Controlling Images

What is a controlling image? A controlling image is similar to a stereotype; an image that is used to incorrectly represent a group of individuals based on racist or sexual notions. Patricia Hill Collins, a noted sociologist and black feminist describes controlling images as “ images are designed to make racism, sexism, poverty, and other forms of social injustice appear to be natural, normal, and inevitable parts of everyday life” (Patricia Hill Collins, Black Sexual Politics, 69). Can you think of any controlling images?

The photos to the right are some past and present controlling images in society. Many of these represent traditional gender stereotypes and reinforce racist ideology. Reading through Barbara Risman’s article Doing Gender, Risman emphasizes that once an o individual is put into a sex category they are morally responsible for behaving as a person in that category does. o Doing Gender plays a role in controlling image because sexism stems from gender inequality — the images we see are based on stereotypes that are created through interaction with one another and with the world around us.

Society places importance on certain individuals more than others; male above female, heterosexual above homosexual, able bodied above disabled, white above black. Here, we are focusing on the male above female and white above black dichotomy in the context of controlling images. While white males are valued most in society and remain at the top of the patriarchal hierarchy, some have argued that black women are at the bottom and remain one of the most neglected groups in the United States.

White women are placed below white men on the patriarchal hierarchy. As defined by bullshit traditional expectations, true womanhood was defined by four cardinal virtues: piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. This roughly describes a virginal woman dedicated to God who was submissive to her husband (and other men) while fulfilling domestic duties such as cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. Because white women fit into the social norm of what a “woman” is, they are judged based on these categories.

The image of the black man began to take its form during slavery. Whites provoked fear in white woman by identifying the black man as the image of crime. White men were raping black women at high rates during slavery yet black males were perceived as a higher risk because they were assumed and accused of raping white women With purity as one of the cardinal virtues of womanhood, the black male appeared to threaten that — even though white males were raping black women at much, much higher rates. The long-standing link between blackness and crime has become so severe that any black, male or female, is at risk for unjust, violent and sometimes deadly persecution by police forces and occasionally the public. The case of Tamir Rice is poignant here — young 12 year old boy was shot in a park because police believed him to be armed with a gun… it was a toy gun. A 12 year old boy lost his life because his blackness made him a threat — that is a powerful controlling image. As we are all prevy to, the news and media outlets sensationalize crime and peculiar cases as it draws many viewers. The depictions of these crimes usually portray the victim as a criminal and the cop/murderer is depicted as a man doing his duty Furthermore, the conviction rate of these cases is very low. Because of the link between blackness and crime, black men are portrayed as either criminals, rappers, and/or gangsters. Because black men are repeatedly represented in a certain matter through mainstream media, those associations begin to affect one’s ability to get adequate housing, apply for a loan, hail a cab on the street, and as we just discussed, unfair treatment by law enforcement. This lack of opportunity based on bias hurts the African American male community severely. Not only do these images affect how African Americans seem themselves but it also affects their want/desire to trust and follow the ‘system’ — you work hard, get an education and life should work out for you. Many Americans believe that hard working, educated people live safe, happy, prosperous middle class lives. Yet this is certainly not the case for all individuals.

In a chapter taken from Patricia Hill Collins Black Sexual Politics, titled “Prisons for Our Bodies, Closets for Our Minds” Collins discusses racism, heterosexism and black sexuality. Black women are consciously aware that they are relegated to the margins of society and bottom of the social hierarchy. That being said, black women have been portrayed in the media in four ways as defined by Patricia Hill Collins. First, The Mammy, depicted as overweight, dark and with characteristically African American features, is asexual making her an unfit partner for white males while simultaneously becoming a mother-like figure in a childs’ life to whom she did not give birth to. Second, The Matriarch, whose sexuality is directly linked to their fertility, represents a sexually aggressive woman who emasculates black men as a way to refuse them roles as black patriarchs therefore refusing to be passive. The Welfare Mother is also linked directly to her fertility but in a different way, she is depicted as a woman with low morals and uncontrolled sexuality both of which contribute to her current situation as a welfare mother. Not only does this stigmatized group of women face harsh criticism on how to parent but are commonly misrepresented in the media and used as propaganda to cut funding for social programs. The Black Lady, which takes little bits from each to make another category, describes a black woman who has worked hard to earn middle-class respectability and is perceived to be asexual. Not only that, but the Black Lady is seen as most appropriate to have children and is encouraged to yet is least likely to do so. As with black men, the reproduction of these images negatively affects how black women see themselves as individuals as well as how they are perceived by others.

“Each image transmits distinctive messages about the proper links among female sexuality, desired levels of fertility for working-class and middle-class Black women, and U.S. Black women’s placement in social class and citizenship hierarchies.” — Patricia Hill Collins, Black Sexual Politics

Placed at the top of the hierarchy and holding much of the power, white males are in more control of their image than any other group. There is no controlling image for a white male. But it should be noted that males can experience issues with masculinity, gender policing and expectations of male behavior This is just another reminder that sexism and racism hurts everyone in different ways, some with more implications than others.

Here is where intersectionality comes in. All people are intersectional — race, class, and gender all have different meanings for different people and it is important to understand that they are all connected.

Read all articles from this link https://medium.com/@mgb49/controlling-images-fcfa46ec58a8