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It seems the world always has a favourite, during the awards season. That one actress who does everything right and that we love to bits.
Jennifer Lawrence held the IT girl title this time last year, when everyone fell for her effortless and unapologetic sense of self.
This year saw the rise of Lupita Nyong’o (which is said in a nasal American voice if you believe all the presenters who attempt to pronounce her name).
She’s received some serious sartorial recognition by being included in almost all of the best dressed lists so far.
(Oh yes, she’s obvs also gained acknowledgment for her stupendous acting talent particularly in 12 Years a Slave.)
In Feministwire, Janell Hobson an associate professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University at Albany, dissects the complexities surrounding women and self-representation. She brings the example of Mrs Carter/Queen B/Blue-ivy’s mom/Jigga’s baby mama to illustrate this point.
After Beyonce’s provocative performance at the Grammys, she was criticised for her “racy, inappropriate” performance. Even though it was with her husband (unlike Miley who was condemned for twerking on a married Robin Thicke at the VMAs last year), Beyonce was still unable to control her self-representation because her performance was considered to be unsavoury.
Don’t get me wrong, I do acknowledge that there are black female performers who deliberately choose the risqué approach in order to control their intentionally provocative self-representation.
This particular issue surrounding black women and their struggle to control how they represent themselves and control their self-representation has been under the spotlight recently. Miley Cyrus and Lily Allen in particular have been criticised for their representation of black women in their music videos and performances.
In Lily Allen’s feminist anthem Hard Out Here she chooses to depict black women in the way in which they are almost always wholly represented in the music industry: as raunchy video vixens.
The irony in this is that in what I think was supposed to be an emancipating tune for all women, it still ended up marginalising black women. But then again, feminism has always been reprimanded for ignoring the plight experienced by black women.
Nyong’o has received a different reception from the public in comparison to other high profile black women in the USA.
Whenever Nyong’o is discussed, she is almost always described as “classy”. We are also often reminded of how she “speaks so well” a phrase I can certainly relate to.
We are constantly reminded of her privileged background and of her family’s prestige (Her dad is a prominent politician and her aunt is on the Forbes list for being one of the most powerful women in Africa).
Hobson highlights what is problematic about this: Nyong’o is viewed as an exception to other black women.
She is middle-class and an Ivy league graduate who makes wise sartorial choices. She does not fall into the hypersexual blanket that most black women fall into (according to how they are represented and interpreted by the media whether they like it or not).
In an interview with CNN, Lupita shared how was she made hyper aware of her race only after she moved to the US (She is Kenyan-Mexican).
One of our favourite local bloggers Milisuthando Bongela also commented on the extraordinary attention placed on Lupita.
Mili recognises that the adoration towards Lupita is distinct and that the same obsession hasn’t been given to other black actresses in a while.
I agree with Mili that for someone who has not been in the industry for long, she is receiving heaps of attention. But I must say that I think that Kerry Washington was also the IT girl for television last year for her role as Olivia Pope in The Fixer. She plays the role of a strong black woman. She also received copious amounts of attention last year.
However Kerry Washington has been in the industry for years of acting. How has Lupita managed to become such an instantaneous hit?
Some feel that every decade or so Hollywood tends to choose one black star to punt for that year. She believes that it is an attempt by Hollywood to trivialise and hide the race issue that they have been accused of ignoring.
I do love Lupita but I must agree with fellow observers that the attention given to her has been overwhelmingly positive and different in comparison to other black actresses who have been in the game for longer than she has been.
My love for her aside, it is still good to tap into the free market of ideas surrounding her and the politics of gender and race in Hollywood and in the world.
P.S Still so happy she won at the Oscars!
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Jennifer Lawrence held the IT girl title this time last year, when everyone fell for her effortless and unapologetic sense of self.
This year saw the rise of Lupita Nyong’o (which is said in a nasal American voice if you believe all the presenters who attempt to pronounce her name).
She’s received some serious sartorial recognition by being included in almost all of the best dressed lists so far.
(Oh yes, she’s obvs also gained acknowledgment for her stupendous acting talent particularly in 12 Years a Slave.)
In Feministwire, Janell Hobson an associate professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University at Albany, dissects the complexities surrounding women and self-representation. She brings the example of Mrs Carter/Queen B/Blue-ivy’s mom/Jigga’s baby mama to illustrate this point.
After Beyonce’s provocative performance at the Grammys, she was criticised for her “racy, inappropriate” performance. Even though it was with her husband (unlike Miley who was condemned for twerking on a married Robin Thicke at the VMAs last year), Beyonce was still unable to control her self-representation because her performance was considered to be unsavoury.
Don’t get me wrong, I do acknowledge that there are black female performers who deliberately choose the risqué approach in order to control their intentionally provocative self-representation.
This particular issue surrounding black women and their struggle to control how they represent themselves and control their self-representation has been under the spotlight recently. Miley Cyrus and Lily Allen in particular have been criticised for their representation of black women in their music videos and performances.
In Lily Allen’s feminist anthem Hard Out Here she chooses to depict black women in the way in which they are almost always wholly represented in the music industry: as raunchy video vixens.
The irony in this is that in what I think was supposed to be an emancipating tune for all women, it still ended up marginalising black women. But then again, feminism has always been reprimanded for ignoring the plight experienced by black women.
Nyong’o has received a different reception from the public in comparison to other high profile black women in the USA.
Whenever Nyong’o is discussed, she is almost always described as “classy”. We are also often reminded of how she “speaks so well” a phrase I can certainly relate to.
We are constantly reminded of her privileged background and of her family’s prestige (Her dad is a prominent politician and her aunt is on the Forbes list for being one of the most powerful women in Africa).
Hobson highlights what is problematic about this: Nyong’o is viewed as an exception to other black women.
She is middle-class and an Ivy league graduate who makes wise sartorial choices. She does not fall into the hypersexual blanket that most black women fall into (according to how they are represented and interpreted by the media whether they like it or not).
In an interview with CNN, Lupita shared how was she made hyper aware of her race only after she moved to the US (She is Kenyan-Mexican).
One of our favourite local bloggers Milisuthando Bongela also commented on the extraordinary attention placed on Lupita.
Mili recognises that the adoration towards Lupita is distinct and that the same obsession hasn’t been given to other black actresses in a while.
I agree with Mili that for someone who has not been in the industry for long, she is receiving heaps of attention. But I must say that I think that Kerry Washington was also the IT girl for television last year for her role as Olivia Pope in The Fixer. She plays the role of a strong black woman. She also received copious amounts of attention last year.
However Kerry Washington has been in the industry for years of acting. How has Lupita managed to become such an instantaneous hit?
Some feel that every decade or so Hollywood tends to choose one black star to punt for that year. She believes that it is an attempt by Hollywood to trivialise and hide the race issue that they have been accused of ignoring.
I do love Lupita but I must agree with fellow observers that the attention given to her has been overwhelmingly positive and different in comparison to other black actresses who have been in the game for longer than she has been.
My love for her aside, it is still good to tap into the free market of ideas surrounding her and the politics of gender and race in Hollywood and in the world.
P.S Still so happy she won at the Oscars!
Follow Women24 on Twitter or like us on Facebook.
