Formation, Beyonce, and representation

Context from the blog: 

Slavery was finally abolished in North America in 1865, following the collapse of the Confederacy and the American Civil War. However, despite being illegal for a relatively long time, there still exists great discrepancies in the rights and lives of black and white people in America (and many other countries).

The act of owning another human being seems bizarre now. So how was it ever justified in the first place? One answer is that it was justified by flawed, racist scientific assumptions.

• This image makes the assumption that black and white people are different physically both inside and out. This could provide reasoning to how segregation began, as theorists who created images like this one, fuelled the argument that black and white people are different.
• The image could arguably show progression to how evolution caused a Chimpanzee to become a modern human. By placing the black person in-between these two stages, it compromises their worth as it suggests they are not entirely human. This degrades black people. 
• This image was made in 1854, and due to it being an older image, the messages conveyed are clearly 'behind' and do not reflect a modern day perspective on evolution. This could be because the creator did not have scientific understanding, or simply because they did not know any better.
•  I do not think this was made maliciously, however, I do believe pieces of artwork like this contributed to people segregating black and white people. 

Task - analyse the above image using the textual analysis toolkit, and answer the following questions:

What ethnicity/ethnicities are being represented in this image?

• The women within this image are all black. I could not tell you the specific ethnicity, but I believe these women are all African-American.

What media language is being used to represent these ethnicities?

• The mise-en-scene of the hairstyles. The woman with the afro style hair, and the woman with the braids, all connote stereotypical representations of black women from these specific ethnicities. 
• The mise-en-scene of costume, which incorporates outfits which would have been expected of women during the slavery time period. This presents these women as having ancestors who were oppressed by a white society. (they are wearing white clothes)

What ideological message is being constructed about ethnicity here? Is it simple and straightforward, or challenging and complicated?

• It is easy to tell that they are African-American, because of the hairstyles and the skin-colour. This is a simplistic construction of ethnicity.
• However, the costume subverts the stereotype that all black women within this time period would have been poor, as the costumes seem to be that of a rich person. This is reinforced by the setting, which appears to be representative of a grand house. This makes this representation as complicated.
• Everyone within this shot is of African-American ethnicity, this could show that they have been segregated so they all have to be together OR it could show black empowerment, which is the general theme of the video. I think the preferred reading is black empowerment, but I am not 100% sure. This is why I believe the ideological perspective is slightly complicated.

What impact does this image have on the young, black, female target audience?

• It shows them that they can be powerful and rich, just like Beyonce and her friends.

How can we apply the concept of reappropriation to this image?

• They are all wearing hairstyles which they were previously shamed for.
• They are all wearing costumes which were previously shown to reinforce power against them.

Some quotes I found from the article:

"Beyoncé does more than proclaim black pride during a particularly tense period of race relations. She also highlights the diversity that has historically existed among African Americans." 

• This supports my theory in the last blog post, that the reason she represented so many groups within her video, was to present an inclusive movement.

Indeed, as New Orleans native Yaba Blay reminds us, “people who are light skinned, with non-kinky hair and the ability to claim a Creole heritage have had access to educational, occupational, social and political opportunities that darker skinned, kinkier-haired, non-Creole folks have been denied.”

• This is why Beyonce includes multiple black people within her video, who all have different appearances, to show that everyone can be empowered.

How is black female identity encoded in this image? Make reference to hair, costume and mise-en-scene in particular:

• The mise-en-scene of Beyonce's hair is braided, this is a stereotypical black hairstyle, and is heavily associated with black culture. It is widely known amongst the community and general audience for this music video.
• Beyonce's costume consists of jewels, this subverts stereotypes as it presents black females as powerful and strong individuals.
• The camera-angle is low, this positions Beyonce in a place of height and therefore authority, as she is looking down on the audience. This further reinforces her power.

What ideological message is presented to the young black female target audience?

• That being a black woman is powerful, and you should be proud to display who you are. Beyonce's hair is braided, she wears the colour black. She is displaying proudly what makes her a black woman. 

What impact does this have on the young, black female target audience?

• This will make a young black audience feel empowered and strong, it will make them want to join the movement, or indirectly do so, as they will feel more comfortable with showcasing who they are.

• Beyonce's hair is braided, which is a stereotypical black hairstyle. This shows a young, black audience that they can wear their hair how they please, which is empowering for them.
• Beyonce is seen leaning out of the car window, this presents a theme of freedom, and shows a young, black audience that they can do as they please, and not worry about the law.
• She is riding without a seatbelt, which is illegal, but this shows she has no fears about the police, which many young black people would. This presents Beyonce as an icon, and makes her seem idealistic because she is doing something many are afraid of. This creates the narrative that she is fearless, and encourages other to think the same.

• The mise-en-scene of the setting is in New Orleans, where many black people felt as if they were neglected during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. By positioning Beyonce here, it shows that she is still there for them. This shows young black people, that as long as they have each other, they do not need validation from anyone else.
• The camera-angle is straight forward, looking at Beyonce, this shows young black people that they are on the same level of her, and empowers them to strive for her level of confidence as they believe they can.