Change Starts Here
I started this self-esteem blog to make women of color feel better about themselves. Too many of us settle for less because we don't think we can have it all. I hope these blog posts will help you realize you can have it all and so much more.
If you have any topics you think would be beneficial or questions, press the "ask" button above or e-mail confidencehappens@gmail.com.
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I was watching Carmen Jones for the first time and I thought about the films we have to watch now.Carmen Jones is an black opera (Beyonce did a sub-par MTV remake called “Carmen” a few years ago). Specifically, it is the story of a woman who ruins a man when he falls in love with her.
What amazing me most is that in 1954 we had a film with black people doing opera (their voices were actually dubbed by white opera singers, though) and in 2009, we haven’t really come as far as we should have from that moment.
The women in this movie are classy looking, especially Dorothy Dandridge. Dandridge has a southern accent, but she’s no Mammy figure. She knows what she wants and, even though it leads to dire consequences, she knows how to get it. Carmen Jones is strong, she’s not overly sassy (like most black female characters) and her only function in the film is not to lift up a man’s ego.
In the millenium, we have to watch Meagan Good play the black girlfriend in every movie (even though she showed amazing acting skills in “Eve’s Bayou”). When I look at good, I don’t think “classic beauty,” like I did watching this movie. I think “high-paid stripper.” What makes it worse is that Dandridge’s character was a what they would have called a “hussy” back then.
Why don’t we have movies like this anymore? I don’t know about you guys, but I’m tired of dance movies and mediocre comedies. We need movies with more depth, especially in their portrayal of black women. Carmen is not the best example of what black women are, but we should have come a lot further by now since this movie.
Think about this: how many serious films with a respectful portrayal of black women have you seen in the last five years?
