Policing of Black Women's Bodies in Online Commentary of Flavor of Love Ebony Artis

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12-1-2017 Policing of Black Women's Bodies in Online Commentary of Flavor of Love Ebony Artis

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Volume 15, Issue 1, December 2017. Research Manuscript. 16-27.

Policing of Black Women’s Bodies in

Online Commentary of Flavor of Love

Ebony Artis

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ross Louis, Communication Studies

Abstract Ebony Artis is a 2017 graduate The purpose of this research is to use thematic analysis on of Xavier from Mobile, Alabama comments posted about Black women on YouTube videos for who majored in Communication season two of Flavor of Love, which can be connected to Studies. Her research interests stereotypes that were created before reality television got started. include topics linked to Black women are stereotyped in the media in many ways. Reality intersectionality, sexuality, and television helps to broadcast these stereotypes (the Mammy (very misogynoir. Artis’ work in motherly), the Jezebel (very sexually positive), and the Sapphire XULAneXUS is the result of her (very rude and “ghetto”) to multitudes of people in their audience. senior capstone project in Flavor of Love is one of the most watched reality love TV shows Communication Studies. She also worked with Dr. Tia Smith marketed towards the African American community (Caruso, in Mass Communication on the 2015). In the comment sections, “real” people are being policed by project “Gender, Race, and online commenters. I applied thematic analysis to organize the Romance in Reality TV.” Artis Flavor of Love commentary into clusters: name calling [n=614], is currently an intern with the ugly [n=429], “real women” and comparison to other women Dollar General Bowl in Mobile, [n=246], pretty [n=185], and sexualizing bodies [n=179]). These and later plans to attend graduate clusters help us understand the commentary in relation to Black school. women, their bodies, ideas of beauty, how they are evaluated in

relation to other women, and the correlation between stereotypes

and reality television show characters. The findings line up with the three previously stated stereotypes that effect Black women.

Key Terms: • Online Commentary • Black Women • Thematic Analysis • YouTube • Flavor of Love • Realty Television Published by XULA Digital Commons, 2017 • Stereotypes 1 XULAneXUS, Vol. 15 [2017], Iss. 1, Art. 1 Black Women’s Bodies 17

Introduction post previews, and then allows public commentary on the uploaded episode, it is the Women worry about many things when it best platform to collect the online commentary comes to the policing of their bodies because data. I apply thematic analysis, which is a “being a lady” often comes with a list of popular research tactic used in qualitative unwritten cultural rules which women are to analysis, to place the comments into themes. I follow. Black women’s sexuality has been connect race and gender throughout this study policed for centuries in particular because of the using intersectionality, which allow researchers intersectional connection between being a to identify the importance of minority identities. woman and being African American. A few examples come from stereotypes created for This research illustrates the influence of Black women during slavery, such as the misogynoir, which is misogyny directed Mammy figure, the Jezebel, and the Sapphire specifically at Black women, and online (Cox, 2005). This project explores how race commentary (Elizabeth, 2017). Similar research influences the way people comment on and has been done on race, reality shows, online police Black women’s bodies by considering comments, and the show Flavor of Love, but YouTube commentary posted in reaction to these have not been combined in a single study. season two of Flavor of Love, a reality show on Researchers such as Lisa Nakamura (2014), who VH1. Analyzing commentary in the comment investigates race and identity in online spaces, section of YouTube is a method of studying the and Jean Burgess (2009), who studies YouTube way we interact and communicate our identities. culture and online commentary, have inspired I will look at how this online platform offers the this study’s focus on online commentary and ability to mask one’s identity while giving race. My research also focuses on online personal commentary. Online commentary, and commentary of a television show with a high specifically a form of trolling, often has been Black demographic. Previous researchers have discredited as lacking credibility because anyone looked at racist online comments in relation to can add to the discourse under platforms such as news sites (Hughey, 2013), race and the way YouTube. Verification is not required to Black people are shown on the urban website comment, and the comments are governed only WorldStarHipHop (Cramer, 2016), and the ways by other YouTubers. Although this is true, the we are taught race through the usage of social validity or realness of a comment is not as media (Nakagawa, 2014). The internet is an important as the fact that the comment is now on important part of our culture, and what we say the web to impact others. online should be viewed as a form of communication that matters. Commentary on The following research questions guide Black female characters in reality television the project: How does race impact the way Black shows is a way to see the transformation and women’s bodies are policed (also known as body consistency of stereotypes from previous politics), which is the practice of society technologies. regulating and trying to correct the human body, within online commentary? How do historical Literature Review stereotypes of Black women relate to the policing of Black women’s bodies? To address Policing of Black Women’s Bodies these questions, the project focuses on YouTube The policing and constraint of Black commentary from Flavor of Love. Since women’s bodies is not a new topic, but the YouTube is a platform that allows individuals to internet has added a new context in which to

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consider it. Policing of Black women is shown in Lauren Cramer (2016) looked at race and the the stereotypes that have been created and way Black people are shown on the urban depicted in television and film. The three website WorldStarHipHop (WSHH), which is common stereotypes for Black women known for fights, “Black” humor, and Black perpetuated in media images are the Mammy, the women doing sexual dances like twerking and Sapphire, and the Jezebel (Cox, 2005). The pole dancing. Crammer’s argument is that Mammy stereotype comes from the idea that WSHH can include nonblack bodies in a way to Black women are servants and are seen as not deflect the idea that this reflects urban Black sexual to the point that they are written off as culture. asexual (Cox, 2005). The Sapphire stereotype is said to be the “typical angry black woman.” You Reality Television can identify this character by her snapping her Described as a television show that is fingers and rolling her neck “with attitude” (Cox, generally unscripted and unrehearsed, reality 2005). This stereotype breeds the idea that Black television has been a hit since Survivor, which women are “aggressive, ill tempered, illogical, was one of the most popular reality television overbearing, hostile, and ignorant without shows aired originally on CBS in 1999 provocation” (Ashley, 2014). The Jezebel figure (Dubrofsky, 2008). Survivor, which is based on a is known to be sexually appealing and enjoys Swedish show Expedition Robinson that advances on her because she uses her sex appeal premiered in May of 2000, is a reality show that to get what she wants. The Jezebel stereotype placed a group of people on an island to compete hyper-sexualizes Black women, which frequently for money (Cooper, 2016). Reality television is occurs in Flavor of Love. one of the most popular forms of television programming (Cooper, 2016). Reality television As researcher Jane Splawn (1997) shows were popular around the 2000s with observes, Black women’s bodies historically shows such as COPS and The Real World, but have been viewed and written in the same shows did not start to see larger numbers of context. Black women are property and owned. viewers until competition formats of reality Slavery set up a system in which Black women’s shows formed (Cooper, 2016). Though it claims bodies were literally owned, beaten, and raped to be a real representation of the lives presented, (Williams, 2016). The Jezebel stereotype plays it is not necessarily real. In fact, people who off the idea that Black women’s bodies are on participate in reality shows are not even called display and available for commentary. If actors to increase the idea of it being real individuals think that Black women are born to (Wayne, 2015). be promiscuous and known to be sexual objects, it is easier to add additional shame to their Flavor of Love follows Flavor Flav, an bodies and the way they choose to present their artist from the hip hop group Public Enemy, on sexuality. Shayne Lee (2010) is one of few his “hunt” to find his dream girl, putting the girls writers who explore Black women, their through several challenges to weed out the “gold sexuality, and how they relate to pop culture, diggers, fame chasers, fakes, and chicken heads,” describing the eroticization of Black women and as VH1 describes it. Flavor of Love was the how their sexuality is automatically viewed foundation of Black reality television and has negatively. Researchers are aware of the images heavily influenced other Black reality television that come about when the media police Black shows such as Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, I Love women while also disseminating the negative NewYork, and more. Flavor of Love cast images that perpetuate policing. For example,

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predominantly African American women and an Multiple identities are an important part of a African American star. person, and the separation of these identities denies a person of their full identity. An example Intersectionality of this is Johnson’s article “Just Because I Dance Intersectional theory, or intersectionality Like a Ho I’m Not a Ho,” which describes as it is more popularly known, is linked to experiences of Black college cheerleaders at feminist thought (Carasthathis, 2014). Eguchi historically Black colleges. The research defines intersectionality as the inspection of race, suggests that HBCU cheerleaders have a sex, class, national origin, and sexual orientation, different cheering style than PWI cheerleaders, and all of these works together to create an and this is rooted in the intersection of race, identity (Eguchi, 2014). Kimberle Crenshaw class, gender, and ideological perspective (1991) coined the term intersectionality to create (Johnson, 2015). Other researchers like Julia R. dialogue around the intersection of identities, an Johnson (2013) use intersectionality to talk about area she found lacking in contemporary research. transgender people and cisprivilege and the way This is especially important when looking at CeCe McDonald, a Black transfeminine woman, oppression and privilege, such as considering was criminalized in Minneapolis. This study uses LGBTQIA, disability, or Black female identities. intersectionality to understand the overlap of Intersectionality looks at the overlap of identities race, gender, and sexuality. and helps to give marginalized people a way to speak of their own personal experiences. Online Commentary Blogs, social media networks, and even Since you cannot separate a person’s wiki pages allow users to communicate and experience of race from her experience of comment in open forums. Any commentary that gender, intersectionality is important to describe is posted online in a public forum for others to the way that Black women have had, and see is defined as “online commentary.” Some continue to have, their bodies policed. The online commentary is basic communication impact of race for Black women often has been between two people, while some can be ignored in scholarship (Alexandre, 2011). Before classified as trolling. Simply stated, trolling is intersectionality was introduced, Black women antagonistic commentary done online for strictly were forced to combine other feminist theories in the amusement of the person commenting order to adequately describe Black women’s (Hardaker, 2012). Discussion boards are the struggle (Davies, 1994). This worked for the beginning of “trolling,” which occur when most part, but nothing got close to explaining people on the internet anger others online with Black women’s experience like intersectionality. rude or offensive commentary for the fun of it For Davies, being Black and a woman cannot be (Phillips, 2016). The anonymity of being online separated when explaining and understanding an enables people to say things they usually would experience. Black women’s bodies are always not say out of fear of being judged negatively. available for public consumption (Brooks, 2004). This anonymity allows users to freely voice their Though all women’s bodies may be policed, opinions on Black women and their bodies. there are clear differences in the language used Therefore, the understanding of trolling is when it comes to talking about Black women and important when it comes to this research. the way their bodies are policed. Understanding the way that people think and act when they are able to speak how they want, and Intersectionality also discusses how some to whomever they want, allows a different layer identities are flexible while others are fixed. of understanding that we would otherwise not

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get. An example of research surrounding the and will help answer the previously stated issue of the internet and race is from researcher research question. Matthew W. Hughey, who looked at racist online comments in relation to news sites (2013). My data for this research is collected Hughey found that news sites were aware of the from all of the comments (over 1700 overall) trolling and had to incorporate bots on their posted under 12 full episodes of season two of website to find profanity and “racial epithets” Flavor of Love (2006). Flavor of Love is (2013). characterized as a reality love television show. Thanks to YouTubers who upload these episodes YouTube commentary has been looked at in their entirety, I viewed not only the episode, in several instances. One study focuses on the but also the commentary located below each analysis of YouTube comments to look at how episode. The commentary is the focus of my people feel about cigars (Nasim, 2013). Though research. All comments, conversations, and likes this doesn’t align with the topic of my paper, it under every video have been attached to one of does welcome the idea of the importance of the the following themes: name calling (614), ugly comment section. Another study by Rohlfing (429), “real women” and comparison to other (2016) focuses specifically on online hatred in women (246), pretty (185), sexualizing bodies YouTube comments section. Data comes from a (179). Themes were created from the overall video that depicts a white woman who is on a topics of the comments. There are four ways for train and while riding says something racist to a comment to be scored: the comment section another passenger. The video influences the way directly under the YouTube videos where that people comment on race in online forums watchers can leave a comment; the “liking” of because it invoked different emotions for these YouTube comments; a reply which agrees different people (Rohlfing, 2016). Similar to with an original comment (which I label a previous research, Green (2015) focused on “conversation”), and a “like” of a comment in a online bullying and YouTube videos, specifically conversation. Some comments fit two themes the way that being LGBT and bullied through and in that situation, they were scored for both. YouTube videos effect self-disclosing in other Sometimes the conversations did not agree with settings. Online commentary under YouTube the original post or fit into another category and videos is the data portion of the study, in that case, they were scored in separate themes. specifically the depiction and decoding (to Overall, 1,531 comments were scored, which extract one’s own meaning from a product) of means that out of the 1,700 comments, some did Black women and their bodies on Flavor of not pertain to this research. For example, some Love. people would ask for the user to re-upload other seasons or someone might make a comment Methodology about the house they are living in. In addition to Thematic analysis is a form of qualitative these comments, likes and responses added to the research that organizes commonalities found in overall numbers that are depicted in Figure 1. collected textual data (Cassell & Symon, 2004). The repetition of key words/phrases is a crucial The comments were then grouped into component in thematic analysis (Miller, 2016). themes using thematic analysis. Themes were These commonalities are called themes, and they selected based on the main categories emerging help to organize the collected data. For this from the commentary. Name calling examples study, thematic analysis provides a way to include references such as: bitch, annoying, fake, collect and organize a multitude of comments hoe, ghetto, thot, etc. The ugly theme featured

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key words such as hideous or disgusting, and Results included the expression of jealousy of Black women because commenters did not view Black As Figure 1 depicts, there were more women on the same level as other women. “Real name calling comments (n=614) than any other women” and comparison to other women used category. Specifically, examples of the name more of a formula then key words. This was calling included “annoying,” “fake,” and “bitch.” inspired by the idea of a mythical norm of being The second highest occurring theme was ugly a woman. For example, “real women” are (n=429). This category included the actual word passive, “real women” cover up when they go “ugly” but also included phrases that creatively out, and even, “who would want a woman like described how ugly commenters thought the that. Shes so messy and cant clean up after women on the show were. The next most popular herself” [sic]. The pretty theme described theme was “real women” and comparisons to physical appearance. Examples of this include, other Women (n=246). This category had some “she’s extremely beautiful,” “She has a nice way overlap because it focused on elevating one of dressing,” “Her eyebrows are so neat,” etc. I woman over another based on looks, talents, made a clear distinction between the pretty childhood, social class or personality. The next theme and the sexualizing bodies theme, which was the pretty theme (n=185). Similar to ugly, also had a formula. The latter either started with this theme included the word “pretty” but also “I want to do [insert sexual act] to her” or “I included other synonyms of pretty. The last would want her to [insert act] to her.” theme was sexualizing bodies (n=179). This theme included commentary that suggested Thus, data was categorized based on women were nothing more than bodies to be assignment to themes. For example, if a viewed or judged and explicit commentary about comment read “Bootz is a typical thot. I can how the women had bodies that were sexually always spot those,” it would be placed in name pleasing. calling. For the ugly theme, an example was: “Krazy fine as hell. Black women jealous Analysis because they look like monkeys and roaches.” The most difficult theme to understand might be For the name calling theme, I noticed the “real women” and comparison to other comments used the same words that are used to women. Examples included: “she has no describe the Jezebel stereotype and the Sapphire manner” [sic], “Who would want a woman like stereotype. These comments called Black women her?”, and “She needs to dress like [insert “bitch” (which is a word used to describe another person on the show],” and “Like Dat has somebody rude and references the Sapphire) or absolutely no manners!! She needs to act like a “hoe” (which is a word that is linked to being lady”. Examples of comments in the pretty sexually promiscuous such as a Jezebel). theme included, “Deelishis is very beautiful.” Sapphires are loud and “annoying” or always The theme focuses specifically on outward angry and a “bitch.” After YouTuber beauty on a surface level. Finally, the sexualizing “ILoveMedia22” says that Black women look bodies included examples such as “Deelish got like monkeys, the YouTuber talks about how the sexiest ass I’ve ever seen I just want to Krazy, the Latina woman on the show, is “fine as [insert sexual act]. hell” but “Black women always insecure around nonBlack women.” [sic] This connection brings YouTube users to think that Black women are

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jealous of other ethnicities because Black women important in discussing them. My research uses are inherently not attractive. online commentary to look at the way people police Black women’s bodies, behaviors, and The “real women” and comparison to attitudes. While this approach is not new, it has other women theme perpetuates the idea that not been applied to a Black show directed to women are always against each other and need to Black people with the online commentary “one-up” another woman. The pretty theme coming from YouTube. There is a difference measures a woman’s worth by her outward between “her hair is a mess,” which could be appearance. This theme is related to the idea of directed at any race, and “her hair is so nappy.” women having to be pretty for men. This is This is a look at the way intersectionality can androcentrism, which is placing masculine points alter the misogyny that Black women face. of view at the center of things like culture. Policing of Black women’s bodies or As far as sexualizing Black women’s body politics, also examined by Wallenius- bodies, the commentary pulls from the Jezebel Korkalo and Volkonen (2014) on Finnish reality stereotype. Comments were made only about TV shows, is the practice of society regulating how sexually attractive the women on the show and trying to correct the human body. It is were or what the commentators wanted to do to important to note the corrections because the them sexually. The Jezebel stereotype illustrates commentary did not stop with regulating but also Black women as solely sexual beings that use tried to correct the way that women dressed or their body to get what they want in life; the wore their hair. attention directly on Black women’s bodies therefore enhances the commentary on Black Conclusion women’s bodies (Cox, 2005). To conclude, the data collected from the Researcher Franklin Gilliam (1999) comment section of Flavor of Love on Black points out the way stereotypes are formed. He women focused on ideas of beauty, pretty or calls this a “narrative” that is being played out. ugly, how sexually appealing they are, how often Without both aspects of being Black and being a they are called out by their names, and how woman, it would not be possible to create the much of a woman they are in relation to other stereotypes of Mammy, Sapphire, Jezebel, or women. These themes can correlate with “welfare queen.” Gilliam’s formula for stereotypes that were created and then pushed stereotypes also explains intersectionality. It is a and shown on television. The three stereotypes I way to look at the overlap of identities that an decided to look at, the Mammy, Sapphire and individual can face while being part of a Jezebel, are recreated even today, and this is minority group within systems of race, gender, shown through the YouTube comment section. health, class, etc. Without intersectionality, it is Policing of Black women’s bodies is a way for hard to understand why Black women have people to regulate and correct Black women, and different experiences than other women. this is shown through my data collection and Crenshaw (1991) understood how crucial it is to thematic analysis. acknowledge all aspects of a person’s identity. These stereotypes must look at every facet of a A limitation of this research is that I person’s identity (Gilliam, 1999). Furthermore, coded the comments on my own. With other these stereotypes require that you be both black researchers involved in the coding, the themes and a woman. Therefore, intersectionality is would have been more stabilized and consistent.

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Another limitation is that the research was constructed in a semester, which created time limitations. Additionally, the data is specific to a show that is no longer on air and was aimed at a very specific audience. It would be interesting to see how things would change if the show was directed at white middle age women instead of young teens and Blacks in their early twenties. YouTube also created a limitation as a platform for data collection because comments can be deleted or reported if they are too offensive or the uploader chooses to remove it. In the future, a platform without this option, such as the VH1 website, might allow for an analysis of a different audience that would not be regulated as much. In future research projects, I would want to collect more commentary from different channels that uploaded Flavor of Love. There is importance in studying the ways that social media enhances the ways we communicate (Nakagawa, 2014).

Further interests include analyzing whether more men or women engaged in policing, but since YouTube does not allow you to see the gender of commentators, I would have to move platforms. As previously stated, I would like to see the difference in themes when it comes to another show with different demographics. In the future, I would also like to explore other stereotypes in television shows. I would like to analyze the comment section as a television show is being aired as well, perhaps by using Twitter which is often used to comment on television shows as they air.

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Figure 1. Themes of online commentary.

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