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So when I first heard about this movie months ago, I thought the premise was interesting.
I went into it because I'm probably one of a few people who like Justice Smith as an actor, and knew nothing else about it apart from the premise... besides seeing beforehand that the actress is a Not Woman woman. 🙄
I guess I should've delved deeper because the director is a gross TIM, and the entire movie is apparently supposed to be some reference to trans, 'egg' cracking, and deadnaming... Well, who knew. Not me, until after seeing the reviews praising it for the trans propaganda. Smh
You live and learn, I suppose. That aside, it was interesting... It had potential, even if it was kind of weird. Would not rewatch though, knowing what I do now.
Had anyone else watched it? Went in 'blind'? Thoughts?
I'm a black African women and I use make race-based parallels, because it exposes the hypocritical logic in some people's arguments. Drag makes men proud, it the same way blackface made white people proud. At least they're not like that loser being made fun of.
Thank you for this post - it’s thoughtful and heartfelt. I do see parallels with the 2 (oppressor class mocking the oppressed class) but being that I am neither black nor American it’s not a comparison I feel comfortable making, especially if it makes other women uncomfortable.
I think it’s a comparison made out of frustration and possibly desperation - because people don’t care about/have empathy for things that hurt women but do (talking about the kind of liberal, often performative outrage-on-behalf-of-others type) care about racism (rightly so, but I think if racism only effected women, people would not care so much, if at all - like how TRAs are often glaringly racist/misogynistic towards black women).
I do find drag and transgenderism horribly offensive and misogynistic towards women and it’s hard to get people to care about it or see it for what it is without comparing it to something as obviously appalling and offensive as blackface. It’s a comparison that elicits a response and tbf, people can’t really explain how one is okay but the other isn’t. I do think there is merit in that.
Not at the expense of making other women uncomfortable though.
Good post, and brave to post it when many won’t agree with you, important to share things that hurt us/make us uncomfortable and I’m glad you did.
I think this an important perspective. I am brown, so kind of outside of this dichotomy a bit, but I think as helpful as comparisons can be, sometimes it detracts from the original offense of the thing its being compared to. We have also become very wanton with Nazi comparisons and while I do think it maybe helps certain people understand, it can also feel like it takes away from the original atrocity.
I do think saying "people can't change race, so why should they be able to change sex?" is helpful. But perhaps the blackface comparison isn't as apt as we think.
No, the comparison is apt but it's the frequency with which it is made that it seems too convenient and ready-made.
It doesn't have to be "Oh, OP is offended so let's never make the comparison again, even when the two are clearly comparable."
Women, including black women, have been brutalized by men since the dawn of time. Our victimization collectively includes the suffering of black women during slavery. Somehow, though, blackface is worse than womanface? I'm beginning to think this "somehow" is just the fact that men are included in the category of black. We see men's suffering as more real. When women say this is just as bad, how can it be--when men aren't suffering?
Do I need to outline women's suffering?
OP does not speak for all black women. I've seen posts here and elsewhere by black women making the comparison. Thinking one person of a race/ethinicity speak for all people of that race/ethnicity is itself racist. It's falling prey to the idea that "all black people/women think thus"--which is denying black people complexity and full humanity.
OP, I appreciate this thoughtful, heartfelt post. I'm going to try to be less careless/casual in making the comparison.
I'm sorry you are made to feel uncomfortable.
I don't see blackface and drag as equivalent at all, but I do think they offend in a similar kind of way (if that makes sense).
I understand your viewpoint and kind of expected to hear it at some point, so I’ve been thinking about it.
I think American feminism as a whole has left black women behind, so when comparisons of men masquerading as women and white people in blackface are made I can see how that feels like a slap in the face…I don’t know how else to paint a comparison though to get “Woke” people to understand it though? People who call themselves “Woke” (I know this is appropriation of AAVE) are against whatever has been pre-established as Bad, that includes blackface. That makes the comparison easy but also feels disingenuous.
All this to say I understand and I will refrain from using said comparisons. If you have any thoughts about what you think are ways to be more inclusive of Black women in these discussions I’ll be listening.
So, you completely defer to never making the blackface comparison again? Or will you sometimes make the comparison when you feel it's especially apt? Sorry, I'm curious bc I came to the conclusion that I'd try to be less careless but I do think the comparison has merit.
I would like to find another parallel that isn’t offensive to black women yes. Because they’re the afterthought in every feminist movement.
I suppose it’s different if you are also advocating for black women.
How does this one person speak for all black women? She's just sharing her personal view and you've decided never to bring up blackface again. She isn't even saying never say it again; she's saying it's done too loosely and too frequently. She says she personally thinks the two can be critiqued independently, but other black women hold that the comparison is apt and useful.
People can hold a different opinion and still advocate for black women. I believe black women are fully capable of forming rock-solid arguments without completely relying on appeals to emotion. That's me advocating for black women's full humanity.
Black women are not a monolith and one black woman's ideas about what's best might actually be a disservice to black women. Being offended isn't a great argument.
I definitely didn’t say anything about her speaking for all black women. I’m trying to be more mindful with my words. I don’t know why we are having this back and forth or why you’re saying what black women really need as if there isn’t black women in the post talking about it you can engage with.
Because women and girls are socialized to defer to anyone who says they are offended and that includes deferring to emotional appeals concerned with race that shut down discussions that need to be had. I see it as posturing, that's why.
I actually agree with that. Maybe I’m subconsciously doing that to an extent. But I’m also working on being anti-racist at this moment, so I’m trying to be more open minded and listen to black women about their feelings.
Thanks for sharing your perspective. I feel drag is pretty insulting to women a lot of the time but I can see how the comparison would make black women uncomfortable so will not do that in future.
Caveat: white and straight.
I don't think drag and blackface are comparable historically because drag was born in a marginalized community- that of gay men, who did face prison for being gay. Those men were seen as "less than men" so they ran with the idea and performed as women. It's ironic, camp, sad at its core. Making something glamorous and flamboyant out of the gutter, sort of thing.
Modern drag is a bit different. Much more openly a mockery of women - or rather an exaggeration of queeny femme behavior masked as "femininity" that can be pretty insulting about us. Even if not intended to be.
I honestly don't "get" traditional minstrel blaclface stuff. It's quite bizarre for white people to pretend to be slaves/former slaves dancing round and singing.in stereotypical ways. I know there were successful black minstrel performers... was it a way to "take them down" by imitating them? Did they think they had to pretend to be black to sing certain songs? Of course it is wildly offensive but also... why did it start?
Black woman speaking.
I wouldn’t have a problem with TRAs making analogies to black oppression if the analogies were actually sound. I hold to the school of thought that an argument should be deemed good or bad based on its substance, not on the identity of the person making it. All too often TRAs use specious comparisons to lull uncritical thinkers into accepting nonsense as truth, and that is what I take issue with.
With all due respect, I think the similarities between blackface and womanface are too close to ignore. I’m all for people disagreeing with this opinion, but not on emotional grounds. Emotionalism is why we’re in the mess we are in now, and it needlessly impairs our ability to make points that could very well change someone’s thinking.
Beautifully put.
And I see OP's point, about the frequency with which blackface is compared especially in light of the relatively fewer posts that center other topics that may affect or be particular to black women.
I frequently bring up the blackface comparison in part bc people somehow think more clearly about aspects of racism than they do about sexism, but I'll try to make these comparisons less casually and only when I think its especially apt/important.
I agree with you about the need to rely on well-reasoned arguments above emotion/identity; some people are so fearful of offending others these days that they fall prey to groupthink and we all lose out.