Saturday, February 11, 2012
Racial asthetics and "Where are all the Black Swans?"
I recently attended the community forum "Where are all the Black Swans?" The crux of the conversation was an article in the NY Times of the same name { http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/arts/dance/06kour.html?pagewanted=all } which talks about the lack of diversity, especially the lack of black female dancers in classical ballet. On the panel, there were several African Americans involved in the arts, including a classical actor, a classical ballerina, a ballerina who dances in non-traditional forms, and a music teacher. For me, the event raised a question of racial aesthetics and how black bodies are ascribed negative physical characteristics whereas white bodies are ascribed positive ones. One of the ballerinas spoke about how some classical ballet companies are hostile to what are perceived to be, black body types, and have a preference for white bodies. This whole concept is highly problematic, given that there is no such thing as a white body or a black body, we only hold stereotypical notions of each. There are plenty of white women, for example, who do not have the classical ballet body type. So, how is it that we as a culture develop and maintain ideas that black bodies are a certain way (soulful, curvy) and white bodies are the opposite? What are the politics of having an art form (like ballet) that excludes "black bodies" and what other art forms or professions are hostile to bodies that don't have what we perceive to be "white (Euro-centric) physical features?" How is it damaging for both black and white female bodies (and all other women of color) to be judged against a Euro-centric and unrealistic body-type standard? I think this relates greatly to Oyewumi's claim that Others are bodies, and Subjects are "walking minds," as well as her assertions about the ocular-centric ways of knowing in the West (the preference for what we see/observation).
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I spent much of last semester studying the history of Black Face Minstrelsy. I don't think it is a stretch to say that popular culture, especially the arts, is still greatly influenced by the stereotypes first performed on the Minstrel Stage. This kind of racial romanticism has a detrimental impact upon both the audience and the actor. Once there is a discourse established surrounding a certain "type" of performer, that performer will forever see themselves through the lens that has been constructed. Also, side note, from what I understand about ballet (which, admittedly, comes mostly from my one viewing of the movie black swan), you basically have to destroy your health to maintain that kind of "Euro-centric" figure. Should we endorse activities (I chose this word for its flexibility) that actively endanger the participants well-being (i.e. boxing, football, ballet, gymnastics, ect.)? I may have deviated a bit from the Feminist context; however, I feel like that is still a worthwhile question to ask.
ReplyDeleteKeyana, I think you bring up a lot of great points. I like that you talk about the stereotypical notions of a white or black body and the nonexistence of a typical type. It’s important to remember that the images people conjure up to fit the stereotypes are not real and do not in any way define the women. The fact that art forms such as ballet exclude “black bodies” seems to be rooted in tradition. The word tradition itself is a tricky word because it has positive or negative associations depending on the situation. In this case, because historically ballet has favored “white bodies”, people are not used to seeing “black bodies” in a ballet setting. Like most things, this tradition stunts change because very few people stop to re-examine the reasons behind and attempt to promote change. Instead, the majority merely accepts it as fact. You’ve raised many interesting questions that deserve to be thought about.
ReplyDeleteEsha, you make a wonderful point about the failure to reexamine stereotypes. Any person with common sense and a decent amount of exposure to those of various backgrounds knows how limiting and destructive stereotypes can be, yet they are still a huge part of the culture of our society. Stereotypes are generalizations that while may be true for a few exceptions is not true for various population groups on the whole. Stereotypes come from ignorance and only continue to perpetuate a cycle of ignorance; they always fall short of the truth and therefore cannot be upheld as "fact". What will it take for society to rid ourselves of the foolish assumptions we make about people based simply on their external appearance or even what we've heard through the grapevine? Regardless of the "white body" of one woman and the "black body" of another, both are human and have not done anything to merit the entire flood of assumptions that comes with the perceptions of others.
DeleteKeyana, these questions are excellent. Race and appearance, and especially the way we see ourselves, determines the endeavors we even attempt to perform. This reminds me of gender boundaries because as a girl may be afraid to play rugby, (because she may be perceived as butch, or has fear that she won't be as good as boys) it would be increasingly difficult for a woman of color to enter an art form that is perceived as white. Even before one pursues these endeavors, she is already set back by societal expectations. I think this prevents many women from crossing the lines in racialized arts, but ballet is an especially good example because I think that it also limits males from participating, and it's also limiting to lower-income families. A male ballerina of course is seen as feminine, and ballet, as a fine art, targets high-income social groups. I think that unless a certain ballet group is specializing in recruiting a diverse members, it's very hard to break down the race, gender, and income expectations of fine arts.
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