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Oct
21
Hey Hollywood, Black, Asian, and Latino Men Do Fall In Love!
Filed Under Uncategorized by Rachel
I saw this great post on the All Things Considered Blog? about love scenes in the top grossing movies.? The author, Steven Barnes, reviewed love scenes in the 350 films that have earned more than $100 million dollars.? Barnes found that 50 of these movies had loves scenes, which he operationalizes as scenes that insinuate sex, but not one of those scenes included a male actor who was not white.?
From PG through R, from Bond through Basic Instinct, you’ll find such scenes in about 15 percent of the most popular films ever made. And every single one features a white guy.
If you scan the same list for American films with non-white leads (again, there are about 50), you’ll find love scenes in zero percent. That’s right, zero. No blacks. No Latinos. No Asians. Hollywood makes such films; you can find them further down on the list. But America won’t watch them.
? Barnes goes on to make an argument that I don’t agree with.? He says? that the problem is about “male territorial behavior,”?
I’m convinced that the problem is not just “Hollywood executives.” They’re no better or worse than the rest of us. They simply try to keep track of what the audience wants and rejects, as measured by box office receipts.
And I don’t believe there’s something especially twisted or limited about the white majority. I think this little statistical blip has to do with human perception itself — and most specifically, male territorial behavior.
When confronted with this statistic, some people ask why I don’t count movies such as Will Smith’s delightful Hitch. Simple: There are no love scenes. Hugs and kisses don’t make babies. I suspect that it’s the depiction of specific reproductive behavior, even at a genteel When Harry Met Sally level, that triggers the most powerful negative response, especially in male alpha-warrior types.
This is where he and I part ways.? This can’t just be reduced to male on male competition, and better analysis would incorporate the structures of race, gender, and sexuality.?
I think one of the primary ways that groups are marginalized is through control of their sexuality.? The control can be exercised directly through sexual violence (i.e. rape), forced breeding, and coercion.? It can been done indirectly through stereotyping and erasure.? I think one of the primary ways that Black, Asian, Latino, and American Indian sexuality is controlled today is through what Patricia Hill Collins calls controlling images.? Popular movies, TV programs, music, and almost every other major form of popular culture contribute these controlling images when they avoid showing African Americans in intimate, loving relationships.? Not only are? people of color? not shown in loving relationships, we also rarely see intimate family relationships.
There are exceptions such as? shows like Soul Food and the Cosby Show? or movies like Mi Familia, but they are exceptions.? ? I think there are several reasons that people of color are not portrayed in loving intimate relationships.? One reason is that most writers in TV and? film are whites, and most of us? don’t have the day to day contact with people of color that allows us to provide a nuanced and realistic glimpse into? the intimate relationships of people of color.? Most of our contacts? with people who? are? not white are in? the workplace, at the mall, or in other public settings.? ? Additionally, the? predominantly black TV cast is? becoming a relict of the past.? Now people are color are portrayed in ensemble cast shows like? Law and Order or ER, these shows don’t revolve around family or intimate relationships.? And last, I agree with Barnes that there is this? subconscious fear of black, Asian, Latino or American Indian sexuality; moreover, when the sexualities of people of color are portrayed it is more in the context or pornography than it is loving relationships.?
An Asian man tenderly kissing an Asian woman,? or a Black man talking about how he cares for his? wife? don’t fit well with? stereotypes of Karate guys, criminals, and athletes. Showing loving intimate relationships (especially those of a sexual nature) could have a humanizing? effect, but continued stereotyping or marginalizing has the opposite effect.?
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20 Responses to “Hey Hollywood, Black, Asian, and Latino Men Do Fall In Love!”
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As usual, Hollywood frames an issue and if it doesn’t happen that way in real life too bad. If real life doesn’t fit the script you have to justify real life not the script. I remember when Arnold Schwartenegge and Vanessa Williams starred in that movie several years back the controversey was why they didn’t kiss. I forget what BS answer they gave at the time, but it was BS and if the actress had been Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts they would have kissed. Screw Hollywood. That’s 99% of the films I watch are Indie films the average American has never heard of.
I posted this one, and the original NPR post on my del.icio.us. Rachel, do you have a del.icio.us account? You should right, since you have Bunch o’ Links.
Yup. Sometimes we even fall in love with each other.
But seriously, Scott Poulson-Bryant has a chpater on this in his book “Hung: A Meditation on the Measure of Black Men in America.” In particular he addresses the “Hollywood Hung” list Details ran a while back, and the fact that there were no men of color on it.
He also goes into how Black men are almost never romantic leads in movies. There was the love scene that didn’t happen between Denzel and Julia Roberts in “The Pelican Brief” and the one that didn’t happen between Sam Sheppard and Whoopi Goldberg in “Fatal Beauty.”
I wonder if he’s looking only at domestic grosses, because I think there’s a huge market overseas for Asian males in romantic roles. I wrote a post about the Asian-American actor Sung Kang a while back, and to this day I still get more hits from this post, from all over the world, than anything else I’ve written. American movies are watched everywhere, and I think there are people who want to see their faces reflected on the screen. Korea has filled in the void left by Hollywood, and is making a lot of movies that do very well all over Asia.
Also, the American movies that star nonwhite actors in romantic roles tend to be low-budget indie movies that don’t get a lot of publicity or marketing, so I don’t think you can say that it’s all about audience tastes.
The de-sexing of men of color on screen is disturbing. I believe the reasons are d. all of the above. Sometimes women of color are oblivious to this trickery and don’t understand why men of color don’t want to spend time and money on films that insult and castrate them,
Historically, Latin men and women were portrayed in film as desirable and sexual, though often exotic and sometimes threatening. The “Latin lover” myth had power during cinema’s early years, and you can track the persistence of that portrayal in American (and Western) cinema until the 70’s. Something that not even Castro was able to knock over (perhaps Che emboldened it)
During the 80’s, mass immigration and gang violence disrupted White America’s perception of Latinos. We started to see that reflected in film. Latino people were no longer mysterious, they were a fact of everyday life. Sometimes they were imposing figures. They were people America thought it understood but found that they had no idea. Then in pop entertainment Latinos became a “problem” that could only be solved by the intervention of White authority figures (Dangerous Minds, Colors, Chuck Norris).
I suppose either is just a gross stereotype. However it’s interesting to observe the trends.
“Sometimes women of color are oblivious to this trickery and don’t understand why men of color don’t want to spend time and money on films that insult and castrate them.”
And sometimes MEN of color are oblivious to the trickery of white-run Hollyweird not showing black women in roles next to black actors.
It’s bad enough to show white women next to black actors, now to add insult to injury, must they also only show latina women in roles next to black actors?
Black men do not own a monopoly on being disrespected by Hollyweird.
Black actresses are treated as pariahs in many films.
It’s just that SOME black men are just as ignorant and oblivious to the slights that black women face in the movies.
At least the black actors are getting some play.
Many black actresses are not.
Thanks, Ann.
I’ve been noticing the trend of replacing Black women with nonblack women in movies and TV. This is not an accident. It’s a deliberate part on the powers that be to show that Black women aren’t to be respected in society today. Life imitate art.
Didn’t Angie Beeman write her MA on this topic? I was just wondering what she had to say.
[...] Rachel at Rachel’s Tavern talks about a prominent stereotype of Asian, Black, and Latino men in Hollywood – that they don’t fall in love. I think one of the primary ways that groups are marginalized is through control of their sexuality. The control can be exercised directly through sexual violence (i.e. rape), forced breeding, and coercion. It can been done indirectly through stereotyping and erasure. I think one of the primary ways that Black, Asian, Latino, and American Indian sexuality is controlled today is through what Patricia Hill Collins calls controlling images. Popular movies, TV programs, music, and almost every other major form of popular culture contribute these controlling images when they avoid showing African Americans in intimate, loving relationships. Not only are people of color not shown in loving relationships, we also rarely see intimate family relationships. [...]
Hi, Kirsten! I did write my MA thesis on this and my article is coming out in Ethnic and Racial Studies, hopefully by 2007. I had a stratified random sample of 40 films involving relationships among ‘white’ men and ‘white’ women, relationships among ‘white’ men and African American women, among ‘white’ women and African American men, and among African Americans. I also had an ‘other’ category for relationships that did not fit within these categories. I found that any time there was an African American man involved, the relationship was based only on sex. African American men were portrayed as less financially and emotionally supportive. The couple reached intimacy more often through sex, and the sex scenes were more explicit when an African American man was involved. Sex scenes between ‘white’ men and women were more intimate, less graphic, and mostly occurred after the couple reached a level of emotional intimacy. When a ‘white’ man was involved in the relationship (whether inter- or intra-racial), he was portrayed as more supportive, both emotionally and financially. The tragic mulatto story still tended to prevail within interracial relationships, however. I discussed the findings through a theoretical concept that I called “emotional segregation.” It is interesting that Barnes talks about scenes that INSINUATE sex. These are the kinds of sex scenes I found among ‘white’ characters. For example, the couple in bed together embracing. Yet, the sex scenes involving African Americans went beyond insinuating and were nearly pornographic, as Rachel states. Ironically, the best portrayals of relationships involving African Americans were based on true stories (e.g., Mandela).
for so long i have felt what Steven Barnes has concluded was true (the part re lack of love scenes) so nice to see some supporting facts. my feeling on this is that there absolutely no way to get anyone to change their actions when they have no reason to. in the end, black, latino and asians have to get that writing job, or be in positions of power to change the images. i believe that if done repeatedly, you can brand anyone, of any color, perhaps of any personality as a sex symbol. its simply whos pulling the strings that dictates that image. i’ve often wondered since there are influential asian, latino, black people in hollywood (albeit few, but there are) why they don’t make movies portraying these races in different lights other than kung fu, and yelling that there snakes on the plane! my personal opinion is that the money guy
(s) are not on board. writing this, i’m reminded of the joke Chris Rock told in “Never Scared” from 2004 re wealth in america. He says that there are no wealthy black people in America. Shaq is rich, the guy that signs his check is wealthy. It’s wealth that can change a whole generation of people. Shaq is just one scandal away from being broke.
I am certainly not oblivious to the plight of Black actresses. I was simply staying on the topic of the article. The not casting of Black women next to Black men is part of the de-sexing anyway.The last thing we need to do is argue about something that is being done to both Black men and women . Ususally men do pay for the tickets,however. That is what I was referencing as being doubly frustrating.Hollywood will show Black women sexually with White men with no problem
The disservice hollywood movies do to Black Americans by destroying any positive images of Black americans cannot be overstated. The images that media feed the public so de-
humanize Black people as to be detrimental to us as a people. Our images are created and controlled by older white males who don’t want to create any positive image of american Black people. Even their tollerance of Blacks of foriegn or mixed ancestry only serves to demean the image of native black americans. These people don’t care about the damage that they do to us and they may not even understand it. The delusion of racial superiority is comforting and enjoyable to them. Whole and supportive Black on Black relationships are either inconcievable or just threatening to them. The only viable solution is for Black people to become writers and producers who create real positive non-stereotypical loving and nonviolent images tht reflect the truth of the lives of Black people and the hope of living with Blacks and other people in love and peace.
I agree with you Gerald Greener that Hollyweird is phasing out Black on Black relationships. It’s because they’re threatening to the powers that be. I’m sorry to say about this situation in the media.
Thank goodness we have TV One. At least they offer a range of shows that showcase our humanness.
Stephanie B.
“The not casting of Black women next to Black men is part of the de-sexing anyway.”
Agreed. Which is why White, Native American, Latina, Arabic, Asian women are cast with black men as opposed to Black men being cast with Black women….it does de-sex them both.
By de-sexing the image of Black men they de-sex Black women; by hyper-sexualizing Black women, Hollywretched hypersexulizes Black men.
“The last thing we need to do is argue about something that is being done to both Black men and women.”
Who is arguing? Black men are not seen romancing non-black women-asexual, always save the day men, and get killed in the end; Black women are cast in defiling thankless roles-always everyone’s sidekick/buddy/not-have-a-life-live-vicariously-through-the-can’t-take-care-of-themselves white person asexual, who can also expect to be killed in the end.
“Ususally men do pay for the tickets,however.”
Not all men. Some women are fully capable of paying their own way, and that includes the price of a movie ticket.
“That is what I was referencing as being doubly frustrating.”
It is just as doubly frustrating to pay for a ticket and expect to see something of a resemblance of yourself on the screen, only to see more filth and stereotypical lies thrown in your face.
“Hollywood will show Black women sexually with White men with no problem.”
Usually in vulgar and degrading roles (“Moster’s Ball”) or degarding roles as prostitutes ( no matter the race of the men).
Whoo-oo!
I am sure many black actresses, in addition to having to face invisiblity in Hollywacko, also look forward to more Jezebel roles, as opposed to roles of respect: nurse, doctor, lawyer, CEO.
Oops.
That was supposed to be, “Monster’s Balls”.
Another thing,
If the public is having a hard time accepting the Obama family as normal functioning stable family in real life, then how can they accept loving Black family relationships on both the big and small screens?
That’s because America denies the humanity of Black folks for centuries. If they cannot accept the Obama family, then they are threatened by images of normal Black families in the media. Scares the h*** out of those bigots and closet racists for sure.\
Steph
That’s not really true. There have been love scenes between white and hispanics i.e. candman 3 (white women/mexican men) crazy beautiful (white women/ mexcian men) and back in the days there were also many hispanics in love scenes it’s just that people didn’t realize they were hispanics or at least half hispanics.