Mammy Stereotypes In Film

Black actors, since the beginning of cinema have struggled to get the attention and credit from the Academy. Several times, my personal heroes where forced to compromise their grandiose acting ability for small “mammy” and “sambo” characters. We were forced to the back and never really given a chance to shine in the spotlight. Discrimination against African Americans even plagued children’s cartoons.

In my paper I would like to cover how, black actors, especially women, are being discriminated against in the roles they are given to play. Granted that the roles have expanded from “mammy” and “Aunt Jemima”, we are still not given leading roles. And the leading roles that they do receive often do not accredit the black community as having

Although this film represents a lot of the misconceived notions about gender, class and race, it is still hailed as a classic amongst many critics. The mammy in this film was actually called Mammy. Played by Hattie McDaniels, Mammy of Gone With the Wind is the essential mother to her master's white children. A common part of the mammy stereotype involves raising children belonging to a white male authority figure. Mammy loves her white children more than her own black children. Mammy is the rock of the family; she is happy and humorous as the world crumbles around the O'Hara family during the Civil War. Not only does Mammy manage to raise what is left of the O'Hara family, she is there as the third generation is born and is ready to raise them as

There are messages about self worth for African American women in this mammy image. Young and old women alike will most likely leave this image unquestioned because it has existed for so long. With these images and what they stand for being so prevalent, it is understandable how they become internalized.

If we are to examine Mammy of Gone with the Wind, we notice that her life is without romance and spousal love. Mammies, as a general rule, are not creatures of a sexual nature. By being too unattractive, all inklings of sexuality are erased; she has no life outside of the home she lives and works in. Mammy is nothing more than a servant in rags. “She has no existence away from her domestic field, thus she is defined as asexual at best (Jewell 41)”.

For Hattie McDaniels to attain such a coveted award, for this particular role, is devestateing. It is devastating to know that he first Oscar ever given to an African American was for a role that perpetuated myths about African culture and sexuality. The role of Mammy is not a positive image of sexuality for African American women. Neither is another commonly stereotyped Black woman that I will cover in my next paper: