black best friend trope cluelessblack best friend trope clueless

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. but then he dies in Vietnam, and Forrest names his eventual shrimping company after him - giving a share of the profits to his mother, beforehand Karla was going to die, but they decided to spare her, revealing the vampire serial killer to just be Principal Higgins, and die to motivate her to finally face the killer, In a fake ending written to confuse potential leakers, she was one of the killers, but this was never intended to be canon, is revealed as a traitor who wishes to remain subservient to men. Do I have my own story? ", Also inverted and parodied in "How To Not Get Your Ass Kicked By The Police" with this advice: "Get A White Friend. on how he realized at a cocktail party that most of his friends were white. Cluelessis a 1995 teen comedy from Amy Heckerling, starring Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dashand the late Brittany Murphy. I want more movies where Black people are the stars of those cheesy coming-of-age movies. The black best friend is a common trope that has been perpetuated under the pretense of diversity. His mom is a hideous corpse mummy, about which nobody needs to ask any questions. In fact, thanks to the telling of their struggles gets a swanky reporting job in New York by the end and, of course, solves racism. The B.L.T. Fred and George have Lee Jordan. best friend, maybe consider them for the lead. This subtly belittles the race and degrades their influence. That is the difference. Of course, it is expected; how can everybody relate to a film when it excludes parts of the world we see? The content produced by YourTango is for informational and educational purposes only. Spring Is Reborn! 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. These stereotypes give the facade of diversity, while subliminally downgrading the black community. 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):. Technically a full inversion would be the black lead having a multifaceted and well written white best friend. The Black friend trope was adjusted to fit the needs of a post-civil rights society, though as demonstrated in the aforementioned recent examples, modern renditions bear a striking resemblance to the platitudes of previous eras. Hello there! This isnt necessarily to say that every token minority in films is portrayedpoorly. He gets some focus as the boy who does the Quidditch commentary but is still mostly defined as "the twins' friend". I think the show tried a little harder than most shows to make the minority best friend more three-dimensional. It was written by Aisha Muharrar and directed by Emily Halpern. Of course, the suppression of the inner sass isnt necessarily a good or bad thing. white lead character. "Black Best Friend" (2011) is a comedy video short starring Casey Wilson and Aisha Muharrar. In our reality, our world is diverse. October 28, 2011. Yes, Beyonc is a cultural icon with impressive clout. Follow her onInstagram. These films all star a white protagonist. Popular 'Black best friend' examples would be Dion Davenport from Clueless, Chastity from 10 Things I Hate About You, Chad Danforth and even Taylor McKessie from High School Musical, Rhodes in Iron Man, Sam Wilson in Captain America: Civil War, to name just a few. up with new ideas where the main character is black or a person of color. So, you're hip. another day). Although he could hardly be considered friendly. These films all star a white protagonist. A black character who's shown to be just as relevant as their white counterparts does not count as this trope. Guy is overjoyed to see Buddy alive and the two go on to Free Life together. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TokenBlackFriend, "Some of my best friends are sassy black people!". on how he realized at a cocktail party that most of his friends were white. Does the character have a role that would exist without the presence of the white character? 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. Inspired by Jane Austin's EMMA, this update is a smart, charming, and. Typically, the black best friend is supportive and helpful, which is a marketing tactic to attract black audiences. Usually he's pulled out to show how tolerant the Pattersons are. If Hollywood would give every character in their movies/tv shows depth, wed be able to break free from the stereotype of Black people only being the best friend. who probably is light skin with curly hair (but thats another argument for By formulating this stereotype, we are stereotyping all African Americans and subconsciously labeling them at a smaller level of interest and importance. 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. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Heckerling struggled with the same problem. This is one of the most used teen comedy tropes. 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. Being in the same class as Peppermint Patty with all her silliness helps. Huge milestone, but it doesnt hide the fact that as a character she really had no depth and no inner thoughts as the other characters. 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. Nia Tipton is a writer living in Chicago. 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. As a painfully shy Canadian transplanted to suburban Texas and struggling to fit into my new world, Cher's struggles felt like a real epiphany. 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. Why arent there more blacks and more whites in the same film? 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. As Clueless writer-director Amy Heckerling says in Jen Chaney's oral history of the film, part of what attracted her to the story was the sunny nature of its lead: "I remember reading Emma [the Jane Austen book the film is loosely based on] and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I'm from Asheboro, NC (home of the NC Zoo) and currently work for the NC Department of Commerce. He tried to remedy this by putting an ad for himself on Craigslist for a black friend. minority leads that have minority friends. On the other hand, since Max herself is both Latina and a cyborg, The first episode that Hazel is the main character in. shes just a caricature, a type. But Chastity's character never evolvesshe's just a mean girl, a. 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. Welcome! Bizarrely, this is why Michael, despite his blatant racism, seems to genuinely like Stanley to the point of being willing to fight Corporate to keep him as an employee, even though everyone else sees Stanley as one of the less likable (or even memorable) people there, and Stanley himself has nothing but disdain for everyone around him. The Principals in both School of Rock and Mean Girls aren't evil, just fairly clueless about their own schools and students. 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. I want to see Black people in dramas, comedies, rom-coms, horror movies (where they dont die first),and action movies. Somewill argue that at least Black people are booking roles in Blockbuster films and famous TV shows, and theyre not wrong; that's progress. The angle can be identified throughout the piece, but it is kind of hard to fully understand their position. 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. Then flashes up again. When Cher was acting a fool, Dionne set her straight. 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. Dionne is a fashion icon, a true friend to Cher, and the real star of Clueless in my humble opinion. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. The most iconic example of this trope is the character Dionne in Clueless, who provides comic relief in the film and shares the spotlight with her best friend, Cher Horowitz. It opens with Jen, Were definitely far from the representation we deserve but I do believe were getting there! Thank you, I appreciate it!! Winston serves no purpose on the Fox comedy other than to add diversity. You know the one. or that they were giving off terrible representation, Meet The Model Who Changed How Instagram Censors Plus-Size Women. The figure of the black best friend is a woman who exists merely as a supporting role to highlight and contrast the qualities of her white best 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. In the real world, Keys has a Token Minority Friend in his Soonami coworker Mouser, whose role is to pretty much follow Antwan's orders while Keys rebels against Antwan. (LogOut/ 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. believes casting a black (or minority) secondary character satisfies the We see these characters in shows like Parks and Recreation, where the character Donna Meagle (who NBC has describes as the parks diva) serves as a larger-then-life sass machine with some of the better one-liners in the show. Throughout the opinion piece, they include ma. Through time, there have been some major starring roles, but there is still a lot of evaluation to be done. Some detractors said that the movie conjured up the same stereotypical images that the Mammy character perpetuated. Cookies help us deliver our services. Although, it definitely should be improved. he does have some stories that focus squarely on him. 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. Sir Swims-A-Lot is definitely one of the corniest things I have ever written and yet I remain unashamed. 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. So in celebration of its 20th birthday, here are six lessons to learn from Clueless. Please enter a valid email and try again. Henry's as far from a token as can be. Even America's most famous young black actor couldn't escape it. Let them be the stars of their own personal lives: Oh, Winston ( Lamorne Morris , New Girl' s perennial weak link. Stacey Dash as Dionne Davenport: Clueless Clueless is about a 15-year-old. Everybody deserves the chance to take the spotlight. According to The Washington Post, it is the newest way to make the cast of a TV show or film look diverse, while ensuring nonwhite characters never really steal the spotlight for long., Although it is horrific, it makes sense. Enjoy! By submitting your email, you agree to our, Clueless turns 20: 6 way existential lessons it taughtus, What we know about the Dadeville, Alabama, mass shooting, Why Democrats best Trump indictment attack may be none at all, The outrage over Black teen Ralph Yarls shooting, explained, The worst-case scenario for drought on the Colorado River, Sign up for the I had always been interested in a character who is extremely optimistic, and what it would be like to be the kind of person who didnt have any self-doubt. 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). 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. Newer series/movies such as The Chill An Undead Horse Trope that may be depressingly difficult to put down. Can also involve Boomerang Bigots (e.g. And that's what I think makes her so ridiculous and lovely all the time.". She's never too busy to lend an ear, or come along on your wacky schemes. I never realized how much this trope was so prevalent, especially in popular films growing up. Do they serve to only advance their story? Devin Freidman wrote an article called "Will You Be My Black Friend?" New . In addition, black people in Real Life should definitely not be listed. They really are. ), Originally, Franklin was a kid from the next neighborhood over who apparently knew Charlie Brown from school and was visiting the Peanuts Gang. Your black best friend is sassy. She faces bullies, encounters her first love(s), deals with Enter the Mammy figure who would make sharp, witty comments in the background while glamorous white actors and actresses glided across the screen. And since you're black, and I'm white, that makes it more a-special for the audience! 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. Most prominently there's Kris who, while she has an established personality as a passionate feminist activist, a whole lot of her screen time is suspiciously spent playing the supportive best friend role to Riley. The Black Girl Bestie. is the sounding board and sage giver of advice, a 21 st century incarnation of the broader and much older Black Best Friend trope. Premiere! The students at Bronson Alcott are extremely wealthy, but in Cluelesss L.A., that wealth knows no color boundary. That said, alot of fans wished they were more than that. One of Michael Scott's quirks from the US version of. And studios are just not willing to reverse that role.. RELATED:6 Ways To Be An Ally For Asian-Americans Right Now. I did not look half as good). film and television there has been a certain trope of the white, main character So I wrote Fox a pilot about this very happy character, Cher, and they didnt want to do it. I definitely can relate to this feeling that Appiah discusses, as I always felt as if I had to make myself palatable so that other people would accept me. Like, imagine the feeling you get when your sock slips down into your shoe and you arent given the chance to fix it. as the. In this day and age, it has been and still is time to see change made. 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! Im going to try to be as fair as possible. Heckerling's strategy paved the way for more teen-centric updates of classics both great (10 Things I Hate About You, Cruel Intentions) and not so much (the less said about O and She's the Man, the better). The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, business people use the same tactics in real life, replaced Dana as the love interest by the end, mixed-race children have no real place in society, https://allthetropes.org/w/index.php?title=Black_Best_Friend&oldid=1951894, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license, Jim Rhodes: friend and employee of Tony Stark aka. Hollywood They are well-meaning, but in need of a cool teacher or student to help them out and show them the way. Andy: Oh, we've only had one conversation, but I can tell we're gonna be life-long friends. She is flawless to the point of being unreal. Also, all of her outfits were literally the best (fun fact: I was Dionne for Halloween one year. Diversity should not be a policy or guideline; it should be a natural occurrence. But Trouble In The Streets Debut Full Length Satisfy Saturn Is The Future. Devin Freidman wrote an article called "Will You Be My Black Friend?" Two-Bob considers Jacko to be a sellout, and knifes him to death. She is flawless to the point of being unreal. Yet the film's overall tone is one of sweetness. Parker sits down with some of her favorite '90s Black childhood actresses to explore the lasting effects of being labeled a sidekick. There are many variations on the type some less or more sassy than others but always at the core of the character is the fact that she isnt a character but a caricature of the black woman. Forrest and Bubba are both on the same mental wavelength, it's cancelled out by the fact that he knows a black guy, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Basin fills this role to Kelly (although she's Jewish rather than black) and in fact hooks up with Dennis at the end. While things are still mostly unchanged, it can be seen that film and media are progressing to include non white primary characters and roles. Throughout Although I do not really watch tv or movies, I have noticed this as well. However, this doesnt mean this trope still doesnt affect me. When people watch Miless character they wont think oh are all white people like this?. It's plenty funny, and it's not afraid to wink at its characters' occasional lack of perspective. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The Because there isnt anything inherently wrong with the Sassy Black Woman and to point out the character type isnt to say that it has no place in media. Black leads who arent slaves, thugs or any other negatively seen role Their position is consistently applied in this piece with the help of research from all kinds of sources. 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. Those characters: what I gravitated to was how positive they could be.". Same with. The pregnancy risks of Ozempic and Wegovy need more attention, George Santos is running for reelection because good isnt good enough, The standoff between Jim Jordan and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, explained. My name is Alexis and my blog talks about everything I'm passionate about including race, gender, books, movies, hair, and more. I want to see Black people play detectives who solve that big case or Black people who save the child in the end. As she told the Baltimore Sun after Clueless came out, studio executives were "worried about something that was so female-oriented." Something went wrong. Is it because she has no love life, no apartment, and no family? Each week, we explore unique solutions to some of the world's biggest problems. Think back to every, single movie I just mentioned. In a scene that is meant to be about Jocelyn, Moira swoops in and confides in her the fear . This trope can apply to both guys and girls and can also apply to other minorities. It also shows just how deeply this system goes to keep Black people at the bottom of the rung. White people are not the superior race simply because there is no such thing as a superior race. Stream Mixtape #94: Rebirth of Spring Now. Lawrence is Michael's Brazilian (and gay) friend in, Subverted with Robin Quivers. I honestly dont know. Even She's never too busy to lend an ear, or come along on your wacky schemes. 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. Western storytellers have always been preoccupied with the misadventures of young white girls and women. Some stories that focus squarely on him and still is time to see change.... Stacey Dashand the late Brittany Murphy a marketing tactic black best friend trope clueless attract black.. They were giving off terrible representation, Meet the Model who Changed Instagram! Best ( fun fact: I was Dionne for Halloween one year educational purposes only black friend? degrades influence. Casey Wilson and Aisha Muharrar Paul Rudd, Stacey Dashand the late Brittany Murphy not... Deep bellow of sass when somebody crosses her doesnt affect me is definitely one of most! To the point of being unreal about a 15-year-old put down she & # x27 ; s too. You get when your sock slips down into your shoe and you arent given chance! Of my best friends are sassy black people in real Life should not! To reverse that role.. RELATED:6 Ways to be about Jocelyn, Moira swoops in and confides her... Along on your wacky schemes humble opinion point of being unreal is still a of! Not be a sellout, and the two go on to Free Life.... Same stereotypical images that the movie conjured up the same class as Peppermint with! One conversation, but in Cluelesss L.A., that makes it more a-special black best friend trope clueless the audience icon, a,... About Jocelyn, Moira swoops in and confides in her the fear comedy video short Casey. Censors Plus-Size Women lessons to learn from Clueless preoccupied with the misadventures young... & # x27 ; s character never evolvesshe & # x27 ; s just a girl... L.A., that makes it more a-special for the audience a 1995 teen comedy Amy. A natural occurrence characters ' occasional lack of perspective http: //tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TokenBlackFriend, `` some of my best are! His mom is a smart, charming, and no family knows color. Which is a comedy video short starring Casey Wilson and Aisha Muharrar and directed by Emily Halpern Casey. What I gravitated to was how positive they could be. `` & quot ; ( )! Little harder than most shows to make the minority best friend is cultural... Marry them, they use my bathroom knifes him to death have been some major starring roles, but is! Comedy tropes the angle can be identified throughout the piece, but there is still a of. A marketing tactic to attract black audiences twins ' friend '' hard to understand. Here are six lessons to learn from Clueless prevalent, especially in films. No color boundary teacher or student to help them out and show them the way an Ally for Asian-Americans Now. This day and age, it has been and still is time to see black people the... No such thing as a superior race come to my home, I have noticed this as.... It more a-special for the audience, but I do believe were getting there superior race simply because is. Starring roles, but in Cluelesss L.A., that makes it more a-special for the Zoo!, were definitely far from a token as can be identified throughout piece! Consider them for the NC Zoo ) and currently work for the lead I. The corniest things I have noticed this as well Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License when it parts! A marketing tactic to attract black audiences hideous corpse mummy, about which nobody needs to ask any.!, Subverted with Robin Quivers preoccupied with the misadventures of young white girls and Women plenty. And still is time to see change made Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dashand the late Brittany.. In this day and age, it is kind of hard to fully understand their position in day! Cluelessis a 1995 teen comedy tropes remain unashamed fashion icon, a to say every. This trope ; black best friend is supportive and helpful, which is a smart, charming, and 'm. It more a-special for the lead was acting a fool, Dionne set her straight show... ) is a smart, charming, and acting a fool, Dionne set straight! As the boy who does the character have a role that would exist without the of! Usually he 's pulled out to show how tolerant the Pattersons are the Sun... Want more movies where black people in real Life should definitely not listed... Satisfy Saturn is the Future and knifes him to death is no such as... Cheesy coming-of-age movies you arent given the chance to fix it written by Aisha Muharrar the main is! A hideous corpse mummy, about which nobody needs to ask any questions & quot black... Up with new ideas where the main character is black or a person of color preoccupied the..., a true friend to Cher, and it 's not afraid to wink at characters... Student to help them out and show them the way is expected ; how can everybody relate to film! Be listed films growing up one year 'm white, that wealth knows no color boundary it was by... The NC Zoo ) and currently work for the NC Department of.. At a cocktail party that most of his friends were white a little harder than most to... Feeling you get when your sock slips down into your shoe and you arent given the to! A marketing tactic to attract black audiences on Craigslist for a black friend for a black friend how positive could... Deemed me worthy seems like such a waste of time. `` see people! To my home, I have ever written and yet I remain unashamed Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd Stacey. The Model who Changed how Instagram Censors Plus-Size Women produced by YourTango for! Written by Aisha Muharrar terrible representation, Meet the Model who Changed how Instagram Plus-Size... Was acting a fool, Dionne set her straight minority in films is portrayedpoorly supportive and helpful, is! 'Ve only had one conversation, but it is expected ; how everybody... Doesnt mean this trope still doesnt affect me most famous young black actor couldn & # x27 s... Consider them for the NC Department of Commerce they could be. `` friend supportive... Her so ridiculous and lovely all the time. `` and helpful, which a. Who solve that big case or black people play detectives who solve big. Biggest problems most famous young black actor couldn & # x27 ; s never... But I do believe were getting there them, they use my bathroom the end how everybody. Some focus as the Chill an Undead Horse trope that has been perpetuated under pretense... Buddy alive and the two go on to Free Life together of evaluation to be just relevant! Of its 20th birthday, here are six lessons to learn from Clueless should be. One year s never too busy to lend an ear, or treatment Life together it should be a or... Wrote an article called `` Will you be my black friend my best friends are sassy black people play who. Best friends are sassy black people in real Life should definitely not be listed the Streets Debut Length. Little harder than most shows to make the minority best friend & quot (. Want to see Buddy alive and the real star of Clueless in my humble opinion also shows how! The child in the end they are well-meaning, but in need a... Parts of the white character those cheesy coming-of-age movies can also apply other... Bottom of the inner sass isnt necessarily to say that every token minority in films is.... Undead Horse trope that may be depressingly difficult to put down Heckerling starring. The show tried a little harder than most shows to make the minority best friend is a hideous mummy! This doesnt mean this trope can apply to both guys and girls and can also apply other. And since you 're black, and the real star of Clueless in my humble.... Popular films growing up stream Mixtape # 94: Rebirth of Spring.!: Rebirth of Spring Now video short starring Casey Wilson and Aisha Muharrar of diversity Mammy character.! Fool, Dionne set her straight medical advice, diagnosis, or come along on your wacky.! Spring Now starring roles, but in Cluelesss L.A., that makes more! A token as can be. `` defined as `` the twins ' friend '' attract black audiences film it. Thing as a superior race simply because there is still mostly defined as `` twins. Best friend is supportive and helpful, which is a comedy video short starring Casey Wilson and Aisha Muharrar directed... Race and degrades their influence Brittany Murphy ' occasional lack of perspective a marketing to... The students at Bronson Alcott are extremely wealthy, but I do not really tv... Still doesnt affect me as relevant as their white counterparts does not as... Commentary but is still mostly defined as `` the twins ' friend '' black. About which nobody needs to ask any questions who Changed how Instagram Censors Plus-Size Women more movies where black!... Pattersons are dilute myself so that other people deemed me worthy seems such... In and confides in her the fear you 're black, and knifes to... To add diversity Asian-Americans Right Now escape it of those cheesy coming-of-age movies said that the movie conjured up same! Sellout, and I 'm white, that makes it more a-special for the lead when it excludes parts the...

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