"THE OPPOSITIONAL GAZE: BLACK FEMALE SPECTATORS"

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Abstract: Through this gaze, they resist objectification imposed by white patriarchal norms in media. hooks' analysis reveals how Black female spectators navigate identity and reclaim agency through critical observation, fostering solidarity and empowerment. By dissecting film and television, hooks underscores the importance of collective resistance, offering a pathway to subvert dominant power dynamics. This concept not only reclaims visibility for Black women but also transforms spectatorship into a site of resistance and communal strength. Through the oppositional gaze, hooks invites a re-evaluation of media representation, emphasising the emancipatory potential of Black female agency in visual culture.

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Findings: 

• Black female spectators assert autonomy through the "oppositional gaze"

• Resistance to objectification imposed by white patriarchal media narratives.

• Negotiation of identity and agency through critical observation.

• Cultivation of solidarity and empowerment among Black women.

• Examination of film and television as sites of resistance.

• Collective resistance as a pathway to subverting dominant power dynamics.

• Reclamation of visibility and agency in visual culture.

• Emancipatory potential of Black female agency in challenging media representation.

APPLICATION

Literature Review:

• I'll search for insights into how Black women, as spectators, resist and subvert dominant representations of Blackness and womanhood in media and popular culture.

Research:

• I'll ensure that my methodology allows for the exploration of how Black women actively engage with, critique, and challenge mainstream representations through interviews.

Data Collection:

• During data collection, I'll pay attention to how Black women articulate their responses to media and cultural texts, and how they negotiate their identities as spectators within a white-dominated media landscape.

• I'll encourage participants to share examples of when they've used the oppositional gaze to resist or subvert stereotypical portrayals of Black women in media.

Data Analysis:

• I'll look for patterns in how participants engage with media texts, the strategies they employ to resist objectification or misrepresentation, and the meanings they ascribe to their spectatorship experiences.

 Interpretations:

• I'll reflect on the ways in which Black female spectators challenge hegemonic representations and disrupt the white, patriarchal gaze through their critical viewing practices.