black best friend trope clueless
Arguably, Nadine counts too as she's Rhonda's best friend. Thank you, I appreciate it!! Plus, the only cop in Chicago who seems to like Al is Officer Dan. Nah. What's the best way to show it? His contribution to the plot is being a last minute replacement for a dancer in the school musical. The whole Sassy Black Woman or Black Best Friend thing has its roots in the classic film eras of the 30s, 40s, and 50s, when most black actresses could expect to play slaves, maidsand little else. Clearly, no romantic comedy is worth making without the resident Black girlfriend.Regina King as Grace Rossiter Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)Regina King's character in "Legally. He tried to remedy this by putting an ad for himself on Craigslist for a black friend. BLACK-PLOITATION. His Grandma is a Sassy Black Woman who can out funk anyone. The idea for Clueless went through several iterations, beginning as a TV series, then getting turned into a feature film at the advice of Heckerling's agent, Ken Stovitz, then getting rejected "so many times it was a joke," according to Stovitz. The Hate U Give was definitely monumental for Blacks, not only because it showcased a cast of diverse Black actors, but it also showed the duality of how Blacks are portrayed by society. who probably is light skin with curly hair (but thats another argument for Your black best friend is sassy. No. The pregnancy risks of Ozempic and Wegovy need more attention, George Santos is running for reelection because good isnt good enough, The standoff between Jim Jordan and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, explained. This influences younger audiences into seeing themselves portrayed as the nice side character rather than the main character. Just plopping a black sidekick into a film without any type of thought into the character, with no dynamics is almost as bad as them not being there at all. Not comic relief. Most prominently there's Kris who, while she has an established personality as a passionate feminist activist, a whole lot of her screen time is suspiciously spent playing the supportive best friend role to Riley. Clueless offered me my first inkling that someday, I might grow up to be a fully formed person, instead of constantly feeling like an awkward child utterly dependent on others. At least they didnt completely ignore that black people existed in their world. Do they serve to only advance their story? (another argument for another time). But the thing that stuck with me and that makes the movie resonate even now is the feeling of awe at what seemed like a new type of human being springing into brilliantly colored life on screen. See additional information. Captain Do they have a home, a family, or even a pet goldfish named Sir Swims-A-Lot? All my black friends have a bunch of white friends, and all my white friends have one black friend! Ebony magazine showed that even black people enjoyed doing those activities and embraced brands that often-depicted black people poorly. friends. Dionne, also known as Dee, was fierce in her Blackness and unapologetic. Usually he's pulled out to show how tolerant the Pattersons are. I always used to applaud the black best friend because at least these movies tried. Rose Catherine Pinkney, a television executive, told the, This doesnt mean that there cant be black best friends in movies. Everybody deserves the chance to take the. This trope aims to humanize black girls and reject previous stereotypes Issa Rae popularized the term awkward black girls usually have a background in middle-class white neighbourhoods awkwardness is a coping/assimilating mechanism different from the black best friend trope which is just there to boost white characters Of course, the suppression of the inner sass isnt necessarily a good or bad thing. This page was last edited on 29 January 2022, at 00:00. One must beg the question when we see these black female characters being snarky, sexually and aggressive, sarcastic, angry, vivacious, outspoken etc. Rachel True played a straighter example in the film. Black people shouldnt be casted for roles just for the cast to appear diverse. They should be cast because they are talented. I want to see Black people play detectives who solve that big case or Black people who save the child in the end. Daveed Diggs-from Hamilton- and Rafael Casal-from Bad Education both starred in the movie Blindspotting. "Top Gun's" Goose and Maverick are an iconic duo. In all, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide has Simon 'Cookie' Cook, who is Ned's nerdy black best friend. Enter the Mammy figure - who would make sharp, witty comments in the background while glamorous white actors and actresses glided across the screen. An Undead Horse Trope that may be depressingly difficult to put down. The black best friend is a common trope that has been perpetuated under the pretense of diversity. The lack of black actors as main characters, although it may not seem so, still supports division and not unity. These characters all have one thing in common: they dont particularly have a significant roleor an interesting plotline in these movies or TV shows. Sure, Dionne (Stacey Dash) could technically be. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Popular 'Black best friend' examples would be Dion Davenport from Clueless, Chastity from 10 Things I Hate About You, Chad Danforth and even Taylor McKessie from High School Musical, Rhodes in Iron Man, Sam Wilson in Captain America: Civil War, to name just a few. Then only five weeks later, she lost the title to, Her return to WWE in 2009 saw her playing the number two to whoever was the top face at the time - be it, Subverted with Robin Quivers. Already, 2015 has seen several high-profile and hugely lucrative comedies starring, written by, and directed by women Elizabeth Banks's directorial debut Pitch Perfect 2 raked in more than $180 million domestically, and Amy Schumer's Trainwreck gave director Judd Apatow his second-best opening ever. My name is Bianca Bullock and I'm a senior at High Point University, majoring in journalism. She said the studio "kept pressuring me to create more of a life for the boys in the film, to create more of an ensemble piece, which didn't make sense to me at all.". Im glad you enjoyed it!! The character who always comes to mind when we think of the archetype is Hattie McDaniels Mammy in Gone With the Wind. The '80s and '90s were a prime era for great teen movies, and Clueless is often lumped in with 1988's sharp satire Heathers, which shares a focus (popular high school girls) and certain elements (hyper-stylized dialogue and costumes) but in tone is the pitch-black yin to Clueless's sunny yang. Heckerling's strategy paved the way for more teen-centric updates of classics both great (10 Things I Hate About You, Cruel Intentions) and not so much (the less said about O and She's the Man, the better). What's the best way to show it? Hollywood, how about we change up the game? On the other hand, Jim and Huck don't always see eye-to-eye on some issues, such as their discussions over the wives of Henry the Eighth, the many different languages in the world, or the Solomon's decision to cut a child in half. Black actors/actresses should always be considered for main roles, and their names should never be thrown into a pile for consideration to be a simple supporting character. Now lets take a look at a white best friend example. She is literally so wild. See the Analysis page for more information. It shouldnt be about appearing diverse. It should be about hiring the actors qualified for the role, which in turn, means when a black actor is perfectly qualified, they have every bit of a chance as the next person to receive the role for their talent and not because of affirmative action. Winston serves no purpose on the Fox comedy other than to add diversity. You are first aware of the position in the first paragraph. I learned how to stay true to myself and my friends (Mean Girls), I learned how to dance (Step Up), I learned how to potentially-maybe-one day save the galaxy (Thank you,Star Warsfranchise), and I learned that having great power sure as hell does come witha lot of responsibility (Tobey Maguire fromSpider-Man, please let me know how you did it). (The novels were also the basis for a TV series in the mid-'80's. You've got class. It really did affect my identity!! And that's what I think makes her so ridiculous and lovely all the time.". He proceeded to become the. film and television there has been a certain trope of the white, main character The show includes some humor, Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/11/opinion/ebony-jet-magazine.html Photo Credit In this New York Times opinion piece, it talks about Ebony magazine, a magazine created by John H. Johnson exclusively for African Americans. It wouldve been so amazing to see more representation for minorities in the media while I was growing up, but it is still pretty great that we have this growing diversity now. She was so sincere and so serious. These films all star a white protagonist. Black characters with their own story, their own distinguished identity and goals; characters who undergo personal growth shouldn't be listednoteFor instance, Green Lantern John Stewart, although created in the same era as The Falcon and James Rhodes, was never created to be a sidekick. J.D. Not a perfect example, but the trope is played for laughs in. I honestly dont know. Little Jacob is Jamaican, so whilst he is black he comes from a totally different culture to a black American. She's never too busy to lend an ear, or come along on your wacky schemes. the TV show Blackish). "Some of my best friends are white!" - Self-Hating White Guy) or bizarre character circumstances (e.g. ), Originally, Franklin was a kid from the next neighborhood over who apparently knew Charlie Brown from school and was visiting the Peanuts Gang. In the first scene, Deb is forcing Julie to finally return home for the summer. Robert Urich played Spenser; Avery Brooks played Hawk. What was she like besides her outward personality? Historically, people of color have had to play nurturing, rational caretakers of the white lead characters. Think back to every, single movie I just mentioned. White people are not the superior race simply because there is no such thing as a superior race. She faces bullies, encounters her first love(s), deals with character with a white best friend although it does happen. It was hard to connect with characters I saw on the big screen, but seeing as they were all I really had to look up to, I didnt necessarily have a choice. at least Black people are booking roles in Blockbuster films and famous TV shows, Why White Privileged Men Brand Angry Anti-Racist Women Hysterical, eeing how little Hollywood cared about casting Black people, Black people shouldnt be casted for roles just for the cast to appear diverse., TV Director Calls James Corden 'Most Difficult & Obnoxious' Celebrity He's Worked With In His 25-Year Career, Makeup Artist Reveals Her 'Rude' Encounter With Kevin Spacey While Applying Fake Mustache To His Face On Set, Fans Fear Disgraced Nickelodeon Producer Dan Schneider Fathered Jamie Lynn Spears's Daughter After Seeing Comparison Photos, 6 Ways To Be An Ally For Asian-Americans Right Now. The angle of this piece is somewhat clear; they believe that Ebony magazine is a trailblazer for successful, black magazines and is a part of history. Ive never had to look it up since. The Problem with the Stereotypical Black Best Friend, There are several major stereotypical roles, but one that appears to be very prominent in modern culture is the , : Clueless, Sex and the City, 10 Things I Hate About You, Shes All That, The Devil Wears Prada, and countless more. He actually worked with a white guy in the first season of the show, then went a couple of of seasons working alone, before hiring a kid that was from Polk High named Aaron. Something went wrong. What I didnt learn, was how to be the bestwell,me. In, Jason is the Black Best Friend of Charlie and Duncan in, In one of the earliest examples in film, Sam is this to Rick in, Blaise Zabini is indicated to be the only person that Draco respects/sees as an equal. I have already mentioned a few but the most popular examples would be a lot of our coming to age teenage films such as Clueless, 10 things I hate about you, and almost every Disney show and film besides Thats So Raven. This To the film industry, stop stigmatizing races; stop tiptoeing around diversity; start doing your job and represent all life in films. Clueless is a 1995 teen comedy from Amy Heckerling, starring Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash and the late Brittany Murphy . on how he realized at a cocktail party that most of his friends were white. Oprah's producing a movie with Chris Rock based on it. These days what I remember of adolescence is the horrible things that happen to everyones bodies and personalities seemingly simultaneously but watching Clueless reminds me of that fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime rush of self-discovery, of feeling out the edges of yourself and finding, to your surprise, that there actually were edges, delightful in their newness and uniqueness. Cher and Dionne, 'Clueless' (1995) via Tumblr. It also reminds me of a quote I once saw (although I dont exactly remember who said it) that having a minority role does not mean that the production should expect a large minority following in return; one role does not mean the same as cultural acceptance on the bigger screen. We ultimately know nothing about her beyond that she, The sorority's other two non-white characters are Jessie, who exists to be a, Buddy is the black best friend to the white Guy. There are many variations on the type some less or more sassy than others but always at the core of the character is the fact that she isnt a character but a caricature of the black woman. I also really liked the questions/reflections that you wrote into your post, it made reading it feel more interactive and fun. So I'm from Asheboro, NC (home of the NC Zoo) and currently work for the NC Department of Commerce. And quite honestly I loved Stacey Dashs character (still do!). Same with. For instance, the character of Dionne Davenport fromClueless. And people are always asking me to sing. Everybody deserves the chance to take the spotlight. At the time I only considered her smart, beautiful, and stylish. While diversity is becoming more prominent through Hollywood Films, there are many evident stereotypes for African Americans in film. I feel things can get better the more media ages the more we emphasize the importance of diversity and inclusion. No two people are the same. On a $12 million budget, the movie went on to gross more than $56 million domestically, inspire a three-season TV show, and occupy a permanent place on home video and in the pop cultural canon. (LogOut/ The "Black best friend" is described as a character archetype found in movies and TV shows that center around a white protagonist. You've got class. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and By Eric Deggans. However, this doesn't mean this trope still doesn't affect me. 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