the ‘we don’t care about your experiences’.

Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 1:35 pm ¶
Daniel wrote:

haha, i love the ad! who cares if their white or black, the woman at the end is a legend! XD

Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 5:06 pm ¶
Michelle wrote:

Shawn,

I think that there are a few Black men (Dennis Haysbert being one) who studio execs don’t mind sending into people’s homes every week. There are VERY few Black women who have that cache. Relatively zero. Let alone being able to be a “draw” in the multiplex. When you are dealing with a rom com, well, you kinda need a woman/women. It can be very daunting to convince a studio that you can hire a Black woman and she not be a complete stereotype that they will find marketable.

Oh, and the independent rom com list….I would add “All About You” and the follow-up “All About Us”. Good films, great actors. Oh and the soundtrack to “All About Us” is stellar!

Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 7:39 pm ¶
Kaonashi wrote:

And this is why I rarely watch American films. *sigh*

Posted 29 Jan 2009 at 7:40 pm ¶
DivergentDana wrote:

“Side note… What is the deal with the minority “two for one?” Hollywood loves to have the black, asian, or hispanic character actor / actress who’s also gay next to 6-7 white characters who are straight.”

Ah, it gives the cover of providing a racial minority and a sexual one without expanding the cast that much, and the gay character provides a convenient (and insufficient, but it seems to be protocol) excuse for not pairing them up in a genre where being paired up is the be-all end-all. This is especially true for male gays because if it’s a stereotypical portrayal — which it usually is — they’re expected to have little to no interest in LTRs… for themselves, anyway… having an avid (perhaps vicarious) interest in the female protagonist’s straight relationships is par for the course.

Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 5:49 am ¶
gatamala wrote:

co-sign sciencgirl & miles

I absolutely hate rom-coms for these reasons. I do not like not.a.one.

Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 9:43 am ¶
Lena wrote:

all the reason why I plan on starting my own animation studio. I think hollywood is nothing but backwards thinking still alive and kickin’ in the twenty-first century. Yes hollywood sucks. I’ll only watch old movies and cartoons!

Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 11:03 am ¶
Phil Deeze wrote:

You guys didn’t notice on the Pine-Sol commercials that the black lady is heavy-set. White women in commercials about cleaning products? Always slender and in great shape.

Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 12:34 pm ¶
shell wrote:

Okay, you must have missed a quite a few episodes of Sex and the City, because black people do exist. Friends had a couple black female love interest. And these were not stereotypical black people. Iwatched Girlfriends and Living Single and they weren’t too high on the white folks ratio either. But they were all good shows.

Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 1:05 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:

@Shell – We are talking about major, autonomous characters, not acessories. Blair Underwoods half a season doesn’t really qualify. If I remember correctly, Aisha Tyler was introduced to the cast and became a semi-regular around season five. There is about a decade long gap between Girlfriends and Living Single, and shows like that don’t get greenlit at nearly the rate that shows like Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Sex and the City, and other similar shows do.

Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 1:08 pm ¶
Phil Deeze wrote:

Latoya,
Let’s not forget Vivica Fox’s turn on “Beverly Hills 90210″ when she got to get her slobber on with Brandon. And Vanessa Williams’ time on “Melrose Place.” Black folks are all over the place. LOL.

Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 1:45 pm ¶
Lisa J wrote:

Shell, I watched pretty much every single episode and there were very few black folks, some but not lots. Also, as for Friends (a show I loathed) I think part of the point is that they would show them out and about in town and at their coffee shop and almost everyone was white and they were in NYC. Same thing with SATC. Now maybe if they were in Seattle or Portland or something that might fly, but in a city like NYC, except for some spots in Manhattan, or some old-line ethnic outer boroughs, I doubt there are too many places where you can go without seeing some black folks, latinos, and Asians. Same thing with Seinfeld, which I loved but you didn’t see too many blacks (and when you did it seemed like George was always causing them a problem or getting them into trouble). A comedian who knew Jerry Seinfeld even said he knew Jerry knew better about what NYC was like but he showed it being super white.

Haven’t seen Gfs too much, but on LS the show often mainly took place in their homes, and at Kadijah’s office, which was her black magazine, so how many whites would you expect to see? Also, I could be wrong, but I bet it would be easier to get around in more areas in NYC and see few to no white people than it would be likely to go places and see almost no people of color like they show in Friends, SATC etc.

Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 1:59 pm ¶
David Cone wrote:

Latoya and LisaJ,
Obviously, Shell is remembering that Jackie Chiles on “Seinfeld” ended up having a relationship with Teri Hatcher’s character (she dated Jerry for a hot minute on the show) and that’s got to make up for there not being a lot of POCs in that fictional NYC.
Shell, just having a teensy bit of fun at your expense, but I thought it was nice of the TV establishment for allowing the actor who played Jackie Chiles to have his daddy on the “Mission Impossible” series. Jackie Chiles is a TV legacy. Like Sanaa Lathan.

Posted 30 Jan 2009 at 11:56 pm ¶
Michelle wrote:

Well Shell,

On GF, Toni had a relationship with a short, nerdy/cute, White guy (who was a great actor btw). The couple dated, got married, went through a divorce and she had his child. He was on a total of 30 episodes over the course of five years. It should also be noted that Kelsey Grammer was the driving production force.

And, Mara Brock Akil’s spin off “The Game” has a White woman who is married to a Black Man as one of the series regulars.

I think you see where I am going with this.

Posted 31 Jan 2009 at 3:12 am ¶
Fiqah wrote:

Okay, new thought. When White women are the target audience, fat (read: matronly, undesireable and nonthreatening) and sassy (read: but still wise and lovable) Black women are a sure sell.

Posted 31 Jan 2009 at 7:10 am ¶
Kendra wrote:

Nice point made on the QPOC, in particular QWOC. I remember Jada in “The Women.” That was a two for one sell, most definitely. She has a similar appeal as seen with her husband Will. But you don’t see her in nearly as many films as him. Probably goes along with the idea that certain black men are more welcome into mainstream households than certain black women. Of course, I know she’s been busy with a music career of some sort, so maybe she’s too busy for movies.

Posted 31 Jan 2009 at 4:07 pm ¶
Michelle wrote:

Kendra,

I can assure you that Jada is not too busy to star in movies. It is a matter of opportunity and volume, not that Wicked Wisdom is taking up too much of her time.

Posted 31 Jan 2009 at 10:00 pm ¶
DivergentDana wrote:

I thought Jada had taken time off to raise the children, ala Julia Roberts? *shudders at the mention of Wicked Wisdom*

Posted 01 Feb 2009 at 6:50 am ¶
Michelle wrote:

LOL DivergentDana!

And them kids have their own careers now!

Posted 02 Feb 2009 at 1:38 am ¶
Cynthia wrote:

Re Melrose Place: The Vanessa Williams on Melrose is a different actress from the Vanessa Williams we all know. Melrose Vanessa is much darker skinned. I also don’t think she’s had many roles since Rhonda was written out of the show.

Posted 02 Feb 2009 at 5:37 pm ¶
Frau Direktor wrote:

I agree with the other person who says that this movie makes me ashamed of being white! Further, I live near Hollywood and work in the film biz. We’ve got plenty of POC working in the business. We just don’t have enough as decision-makers and money-handlers. Latoya nailed it–this town is still run by white hetero males.

As for Frangela, aka Frances Callier and Angela V. Shelton, they were going to be the only reason I would see this. Not having read the book or anything about the movie prior to the trailer, I thought they’d have a more complex part. I temporarily forgot where I live and work.

Having seen the trailer, they will be the main reason I don’t see it. When they’re given more time than the few seconds they’re on “VH1’s Best Week Ever” they’re more smart and funny and less sass. I find them funnier than Stephanie Miller when they sub for her on her show. They have time to get into things more and really discuss stuff when they’ve got three hours.

Further, I really do not feel it my place as white person to call them out for contributing to a stereotype. I’ll continue to do that to the other white people in this industry who write/produce/direct this tripe.

Writing in stereotypes is lazy, anyway. I’ll continue to keep my writing checked for just such laziness.

Posted 02 Feb 2009 at 6:39 pm ¶
Monia wrote:

Gosh. I had been looking forward to seeing this movie cause I did read and love the book. When I saw the promo, I too was searching for POC and when I saw the two comedians, I was dissapointed. After reading this thread, I am not sure I can even go see the picture. Completly off topic, I really loved Rachel Getting Married just cause of the “multiculti” of it….truth is, I have been in settings like that a few times, not often enough though. Stories are so much richer when they have a variety of hues depicted. Its a shame this movie misses out on that….I may have to pass on it…

Posted 05 Feb 2009 at 3:06 pm ¶
Monique Jenkins wrote:

I can’t stand for us to always to be criticizing and critiquing white folks’ stereotypes about us, then we make people like our own Tyler Perry a millionaire by supporting the absolute worst of stereotypes: Madea.

Posted 06 Feb 2009 at 8:09 pm ¶
nancy wrote:

I’m pretty sure she said , “Rhebb’s and ice-cream”. Rhebbs is a famous Baltimore chocolate company.

Posted 08 Feb 2009 at 11:11 am ¶
Nelly wrote:

There was actually a pretty recent post (with lots of comments and coversation) discussing Tyler Perry and his work.

Posted 08 Feb 2009 at 5:50 pm ¶
CMyers wrote:

I just saw the film and couldn’t believe their depiction of Asians and Africans verses whites. The white women in the beginning clips are seen jogging, working as chefs, etc. while the two Asian women are dressed in oversized jewelry and mini skirts and the African women are sitting in a circle explaining to their friend that he probably lost her hut number or just got eaten by a lion. WTF?!

Posted 23 Feb 2009 at 3:19 pm ¶
CMyers wrote:

@ Monique

I understand your point, but Tyler Perry films also show different Black perspectives and lifestyles. He is one of the few filmmakers out there that create films with all Black casts and actually shows us doing different things other than gang banging or having babies. I can’t jump on the hate-Tyler Perry bandwagon when he’s the only one making films that reflect different perspectives in the Black community. Madea isn’t the only character in his films.

Sorry, if we’re going to complain about depictions, let’s complain about the lack of depictions of Blacks in films. Baltimore is full of Blacks and they couldn’t make even one of those characters a Black female?! PLEASE.

Posted 23 Feb 2009 at 3:23 pm ¶