wide world. in a web.
You are currently browsing the archive for the identity category.
You haven’t read Push? Read it now
Director Lee Daniels’ adaptation of Sapphire’s critically acclaimed novel, Push,
Daniels also produced Monster’s Ball, which means he was the first African American sole producer of an Academy Award–winning film. Read the rest of this entry »
I’m sure there is even more to say, but one Sundance hype film this year is Chris Rock’s documentary Good Hair. This story nicely segues with my previous post about identity and visual role models. (Okay, it was actually about Obama daughter dolls, but really).
According to Rock’s publicity:
When Chris Rock’s daughter, Lola, came up to him crying and asked, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” the bewildered comic committed himself to search the ends of the earth and the depths of black culture to find out who had put that question into his little girl’s head!
I have sneaking suspicion Rock knows, but I’m interested in seeing the film anyway!
Bellasugar has a nice definition of good hair, just in case you were wondering.
So here is the question: do we take the Sasha and Malia Obama dolls as shameless profiteering, or do we take the dolls as part and parcel of wanting to celebrate everyone’s favorite new family?
To be honest, I’m hard-pressed not to see this as pretty shameless. But, at the same time, my perusal of the comments at sites like Huffington Post gets me feeling a little bit suspicious in the other direction. Most of the comments there and elsewhere, are pretty, well, poopy. A little more mean in spirit than snark; a vague hostility whose target is unclear. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
While poking about, sussing out my thoughts, I come across this website, called Dolls Like Me.
I must say, in the context of this site, Sasha and Malia dolls resume being awesome. Now they remind me of all the dolls so many Americans have wanted to exist for so long: black dolls, relevant dolls, gasp– dolls like me!
(Or maybe you.)
