Black warrior woman stereotype
A number of notable SF works have portrayed strong, warrior-like women of African heritage. While we can celebrate the growth in images of strong, active, women of color, it is not an unproblematic choice. We can interrogate how much the characters generally, and whether some characters in particular, rely on racial stereotypes or race-based ideologies in drawing the character.
For instance, a female warrior character may be described as Black or African in order to make her appear even more extreme than a female warrior, relying on stereotyped views of Africans and Black people as primitive, violent, highly athleticized, and so on.
Likewise, an African or Black character may be turned into more of a warrior woman figure, again out of (or playing on) the sense that Black people are inherently violent or physically strong.
Questions of exoticism, eroticism, the male gaze, and the "white gaze" may also be raised. Are white male authors particularly prone to making Black women characters also warriors, or female warriors also Black? If so, what does that mean-- are they doing it because they have more privilege to stretch readers' and publishers' boundaries, or are they doing it out of their own racism or as a form of cultural appropriation? When does it matter what the author's motivations are?
And are these characters disproportionately lesbian? (not that there's anything wrong with that.) Writer choices to make a Black woman warrior also a lesbian may be a means of exoticizing them, making them seem more "other", more fearsome, or even more readily identifiable-with by the male reader/viewer.
Comparing the images of warrior women across ethnicity, culture, and race could lead to some fruitful insights.
On the other hand, a kick-ass woman of color is to be welcomed in a very friendly fashion.
Relevant Works & Characters
- Blake's 7 (created by Terry Nation): Dayna
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) (created by Joss Whedon) - Kendra played by Bianca Lawson
- "Conan the Destroyer" (1984) (dir. Richard Fleischer) - Zula played by Grace Jones
- Firefly & Serenity (2002; 2005) (created by Joss Whedon) - Zoe played by Gina Torres
- "Strange Days" (1995) (dir. Kathryn Bigelow) - Mace played by Angela Bassett
- "Sin City" (2005) (dir. Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino) - Gail played by Rosario Dawson
- Neverwhere (1996) (TV mini-series created by Neil Gaiman) - Hunter played by Tania Moodie
- Matadora by Steve Perry - Dirisha Zuri (lesbian/bisexual)
- Nantucket Series by S. M. Stirling - Coast Guard Captain Marian Alston (lesbian)
- Tales of Nevèrÿon, by Samuel R. Delany - Raven
- Gaia Trilogy (Titan, Demon, Wizard) by John Varley - Cirocco Jones (bisexual)
- Veronna (DC Comics) (created by Beau Smith)
- The X-Men - Ororo Munro, a.k.a. Storm
- Y the Last Man (created by Brian K. Vaughn) - Agent 355