Set It Off Stereotypes
“Set It Off relied on stereotypical icons of African American women, they were a move in a more positive direction compared to past depictions.�
Springer, “Waiting to Set It Off: African American Women and the Sapphire Fixation� pg. 196
I have really mixed feelings about the movie Set It Off. From the reading, I gathered that this movie was supposed to defy the stereotypical portrayal of black women but I don’t really feel it did that. It did give black actresses staring roles and they weren’t the “Aunt Jemima� or “nagging background noise� characters. I felt though as if the movie portrayed other stereotypes instead. There’s the irrational black woman, Frankie, who after being wrongly accused and fired decides that it’s a good idea to rob banks. There’s the black lesbian, Cleo who is constantly referred to as “Mr.� or “him,� wants a pimped out ride, and enjoys watching her girlfriend wear a little number that rides up her ass and dance sexually. Tisean is very innocent and a very naive single mother struggling to support her son. Lastly, Stony is a smart and determined piece of eye candy that, in a way “dies� when her brother is murdered because in her mind the two are one. She keeps saying “we� got into college and “we� are going to UCLA. I guess that these stereotypes are more modern day than the mammy’s and jezebels of the past but I feel that it’s not very progressive if you are replacing discriminating stereotypes with discriminating stereotypes. Why do the black female characters need to be violent, insecure, and irrational?
I was very upset with the character of Stony. I couldn’t understand her rationale. She wanted more than anything to live in suburbia, live the middle class life. Yet, when given the opportunity to do so she takes the “hood rat� path. She meets a banker who went to Harvard, has traveled, and goes to balls. Everything that she dreamed of handed to her on a platter and he even tells her that he’ll grant her every wish. Yet, she still robs the banks with the other girls. I can’t grasp how she thought that rejecting the banker and robbing banks would grant her the life she wanted?