Now, it has been given a new name black best friend. Two-Bob considers Jacko to be a sellout, and knifes him to death. Inverted for Cho Chang who is Asian and has a white best friend Marietta that fits the, Defied by Regine, the black secondary character from, Rafael, Greg's study partner in an Israeli yeshiva in the middle third of, Shaunee is the only black main character of, Invoked for laughs in the Season 3 episode of, Parodied with J.D. By having a black Best Friend! The nickname, incidentally, is because he is so chronically unhip that it goes far beyond not conforming to stereotypes; he's actually "whiter" than his aggressively Anglo friends. What is awful is that we are still placing white actors above them and not giving them a clear spotlight. It takes place after someone they know has been hospitalized by police brutality which has started riots in the street, during which a police officers gun was taken by one of the rioters. Winston serves no purpose on the Fox comedy other than to add diversity. It wasnt until later that I realized how unusual it was to see black teenagers onscreen at all, let alone rich ones. RELATED:Meet The Model Who Changed How Instagram Censors Plus-Size Women. 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. Got it? Those characters: what I gravitated to was how positive they could be.". Is it because she has no love life, no apartment, and no family? Her only independent moment is to be annoyed that she's cast in a minor role in the school play. It really did affect my identity!! How are you the main characters best friend yet I keep forgetting who you are every season?! At the time I only considered her smart, beautiful, and stylish. Will you become one of them? The awkward and vaguely hostile relationship between Marsalis and Leno subverted this trope pretty effectively. Plenty of people in Clueless deride Cher for being an airhead, but she proves time and again that she has her own brand of pop cultureinflected smarts. Change). They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. The modern example I can think of right now would probably be Sharice from Atypical. The whole "Sassy Black Woman" or "Black Best Friend" thing has its roots in the classic film eras of the 30s, 40s, and 50s, when most black actresses could expect to play slaves, maidsand little else. Cluelessis a 1995 teen comedy from Amy Heckerling, starring Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dashand the late Brittany Murphy. It is a never-ending road with more potholes than a New Jersey highway, but Im glad Ive got a few good movies to keep me company. But not only that, these movies/TVshows will have much better content, and can become richer, more complexand just as successful. La Haine follows three friends, one black, one Jewish, and one Arabic, through a day in their lives in France. 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. When Cher was acting a fool, Dionne set her straight. Daveed Diggs-from Hamilton- and Rafael Casal-from Bad Education both starred in the movie Blindspotting. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. . Division in races keeps us apart from true unity, which is what we need now more than anything. Other examples include Tucker from Danny Phantom or AJ from Fairly Oddparents. Newer series/movies such as The Chill You're smart. Black people shouldnt be casted for roles just for the cast to appear diverse. They should be cast because they are talented. I liked the first sentence and how he explains himself in the rest of the paragraph. Diversity should not be a policy or guideline; it should be a natural occurrence. While the white protagonists grow and evolve as people throughout the series or film. up with new ideas where the main character is black or a person of color. (another argument for another time). In the "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" series Percy's best friend is Grover, who is played by Brandon T. Jackson. I would so often slip into roles that society deemed acceptable for meId try to be sassy, I would try to relate to my white classmates more, I would try to be less black. Now that I think back, trying to dilute myself so that other people deemed me worthy seems like such a waste of time. His sexuality, though it drives some of the plot, is not the sole defining quality of his character and the movie refreshingly frames it through Chers "bonehead" slow realization rather than any need for a dramatic coming-out monologue. According to, It is not awful that black actors are getting roles. The who probably is light skin with curly hair (but thats another argument for Historically, people of color have had to play nurturing, rational caretakers of the white lead characters. 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):. 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. Lets minimalize the 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. One must beg the question when we see these black female characters being snarky, sexually and aggressive, sarcastic, angry, vivacious, outspoken etc. Ghost in the Shell, Aloha, and Deathnote). As actress Yvette Nicole Brown described the character in an interview with Think Progress, her natural set point [is] suppressed rage that manifests itself as kindness and trying to keep everything tight. She speaks in a soft, sing-song voice that periodically breaks out into a deep bellow of sass when somebody crosses her. angsty, teenage white girl tries to find herself as she goes throughout her They really are. He gets some focus as the boy who does the Quidditch commentary but is still mostly defined as "the twins' friend". I feel like most of the time, it is such a subtle thing. The magazine showcased middle-class black people doing every-day activities that were usually associated with white people. being someone there just to add diversity to a cast. Worst of all they could sometimes be forgettable because the spotlight isnt on them at the end of the day. His role is to be his coworker, and because he refused to join on Guy's quest, he stays out of the action for much of the film until the climax. And when you say "Some of My Best Friends Are X", you want people to know that there is credibility behind that statement. However, this doesn't mean this trope still doesn't affect me. The token black friend in a sense now becomes a reflection of the entire black community. Married many times, he wants nothing more than to help his younger, naturally gifted partner nail any murderer foolish enough . ", "A white friend could be the difference between a ticket--" [black driver is handed a ticket as white friend watches sympathetically; arrow caption says "Ticket"] "--and a bullet in the ass." best friend, maybe consider them for the lead. 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. Lawrence is Michael's Brazilian (and gay) friend. I recently wrote a blog post describing the most difficult thing about being a black female medical student. Although he could hardly be considered friendly. (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. It's less likely to see a black main character with a white best friend although it does happen. It's different being the black best friend compared to a white best friend (rare). I was a few years away from being a teenager in 1995, and, thus, many of the references in Clueless went completely over my head the first time I watched it. There needs to be an end to this stigmatization that Black people are only good for that Black best friend role. What is awful is that we are still placing white actors above them and not giving them a clear spotlight. white lead character. It's hard to say, but there's one thing for sure. In this day and age, it has been and still is time to see change made. She is flawless to the point of being unreal. October 28, 2011. Berk also has a black friend called Dennis, who has less of a role in the plot than their other best friend Felix. Hollywood And people are always asking me to sing. The Black Girl Bestie. When Piccolo developed cancer and died, Sayers stood by him and encouraged him. My name is Alexis and my blog talks about everything I'm passionate about including race, gender, books, movies, hair, and more. Enter the Mammy figure who would make sharp, witty comments in the background while glamorous white actors and actresses glided across the screen. His contribution to the plot is being a last minute replacement for a dancer in the school musical. And when you say "Some of My Best Friends Are X", you want people to know that there is credibility behind that statement. An Undead Horse Trope that may be depressingly difficult to put down. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. no love life, no apartment, and no family, almost lost her friends due to anger and jealousy. 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. It's a candy-colored romp through the lives of privileged kids who mostly care about one another, with a heroine at its center who genuinely wants to make the world better, even if she's not always sure how to go about it. Clearly, no romantic comedy is worth making without the resident Black girlfriend.Regina King as Grace Rossiter Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)Regina King's character in "Legally. If memory serves, Stephen also has an Asian best friend, a Mexican best friend, and a Jewish best friend (Jon Stewart). They find that their work only sells if they essentially tokenize it, or package their culture into palatable bite-size art products. Most of the Black teens I saw in film were usually in roles such as the typical, token black friend (more widely known as the BBF: Black best friend). On one hand, were treated as criminals and thugs and on the other hand, people love us when were rapping or love our hairstyles and contributions to fashion. J.D. Throughout the critique, it is obvious that he isnt a big fan of the show. So, you're hip. Perhaps even more shocking to me was the idea that someone as beautiful and self-assured as Cher had moments of feeling "wretched," of thinking everything she did and said was wrong. It also shows just how deeply this system goes to keep Black people at the bottom of the rung. Some examples, Thats so Raven (one of my favorite shows growing up) and The Hate U Give. I think that self-discoverylike most thingstakes a whole lotta time. Rihanna, Viola Davis, Leslie Jones, Beyonce, Oprah, Octavia Butler are all outspoken, opinionated, ambitious, and oozing with self-respect. Its Thank you!! the TV show Blackish). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com, Your Neighborhood Friendly Token BlackGirl, http://appiah.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Is-the-post-in-postmodernism-the-Post-in-Postclonial-Critical-Inquiry-17.2.-1991.pdf, Whos That on Screen and Why Does She Look Like Me? These were still kids, but they were developing sharply defined senses of good and bad what was beautiful, what was important, and what was wack. "I have piles and piles of black friends. ; Barb, from The New Adventures of Old Christine is this, and it's constantly lampshaded by Christine. Directed by Amy Heckerling, the movie also stars Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy, Donald Faison, Stacey Dash, and Wallace Shawn. The trope is only problematic because it has resulted in our current reality, where characters of color only exist as the best friend to the white protagonist rather than having them be the main character, and that these best friend types are shafted by the plot and receive no depth or character development. Shes alson one of the most hated characters on the show fans criticize her for always being angry and for her blind hatred of all those super hot vampires who have emotionally traumatized her in the past. But 20 of the most iconic fictional best friends in movies. It shouldnt be about appearing diverse. It should be about hiring the actors qualified for the role, which in turn, means when a black actor is perfectly qualified, they have every bit of a chance as the next person to receive the role for their talent and not because of affirmative action. These stereotypes give the facade of diversity, while subliminally downgrading the black community. The Lone Ranger had Tonto . geromy doesnt fuck anything up ever because hes perfect. Here are a few signs that will help you become a more informed viewer and reveal if you are witnessing the tragic, old-as-time trope that is the BBF: If you can answer yes to any of these questions, you are sadly experiencing the tired stereotype that is being the token minority. Simply being black as well as friends with a white character does not automatically make a character this trope. I also noticed that the black best friend is usually the one always giving the white lead the best advice and always providing comedic relief. There are several major stereotypical roles, but one that appears to be very prominent in modern culture is the black best friend. Think of some popular films: Clueless, Sex and the City, 10 Things I Hate About You, Shes All That, The Devil Wears Prada, and countless more. 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. A black character who's shown to be just as relevant as their white counterparts does not count as this trope. 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. Why does it always reach extremes? ", Also inverted and parodied in "How To Not Get Your Ass Kicked By The Police" with this advice: "Get A White Friend. Because that is what people go through so we as a black community should be able to see that even if it is as the white protagonists sidekick. I feel like theres definitely been improvements in the film and TV industry in making more leads for female African Americans. Some of my best blacks are friends! In, Jason is the Black Best Friend of Charlie and Duncan in, In one of the earliest examples in film, Sam is this to Rick in, Blaise Zabini is indicated to be the only person that Draco respects/sees as an equal. The movies target audience might not have spent weekends poring over the pages of 19th-century mannered comedies, but Clueless slapped a plaid skirt and a 90s sensibility on Austen's pointed societal commentary and made it appealing to new and younger generations. Film-makers profit from the more audiences they get. I feel like some directors typically cast minorities so that they can say that they have an inclusive cast, but they really dont. Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know. I also really liked the questions/reflections that you wrote into your post, it made reading it feel more interactive and fun. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. The B.L.T. He also includes his feelings about the show early on. Im excited to rewatch the movie with this new perspective and understanding because I think Ill be able to get more out of the movie. By the end of the film, Bianca has outgrown her status-obsession, choosing her nerdy French tutor over the school's resident hottie. It probably wouldn't have been as funny if the black best friend hadn't been a character invented entirely for the purpose, and certainly wouldn't have been as useful as a running gag. Think of some popular films: Clueless, Sex and the City, 10 Things I Hate About You, She's All That, The Devil Wears Prada, and countless more. Unlike everyone else Pete never had a place (barn, talon, torch office, kitchen) and his only problem was living in Clark's shadow so he left for good reason. I lived by Thats So Raven, it was one of my favorites. The trope definitely pervades into societal expectations, and in part, identity issues (as you were briefly hitting upon in your final paragraph). This subtly belittles the race and degrades their influence. An This meant that I had a very limited number of Black heroes that I could name in my repertoire. ), Originally, Franklin was a kid from the next neighborhood over who apparently knew Charlie Brown from school and was visiting the Peanuts Gang. It makes you laugh and it makes you think. Originally posted . Made all the more transparent by the fact that Pete Ross was a blond, blue-eyed white boy in the comics. Already, 2015 has seen several high-profile and hugely lucrative comedies starring, written by, and directed by women Elizabeth Banks's directorial debut Pitch Perfect 2 raked in more than $180 million domestically, and Amy Schumer's Trainwreck gave director Judd Apatow his second-best opening ever. In film and television, the BFF acronym for "best friend forever" is no more. Its less likely to see a black main Or do they just appear whenever their friend needs them in order to be available to their every whim. This is frequently the type of racism that is common today - people have generally racist mentality out of ignorance and not out of bigotry. And since you're black, and I'm white, that makes it more especial for the audience, Smokey Brown, Joseph Joestar's buddy from Part 2 (, He makes fun of this in one of his standups when he says "All my black friends have a bunch of white friends, and all my white friends have one black friend! It's a sign of how well Oyelowo's career is going that he can turn down work especially when the black best friend (BBF) is among Hollywood's most enduring roles. (Until it's time to save the day of course. Im going to try to be as fair as possible. My name is Bianca Bullock and I'm a senior at High Point University, majoring in journalism. I did not look half as good). These films all star a white protagonist. What's the best way to show it? If theres one role that every struggling black actress has had to rely on at some point in her career, its the Sassy Black Friend. Thanks, Clueless! (Until it's time to save the day of course. Then there's Christian (Justin Walker), the transfer student who immediately becomes an object of lust for Cher but is later revealed to be gay. The cast of Clueless is arguably more diverse than the casts of many films made today, without feeling like a commercial for a very special yogurt. 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. The Hate U Give was definitely monumental for Blacks, not only because it showcased a cast of diverse Black actors, but it also showed the duality of how Blacks are portrayed by society. I think the show tried a little harder than most shows to make the minority best friend more three-dimensional. Gettin real tired of the sassy black friend trope whos only there so the white character can have a best friend, Mira (@Miraread_tweets) December 19, 2020. Automatically we can tell Miles (Rafael Casal) is a white man but not representative of all white people, he is just playing a role. By formulating this stereotype, we are stereotyping all African Americans and subconsciously labeling them at a smaller level of interest and importance. And tone is really what sets Clueless apart from so many other teen movies. Typically, the black best friend is supportive and helpful, which is a marketing tactic to attract black audiences. Even create films and tv shows with other The tactic behind keeping white characters at the top is so that nonwhite characters never completely steal the spotlight. Plus, the only cop in Chicago who seems to like Al is Officer Dan. Some movies successfully manage to take the trope and flip it on its head. Oh wow, I really like that quote because it is true!! Dwayne from GTAIV (provided you let him live), who is one of the nicest characters in the game. Will you help us keep Vox free for the next nine years by making a gift today? on how he realized at a cocktail party that most of his friends were white. Iron Man/Tony Stark and War Machine/James friends. This attracts a broader audience, which brings in more money to studios. [black driver is forced to the ground and a pistol is pointed at his cranium; arrow caption says "Not A Ticket"], A touching real life example is the friendship between the late Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, both football players. time for Hollywood to create series that feature a black lead who has black I want to see Black people play detectives who solve that big case or Black people who save the child in the end. 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. And again. Usually he's pulled out to show how tolerant the Pattersons are. But studios continue to balk at women-led films (see: the leaked Sony emails about why female superhero movies are a terrible idea for a particularly potent example). Throughout the opinion piece, they include ma. Now lets take a look at a white best friend example. Western storytellers have always been preoccupied with the misadventures of young white girls and women. She's been the news anchor and a co-host of. The '80s and '90s were a prime era for great teen movies, and Clueless is often lumped in with 1988's sharp satire Heathers, which shares a focus (popular high school girls) and certain elements (hyper-stylized dialogue and costumes) but in tone is the pitch-black yin to Clueless's sunny yang. And since you're black, and I'm white, that makes it more a-special for the audience! But what felt the most groundbreaking about Clueless was that it treated its characters' triumphs and woes with respect, as worthy issues to consider, even though they weren't saving thedregs of humanity from an oppressive government. 1. Similarly, when these actors are forced into tokenized roles (usually fulfilling this black best friend trope you addressed), they most likely feel what Appiah refers to as otherness (pg 22) as a result, which can lend a hand in examining these potential identity issues. While I was aware of the dangers of using a minority character to further the plot/support the white characters, it didnt connect for me that she was a reversal of that trope. Enjoy! he does have some stories that focus squarely on him. ", When talking about the "sensitive issue of race", Miranda and Courtney gain one in Mipsy - a. One of his Grandpas iswell, a senile old Blacula. Clueless offered me my first inkling that someday, I might grow up to be a fully formed person, instead of constantly feeling like an awkward child utterly dependent on others. In recent years, though weve seen a plethora of roles for black women that are far more varied and nuanced, the Sassy Black Best Friend trope still exists, usually as a form of comic relief or as a sort of Spirit Guide to white protagonists. Rose Catherine Pinkney, a television executive, told the Times that there is a long tradition of black best friends in Hollywood. Since I wrote that piece, Hollywood hasn't slowed its . 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. White people are not the superior race simply because there is no such thing as a superior race. Those words are heartbreaking and derogatory, but unfortunately, it is true. See also Magical Negro, Token Minority, Satellite Character, and Gay Best Friend. He tried to remedy this by putting an ad for himself on Craigslist for a black friend. As she told the Baltimore Sun after Clueless came out, studio executives were "worried about something that was so female-oriented." While things are still mostly unchanged, it can be seen that film and media are progressing to include non white primary characters and roles. Black actors/actresses should always be considered for main roles, and their names should never be thrown into a pile for consideration to be a simple supporting character. The man in question, Jordan Carlos. Then only five weeks later, she lost the title to, Her return to WWE in 2009 saw her playing the number two to whoever was the top face at the time - be it, Subverted with Robin Quivers. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. To the film industry, stop stigmatizing races; stop tiptoeing around diversity; start doing your job and represent all life in films. And in the three years since we launched the Vox Contributions program, tens of thousands of people have chipped in to help keep our unique work free. film and television there has been a certain trope of the white, main character 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. Deep bellow of sass when somebody crosses her most difficult thing about being a black character. Cop in Chicago who seems to like Al is Officer Dan do n't believe mixing... 'S been the news anchor and a co-host of was a blond, blue-eyed white in... About something that was so female-oriented. of black friends oh wow, I really like that quote because is! Moment is to be very prominent in modern culture is the black best friends in Hollywood it on head... 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Dancer in the plot is being a last minute replacement for a black character 's... As relevant as their white counterparts does not automatically make a character this trope still doesn & x27. From Amy Heckerling, the movie also stars Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash and. Makes it more a-special for the audience that black people shouldnt be for... On Craigslist for a dancer in the film industry, stop stigmatizing races ; stop tiptoeing around diversity ; doing... Tvtropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License needs to be an end to this that... Is black or a person of color are getting roles '', Miranda and Courtney gain one Mipsy. Dionne set her straight rest of the paragraph the background while glamorous white actors actresses! S less likely to see a black friend called Dennis, who less... Stereotypes Give the facade of diversity, while subliminally downgrading the black best more! Made reading it feel more interactive and fun alone rich ones as the boy who does Quidditch! So many other teen movies the first sentence and how he realized at a cocktail party that most of friends... Amy Heckerling, the movie Blindspotting to show how tolerant the Pattersons are hostile! Like Al is Officer Dan 's Brazilian ( and gay best friend to... Subconsciously labeling them at a cocktail party that most of his friends were white only good for that black friends! She is flawless to the point of being unreal subliminally downgrading the black friend. Because she has no love life, no apartment, and stylish Brazilian ( and gay best (! Friend although it does happen content and products are not intended to be as fair as.... Name black best friend although it does happen above them and not giving them clear! That were usually associated with white people are always asking me to sing put.! Words are heartbreaking and derogatory, but unfortunately, black best friend trope clueless is obvious that isnt. Anything up ever because hes perfect is to be a sellout, and no?! Hasn & # x27 ; s different being the black best friend Felix in... Awful that black best friend compared to a cast we are still placing white actors above and. Than most shows to make the minority best friend, maybe consider them the!