Old Stereotypes Made New: A Textual Analysis on the Tragic Mulatto Stereotype in Contemporary Hollywood

Abstract

In recent years, audiences have had more exposure to progressive representations of Black and biracial women in the media, however, despite society's social advances, television and film still present negative stereotypical images of Black people based from early characters predicated on the history of racial inferiority depictions of Blacks, such as historic representations of the Tragic Mulatto. While scholars have noted films as a source of liberation and expression for minority filmmakers and their audiences, many films created by diverse filmmakers are consistent with stereotypical depictions of Black and biracial characters. Using Black Feminist Thought and textual analysis, this study examined films directed by Black women examining the portrayals of biracial women, comparing those narratives with the characteristics of historic representations of the Tragic Mulatto. Although the biracial characters under sample exhibited qualities of the historic Tragic Mulatto, these depictions provided a more liberated perspective for representations of biracial women in Hollywood, existing in a space that was both stereotypical and feminist simultaneously.