by Ramona Free

Created on: March 16, 2009   Last Updated: April 06, 2009

Distorted stereotypical views on African American Women is nothing new. These almost animated distortions regarding the characterization of African American women's behavior started back during the 1930's. Hattie Mcdaniel won an academy award for best supporting actress for portraying an obese maid. She had a very agressive personality and was overly possesive regarding the caretaking of her female master. Her powerful and sometimes overly agressive expressions started a tradition that viewed African American women as overly aggressive, over powering, out of control and often disrepectful. During the 70's and 80's most of these female characterizations in movies and on television were just as stereotypical. The African American female is usually overly dominant when compared to other woman. Especially, white females who are usually known in the media and in main stream comedy as being very passive and in control of their emotions. The comedian Mike Epp's who became famous for his part in one of the Friday's movie series, joked on his platinum comedy series in "Inappropriate Behavior", that having a black woman was like having a probation officer. Flavor Flav's reality show is a modern day prime example of black women being out of control. In this reality show their primary task is to be Flavor Flav's chosen one. They go through devious means in which to secure their place as one of his bottom women.

This goes back to the seventies during the Black Pimp Dynasty. Black exploitation movies like, The Mack or Superfly, considered their bottom bitch as the woman that did the most fighting, stealing and making the most money for their pimp by selling her body. This modern day black explotation series "Flavor Flav" sends a distorted message that African American women are desperate for a man. Because of her incontrollable fury and desperation she is willing to portray her self as insecure, two faced, rude and disrespectful just to obtain and keep her man. There have been a few respectful characterizations of black women on television. One of these rare times was the character, Clair Huxtable, from the popular sitcom "The Cosby's". Clair was a intelligent cool, calm and respectable Black Female Attorney. She was in control of her kids, her marriage and her hi-ranking career. Unfortuanately, these positive role model's like Clair Huxtable only make up a very small percentage of the powerful media and entertainment multi-trillion dollar industry. Baldwin Hills is another

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