What’s up, world? Telecom here, and it’s time for an essay review. Today, we’re doing ‘Oppositional Gaze: The Black Female Spectator’ by bell hooks. This essay is part of her collection ‘Black Looks,’ and I think it requires a second reading for three reasons. First, you must read it twice to understand what bell hooks mean by the ‘oppositional gaze.’ Second, she doesn’t clearly explain what she means by the ‘phallocentric center,’ especially when discussing black male filmmakers. Third, she assumes the reader understands her reference to the ‘cinematic construction of white womanhood.’

So, hooks starts the essay by discussing the power of the gaze, or just looking at somebody, and how it can be interpreted differently. You can be political, oppositional, or even insulting. She explains the historical context where black people, and mainly enslaved people, were often punished just for looking at someone. She uses Emmett Till’s story as a central example of this – a black kid punished and killed for looking at a white woman, with the subsequent open casket becoming a symbol of this issue. The idea here is that a gaze can have effects beyond just looking; it can be oppositional, and you can be punished for it.

bell hooks brings up Michel Foucault and his ideas on power and how it can manifest in different forms across periods but still use the exact mechanisms to exert dominance. The oppositional gaze is a form of resistance, and Foucault encourages this resistance, believing that these opportunities to oppose or resist exist in all forms of life and situations. He posits that it’s up to the oppressed to find these pockets of resistance.

The essay then discusses black men and women in cinema. hooks argues that black men were able to escape a white supremacist structure within cinema somewhat, whereas black women could not, as they were often presented as objects of a male gaze. When discussing black male filmmakers presenting black women in this way, I wish bell hooks had provided more examples, as it’s unclear what period she’s referring to. She acknowledges that things have evolved but still wants to express thoughts spanning many decades. Specific examples would have been practical When discussing the rise of black cinema, especially considering films from the ’90s like ‘Poetic Justice’ and ‘Soul Food.’

This section of the essay introduces the concept of ‘phallocentric power,’ another term for male dominance. At the same time, there are plenty of movies from the golden age of black cinema that don’t focus on women, like ‘Menace II Society,’ ‘Juice,’ ‘Boyz n the Hood,’ there are also films like ‘Soul Food’ or ‘Poetic Justice’ that don’t necessarily objectify women. However, it’s unclear what period bell hooks focuses on, as she refers to movies from the ’60s to the ’90s, which are very different eras for black cinema.

The last third of the essay discusses the usefulness of the oppositional gaze, why it exists, and whether it’s necessary. The perspective from the gaze is black women watching films and looking past race, so the content does not hurt them. There isn’t a strong argument that the oppositional gaze makes things better, but it is argued that black women must avoid harm and still enjoy film as an art form.

In summary, this essay posits that watching movies can be more challenging for black women, which is probably true for everyone. For example, it might be difficult for a white person to watch ‘The Boondocks.’ What would have helped in this essay is if bell hooks had been more specific with examples, particularly regarding movies and periods. I also wish she had addressed the idea that some people choose to be hurt by specific content, questioning where willpower comes into play. There are movies out there that can affect anyone, not just black women. bell hooks seems more concerned with theory, especially black film theory, and feminist film theory, in a time when an oppositional gaze is still necessary. The development of this theory, creating different rules and norms within this area of study, highlights that an oppositional gaze is still essential for many groups to appreciate and critically assess these films.

So, that’s ‘Oppositional Gaze’ by bell hooks. Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you next time.