Corporeal (isms): Race, Gender, and Corpulence Performativity in Visual and Narrative Cultures Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Shannon M. Cochran, B.A., M.A., M.A. Graduate Program in Women‘s Studies The Ohio State University 2010 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Valerie Lee, Advisor Dr. Linda Mizejewski, Co-Advisor Dr. Judith Mayne Dr. Terry Moore Copyright By Shannon M. Cochran 2010 ABSTRACT This project investigates the ways that the Black female body has been constructed using corpulence as a central narrative that reflects anxieties about race, gender, class, sexuality, and national identity. It identifies how the performance of corpulence through the Black female body has particular ideological meanings that have been articulated through visual and narrative cultures. Corpulence is operative in defining rigid boundaries in regards to identity, which are built on constructed notions of whiteness and Blackness. Moreover, this study identifies corpulence as a facet of identity and illuminates how it intersects with race, gender, class, and ethnicity to render Black women non-existent and relegate them to the bottom of American society. Through an intertextual analysis of several popular texts, this study illuminates the varied ways that the discourse involving corpulence reflects narratives that deploy race, gender, and class as signifiers of ―authentic‖ American identity and restrict the social, economic, and political mobility of the Black female body. The analysis begins with a historical examination of how pertinent size has been to the construction of the Black female body in visual and narrative cultures and how this particular construction has worked to establish ideals regarding difference. It briefly dissects the historical ‗Mammy‘ construction of the Black female body in an effort to identify how the physical attributes of this particular construction serve to nurture ii whiteness in general. The primary interest is to identify the function of corpulence in the construction of this caricature and analyze how it was composed as a signifier of ‗Blackness‘ that was used to establish, promote and sustain white supremacy through visual culture. A brief historical analysis of this imagery led to an identification of how corpulence has been appropriated and used in Black folklore as a means to comical effect. The internalization of inferiority in Black cultural productions has led to the further assassination of the Black female body using corpulence as a primary weapon of choice. This study illuminates the ways in which corpulence is performed in Black folklore as a means to denigrate and assault the Black female body. Moreover, it traces this assault through analyses of such practices and rituals as ‗Yo Mama‘ jokes (playing the dozens/snapping) and the use of the gendered ‘fat suit,‘ which has historically been worn by many Black male comedians. By performing a gendered and racialized ‗grotesque fatness,‘ these comedians perpetuate notions of difference that mark Black female bodies inferior and pathological. Such practices and internalizations perpetuate the myth of an overindulgent, cantankerous, and ‗lazy‘ Black female body that prevents itself from acquiring the ‗American Dream‘. Thus, these practices continue to relegate Black women to the bottom of the racial hierarchy and marginalize them from constructions of nationality and ‗American‘ identity. Conversely, this study also analyzes the ways that Black women artists have engaged in corpulence politics. It analyzes various forms of visual and narrative cultures in order to identify how Black women perform corpulence. Black women have used literature, film, television and music as a way of articulating ideals about their own iii bodies and identities. Consequently, cultural and identity theorists such as Toni Morrison and contemporary celebrity figures such as Queen Latifah and Mo‘Nique have been invested, whether indirectly or proactively, in corpulence politics. This study analyzes the corpulence politics of these artists, while drawing attention to the tension between their own self-constructed bodily performances and external appropriations. Through an analysis of corporeality, this study identifies how the body is still used as a central location for the inscription and dissemination of ideology; however, its fluidity allows for the performativity of identities such as corpulence. iv For Mom, Dad, and marginalized Black bodies around the world v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my heavenly Father for everything that I have and all that I am. I would like to thank my Advisor, Dr. Valerie Lee, for her support, wisdom, patience, and guidance in this process. I would also like to thank Dr. Terry Moore, Dr. Judith Mayne, and Dr. Linda Mizejewski for being supportive throughout my academic career. Thank you for the invaluable wisdom and knowledge you have given me during this time. I would also like to thank my wonderful parents, James and Brenda, for being supportive of me throughout my life! I love you both! Also, many thanks are due to my dear loved ones and friends who helped and supported me throughout this process, my brothers Parrish, Patrick, and sister-friend, Dr. Waithera Karim-Sesay. Finally, I want to thank the subjects of this project, Toni Morrison, Queen Latifah, and Mo‘Nique for inspiring Black women. Thank you for articulating to the world that beauty and strength are diverse and multifaceted. vi VITA 1994…………………………………..……B.A., English Literature, Otterbein College 2001…………M.A., African American and African Studies, The Ohio State University 2003………………………………M.A., Women‘s Studies, The Ohio State University 2008- Pr.…Instructor, Ethnic Studies/Women‘s Studies, Bowling Green State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Women's Studies Studies in: Black Women's/Africana Studies…………………………………….Dr. Valerie Lee Visual and Narrative Cultures……………….………………………Dr. Terry Moore Visual and Narrative Cultures………………..………………. Dr. Linda Mizejewski Visual and Narrative Cultures……….…………………...................Dr. Judith Mayne vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract………………………………………………………………………………ii Dedication……………………………………………………………………………v Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………..vi Vita…………………………………………………………………………………vii List of Figures……………………………………………………………………….ix Chapters: 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………1 2. ―Yo‘Mama‘s so Fat!‖ Race, Gender, Class, and the Folklore of Corpulence…………………………………………………………………...............15 3. The Bluest Eye Sees the Fattest Body: Reading Corpulence Identity in the Literature of Toni Morrison………………………………………………………………………..69 4. Give Me Body! Black Nationalism, Gender, and Corpulence Performativity in the Work of Queen Latifah………………………….…………………………………..93 5. ―Baby, I‘m F.A.T!‖ Mo‘Nique‘s Mama Subjectivity and the Re-articulation of Corpulence Identity …………..……………………………………………………132 6. Conclusion………………..……………………………………………………...181 Filmography………………………………………………………………………...187 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………..190 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Flip Wilson, Ebony magazine (December, 1970)………………………………….24 2. Flip Wilson and Geraldine Jones Doll (ca, 1970)………………………………….29 3. Jamie Foxx as ‗Wanda‘ on In Living Color (1993) (Still)…………………………31 4. Martin Lawrence as ‗Sheneneh‘ on Martin (1992) (Still)…………………………33 5. Big Momma‟s House II (2006) (Still)……………………………………..............40 6. Cicely Tyson on cover of Ebony magazine (February, 1981) …………………….42 7. Theater poster for Norbit (2002) …………………………………………………..51 8. Queen Latifah, on cover of Ebony magazine (January, 2005)….………………….93 9. Queen Latifah, Nature of a Sista‟ album Cover (1991) ………………………….109 10. Mo‘Nique receiving Academy Award for ―Best Supporting Actress‖ (2010) ....132 11. Mo‘Nique‘s opening performance on BET Awards Show (2004) (Still) ………150 12. Mo‘Nique: I Coulda Been Your Cellmate (2007) performance (Still)…………..156 13. Theater poster for Phat Girlz (2006) ……………………………………………163 14. Theater poster for Precious (2009) ……………………………………………...168 15. Gabourey Sidibe on cover of Ebony magazine (March, 2010) ………………….181 ix CHAPTER 1 Introduction Billionaire celebrity phenomenon Oprah Winfrey graces every cover of her self- published magazine, O magazine. Winfrey‘s visibility every month of the publication has been interpreted by some as narcissistic; however, I propose that it can be liberating for not only Oprah but the Black female image as well. Moreover, her body is autonomous and her solo performance on the cover is perhaps the only instance where Oprah Winfrey is not ‗shared‘ with her audience and the general public. The co-opting and appropriation of Winfrey‘s persona and public identity is evident in the consumption of ―Mammy‖ qualities and characterizations that America has loved for so long. In Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New Racism (2005) sociologist and cultural critic Patricia Hill Collins argues, ―A good deal of Winfrey‘s success lies in her ability to market herself within the familiar realm of the mammy‖(p.142). Part of Oprah Winfrey‘s appeal can be attributed to her giving behavior and her talk show‘s willingness to take on the concerns, issues, and likes of the American middle-class white woman. Moreover, Winfrey has been apologetic in terms of her fluctuating weight, which allows her audience to move into spaces that many would deem personal. On the January, 2009 edition of her magazine, an image