My Definition of Film

I believe that films subconsciously help guide many people throughout their lives. Films can help individuals and societies see the realities, beauty, and evilness of the world and everyday lives of persons around the world. The films we have seen in class such as Middle of Nowhere, School Daze, and Super Fly showed us the diversity of roles for Black woman actors in films by Black filmmakers. Each of the female lead characters taught me different lows that Black women stereotypically go through, for instance, colorism, being in relationships with incarcerated men, and feeling the need to "ride or die" for love.

Throughout society today we can see examples of "others" controlling black bodies. One of the most prominent examples in which this concept can be seen is through the music industry. In a prototypical musical video we see black women exposing their bodies to draw in attention from the viewers. The way their bodies are being exposed for everyone to see can be compared to how Europeans exposed Sarah Baartman. The only difference between the two is that while black women are exposing their exotic features, they are still being forced to portray the typical European look. While their hips, buttocks, lips, and breasts enlighten the beautiful features of a black woman, they have their hair straightened and make-up to make their skin look lighter like the atypical European white woman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RfRclWgIOg