Whats Love Got To Do With It?

Once again in the discussion of black women in media, I believe it is finally time to address the elephant in the room, well at least one of them. *Cue the drum roll*

It is time to discuss the over saturation of the male perspective in female driven stories especially those concerning black women. Often times it seems that black women's stories in the film industry often center around their lives as it pertains to men. Whether the story be about how the main character cannot keep her man and goes on a sojourn of sorts to find (wait for it!) another man, or how the love of that man makes her a better person, it all becomes one long dry traumatic story.

Women are much more than their male counterparts and just as equally interesting without the inclusion of them in their narratives. Countless movies represent this trope black women's stories revolving around men or lack there of. Movies such as, Carmen Jones (Otto Preminger), Waiting to Exhale(Forest Whitaker), She's Gotta Have It(Spike Lee), and pretty much any Tyler Perry film.

Now this is not to say that any of these movies are inherently bad. These are great films (some of them), however the narrative has been outdated and the new wave of Black female protagonist is starting to outgrow its predecessor. Luckily the new generation has made their voices loud and clear and slowly but surely, more female driven plots that do not center around the presence of a man or a romantic interest is becoming more and more popularized.

I implore my readers and fellow audience members to continue the types of stories being portrayed to us. Are they new? Thought provoking? Innovative? Diverse? If the answer to those questions is no, then it is time to reevaluate the type of media we consume and how to change the narrative ourselves. There has never been a better time for young creatives to create their own stories and films when they become inspired of dissatisfied by the current stories being marketed.

In the everlasting words of the legendary icon, Tina Turner, "who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?"