Alaina Long “The Oppositional ” by

I. Article Summary

Purpose of Research What investment does the author have in this issue? What is the goal of the article? How do you know? Please include specific page numbers and examples from the text, and/or biographical information about the author, to defend your response.

Hooks is a black feminist writer and theorist who focuses on race, class, gender and sexual oppression in all facets of society, in addition to media outlets and representations of black women. Hooks addresses how this affects black women’s lived experiences and in this article, their spectatorship of media portrayals of them. The goal of the article is to address the necessity of black female spectatorship to represent our lived experiences through our gaze and allow us agency over our representations in the media and how society views us as a whole. One quote I believe that captures hooks overall goal of the article “Not only will I stare. I want my look to change reality.” Even in the worse circumstance of domination, the ability to manipulate one’s gaze in the face of structures of domination that would contain it, opens up the possibility of agency” (hooks 116).

Thesis What is the author’s main argument/conclusion?

The author’s main argument and conclusion is for black women to have agency in our gaze, we must recognize the gaze and representations of ourselves and create spaces of our own where we can have our own gaze which better represents our true selves. The passage that best captures the author’s main argument is “spaces of agency exist for black people, wherein we can both interrogate the gaze of the Other but also look back… the “gaze” has been seen and is a site of resistance for colonized black people globally” (hooks 116).

Methodology What are the author’s methods? What strategy does the author use to make and defend their argument? Hooks skillfully uses her childhood where she was raised in the south, as a foundation for her argument as she analyzes the power of looking in the black community and parenting to familiarize the reader with the idea of the gaze. She then analyzes multiple theorists who either support or negate the idea of power and control in representations. For example, hooks cites and how she begins to think about “the ways power as domination reproduces itself in different locations employing similar apparatuses, strategies, and mechanisms of control” (hooks 115).

Key Concepts/Terms What terms does the author choose to define? What terms/concepts seem to be repeated throughout the article? Key terms the author defines are the gaze (the act of “looking” or “seeing,” political representations of a group of people which may or may not be representative of them), black female spectators (black women who watch the portrayals of themselves in media), phallocentric gaze (), and oppositional gaze, feminist film criticism/theory (woman’s identity, representation but marginalizes black women), and white womanhood.

Arguments and Support What claims does the author make to support their main argument (thesis)? How does the author go about defending their claims? Does the author offer enough support for her or his position? The main claim which hooks states that summarizes her position is “The “gaze” has always been political in my life” (hooks 115). Hooks defends her claim by analyzing images of black representation historically in films such as Amos n Andy, and the representation of black women, black women filmmakers creating spaces for agency, and the importance of black female spectators, and through her critique of feminist film criticism. By also including interviews with black female spectators, hooks provides a clear and concise argument as to how the gaze and representations of black women can be seen as political and why it should be.

Counter-Arguments Does the author offer any alternative points of view? How does the author negotiate between the alternative point of view and their own main claims? Hooks does offer alternative points of view in her main claims when recounting her perspective of first watching Amos n Andy, “We laughed at this black woman who was not us. And we did not even long to be there on the screen” (hooks 120). This narrative she recounts offers the point of view of black women not wanting to be on the screen at all in film due to our representations, though hooks’ main conclusion is to create more spaces for black women spectators and filmmakers to be represented correctly. Additionally, she cites the grown women who watched Amos n Andy and identified with her woes and resented the way it demeaned black womanhood. “And in opposition they claimed Sapphire as their own, as the symbol of that angry part of themselves white folks and black men could not even begin to understand” (hooks 120).

Author’s Stance Does the author have an identifiable tone toward his or her subject? If so, what is it? The tone of the author in my opinion is reflective and relatable to the audience. Hooks analysis includes reflections of books she has read and films that correlate to her argument.

II. Evaluation of the Article

Utility Offer the reader at least two real-life scenarios in which the ideas of this article would be applicable. Two real life scenarios in which the ideas of the article relate to would be the film “The Help” in which black women are framed as helping the white women advance. Also, the Digital Image Moving Salon directed by Ayoka Chenzira at Spelman College is an example of the spaces more black women should create for black women’s agency and representation in the film field. In the celebrity arena, the Amber Rose and Kardashian argument I feel speaks to the gaze and oppositional gaze as Amber Rose was attacked for her past life as a stripper and now is critiqued for her hypersexual pictures since she is a mother. However, I feel Amber Rose understands the implications and has power over her actions and use of her body as a commodity in pictures, and thus claims her space and has an oppositional gaze. The Kardashians, however, specifically Kim Kardashian does not understand the implications because she doesn’t have to with being of European descent, she is able to pass because as hooks states “the phallocentric spectatorship where the woman to be looked at and desired is “white”” (hooks 118).

Limitations of Author's Claim Carefully examine the author's claim. How might the author's claim be true in some cases, but not in others? The author’s claim is true in most cases but in the case of reality TV shows or music videos where black women choose to be represented in where stereotypes thrive such as the angry black woman or hypersexual black woman, I am unsure how true the black female spectatorship claim relates. Also, in the case of reality shows where white women are the main participants, white women are also then subject of the gaze.

Author Credibility Where does the study appear? Who is this person writing for? What are the author’s qualifications? The article is in one of bell hooks’ books, Black Looks: Race and Representation which was published in 1992. Hooks writes for a large demographic of audience who I identify as Race theorists and the black community, particularly black women. Hooks’ well- known writing style is familiar and easy to understand which makes it accessible for all classes of people, despite their educational status. Hooks is extremely qualified in race, class and gender theories and their impact in society, especially for black women.

Underlying Assumptions of Author's Claim and Reasons* What would the audience have to believe in order to agree that the author's claim is warranted/valid/necessary? The audience would have to believe that black women are marginalized in media representations. Also, that the representations of black women are limiting in their purpose for the audience. They would also have to believe in the power of looking and domination is political and that it’s a correct and a valid argument.

Connection to Current Events Briefly summarize at least two current events that demonstrate and/or challenge your author's arguments. Tweet these links and give them the hashtags #ENG384 #Evaluation One current event that demonstrates hooks’ arguments was the controversy of Michelle Obama’s participation in BET’s Black Girl’s Rock award show was created specifically to recognize black women and girls and our accomplishments. The purpose of the event is to provide positive representations of black women in all media facets and in society and combat the negative images. Artists who were honored included Erykah Badu, Cicely Tyson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Ava DuVernay, Nadia Lopez and Dr. Helene D. Gayle. The controversy was from white women who believed that the First Lady’s attendance at the event was sending a message to white girls that they didn’t rock. This highlighted hooks’ statement that “even when representations of black women were present in film, our bodies and being were there to serve- to enhance and maintain white womanhood” (hooks 119). The act of excluding white women in the show ultimately caused the controversy because for once, black women were existing in the media positively without being connected to white womanhood. We created our own space.

Another current event is the argument of white women rappers and artists now becoming more popular through the use of twerking and utilizing black culture and hip hop to become popular. The body of white womanhood, according to hooks is the only body to be desired while black women are left absent and marginalized. It is clear that black women who perform the same are not as popular or recognized for doing the same things that artists like Miley Cyrus and Iggy now do.

Connection to Rhetoric of Advertising How does the article seem connected to the course aims and topics? What connections exist between this article and another article you have read for the course so far? What's significant about those connections?

The article directly relates to media representations of black women and with films and television acting as advertisements of black women, our representations become skewed and directly affect our value and treatment in society. The article connects with black women’s representations as hypersexual or angry and also speaks to the gaze which is held by white supremacy and thus portrayed by the white-dominated media which can be seen in the Amos n Andy film, where the creators were white men who were familiar with minstrel shows. Additionally, in current times, in the housewives of Atlanta, the black women are seen on the reunion show being mediated by a white male.