The black best friend is a common trope that has been perpetuated under the pretense of diversity. An important because they see themselves as a secondary character in their favorite If memory serves, Stephen also has an Asian best friend, a Mexican best friend, and a Jewish best friend (Jon Stewart). He says no, it can't be racist if it's him doing it. Sure, she had a best friend who had no shortage of issues (seriously,the entire premise of the movie is kind of weird) and shemight havebeen lacking a little in the morality department. Rose Catherine Pinkney, a television executive, told the, This doesnt mean that there cant be black best friends in movies. Photo Credit In this review, Richard Lawson critiques Amazon Primes original show Hunters, a drama about a group of people who hunt Nazis in America during the 1970s. This also protects the film from receiving backlash for lack of diversity because they used a black character in a positive way., It is not awful that black actors are getting roles. But,what was so great about her was she didnt have to sacrifice parts of herself in order to be a good friend. But don't write offClueless as just another teen movie. You've got class. Shes the character who seems to perpetually exist outside of the plot, a sort of one woman Chorus whose main purpose is to cast her eyes to the heavens in the most exaggerated of eye rolls, click her tongue, and make smarmy comments about whats going on while never actually being allowed to take part in whats going on. He was initially a reservist who was assigned to fill in for Jordan when he was not available for duty and had his own life to lead otherwise. She's never too busy to lend an ear, or come along on your wacky schemes. The idea for Clueless went through several iterations, beginning as a TV series, then getting turned into a feature film at the advice of Heckerling's agent, Ken Stovitz, then getting rejected "so many times it was a joke," according to Stovitz. Or do they just appear whenever their friend needs them in order to be available to their every whim. They exist solely to cater to the development of the white main character and are never given their own part where they can grow and develop themselveswhich is ironicbecause these characters are oftenthe funniest and most interesting. who probably is light skin with curly hair (but thats another argument for Hey, most of us have probably been there at one point or another or will presumably be that friend in the future. Weve obviously come a long way since Mammy, but the fact that shades of this type still exist in some of todays most popular television shows and movies speaks to an ongoing idea of black femininity and identity that we wouldnt even be able to scratch the surface of here. Other examples include Tucker from Danny Phantom or AJ from Fairly Oddparents. Characters like Dionne in Clueless, Bonnie on The Vampire Diaries, Mercedes in Glee, or Any of Gabrielle Unions Roles in the 90s offer slight variations on the angry black woman trope, but even in those roles there sometimes lies a certain degree of tension. Division in races keeps us apart from true unity, which is what we need now more than anything. So, yay for increasing diversity!! ", When talking about the "sensitive issue of race", Miranda and Courtney gain one in Mipsy - a. With default one-dimensional portrayal, these token character feeds into what Kwame Anthony Appiah discusses in his essay, Is the Post- in Postmodernism the Post- in Postcolonialism?. Premiere! So, you're hip. When people watch Miless character they wont think oh are all white people like this?. Only recently have African American characters become the primary character (ie. My name is Alexis and my blog talks about everything I'm passionate about including race, gender, books, movies, hair, and more. being someone there just to add diversity to a cast. another day). So Hardly any of the movies I grew up on placed Black characters in roles where they didnt exist to be a foil to their white counterpart or where they werent playing thugs or criminals. Sure, she probably wasntand still isntthe bestrole model, but there are certain aspects of her character I can praise her for and her forceful presence is definitely one. Do they have a home, a family, or even a pet goldfish named Sir Swims-A-Lot? And since you're black, and I'm white, that makes it more a-special for the audience! It's less likely to see a black main character with a white best friend although it does happen. Is it okay if I share ?! In our reality, our world is diverse. Follow her onInstagram. Winston serves no purpose on the Fox comedy other than to add diversity. Berk also has a black friend called Dennis, who has less of a role in the plot than their other best friend Felix. Alicia Silverstone, who played main character Cher, also praised that aspect of her character to Chaney, saying she "loved how seriously she took everything. The Black Girl Bestie. Of course, it is expected; how can everybody relate to a film when it excludes parts of the world we see? Their sole purpose in media is to support, advise, and/or. All that being said, the token black friend (or BBF) is a stereotype that has mostly been weeded out due to minorities seeking roles of higher acclaim. The token black friend in a sense now becomes a reflection of the entire black community. Newer series/movies such as The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Tall Girl, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and Stranger Things also have the trope. Black People Are Tired Of Being The Stereotypical 'Black Best Friend' In TV And Movies. Sure, Dionne (Stacey Dash) could technically be considered an example of the "black best friend" trope, but she gets her own plot lines and character quirks wholly outside of Cher. Since Vox launched in 2014, our audience has supported our mission in so many meaningful ways. But the thing that stuck with me and that makes the movie resonate even now is the feeling of awe at what seemed like a new type of human being springing into brilliantly colored life on screen. Other times its like the director Googled standard Black stereotypes and rolled them all into one agreeable character that could not only be used as comic relief but also display this false sense of inclusion. I hope you enjoy Dionnes character as much as me! On Master of None, Denise ( Lena Waithe) is the smart, deadpan, effortlessly cool childhood friend of Aziz Ansari's Dev and her blackness and lesbianism is treated as a matter of fact, neither. So in celebration of its 20th birthday, here are six lessons to learn from Clueless. (another argument for another time). Note: This is a black character whose role either A) revolves almost entirely around a white character or B) serves as a conscious effort for a white character/writer to appear inclusive. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and These films all star a white protagonist. Stream Mixtape #94: Rebirth of Spring Now. Other peoples acceptance shouldnt have had anything to do with how I defined myself but it did. Why arent there more blacks and more whites in the same film? This is frequently the type of racism that is common today - people have generally racist mentality out of ignorance and not out of bigotry. Her character had her own story, her own relationships outside of her friendship with Cher (the main character). More than 80,000 people have responded to requests to help with our reporting. I think the show tried a little harder than most shows to make the minority best friend more three-dimensional. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. An Undead Horse Trope that may be depressingly difficult to put down. (Also, Neptune, the town where the show takes place, is divided into classes which look at the money you make and frequently also the colour of your skin (some exceptions, but as a rule the white kids are on top) - Wallace wasn't so much the black best friend to give the main character a black best friend, rather he was black because she wouldn't be able to make friends with someone who wasn't also spurned as a social outcast to some degree, and with the town being a little racist as well as money obsessed, it made sense for it to be the black boy she felt sympathy for. Automatically we can tell Miles (Rafael Casal) is a white man but not representative of all white people, he is just playing a role. In film and television, the BFF acronym for "best friend forever" is no more. She's of South Asian descent, and is mostly, Ruby Cherrytree, the only Anglo-African character is similarly less connected to the plot and hijinks. She is literally so wild. Why does it always reach extremes? This put Clueless among the ranks of several mid- and late-'90s movies and television shows that helped to normalize and deepen portrayals of LGBTQ characters, coming out (no pun intended) on the heels of MTV's The Real World season three, which featured out and HIV-positive Pedro Zamora, and paving the way for later shows likeEllen and Will & Grace. industry is trying to be more inclusive, it gives off the impression that black See also Magical Negro, Token Minority, Satellite Character, and Gay Best Friend. The "Black best friend" is described as a character archetype found in movies and TV shows that center around a white protagonist. Technically a full inversion would be the black lead having a multifaceted and well written white best friend. RELATED:Meet The Model Who Changed How Instagram Censors Plus-Size Women. Oh wow, I really like that quote because it is true!! His Grandma is a Sassy Black Woman who can out funk anyone. Andrea Moreno is the black best friend of Melinda Gordon in. The movie is set in the United States, where the predominant race is Caucasian, therefore the people that are not, are usually place below regarding the underlying social hierarchy. One of Michael Scott's quirks from the US version of. Worst of all they could sometimes be forgettable because the spotlight isnt on them at the end of the day. amount of films and tv shows that include the black best friend trope and come According to, It is not awful that black actors are getting roles. However, this doesn't mean this trope still doesn't affect me. Subverted in that Original Cindy has a healthy and acknowledged sex life and frequent subplots involving her life and relationships. See additional information. on how he realized at a cocktail party that most of his friends were white. Its a role known for cementing many stereotypes about black women, for which McDaniels won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first black person in history to receive an Oscar. The magazine showcased middle-class black people doing every-day activities that were usually associated with white people. These characters all have one thing in common: they dont particularly have a significant roleor an interesting plotline in these movies or TV shows. New . People watch Clueless and see Dionne's character and automatically assume that black women are not afraid to speak their minds, are sassy, and are always in your face. Clueless is a 1995 teen comedy from Amy Heckerling, starring Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash and the late Brittany Murphy . No,no,no,no, you misunderstand. When I watch black characters I want it to be relatable, I want to see conflict, mental health issues, family drama, but also the good stuff as well, like dating, promotions, starting a family, etc. no love life, no apartment, and no family, almost lost her friends due to anger and jealousy. Trouble In The Streets Debut Full Length Satisfy Saturn Is The Future. Will you help us keep Vox free for the next nine years by making a gift today? I feel like most of the time, it is such a subtle thing. He may kill every assassin dispatched against him with casual obliviousness, disassemble the evil plot with trivial ease, and otherwise destroy the bad guy's evil empire without ever becoming the wiser. For members of a generation who watched it during their formative years (and then rewound it and watched again and again), the seemingly flighty comedy revealed some way existential truths. Thanks, Clueless! Although I do not really watch tv or movies, I have noticed this as well. Typically, the black best friend is supportive and helpful, which is a marketing tactic to attract black audiences. Old, teen classics such as Clueless (1995), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) and some of the "Bring It On" movies showcase the black best friend or secondary character trope. (Until it's time to save the day of course. It also reminds me of a quote I once saw (although I dont exactly remember who said it) that having a minority role does not mean that the production should expect a large minority following in return; one role does not mean the same as cultural acceptance on the bigger screen. he VANISHES without any explanation whatsoever. Black people deserve to be depicted as heros just as well as they're able to play that nice best friend whose only role is to make their white counterpart look good. Andy: Oh, we've only had one conversation, but I can tell we're gonna be life-long friends. Critique: Review of Amazon Prime's Original Show, Hunters, Critique: "The Radical Blackness of Ebony Magazine", Tony Stark/Iron Man and James Rhodes/War Machine. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. And when you say "Some of My Best Friends Are X", you want people to know that there is credibility behind that statement. She is the person you call when you are sad, your sassy protector, and your rock to lean on. Will you help us keep Vox free for the next nine years by making a gift today? The thing about Michael is, he's not a racist out of bigotryhe's a racist because he's an idiot. Thank you!! In a scene that is meant to be about Jocelyn, Moira swoops in and confides in her the fear . These days what I remember of adolescence is the horrible things that happen to everyones bodies and personalities seemingly simultaneously but watching Clueless reminds me of that fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime rush of self-discovery, of feeling out the edges of yourself and finding, to your surprise, that there actually were edges, delightful in their newness and uniqueness. Historically, people of color have had to play nurturing, rational caretakers of the white lead characters. Your black best friend is sassy. The angle can be identified throughout the piece, but it is kind of hard to fully understand their position. And there wasone trope thatkept popping up over and over as I revisted some of my faves:the role of the Black best friend.. The Best Friend Trope, Explained The Take 1.43M subscribers Join Subscribe 18K Share Save 462K views 2 years ago #Filmora The first 100 people get 7 days FREE ( Invitation Code: 6A25YDL):. 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