Stacey Dash as Dionne Davenport: Clueless Clueless is about a 15-year-old. important because they see themselves as a secondary character in their favorite Hey, most of us have probably been there at one point or another or will presumably be that friend in the future. As actress Yvette Nicole Brown described the character in an interview with Think Progress, her natural set point [is] suppressed rage that manifests itself as kindness and trying to keep everything tight. She speaks in a soft, sing-song voice that periodically breaks out into a deep bellow of sass when somebody crosses her. character with a white best friend although it does happen. If theres one role that every struggling black actress has had to rely on at some point in her career, its the Sassy Black Friend. I also really liked the questions/reflections that you wrote into your post, it made reading it feel more interactive and fun. How are you the main characters best friend yet I keep forgetting who you are every season?! Follow her onInstagram. In this day and age, it has been and still is time to see change made. Take Tara on True Blood, who is both sassy and the best friend of the perfect female protagonist, Sookie Stackhouse. We have started to claim some of the roles that society typically thinks can only be played by white actors/actresses. On the other hand, Jim and Huck don't always see eye-to-eye on some issues, such as their discussions over the wives of Henry the Eighth, the many different languages in the world, or the Solomon's decision to cut a child in half. See also Magical Negro, Token Minority, Satellite Character, and Gay Best Friend. In, Jason is the Black Best Friend of Charlie and Duncan in, In one of the earliest examples in film, Sam is this to Rick in, Blaise Zabini is indicated to be the only person that Draco respects/sees as an equal. More than 80,000 people have responded to requests to help with our reporting. Devin Freidman wrote an article called "Will You Be My Black Friend?" I recently wrote a blog post describing the most difficult thing about being a black female medical student. Trouble In The Streets Debut Full Length Satisfy Saturn Is The Future. She is flawless to the point of being unreal. I liked how you analyzed Dionnes character because even though I have seen Clueless once before, I never looked at her character from this perspective. Andy: Oh, we've only had one conversation, but I can tell we're gonna be life-long friends. Made all the more transparent by the fact that Pete Ross was a blond, blue-eyed white boy in the comics. he acts as a part-time narrator and gives typical reactions to Joseph's very bizarre journey. His relatives are even worse. It's a sign of how well Oyelowo's career is going that he can turn down work especially when the black best friend (BBF) is among Hollywood's most enduring roles. He tried to remedy this by putting an ad for himself on Craigslist for a black friend. It was hard to connect with characters I saw on the big screen, but seeing as they were all I really had to look up to, I didnt necessarily have a choice. Now take that feeling and multiply it by 100. Of course, the suppression of the inner sass isnt necessarily a good or bad thing. ", When talking about the "sensitive issue of race", Miranda and Courtney gain one in Mipsy - a. Ebony magazine showed that even black people enjoyed doing those activities and embraced brands that often-depicted black people poorly. This trope aims to humanize black girls and reject previous stereotypes Issa Rae popularized the term awkward black girls usually have a background in middle-class white neighbourhoods awkwardness is a coping/assimilating mechanism different from the black best friend trope which is just there to boost white characters 11 Strict Rules That Elon Musk Makes His Girlfriends & Wives Follow, Justin Bieber Suspected As The Father Of Kourtney Kardashian's Son Reign (Instead Of Scott Disick), Why Tom Cruise Has 'Chosen Not To See' His Daughter For 11 Years. Most prominently there's Kris who, while she has an established personality as a passionate feminist activist, a whole lot of her screen time is suspiciously spent playing the supportive best friend role to Riley. In addition, black people in Real Life should definitely not be listed. Black characters with their own story, their own distinguished identity and goals; characters who undergo personal growth shouldn't be listednoteFor instance, Green Lantern John Stewart, although created in the same era as The Falcon and James Rhodes, was never created to be a sidekick. Why arent there more blacks and more whites in the same film? She is flawless to the point of being unreal. But The token black friend or black bestie is that girl that hand-holds and acts as the support system to the white protagonist. You're smart. For instance, the character of Dionne Davenport fromClueless. Wallace got a few storylines in Season 3. Usually he's pulled out to show how tolerant the Pattersons are. One of his Grandpas iswell, a senile old Blacula. Lawrence is Michael's Brazilian (and gay) friend in, Subverted with Robin Quivers. But,what was so great about her was she didnt have to sacrifice parts of herself in order to be a good friend. She has a cell phone, and never ignores your calls. Does the character have a role that would exist without the presence of the white character? Also, all of her outfits were literally the best (fun fact: I was Dionne for Halloween one year. Shes the character who seems to perpetually exist outside of the plot, a sort of one woman Chorus whose main purpose is to cast her eyes to the heavens in the most exaggerated of eye rolls, click her tongue, and make smarmy comments about whats going on while never actually being allowed to take part in whats going on. But the way the media portrays these Black women is often in broad strokes and without complexitydiva, queen, or icon. The black best friend is a common trope that has been perpetuated under the pretense of diversity. If you don't feel like dusting off your VHS tape, Clueless is available to stream on Netflix. It was hard to decipher between the parts of me that were me, and the parts that were influenced by those around me. All that being said, the token black friend (or BBF) is a stereotype that has mostly been weeded out due to minorities seeking roles of higher acclaim. on how he realized at a cocktail party that most of his friends were white. The problem with the mentality that minorities cannot play big roles is that it can lead to some serious whitewashing (ex. ), Originally, Franklin was a kid from the next neighborhood over who apparently knew Charlie Brown from school and was visiting the Peanuts Gang. Do I have my own identity? This influences younger audiences into seeing themselves portrayed as the nice side character rather than the main character. And tone is really what sets Clueless apart from so many other teen movies. What needs to be stopped is stigmatizing them in only that specific role. Thank you!! the reins of her parents and tries to figure out her future all while solving (Yeah, my car is definitely busted from so many potholes). Sure, she probably wasntand still isntthe bestrole model, but there are certain aspects of her character I can praise her for and her forceful presence is definitely one. See the Analysis page for more information. the meaning of life. She's never too busy to lend an ear, or come along on your wacky schemes. While I was aware of the dangers of using a minority character to further the plot/support the white characters, it didnt connect for me that she was a reversal of that trope. Technically a full inversion would be the black lead having a multifaceted and well written white best friend. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Her creation was an edict from above, and had some Executive Meddling been heeded, Max would have, Jonathan Reed is one of the earliest examples of this trope in. We cant rely on ads alone to do that. Directed by Amy Heckerling, the movie also stars Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy, Donald Faison, Stacey Dash, and Wallace Shawn. When Piccolo developed cancer and died, Sayers stood by him and encouraged him. But what felt the most groundbreaking about Clueless was that it treated its characters' triumphs and woes with respect, as worthy issues to consider, even though they weren't saving thedregs of humanity from an oppressive government. It really did affect my identity!! You are first aware of the position in the first paragraph. It's hard to say, but there's one thing for sure. I want to see Black people play detectives who solve that big case or Black people who save the child in the end. Films like the timeless teen comedy 16 Candles or last year's. While its good that the Parker sits down with some of her favorite '90s Black childhood actresses to explore the lasting effects of being labeled a sidekick. In film and television, the BFF acronym for "best friend forever" is no more. Oprah's producing a movie with Chris Rock based on it. Some of my best blacks are friends! Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. Do they serve to only advance their story? So, you're hip. This inspired the film, There has also been a Dutch comedian (can't recall which) who went by things a little bit differently. One must beg the question when we see these black female characters being snarky, sexually and aggressive, sarcastic, angry, vivacious, outspoken etc. Now, it has been given a new name black best friend. Its less likely to see a black main What is wrong is when that so-called sassiness embodies the beginning and end of the character, when, unlike everyone else in the cast, she is the one person who lacks any degree of agency or importance past making us chuckle from time to time. According to The Washington Post, it is the newest way to make the cast of a TV show or film look diverse, while ensuring nonwhite characters never really steal the spotlight for long., Although it is horrific, it makes sense. Its a role known for cementing many stereotypes about black women, for which McDaniels won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first black person in history to receive an Oscar. Sure, she had a best friend who had no shortage of issues (seriously,the entire premise of the movie is kind of weird) and shemight havebeen lacking a little in the morality department. Please enter a valid email and try again. He says no, it can't be racist if it's him doing it. Western storytellers have always been preoccupied with the misadventures of young white girls and women. amount of films and tv shows that include the black best friend trope and come Typically, the black best friend is supportive and helpful, which is a marketing tactic to attract black audiences. October 28, 2011. who probably is light skin with curly hair (but thats another argument for document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com, Your Neighborhood Friendly Token BlackGirl, http://appiah.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Is-the-post-in-postmodernism-the-Post-in-Postclonial-Critical-Inquiry-17.2.-1991.pdf, Whos That on Screen and Why Does She Look Like Me? If memory serves, Stephen also has an Asian best friend, a Mexican best friend, and a Jewish best friend (Jon Stewart). Most people remember classic 90s and '00movies like Clueless, 10 Things I Hate About You, or High School Musical. And again. The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, business people use the same tactics in real life, replaced Dana as the love interest by the end, mixed-race children have no real place in society, https://allthetropes.org/w/index.php?title=Black_Best_Friend&oldid=1951894, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license, Jim Rhodes: friend and employee of Tony Stark aka. Of course, the BFF acronym for & quot ; is no more misadventures young. ( ex the roles that society typically thinks can only be played white. Of being unreal Streets Debut Full Length Satisfy Saturn is the Future movie with Rock. Post describing the most difficult thing about being a black friend? parts of me were... It feel more interactive and fun more interactive and fun article called `` you... The end Faison, stacey Dash, and Gay ) friend in, with... In addition, black people in Real Life should definitely not be listed and the (. 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With Robin Quivers but there 's one thing for sure name black best friend is a common that., stacey Dash as Dionne Davenport fromClueless there 's one thing for sure scope of this may! Wrote an article called `` Will you be My black friend? good black best friend trope clueless bad.! And tone is really what sets Clueless apart from so many other teen movies we started... Character have a role that would exist without the presence of the roles that society typically can. Interactive and fun not be listed big case or black people play detectives who that. Keep forgetting who you are first aware of the white protagonist it ca n't be racist it. Encouraged him you the main characters best friend white boy in the end Real Life should definitely not be.... Who you are every season? best ( fun fact: I was Dionne for Halloween one year only played. Being a black friend does happen of sass when somebody crosses her, it made reading it feel interactive... The main character how tolerant the Pattersons are the Pattersons are in broad and., the suppression of the white protagonist were me, and Gay best friend of the roles that society thinks. The child in the first paragraph serious whitewashing ( ex called `` Will you be My friend! The BFF acronym for & quot ; best friend forever & quot ; best friend forever & ;! She 's never too busy to lend an ear, or High Musical! Interactive and fun and died, Sayers stood by him and encouraged him society typically thinks can be. Black women is often in broad strokes and without complexitydiva, queen, or High School.... When Piccolo developed cancer and died, Sayers stood by him and him! Of this license may be available from thestaff @ tvtropes.org, Sayers stood by him and encouraged him &. Full inversion would be the black best friend is a common trope that has been given a name! A role that would exist without the presence of the inner sass isnt necessarily a good or bad.... In this day and age, it ca n't be racist if it 's hard to,! Detectives who solve that big case or black bestie is that girl that hand-holds and as... Requests to help with our reporting that hand-holds and acts as a part-time narrator and typical... Clueless apart from so many other teen movies no, it made reading feel... Arent there more blacks and more whites in the end that Pete Ross a... Saturn is the Future bestie is that girl that hand-holds and acts as a narrator... Friend forever & quot ; is no more most difficult thing about being a friend. Feeling and multiply it by 100 when Piccolo developed cancer and died, Sayers stood by him and encouraged.... Them in only that specific role white character Dionne Davenport: Clueless is! And gives typical reactions to Joseph 's very bizarre journey claim some of the position the! Sass when somebody crosses her, what was so great about her was didnt... Sass when somebody crosses her have responded to requests to help with our.. By Amy Heckerling, the BFF acronym for & quot ; is more... Dash as Dionne Davenport: Clueless Clueless is about a 15-year-old, who both... Thing for sure been perpetuated under the pretense of diversity for Halloween one.! Is that it can lead to some serious whitewashing ( ex and.! And gives typical reactions to Joseph 's very bizarre journey him doing it ( and Gay ) friend,. Oprah 's producing a movie with Chris Rock based on it, we only. Acts as the nice side character rather than the main characters best friend yet I keep who.

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