Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes 1. The Oracle's subject position as an intermediary between the virtually created world we commonly identify as “real” and the “real” world which is on the verge of ecological self-destruction requires that she negotiate territory related to identity formation. This is not unlike the role Mammy plays as an inverted mirror of “ideal” femininity in the creation of white identity. 2. Unlike the traditional image of Mammy, the Oracle is a light-skinned black woman; however, she does conform to the requirement of asexuality as none of the movies in The Matrix trilogy features her with a partner. I should also note that by the third installment in the series, the Oracle changes her appearance because the original actress, Gloria Foster, passed away. The new Oracle in The Matrix Revolutions () is no longer fleshy, but she does, however, remain a black woman, and again she is baking cookies in her kitchen during her introductory scene. Furthermore, she has an orphaned child in her care. 3. See Rafia Zafar's () discussion of how the culinary expertise of African American women has been mystified, dismissing their intellectual capacity to develop outstanding cooking skills and instead inferring that they are “voodoo” chefs who mysteriously happen upon their delicious gastronomic creations. 4. Doris Witt suggests that “[t]he widespread conflation of African American female bodies and fat is, then, surely a function of the psychic needs of the dominant white society” (1999, p. 189) 1. The Chinese characters for weight loss literally means “minus” and “fat.” 2. Up to the point when this paper is written, the trend is still mainly female-oriented. So far I have seen only one particular company advertising its men's department doing similar things. But it might become another trend in the coming years. 3. This can be highlighted by the special names invented and given to different parts of the female body which is considered not appealing: the fat tummy is “piggy stomach,” the flabby arm is “bye-bye-meat,” the fat bottom is “the master ass,” etc. Each undesirable feature gets a special nickname. 4. The official English title of the film is Love on a Diet, but a direct translation of the original Chinese title reads “Slimming Man and Woman,” probably referring to the two protagonists. 5. The female lead is Sammi Cheng, a leading female popular singer in Hong Kong, turning to films with equal success, and also an image representative for a major cosmetic brand. She is a sought-after actress for romantic comedies. The male lead is Andy Lau, one of the entertainment artists in Hong Kong. He started out as a TV actor, branching out to singing and films, and has become one of the most successful actor-singers in the Chinese-speaking world. He has been a star for more than twenty years. Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng have already played against one another in other romantic comedies and their partnership has proved to be very popular. 6. The film proves to be a huge success too. It enjoyed such a commercial and publicity success that many demanded a sequel. 7. Some of the most successful beauty salons make their names by signing middle-aged female artists, or actresses and models who have become recent mothers, or even teenage artists to be their image representatives. The idea is to establish the concept that no matter which age group a woman belongs to, she needs to be, and can be, beautiful through body-sculpturing.