Susuana Amoah | Goldsmiths, University of London (original) (raw)

Papers by Susuana Amoah

Black female directors have become a prominent topic in discourses involving diversity in the twe... more Black female directors have become a prominent topic in discourses involving diversity in the twenty-first-century mainstream film industry. This research study analyses and identifies the ways in which Black women have challenged the white and male-dominated film industry and created spaces for their narratives. By comparing and contrasting the film practices, critical reception and reflections of the Black female film directors Julie Dash and Ava DuVernay, this study uncovers the ways in which the landscape for the Black female gaze has changed over time, and how contemporary cultural and technological developments have forged new possibilities and challenges in the task of creating a diverse and inclusive future for film.

Today, there are many black people - predominantly black women - who are using social media to sh... more Today, there are many black people - predominantly black women - who are using social media to share their experiences of shadeism and challenge the beauty industry's hegemonic beauty standards that are both rooted in and rely on anti-blackness. In this essay, I aim to analyse how the industry enforces the “Beauty Queue” in the modern-day society and how black beauty influencers are addressing shadeism and advocating for change using their online platforms. I will begin by drawing from the work of Professor Margaret Hunter (2005), Professor Shirley-Anne Tate (2010) and Dr Tiffany Gill (2010) to conduct an overview of the institutionalisation of European beauty standards in the beauty and cosmetics industry and early examples of counter campaigns. I will then go on to explore how beauty influencer marketing and social media has impacted the discourse regarding shadeism, diversity, and inclusion within the beauty industry. I will do this by examining social media responses and YouTube reviews by black beauty influencers, such as Jackie Aina, Alissa Ashley and Nyma Tang, in reaction to the controversial Tarte Shape Tape foundation launch of January 2018.

In the 1970s the "female friendship film" became a prominent women's film sub-genre, with movies ... more In the 1970s the "female friendship film" became a prominent women's film sub-genre, with movies such as Julia (Zinnemann, 1977), Girlfriends (Weill, 1978), and 9 to 5 (Higgins ,1980) captivating audiences with stories about women's lives and female solidarity. Although this was a revolutionary time for women in society, due to the presence of the second wave feminist movement, many black feminists at the time believed that: "despite all the rhetoric about sisterhood and bonding, white women were not sincerely committed to bonding with black women and other groups of women to fight sexism" (hooks, 2014, p. 142). This dilemma can be seen reflected in the lack of representation of black women in female friendship films, as well as the unequal power dynamics portrayed in the few interracial female friendship films that were released during this period.

Although second wave feminism dissolved during the 80s, the female friendship film sub-genre proceeded into the 90s through the emerging chick flick genre; which also had its own racial diversity issues. Whilst chick flicks have commonly been described quite broadly as commercial films that are made for and about women, scholars such as Suzanne Ferriss and Mallory Young have highlighted how controversial this association is, due to the fact that "such films have featured protagonists who are overwhelmingly young, heterosexual, white and middle class." (2008, p. 8). This aspect of the genre has therefore meant that representations of female friendships in chick flicks have often been dominated by white women's experiences whilst women of colour are either absent from narratives or featured as token characters and sidekicks.

In this essay, I discuss how representations of friendships between white women and black women on the screen have developed across time and contributed to representations in American chick flick television. Through using critical race theory and feminist media theory by scholars such as bell hooks and Karen Hollinger, and drawing on examples from the early women’s film genre and the TV shows Clueless (1996) and The Vampire Diaries (2009), I analyse how these representations have reflected racial tensions in feminism over time.

Since the emergence of feminist film criticism in the 1970s, feminist film scholars, including Ja... more Since the emergence of feminist film criticism in the 1970s, feminist film scholars, including Jane Gaines (1975), Ella Shohat (1991), bell hooks (1992) and Jackie Stacey (1994), have criticised the ways in which dominant feminist film theory prioritises gendered difference, within its analysis of women’s representation and spectatorship, and marginalises the experiences of women who face intersectional oppression. By positioning gender as its main analytical focus, critics argued that feminist film theory also worked to universalize white, western-centric, colonial perceptions of womanhood.

The new wave of feminism that emerged around the time of the start of the new millennium, also re... more The new wave of feminism that emerged around the time of the start of the new millennium, also referred to by some as “the third wave”, has brought forth new theories, critiques and terminology, which have formed the defining factors of its era. One of these defining factors of feminist activism and critique in the third wave is the move beyond the critique of patriarchy and the recognition of gender discrimination in connection with other oppressive institutions, such as classism, racism and homophobia. The idea of a system of structures in society based on domination and oppression was coined in the term “kyriarchy” by the feminist theologian Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza. Considering that dystopian heroes tend to tackle oppressive authoritarian or totalitarian control in order to free themselves and others, the concept of kyriarchy is invaluable in an analysis of these figures.

Black female directors have become a prominent topic in discourses involving diversity in the twe... more Black female directors have become a prominent topic in discourses involving diversity in the twenty-first-century mainstream film industry. This research study analyses and identifies the ways in which Black women have challenged the white and male-dominated film industry and created spaces for their narratives. By comparing and contrasting the film practices, critical reception and reflections of the Black female film directors Julie Dash and Ava DuVernay, this study uncovers the ways in which the landscape for the Black female gaze has changed over time, and how contemporary cultural and technological developments have forged new possibilities and challenges in the task of creating a diverse and inclusive future for film.

Today, there are many black people - predominantly black women - who are using social media to sh... more Today, there are many black people - predominantly black women - who are using social media to share their experiences of shadeism and challenge the beauty industry's hegemonic beauty standards that are both rooted in and rely on anti-blackness. In this essay, I aim to analyse how the industry enforces the “Beauty Queue” in the modern-day society and how black beauty influencers are addressing shadeism and advocating for change using their online platforms. I will begin by drawing from the work of Professor Margaret Hunter (2005), Professor Shirley-Anne Tate (2010) and Dr Tiffany Gill (2010) to conduct an overview of the institutionalisation of European beauty standards in the beauty and cosmetics industry and early examples of counter campaigns. I will then go on to explore how beauty influencer marketing and social media has impacted the discourse regarding shadeism, diversity, and inclusion within the beauty industry. I will do this by examining social media responses and YouTube reviews by black beauty influencers, such as Jackie Aina, Alissa Ashley and Nyma Tang, in reaction to the controversial Tarte Shape Tape foundation launch of January 2018.

In the 1970s the "female friendship film" became a prominent women's film sub-genre, with movies ... more In the 1970s the "female friendship film" became a prominent women's film sub-genre, with movies such as Julia (Zinnemann, 1977), Girlfriends (Weill, 1978), and 9 to 5 (Higgins ,1980) captivating audiences with stories about women's lives and female solidarity. Although this was a revolutionary time for women in society, due to the presence of the second wave feminist movement, many black feminists at the time believed that: "despite all the rhetoric about sisterhood and bonding, white women were not sincerely committed to bonding with black women and other groups of women to fight sexism" (hooks, 2014, p. 142). This dilemma can be seen reflected in the lack of representation of black women in female friendship films, as well as the unequal power dynamics portrayed in the few interracial female friendship films that were released during this period.

Although second wave feminism dissolved during the 80s, the female friendship film sub-genre proceeded into the 90s through the emerging chick flick genre; which also had its own racial diversity issues. Whilst chick flicks have commonly been described quite broadly as commercial films that are made for and about women, scholars such as Suzanne Ferriss and Mallory Young have highlighted how controversial this association is, due to the fact that "such films have featured protagonists who are overwhelmingly young, heterosexual, white and middle class." (2008, p. 8). This aspect of the genre has therefore meant that representations of female friendships in chick flicks have often been dominated by white women's experiences whilst women of colour are either absent from narratives or featured as token characters and sidekicks.

In this essay, I discuss how representations of friendships between white women and black women on the screen have developed across time and contributed to representations in American chick flick television. Through using critical race theory and feminist media theory by scholars such as bell hooks and Karen Hollinger, and drawing on examples from the early women’s film genre and the TV shows Clueless (1996) and The Vampire Diaries (2009), I analyse how these representations have reflected racial tensions in feminism over time.

Since the emergence of feminist film criticism in the 1970s, feminist film scholars, including Ja... more Since the emergence of feminist film criticism in the 1970s, feminist film scholars, including Jane Gaines (1975), Ella Shohat (1991), bell hooks (1992) and Jackie Stacey (1994), have criticised the ways in which dominant feminist film theory prioritises gendered difference, within its analysis of women’s representation and spectatorship, and marginalises the experiences of women who face intersectional oppression. By positioning gender as its main analytical focus, critics argued that feminist film theory also worked to universalize white, western-centric, colonial perceptions of womanhood.

The new wave of feminism that emerged around the time of the start of the new millennium, also re... more The new wave of feminism that emerged around the time of the start of the new millennium, also referred to by some as “the third wave”, has brought forth new theories, critiques and terminology, which have formed the defining factors of its era. One of these defining factors of feminist activism and critique in the third wave is the move beyond the critique of patriarchy and the recognition of gender discrimination in connection with other oppressive institutions, such as classism, racism and homophobia. The idea of a system of structures in society based on domination and oppression was coined in the term “kyriarchy” by the feminist theologian Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza. Considering that dystopian heroes tend to tackle oppressive authoritarian or totalitarian control in order to free themselves and others, the concept of kyriarchy is invaluable in an analysis of these figures.