Saving Face

There have been many films that have mainly a white male that plays a stereotypical male of a different race that has been repeated over and over in film history. A popular one quoted from America On Film: "blackface, a popular theatrical tradition of the 1800's that featured white performers darkening their faces with makeup in order to perform broad, comedic stereotypes of African Americans. Blackface was one way that popular culture distinguished between white and non-white behaviors and identities." This theme is seen in such films as The Jazz Singer (1972), and Uncle Tom's Cabin (1903) and many others which white actors portray and impersonate a black male. In films with blackface the actor is either just wearing the costume but not acting like black or they are, but most of the time they are.

Several days after we had watched The Jazz Singer in class I see White Chicks (2004), a movie not seen for a while on T.V. I thought it was a pretty funny movie, not one of my favorite Wayne's Bro's films but it was good for what it was, a suit movie. The film focused on two brothers (Shawn & Marlon Waynes) who are FBI agents that pretty much suck at being agents. There captain gives them one final task to finish or they will be fired from the force. There last chance to remain in the FBI is to protect two filthy rich cruise line heiresses from a kidnapping plot. The two heiresses get facial cuts in a car accident and refuse to leave the hotel so the FBI bros get a make up team and disguise themselves at the two sisters as look alikes to save there jobs.

(Courtesy of Revolution Studios)



I took a second look at the Waynes bros formula to make the movie sell, and I realize that it's not any different then how movies with the blackface technique was done. The major difference is that they've reversed the blackface theme and made it two black guys dressed in a full body suit to appear as two white rich bimbo blonde chicks. So now its a stereotype on the upper class famous white women, such as your Paris Hiltons, Lindsey Lohans, Nicole Richies, ect.

(Courtesy of Revolution Studios)

Through out the movie Shawn & Marlon are making the whiteface characters act out stereotypical things rich snobby girls are supposed to do and act like through out the movie to give the audience a laugh here and there, which I was apart of. At the same time I'm thinking in my head is this okay comedy to laugh at? I mean it's clearly all fun and jokes, but wasn't blackface comedy supposed to be the same? Laughing at any-colorface movie is wrong, why should this be an exception? Complex magazine's website lists White Chicks as number six in "The 50 Most Raciest Movies you didn't think were raciest". They deem it "reverse racism at its finest" which is something I never thought to think twice on the first time I watched the film. It may seem laughable at the idea of how silly they act out these fictional characters but at the same time it doesn't make it okay to make films with whiteface, blackface, any-face.


Sources:
America On Film pg. 79
imgage #1: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/white_chicks/pictures/slideshow/12.php#highlighted_picture
image #2: http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/040621/161529__wc_l.jpg
image #3: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1558223104/tt0381707