Early Black Female Stereotypes

In early cinema (and sometimes still today), African Americans were type-casted into roles that contributed to certain stereotypes. These stereotypes shaped particular images of people of African descent for those who had little to no contact with Blacks, thus often reinforcing negative and inaccurate portrayals. African American women originally were limited to the role of the Mammy or the Tragic Mulatto. Through time, these roles evolved into other characters, such as the seductive Jezebel and the domineering Sapphire. Here is a look at who these characters were and the ideas that viewers were getting about Black women.

Mammy
Big Fat Mother Figure
Cantankerous
Generally Dark Hue
De-sexed
Highly Religious
So-Called independence

The Tragic Mulatto
Victim of divided racial inheritance
Viewers feel bad for her because she has been tainted by her "black" blood
Closest thing to white
Received other roles than mammy figure

The Jezebel
Black woman seen as seductive,
promiscuous, and cunning and predatory

The Sapphire
Tied to mammy character
An aggressive, persistent and dominating woman