Subjects of Desire Parent Guide

Holness takes an expansive view of her topic, starting with a discussion of black women’s physical appearance. The film covers the lead up to the 2018 Miss Black America pageant and features multiple interviews with some of the contestants. Listening to the women share their experiences in navigating white culture, in trying to look “less ethnic” in order to win, can be painful. Worst of all are the childhood experiences of racism, when young Black girls found themselves compared to monkeys or lions or had classmates who insisted on playing with their hair. Anyone who hasn’t considered the long term effects of childhood racism will find these discussions illuminating.

Physical appearance isn’t all that Holness wants to talk about. She’s very interested in cultural tropes that serve to weaken black women’s power, focusing on three primary stereotypes: Mammy (happy, docile caregiver), Jezebel (hypersexualized and uncontrollable), and Sapphire (angry black woman). By reducing Black women to tropes, their opinions and concerns are automatically delegitimized and simplistic portrayals of them are more easily packaged and monetized.

Not only does Holness reclaim the originality and power of black women, she tackles the issue of cultural appropriation. She briefly examines the case of Rachel Dolezal, a white woman who pretended to be black, before delving into the widespread adoption of black beauty ideals by white women. As one woman complains, “American pop culture is diluted black culture. Take what black performers have been doing for years and put it on a white girl and call it a trend.” The bitterness and exasperation are palpable as Black women see their beauty ideals ignored until they are appropriated and monetized by white culture.

Parents or teachers can comfortably show this documentary to teens, but there is enough negative content that it’s unsuitable for kids. The only real problem here are clips of highly sexualized dancing – some scenes featuring women with fully exposed buttocks and barely covered nipples gyrating in sexually explicit poses. It’s not porn but it’s also not appropriate for young viewers. For teens, however, this doc could be a valuable tool for helping them question cultural norms and being more generous in viewing themselves. And that can’t be a bad thing.