Last week we discussed biracial superstar Halle Berry. She
identifies as black and has done so throughout her career, politically and
personally. Her mixed race is something that America and Hollywood have a
fascination with. The ways in which our society is captivated by the presence of
mixed race women and men is comparable to how our society has a strong desire
for the “other.” Those who are exotic, a mystery, and different from the white
race are stopped and looked at to admire their beauty. People are curious about
them because they are the “other” which is great, but their “otherness” also
brings them a lot of scrutiny.
In Sika Alaine Dagbovie’s “Star-Light, Star- Bright, Star
Damn Near White: Mixed-Race Superstars," I read that celebrities who are
biracial or multiracial are commodified in the Hollywood culture even though
some have made it a point to identity with their race. Halle Berry was the
first African American actress to win the Oscar for Best Actress in 2002 and in
her acceptance speech for that award she said, "This moment is so much bigger than me. This is for every nameless, faceless woman of colour who now has a chance tonight because this door has opened." This is the moment where she was recognized and acknowledge as a black actress. Even though Halle made a stance regarding her race,
Hollywood still chooses to represent her differently in films where she is often
casted in roles portraying the stereotypes of mulatta women.
If Halle did not identity herself as an African American woman would
she still receive the same amount of attention for her beauty? Why does
Hollywood portray Halle as the tragic mulatta when she identifies as an African
American?
She might be seen as the tragic mullata figure because individuals want to link her beauty to something fascinating, which is her being exotic. This is because there this fascination with race and people being different. (I don't recall her name), but it was previously mentioned in class that during the time of slavery a Black women was taken to various places because white people found her to be exotic, and they wanted to show her to the world. It even got as far as having her body parts kept in a museum as history.
ReplyDeleteSo, therefore I think because we have this fascination with race and people being different it is important for people to always have race in mind when learning or questioning others. This mullata figure gives people another reason to enjoy her movies because it ensures what they want to believe in about the other person.