So Jamie Foxx is set to star in a film called "The Skank Robbers" (yes, I know, stay classy, Sony), itself based off this short done for the 2009 BET Awards. On January 5th, he talked about it on Leno, and the two had a . . . curious exchange about leg hair:
First things first, it isn't exactly the purview of this blog, but it is definitely in the interest of this blogger, that while drag is an awesome, venerated, and even important artform, it should be said that there's a trend, I think, of black-man-as-angry-or-ghetto-black-woman portrayals that is more insidious and disturbing than when white men do drag. There are a lot of issues with stereotypes, representation, the racist history of black entertainment for white viewership, and the paucity of real roles for actresses of color, to say the least. There have been some better portrayals of black drag performers (Kinky Boots), cross-dressers (To Wong Foo), and transsexuals (The Crying Game), all where the question of whether shaving your legs or not for the role would be appropriate. But I think it can be safely said that "The Skank Robbers" is not aiming for accuracy or resonance in its representation of women and particularly not black women, and no, seeing leg hair on either or the characters is not going to evoke discussions of Mo'nique and the status of female leg hair in the black community. No, it will be laughed at, because if half of the comedy is the exaggerated stereotype of a black woman, then the other half is supposed to be the hilariousness and incongruity of men playing female roles.
Now, having gotten all of that out of the way, I will say that I'm slightly confused by Jamie Foxx's response. He seems almost uncomfortable, in a way. He's certainly not sincere or earnest in his accolades of "That's sexy!", but at the same time, it doesn't come off as mean-spirited sarcasm, nor is there disgust in his response, before he very quickly changes the subject to an impression of Mo'Nique. It certainly doesn't merit headlines like this, which seem to suggest he came on and seriously insisted that he found unshaven legs sexually attractive.
On the other hand, if a mention gets Allure asking questions like "Can Hairy Legs Be Sexy?", perhaps it isn't a total waste.
Thoughts?
First things first, it isn't exactly the purview of this blog, but it is definitely in the interest of this blogger, that while drag is an awesome, venerated, and even important artform, it should be said that there's a trend, I think, of black-man-as-angry-or-ghetto-black-woman portrayals that is more insidious and disturbing than when white men do drag. There are a lot of issues with stereotypes, representation, the racist history of black entertainment for white viewership, and the paucity of real roles for actresses of color, to say the least. There have been some better portrayals of black drag performers (Kinky Boots), cross-dressers (To Wong Foo), and transsexuals (The Crying Game), all where the question of whether shaving your legs or not for the role would be appropriate. But I think it can be safely said that "The Skank Robbers" is not aiming for accuracy or resonance in its representation of women and particularly not black women, and no, seeing leg hair on either or the characters is not going to evoke discussions of Mo'nique and the status of female leg hair in the black community. No, it will be laughed at, because if half of the comedy is the exaggerated stereotype of a black woman, then the other half is supposed to be the hilariousness and incongruity of men playing female roles.
Now, having gotten all of that out of the way, I will say that I'm slightly confused by Jamie Foxx's response. He seems almost uncomfortable, in a way. He's certainly not sincere or earnest in his accolades of "That's sexy!", but at the same time, it doesn't come off as mean-spirited sarcasm, nor is there disgust in his response, before he very quickly changes the subject to an impression of Mo'Nique. It certainly doesn't merit headlines like this, which seem to suggest he came on and seriously insisted that he found unshaven legs sexually attractive.
On the other hand, if a mention gets Allure asking questions like "Can Hairy Legs Be Sexy?", perhaps it isn't a total waste.
Thoughts?
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