Deep Frames, White Men's Discourse, and Black
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DEEP FRAMES, WHITE MEN’S DISCOURSE, AND BLACK FEMALE BODIES A Dissertation by BRITTANY CHEVON SLATTON Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2009 Major Subject: Sociology DEEP FRAMES, WHITE MEN’S DISCOURSE, AND BLACK FEMALE BODIES A Dissertation by BRITTANY CHEVON SLATTON Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Joe R. Feagin Committee Members, Alex McIntosh Kathryn Henderson Claire Katz Head of Department, Mark Fossett August 2009 Major Subject: Sociology iii ABSTRACT Deep Frames, White Men’s Discourse, and Black Female Bodies. (August 2009) Brittany Chevon Slatton, B.A., Northern Illinois University; M.Ed., Virginia State University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Joe R. Feagin In this qualitative study, I examine the persistent trend of black women as an excluded relationship partner for white men. Integral to understanding the exclusion of black women as relationship partners is the construction of black female bodies, by influential white men historically and contemporarily, as the abject opposite of hegemonic femininity, which holds “middle-class, heterosexual, [w]hite femininity” as the norm (Collins 2005:193). This construction essentially places black women outside the bounds of hegemonic femininity, beauty, sexuality, and womanhood. Using the theoretical concept deep frame, which is the “conceptual infrastructure of the mind” (Lakoff 2006a:12) and representative of one’s commonsense world view, I argue that the ways in which influential white men have constructed black female bodies is a critical component of the raced, gendered, and classed deep frame of white men. This deep frame undergirds how many white men perceive, interpret, understand, emote, and engage in actions where black women are concerned. Hence in this study, I qualitatively examine, through analyzing and interpreting the in-depth online questionnaires of 134 iv white male respondents, how the deep frame of white men affects how they perceive black women and ultimately the relationships they seek with black women. The results of the study show that many white male respondents, despite most having very limited or no personal interactions with black women, viewed black women through the one-dimensional lens of the raced, gendered, and classed deep frame. Many respondents perceived black women as unattractive unless capable of a white normative standard, as possessing a negative “black” culture, and as possessing negative and “unfeminine” attributes that make them complicit in their own rejection. These findings show how the deep frame disciplines white men to view black women as “out of bounds” as legitimate relationship partners, and disciplines the types of relationships they seek with black women. The results of this study also reveal that the conceptual approach of deep frame rooted in an understanding of the power of influential white men to control and construct society provides a theoretical alternative to the outmoded interracial marriage theories of caste and exchange. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank my mommy and daddy for being supportive and patient throughout all my years of schooling and of course this dissertation process. Yes, I am finally finished. I am thankful to my wonderful committee chair, Dr. Feagin, for your guidance and unparalleled excellence in your field and to my committee members, Dr. McIntosh, Dr. Henderson, and Dr. Katz, for all of your great feedback and insights on my research. I am thankful to my cousin Wendy Maxwell for all of her great insights and thoughts throughout this dissertation process. I would also like to acknowledge my academic colleagues that have provided me with wonderful feedback and guidance on my research including Kamesha Spates, Louwanda Evans, Jennifer Mueller, Charity Clay, Natasha Ball, Glen Bracey, Shari Valentine, Jennifer Davis, and James Chouinard. Thank you all for your wonderful feedback either through constant text messages and phone conversations, random meetings in the 4th floor computer lab, or the Race and Ethnicity workshop. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Sell and Dr. Fossett. Dr. Sell, you were always there when we graduate students needed you, even on short notice. And Dr. Fossett, I am thankful for your guidance in the interview and job process; your feedback really helped me and I landed a job! I would lastly like to thank the wonderful sociology office staff, with a special thanks to Christi. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION: ANALYZING WHITE MEN’S DISCOURSE PERTAINING TO BLACK WOMEN ................................................ 1 Why Study White Men’s Discourse Pertaining to Black Women? 2 Background and Context................................................................ 6 Conceptual Framework: Intersecting Oppressions of Race, Gender, and Class........................................................................... 23 Synopsis of Chapters...................................................................... 39 II METHODOLOGY: GROUNDED THEORY AND CRITICAL FRAME ANALYSIS ........................................................................... 43 Qualitative Research Design .......................................................... 44 Methodological Design .................................................................. 45 Data Collection............................................................................... 52 Ethical Considerations.................................................................... 61 Limitations of Study....................................................................... 64 III CONSTRUCTION OF BLACK FEMALE BODIES: HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY ................................................................... 68 Historical Construction of Black Female Bodies........................... 69 Contemporary Construction of Black Female Bodies.................... 88 Chapter Summary........................................................................... 117 vii CHAPTER Page IV DISCOURSES OF COMPARISONS: PHYSICAL ATTRACTION AND MEETING THE NORMATIVE STANDARD.......................... 119 Attraction to Black Women with “White Traits”........................... 122 Black Women with “Black Features” ............................................ 126 Oppositional Discourse .................................................................. 137 Chapter Summary........................................................................... 141 V “TWO VERY DIFFERENT CLASSES OF BLACK WOMEN”: RACE, GENDER, CLASS, AND CULTURE .................................... 143 “Black Culture” and the Push for “White” Assimilation ............... 146 Burdensome Usurpers and Hardworking Bootstrappers................ 155 Understanding a Discriminatory History and Present.................... 162 Chapter Summary .......................................................................... 164 VI “THEY JUST DON’T DO IT FOR ME”: NARRATIVES OF THE UNWANTED WOMAN...................................................................... 166 The Narratives White Men Tell ..................................................... 167 Not Even Wanted by Black Men.................................................... 187 The Complexity of White Men’s Views: Grappling With Sexual Desire ................................................................................. 193 Chapter Summary .......................................................................... 198 VII CONCLUSION: THE DISCIPLINARY POWER OF THE DEEP FRAME ................................................................................................ 199 Deep Frames, Power, and Discipline ............................................ 199 Problematizing Interracial Marriage Theory: Revisiting Caste and Exchange ....................................................................... 205 The Implications of the Deep Frame.............................................. 209 Recommendations for Future Research ......................................... 218 The Significance of this Research ................................................. 221 REFERENCES.......................................................................................................... 222 APPENDIX A ........................................................................................................... 232 APPENDIX B ........................................................................................................... 236 viii Page VITA ......................................................................................................................... 238 ix LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE Page Figure 1 Saartjie Baartmann: “The Hottentot Venus”..................................... 71 Figure 2 Cartoon “Mammy”