Blog #1: Othering

Wing Young Huie captured this picture in 1995 in an unknown location. It is a part of his Black Memorabilia collection. The picture is in black and white, no color. It features three shelves in what looks to be a grocery store. Syrup, pancake mix, karo syrup, and molasses are on the shelves. The picture is focused on the middle rack are the center of the photo. The labels indicate they are the Aunt Jemima brand, specifically the Lite syrup. Some of the bottles are larger than others, and the largest bottles are in the center of the photo.

There is significant cultural significance to this photograph in the United States. This photograph features Aunt Jemima syrup. Aunt Jemima is an example of a mammy caricature. During the slavery era in the United States, the mammy caricature was presented to mainstream America to defend the lie that African Americans enjoyed slavery: “black women -- were contented, even happy, as slaves. Her wide grin, hearty laugher, and loyal servitude were offered as evidence of the supposed humanity of the institution of slavery”2. It is significant that this image is so widely displayed even today in the U.S. This caricature was presented to display a lie that slaves were content with their status.

The mammy caricature had negative effects on stereotypes on black women. It implied that they were exclusively domestic workers. This then affected their ability to obtain better jobs than house servant: “1877 to 1966, America's race-based, race-segregated job economy limited most blacks to menial, low paying, low status jobs”3. By looking into the stereotypes featured in this photograph, othering becomes evident.

Wing Young Huie has captured an example of othering that has historically been a major problem in the United States. Historically, some whites have viewed blacks as fundamentally different. When slavery began in 16174, Americans tried to justify the mistreatment of this group of people because of their skin color difference. Othering is evident in the photograph by displaying a stereotype attributed to black women. This is similar to the stereotype attributed to women presented in The Handmaid’s Tale5 by Margaret Atwood. The Handmaids in this novel have the sole responsibility of bearing children. Both publications present stereotypes through the use of imagery. In Huie’s photograph, he visually presents a common brand that is associated with a caricature used to describe black women. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Offred uses imagery to describe her duties as a handmaid and the danger she’s in when she deviates from that role.

Footnotes:

1. Huie, Wing Young. Black Memorabilia. 1995. Black Memorabilia. Wing Young Huie. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.wingyounghuie.com/>.
2. " The Mammy Caricature." Jim Crow Museum: The Mammy Caricature. Ferris State University, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/mammies/>.
3. " The Mammy Caricature." Jim Crow Museum: The Mammy Caricature. Ferris State University, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/mammies/>.
4. History.com Staff. "Slavery in America." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery>.
5. Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. Print.