Black women, Hollywood is just not that into you.

It’s unclear when my epiphany came that Hollywood not only is not into to black women but actually hates them. Yes, this is a play on words, stolen from the hit book and surely to become hit movie He’s Just Not That Into You. If you have not heard of the hoopla around this catch phrase then you should look it up as it is a helpful book for women. However, relationships between men and women are not the focus of this article. As, in my other article, I have stressed the fact that black women get the short end of the stick when it comes to the entertainment and fashion industry. However, sometimes just how short that stick is has been underestimated.

It has become clear as day that Hollywood is truly not into black women. In every sense of the word, this is true. Look at the trailer for this movie He’s Just Not That Into You and really pay attention to it. The entire starring cast is white. However, just in case some people of color might feel left out there are gay men of color and in the trailer there are two overweight black women who appear out of nowhere just to say “Girl, you better get yourself some ribs and some ice cream because you’ve been dumped!”. It is hard to really explain all the ways in which this 20 second clip is offensive to women of color. All of the women in the cast are thin, supposedly beautiful white women who are looking for romance and are obviously sought over even if the guys in the movie don’t always treat them as well as they should. What purpose did it serve to show these two random black women in this manner? Why did they have to mention ribs, which is stereotypically associated with black people. Why were they overweight in a cast full of thin white women? Why were they sassy and brazen when the other women are shown to be ladylike and feminine?

These women were seemingly thrown into the mix with, judging by the trailer, no connection to anyone or anything. Why have them in there are at all? What is Hollywood’s obsession with juxtapositioning stereotypical black women next to stereotypical white women? When most of the stereotypes associated with black women are negative and most of the stereotypes associated with white women are positive, then it is not hard to figure out who will come out smelling like roses and who will come out smelling like…well you fill in the blank.

Black women in Hollywood are the butt of jokes especially larger black women. They are there to provide comedic effect and to act as a shelter in the times of need for their white female friends. They do not get asked out let alone get the guy in the end. Let’s go back to the quote. The black women say that this character has been dumped and the way it is said is that they know all about this position because they are in a perpetual state of loneliness. Because they are such experts on loneliness, they seek to give that white female some advice. She should just resign herself to a plate of ribs and ice cream like they have.

Hollywood is very smart. Most people have been so ingrained with these stereotypes that they don’t even notice things like this. It has become normal and they have become desensitized to it. Black women you can not and should not allow yourself to become complacent in these matters. How these Hollywood directors and producers portray you affects your everyday life. Perhaps it seems inconsequential to show black women like this but that is not true. Do these images of black women increase or decrease the self-esteem of young black girls? Does it make them feel better or worse about themselves to see women who look like them being treated so callously and insignificantly? Black women must stop acting like these things don’t matter because it does and if it doesn’t bother you it might bother someone you love. We must speak out against these stereotypes not just amongst each other but also let the powers that be know that we have our eye on them and we are not happy with what we are seeing.



When our money collectively starts to stay in our purses and the movie and tv executives are told why, perhaps they will start to listen. Money is the only thing these people care about. If we stop making it profitable to make jokes at our expense then maybe they will finally take notice and start giving us roles that are more diverse. Why not cast a black women as a damsel in distress, a princess, a woman who is sought after, one who is not angry. Here (movies@newline.com) is the email to contact New Line Cinemas which is the movie studio promoting He’s Just Not That Into You . Let them know how you feel. I will do the same. Don’t just tell them why you won’t see this movie but what kind of movie you would support and spend your money on. If we speak up together we can really change our negative image. It is the only way.

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