Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Morgan Yates
Abstract
achieve the American dream have been a heavily critiqued area of discussion. Stereotypical roles
and representations of African American women in cinema have recurred throughout our history.
In the media, specifically through Black films, there is a preconceived portrayal about how Black
women are expected to achieve the American Dream. This portrayal takes place by way of
finding romance and/or crime through gaining an education. However, even if they do gain
success through education, they lack other aspects of this desired “American dream.” This
research will examine the connection between Black film’s portrayal of Black women achieving
success by analyzing the 1996 drama, Set it Off . In addition to explaining how these implications
continue today, and how it affects the African American community. In order to collect
information for this research, I used the qualitative method focusing on media ethnography and
case studies. Through this method, I intend to discover that Caucasian Americans negatively
interpret the portrayal of Black women and use this portrayal to judge the race. Also, I expect to
find that the perception of White Americans has transcended, and affected the way African
Introduction
Media plays a significant role in our society, culture, in business, and on the
world-at-large. Media has a profound influence on the behavior of an audience, it affects the way
society thinks, how society responds, and the way society communicates. As a form of media
that drives over a billion dollars in revenue annually, it is only evident that film has a direct
impact in our community. I gathered an idea of how White high school females interacted with
each other by watching Mean Girls-- a film about middle class high school girls dealing with the
everyday pursuit to be popular, I perceive that Whites girls with blonde hair are dingy sluts, and
that White successful men typically divorce their first wives for their secretaries or receptionists
based on what is portrayed in films. Though these portrayals do not completely depict the
lifestyle of every White high school girl or every White successful man, this is how they are
portrayed in film and television, therefore, influencing my perception of them due to my limited
This perception leads to the purpose of my research. My goal was to discover the
portrayal of African American women in film on their quest in obtaining the American dream
and the perception of the majority race based on this depiction. I define the American dream as
the ability to obtain happiness. For some people, happiness includes financial stability, having a
family, and or achieving personal measurable success. I developed three primary questions to
gather data for my research which were: what exactly is the portrayal of Black Women in Black
films? How do White Americans interpret the portrayal of African American women in Black
films and how does their interpretation affect their perception of Black women? How do Black
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 4
Americans view their women based on their depiction in American made films and how does
This research is significant because though the United States is desegregated, the
different ethnicities tend to stay within their own communities, and tend to rarely interact with
races outside of theirs. A recent study conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute
showed that 91 percent of the average white American’s closest friends and family members are
white, and just 1 percent are black. When asked to name closest friends and family members, 75
percent of white Americans didn’t name even one person who was not white (Gebreyes,2014).
Because of the limited interaction, races are forced to rely on what is viewed on television, film,
and other media mediums to develop an idea of races they aren’t familiar with. In 2015, White
Americans made up the majority of the population (62%) and 60% of them were categorized as
moviegoers . If Black women are depicted as sexually explicit or as Jezebels, angry and
aggressive defined as the Sapphire, and stern maternal figures are depicted as the Mammy then
that is how other races will perceive them. Because of this depiction, White Americans -the
majority race and the discussed race- will have a negative perception of Black women. Because
White people have a negative perception of Black women, this in return will influence Black
Americans to believing this perception and overall affect the way Black men view black women
and how they (Black women) view themselves. The theory is how people perceive us is how we
perceive ourselves.
Methodology
The purpose of my research is to evaluate how Black films portray African American
women during their quest to obtain the American dream. When analyzing this topic, I
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 5
specifically reviewed the 1996 Black produced film Set it Off. To gain a better perspective of this
cinema, I developed three research questions that I wanted to answer to have complete
understanding of this portrayal and the perceptions that were included. These three questions
were: What exactly is the portrayal of Black Women in Black films? How do White Americans
interpret the portrayal of African American women in Black films and how does their
interpretation affect their perception of Black women? As Black Americans, how do we view our
women based on their depiction in Black films and how does our interpretation affect how we
I used the qualitative method to discover answers to these three questions. The strength
of qualitative research is its ability to provide complex textual descriptions of how people
experience a given research issue. It provides information about the “human” side of an issue –
that is, the often contradictory behaviors, beliefs, opinions, emotions, and relationships of
individuals. Qualitative methods are also effective in identifying intangible factors, such as social
norms, socioeconomic status, gender roles, ethnicity, and religion, whose role in the research
issue may not be readily apparent. Quantitative methods can help interpret and provide a better
understanding of the complex reality of a given situation and the implications of quantitative data
(Lincoln 2000).
I began my research by using the media ethnography approach to the qualitative method.
(Lincoln 2000). With this approach in mind, I began observing and taking notes/reflecting on Set
it Off. I chose Set it Off as my primary source because it portrayed four women from similar
economic backgrounds, however, the film achieved to depict several stereotypes. I began
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 6
watching the film once a week for 11 weeks to fully gain a detailed understanding of the various
themes taken place in the film. The purpose of watching this film was to answer my first
question which focused on discovering the portrayal of Black women in Black developed films.
While watching this film, I ensured that I did not encounter any distractions that would alter my
perception of the film or cause me to miss any information. During the film, I took notes on how
the women were portrayed in regards to their body language, word choice, their actions, but most
importantly, how their character aligned with the preexisting Black female stereotypical
characters. Each time after watching the film, I compared the notes that I previously took to the
current. Each time, I realized I learned more and more about the complexity and the dimensions
of the characters.
In conjunction with observing Set it Off, I also reviewed case studies to conducted
research on the stated topic. Case study research excels at bringing us to an understanding of a
complex issue or object and can extend experience or add strength to what is already known
through previous research. Case studies emphasize detailed contextual analysis of a limited
number of events or conditions and their relationships (Soy 1997). To determine which case
studies were appropriate for my topic, I decided to use keywords such as “African American
American’s Perception of Black Women” and “How Black Films Affect the Black Community.”
I primarily used the Google Scholar database and the online Xavier University's library to find
the resources. My goal with researching these articles were to answer my remaining two
questions dealing with the perceptions of Black and White Americans in relations to the
portrayal of African American women in Black film. When reviewing the case studies, I denoted
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 7
all information pertaining to my research topic. I compared and contrasted the information
gathered to each source to determine what data was most consistent and prevalent to my
research.
understand why certain ethnic groups reacted or perceived Black women in a certain way.
Because these perceptions are not hard statistical facts, rather just feelings and opinions, it was
more conducive to use the chosen method. Unlike other qualitative research methods, I did not
decide to conduct focus groups nor in-depth interviews simply because I did not want the
audiences would be White Americans. Since I am an African American women which is also the
demographic for my topic, I did not want my research to be jeopardized by my targeted audience
in case they feared to offend me. Therefore, I thought it to be best to review case studies that
readily included in-depth interviews and other sources that are comparable to my topic.
Conclusively, I was able to collect meaningful and useful data with the qualitative
method. Through my research, I not only obtained a better understanding of the stereotypical
Black female characters in film but I was also able to observe it and analyze it through watching
Set it Off. As stated previously, the consistent observation of this movie allowed to me further
evaluate the characters and the preconceived idea of the Black female stereotype. By reading and
evaluating various case studies, I was able to gain an understanding of how films like Set it Off
affect the perception of Black women in the eyes of Black and White Americans.
Literature Review
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African American directed and written cinema portrayed Black women in three
stereotypes: the “Jezebel” which depicted Black women as sexually provocative, the “Sapphire”
which depicted Black woman as overbearing and undesirable to men, and the “mammy” which
showed Black women as a servant figure (McCray 2011). This stereotype continued to
transcended in later Black films, one in particular is Set it Off. The 1996 drama Set it Off,
directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Takashi Bufford and Kate Lanier, followed the lives of
four African American women who experienced tragedies causing them to crave two things-- the
desire to leave their impoverished beginnings and money (Ebert 1996). The film takes you
through a short time span of their lives where they plan and execute a string of bank robberies in
response to intersectional hardships of being Black, poor, and female living in Los Angeles, Ca.
(Ebert 1996). I will examine the history of the stereotypical African American female caricature
portrayed in film and these representations align with the main characters in Set It Off .
Seductive, alluring, worldly, tempting, lewd, promiscuous, even predatory, were all
descriptive words that characterized the stereotypical African American female, “Jezebel”
(Pilgrim 2008). The Jezebel stereotype can be traced back into the slavery-era. It was used to
justify the sexual relations between white men and black women. The belief was that Black
female slaves initiated sex with their White owners because the women possessed an
uncontrollable urge for sex and they were not attracted to Black men, however, today, we know
these relationship took place due to the slave owners raping their slaves (Pilgrim 2008).
In the 1915 movie The Birth of a Nation , Lydia Brown was a mulatto character. She was
the mistress of the white character Senator Stoneman. Lydia is savage, corrupt, and lascivious.
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 9
She was portrayed as overtly sexual, and she uses her "feminine wiles" to deceive the formerly
good white man (Pilgrim 2008). By the 1970s, the new caricature that became more prevalent in
American cinema was the Jezebel. This new stereotype was popularized in films now labeled
blaxploitation movies (Pilgrim 2008). A few examples of this portrayal would be in the
following movies: the 1974 film Foxy Brown where African American actress Pam Grier goes
undercover as a whore to get revenge on whites who victimized her loved ones, the 1986 film
Mona Lisa in which Cathy Tyson (the niece of actress Cicely Tyson) earned her first major role
as a sophisticated call girl, the 1987 film Angel Heart in which Lisa Bonet played a character
who engaged in a sexual scene so graphic that the film nearly received an X rating, and the 1989
film Harlem Nights in which Lela Rochon played a prostitute so skilled that a white lover calls
his wife on the telephone to tell her that he is never returning home (Pilgrim 2008).
characterized as rude, loud, stubborn, aggressive, and combative. The stereotype Sapphire was
based on a character from the 1950’s TV show Amos & Andy. The character of Sapphire was the
angry, hostile, nagging wife of a dishonest, lazy and pretentious African American man named
Kingfish. The central feature for their relationship was Kingfish’s pursuit of flawed schemes to
get rich, his inability to provide for his family, and refusal to take ordinary work (Pilgrim).
“Sapphire and her mother were aggressive in their response to him, which consisted of complete
contempt and disregard. Both of these women were presented as the successful but angy
breadwinners” (Pilgrim 2008). She would be known as the modern day “Angry Black Woman”
(Pilgrim 2008). “The Sapphire caricature is a harsh portrayal of African American women. It is
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 10
also a social control mechanism that is implemented to punish black women for violating the
societal norms of being passive, servile, non-threatening, and unseen” (Pilgrim 2008).
The final African American stereotype for women is the “Mammy”. From the 1800s
through the 1900s, Black women were often portrayed in popular culture as the Mammies which
were women who were the dominant figure in their households and were given permission to
rear and discipline white children whom they watched over (Pilgrim 2008). The Mammy was
perceived as being a maternal, obese, non threatening, deeply religious, and unattractive woman.
“Even though the mammy is well loved and has considerable authority with her white family,
she still knew her place as a servant” (Pilgrim 2008). In 1939, Hattie McDaniel was the first
black person to win an academy award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in
Gone With The Wind. In the film, Mammy plays a stern maternal figure to her slave owner’s
child (Pilgrim 2008). A few films and television series that depicted Mammy characters were the
1970’s series Good Times depicting Florida Evans, and Nell Carter in the 1980’s series Gimme A
Break. Both characters in these shows were large, deep brown in color, self-sacrificing, loyal,
Cleverly, the characters in Set it Off represent a mixture of stereotypes that represent
African American women in Black film and are not just one dimensional. Stoney is a
multi-dimensional character. She plays a maternal role in the way that her responsibilities were
to take care of her younger brother both financially and emotionally since their parents died
when they were younger. Though Stoney wanted to get out of the hood, she put her own
objectives aside, and focused on getting her brother into UCLA so he would have a better
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 11
lifestyle. Though working as a Janitor for Luther’s Janitorial service, Stoney hosted and
sponsored a graduation party for her brother though she didn’t have the financial means.
Stoney was also motherly and protective of Tisean when Luther called her a broke bitch
and threatened to fire Tisean simply because she asked to be paid in cash. Stoney once again
demonstrated her maternal instinct when she immediately defended and comforted Tisean when
the Child Protective Service representative doubted her ability to financially provide for her
child. Because of her maternal and protective instinct that transcends from her bloodline to her
These characteristics are what drove her to cross the prostitution boundary by having sex
to receive money for her brother to attend college. In the film, Stony asked Nate, a local car
salesman, for a job to raise enough money for her brother’s college fees. When he seemed
reluctant to give Stoney the job, she then asked for money instead. Nate responded by asking
what she was willing to do for the money (McCray 2011). Though shocked by his response, the
film continued and showed Stoney laying under Nate with moaning and sexual sounds. It was
apparent that the two were having sex in exchange for money (McCray 2011). Stoney transitions
to another sexual relationship with Keith, a corporate banking manager at a local Los Angeles
bank. The two met while Stoney scoped out the bank where he worked and they began dating.
After a few dates, Stoney and Keith had sex (McCray 2011).
On the contrary, during the sex scene involving Nate and Stony, we saw that Stony was
not happy with her decision, hence, she was nearly in tears during the interaction. However, she
made a moral sacrifice to support her brother. In regards to her relationship with Keith, her
intentions were not to use Keith to advance herself financially. Instead she felts as if she was
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 12
blessed to receive a good man that cared for her and happened to be wealthy. Though, Stony’s
sexual interaction with Nate was an economic exchange and her relationship with Keith was a
result of love which lead to intimacy, many would still argue that Stony portrayed characteristics
of the Jezebel stereotype by having sex with two different men in a short window of time
(Pilgrim 2008).
In the film, Frankie (Vivica A. Fox) is portrayed as the Sapphire. Set it Off begins with a
robbery at a bank that Frankie where Frankie was a bank teller. Unfortunately, Frankie was an
associate to one of the men who robbed the bank. Because of her affiliation with this man, her
employer suspected that she was involved in some way and fired her.
As a result, Frankie became very angry and transformed into the angry Black woman
stereotype. Throughout the film, she makes comments about bombing the banks and once
complained that after working at the bank for two years she couldn’t receive a letter of
recommendation which reduced her opportunity to receive another job. She encouraged the idea
of robbing the bank because she felt entitled to take from a system that unfairly unraveled her
life. Eventually, her friends were able to land her a job at Luther’s Janitorial service company.
However, she was not appreciative and complained with rage about how the job was not ideal for
her.
After the women’s first robbery in which Tisean bails on them, Frankie told her that she
didn’t work to get the stolen money and therefore would not receive any. After Tisean begs for
the money, Frankie quickly apologizes and said she was not angry with Tisean just with the
Lastly, Cleo (Queen Latifah) is portrayed as the mammy stereotype. Though portrayed as
the hard core, masculine figure in a homosexual relationship, Cleo is extremely maternal and
protective of her friends. When Stoney’s brother is murdered by the police officers, Cleo
comforts Stoney for the two days she was grieving and offers Stoney to live with her while she
was dealing with her brother’s death. When the CPS representative told Tisean she was an unfit
mother due her son digesting chemicals at her work place, Cleo immediately defended Tisean
and told the worker that they( the four women) were all watching the little boy and that it wasn’t
Tisean’s fault. After the social worker told Tisean the only way to get her some back in her
custody was to show that she could finanical support him, Cleo grabs Tisean, looks her sternly in
the eye, and says “you know what you have to do.” When Tisean murdered Luther, Cleo
attempted to protect Tisean by threatening the White woman who witnessed the entire act which
The final maternal and most significant act was when Cleo sacrificed her own life to save
Frankie and Stoney. After being caught during their third and final bank robbery, the women
attempted to flee from the police officers. However, when they realized they were trapped and all
three of them would not be able to escape, Cleo told the two women to exit the car and she
would meet with them later which was impossible due to a mob of police cars and helicopters
swarming her surroundings. Cleo gave Stoney one last hug and told she and Frankie to be safe.
In conclusion, after examining articles from Pilgrim and McCray, it is apparent that the
Jezebel, Sapphire, and Mammy stereotypes were prevalent in Set it Off. Though these characters
weren’t identical to the original stereotypes, they still resemble these characteristics. For
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 14
example, the original Jezebel was viewed as being a sexually explicit woman who dominated
men with her sexuality, though Stony is not sexually dominating, she does use her sexuality to
get what she wants. However, it is also observed that a character can possess more than one
stereotype. Some may also argue that Stoney’s sexual favor was due to her maternal love for her
brother which reiterated her Mammy qualities. Through this film, it is understood that the
stereotypes discussed have not vanished but have been altered to fit in a more contemporary film
platform.
Though the two articles discussed different topics, they resembled each other greatly
when discussing the relation of Black film stereotypes and how they are present in current and
past Black movies. However, they differed in the way that McCay examined the roles of Black
Millennial Academy Award Winning Actress in which information was discovered that the three
stereotypes are not only viewed in Black films but many mainstream films. I found this to be
very disappointing because this portrayal alters the way White America views African
Americans. McCray further explains that “‘persistent and repeated negative images of black
women in film can be detrimental to the group generally, and to black women specifically’. This
statement reflects the idea that a constant reinforcement of stereotypes will strengthen popular
belief and generalize African American females a certain way (McCray 2011.’” Also, it seems as
though White America is capitalizing off of your poor reputation. While Pilgrim’s article focuses
on the history behind the stereotypes Jezebel, Mammy, and Sapphire with an emphasis on Black
film.
Findings
Unlike the other women, Stoney was given a different avenue to achieve her American
Dream which came in the package of an affectionate but short lived relationship. Though
originally agreeing to commit the robbery with her friends, Stoney knew that a life of crime was
not going to get her out the hood. Though extremely reluctant to dive into a relationship with
Keith, a wealthy corporate banking manager, she eventual realized that was a prospective option
Stoney spent a significant portion of her life parenting and financially supporting herself
and younger brother due to the death of their parents at a very young age. Once her brother
graduated from high school, she thought she was one step closer to escaping her impoverished
beginnings. Stoney’s character was introduced at the beginning of the film when she was at her
brother’s graduation party that she hosted and sponsored. During the party, her brother sadly
informs her that he will not attend UCLA because he was not given a scholarship to attend (Gary
1996). Immediately, Stoney tried to figure out how to help her brother. “Don’t worry about it
Stevie. I will take care of this. You are going to UCLA,” Stoney expressed though without a clue
how she would gather the necessary funds (Gary 1996). The audience later views Stoney having
sex with Nate, a local car salesman, in exchange for money or an advance as Stoney described.
Unfortunately, Stoney’s brother never used the money she earned for him because he was killed
by police officers due to a mistaken identity case. Two days after her brother’s death, Stoney was
sobbing and screamed to her friends “I just want to get out of here! I want to go, I don’t want to
live here anymore,” in reference to her impoverished neighborhood and poverty in general (Gary
1996).
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 16
In order to put their plan in motion, the four women visit a local bank. While Stoney
scoped out the bank, Keith introduced himself to her and asked if she was interested in going on
a date with him. During their first date, Keith and Stoney established their differences. “I know
you are accustomed to those hard neck men,” Keith told Stoney (Gary 1996). “Well you are
probably from harvard and all,” said Stoney (Gary 1996). “Even if I am from Harvard, I still
have to eat so take me to a restaurant in your hood,” Keith told Stoney (Gary 1996). While at the
restaurant of Stoney’s choosing, Keith explained his career background which included him
working on Wall Street. He followed and ask Stoney if she visited New York, or anywhere
Before the second robbery, Stoney and Cleo had a discussion about their future. “I want
to be someone that doesn’t have to rob banks for a living,” Stoney expressed (Gary 1996). “I
want to just get enough money to permanently leave this lifestyle behind,” she added (Gary
1996). “Stoney, you could live in the suburbs somewhere. You can be something more, I will
never be anything but a hoodrat. You have a future, I just live for today,” Cleo responded (Gary
1996).
Though they came from a different background, Stoney and Keith were attracted to each
other. He knew that she was not privileged and therefore, tried to make her feel special. On their
second date, Keith cooked her a mexican dish. “Since you don’t travel much, our dates will
consist of me cooking you specialty dinners from other parts of the World,” Keith said (Gary
1996). Finally, Keith asked Stoney to attend a work-related dinner with him in which he
introduced her to all the banking executives (Gary 1996). Keith commented on a remark made
my Stoney recently in the film about her feeling caged. “Do you feel free now,” Keith asked
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 17
(Gary 1996). “It’s not mine, I am borrowing piece of your life. Your friends all own banks,
where I am from, we are lucky to own bank accounts. I just want to get up and move forward
with life” Stoney responded (Gary 1996). Keith offered for her to live her life with him for a
while to see how well she could adjust. At the end of the night, the couple have their first sexual
Because of Stoney having a different outlook on life planning for a future, she was the
only one that survived the police chase. Stoney watched Frankie get shot to the ground as she
traveled to Mexico to escape her past. When she arrived in Mexico, she had flashbacks on all of
her happy moments with her friends and her younger brother as tears ran. Before the film ended,
she called Keith for a final goodbye. “I am glad you are okay,” said Keith (Gary 1996). “I am
thank you,” were the last words Stoney spoke to Keith. The film concluded by her driving off
The main characters in Set It Off decided to partake in the burglary spree for different
reasons. All the women experienced some sort of tragic event in their lives which caused them to
seek obtaining money to solve their problems. For Tisean, a timid mother who found it difficult
to care for her infant son due to her limited financial budget, her reasoning for participating in
Tisean’s character is introduced along with Stoney and Cleo during Stoney’s younger
brother’s graduation party. Tisean is viewed holding her son while mingling with her friends. It
is apparent that Tisean was an affectionate and dedicated mother (Gary 1996). However, her
dedication was not solely because of her love for her child but also because she couldn’t afford a
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 18
babysitter. While at her janitorial job, Tisean pleaded with her demeaning employer Luther about
paying her in cash, so taxes would not be removed from her salary. “Luther, I thought you were
going to start paying me under the table. They are taking taxes out of my check. If they keep
doing this, I won’t be able to pay for a baby sitter. Please please Luther,” she whined (Gary
1996).
burden. A few scenes after her interaction with Luther, Tisean brought her son to work with her
due to her inability to afford a sitter (Gary 1996). Unfortunately, during his stay, he digest
chemical poison which caused him to be rushed to the hospital. At the hospital, Tisean is met by
a Child Protective Service representative who told her she couldn’t see her hospitalized child
(Gary 1996). To add insult to an injury, the representative told Tisean that her child would be
released into CPS custody once he is released from the hospital due to her negligence (Gary
1996). As expected, Tisean reacts frantically and pleads for her child to be released into her
custody. “I’m going to die without my baby. I didn’t have the money for a sitter, what am I going
to do, how am I going to get this cash,” Tisean asked the social worker (Gary 1996).
After facing the possibility of never regaining custody of her child, Tisean reluctantly
agreed to the proposed idea of robbing the bank. When the time came to conduct the first
robbery, Tisean cowardly scurried from the scene. Because of her failure to commit to the
burglary plan, Frankie refused to share the stolen $12,000 with Tisean. As a result, Tisean cried
to Frankie saying, “Frankie, please, I really need that money (Gary 1996).” The success of the
first robbery motivated Tisean to participate in the second burglary in which the women stole
over $200,000-- affording the women $75,000 each. With this success, the audience viewed
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 19
Tisean celebrating and throwing money in the air. “I can finally get my baby back,” Tisean told
Unfortunately, Tisean’s efforts were not rewarded. The morning of the women’s third
and final bank robbery, Tisean visited her baby at the CPS housing facility and hugged and
kissed him for the last time, a fact she didn’t know at the time. “Do you think I will be able to get
my baby back, do you think the court case will go well tomorrow,” Tisean asked the social
worker as her child was removed from her arms (Gary 1996). On this very day, Tisean was the
first to be killed during the final burglary and unfortunately never saw her child or regained
custody of him.
On the contrary, Cleo was motivated by greed and materialistic objects. Her main
purpose for committing the illegal act of robbery was so she could get rich quickly to afford the
flashy cars for herself and seductive clothing for her girlfriend. As the film developed, Cleo’s
character does as well. Within the first few scenes, Cleo and her posse (Tisean, Frankie, and
Stoney) are gathered one afternoon outdoors in their neighborhood drinking and having a good
time when one of their community friends drove by and asked Cleo when was she going to
remodel her car. The group of girls chuckled and Stoney sayed, “Cleo you have been fixing this
car up since the seventh grade (Gary 1996).” Cleo responded by saying, “One day, I am going to
have it just the way I want it,” Cleo continues by referring to the robbery which caused Frankie
to lose her job and suggested they should rob banks as well to get quick cash (Gary 1996). “Yall
knew Lorenzo got away with stealing $25,000. If that drug head ass could get that much, we
could get more than him,” Cleo tried to her persuade her friends (Gary 1996).
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 20
After endless persuasion from Cleo and Frankie, Stoney and Tisean eventually agreed to
burglary. After their first robbery in which they earned $3,000 each, Cleo was the most excited
out of all the women and was viewed jumping for joy because of the amount of money she
acquired. Because of her passion for materialistic items, Cleo did not waste any time spending
her money. Her three friends find her at home one day receiving a lap dance from her girl friend
who was wearing new and expensive lingerie. “Cleo, you have not been to work in weeks. You
are going to loose you job. You den spent all your money on new clothes and this damn car. I bet
you ain’t got shit left,” Frankie exclaimed (Gary 1996). “You were supposed to keep up
appearances. You were supposed to keep going to work. $3,000 ain’t gonna do nothing for you,”
Stoney told Cleo (Gary 1996). “Nah, I ain’t got nothing left, so we just gonna have to rob
another bank. I ain’t going back to work with that punk Luther,” said Cleo (Gary 1996). Stoney
responded and told her that she only agreed to one robbery, therefore, she was not robbing
another bank. Cleo stood up aggressively and shoved a gun into Stoney’s face and threatened
her. “You ain’t gonna leave us now that you got some money. You gonna do this robbery (Gary
1996).” The lack of financial responsibility and unwillingness to earn her wages lead to Cleo’s
death. She was one of the three women to die during the hasty police chase after the last
burglary.
Though Frankie’s motivation to rob the banks stemmed from her financial need, it is
evident that her rage from losing her job played a major role in her decision as well. Frankie,
unlike the other women, had an above minimum wage paying job as a bank teller. However, due
to her affiliation with Lorenz --a neighborhood associate who robbed the bank Frankie worked
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 21
at-- Frankie was fired from her job after receiving a promotion weeks earlier. “ I almost got my
head blown off by working at your tired ass bank and now you are going to fire me,” she
Frankie’s anger continued when Cleo mentioned they should begin robbing banks to
make quick cash. “We not gonna rob the bank, we gone blow the shit up,” Frankie laughed with
a serious undertone (Gary 1996). However, her laughter quickly subsided when discussion about
robbing the bank became more and more prevalent. Not only was Cleo trying to persuade her
friends but Frankie became a culprit with Cleo. “Yall, this could be the perfect crime. We are
going to get away with this. I know everything about banks and how they operate, we could do
this,” Frankie urged (Gary 1996). “We are just taking away from a system that is fucking us over
“What is the procedure when you have a gun in your hand,” asked Frankie as she held a
gun to Detective Stodes’s head (Gary 1996). It’s over she added just before attempting to run
Discussion
Stoney
Stoney’s character represented an African American woman who was forced to give up
her childhood and raise herself and her brother due to her parents dying at a young age. Because
of her having to financial support and parent her brother, Stoney missed out on the opportunity to
attend college due to the lack of financial assistance and responsibilities. She and her brother also
lived in a poverty-stricken neighborhood because of Stoney’s economic class which was also a
result of her limited opportunity. Stoney had a significant desire for a better life and didn’t mind
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 22
working for it, however, she was not afforded the opportunity. When she began dating Keith, she
knew he would provide her away out of the hood, however, she couldn’t fully indulge in the
Stoney’s character falls in quadrant four of the Johari Window, a theory used to better
understand interpersonal relationships and relationships with other, because she was a mystery to
bother herself and others. Stoney knew she was not a criminal and the robbery spree was
immoral and wrong, however, it was the only way at the time that she could escape her
impoverished lifestyle. Detective Stodes also knew Stoney was not a criminal, but had fallen on
tough time, which is why she participated in the robberies. Keith knew Stoney was from the
hood, but he knew she wanted more out of life. Stoney’s place in society was unknown. Her
aspirations exceeded an impoverished lifestyle, however, she didn’t have the financial means nor
the opportunity to fit into an middle or upper class society. Stoney’s situation relates to most
Black Americans today who are in the middle. They aren’t rich and they are poor, they don’t
have advanced degrees but they have more than a high school education. By definition, they
would fit in the middle social and economic classes, but yet, limited resources are allocated to
this class. The United States system is designed to where there is no place for a person or family
in the middle.
Tisean
Tisean was a good mother who loved her child and went through extraordinary measures
to protect and provide her for son. Tisean fell into quadrant two of the Johari Window in which
she knew qualities about herself that were unknown to others. She knew her worth and ability to
provide for her child, however, because she experienced financial difficulty as a single mother,
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 23
she was deemed unfit by CPS who didn’t perceive her to be capable due to her financial
struggles.
In 2013, eight out of every 100 children in Los Angeles County-- in which the fictional
film was filmed-- were black. And 29 out of every 100 children in foster care are Black. And
when black children go into foster care, they get stuck there 50 percent longer than children of
other races (Baeder 2013). Researcher Brett Drake of Washington University in St. Louis' school
of social work said that poverty is the strongest factor correlated with foster care. The detriment
with these statistics are that a large percentage of Black children are growing up without their
biological families due to poverty, a factor that many uneducated and unemployed African
Cleo
Cleo’s character represented an African American woman that desired finer things in life,
but did not possess the financial means to obtain it. Because of the lack of financial security,
Cleo decided that a life crime and theft was the only way to obtain her luxury items. Also,
because she was not accustomed to the finer things in life, she became greedy once she acquired
it.
In the Johari Window, Cleo fell into region 1 in which she knew traits about herself that
were also known to others. Though Cleo had the opportunity to provide financial stability for
herself through a legal occupation, mentally she felt that she was less than adequate to do so.
Therefore, she settled into a life of crime with no regard of future consequences. Detective
Stodes knew Cleo appreciated the value of luxury cars, but couldn’t afford it due to her extensive
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 24
criminal record for vehicle theft. This knowledge made Cleo an easy target by the detective
because he knew bank robbery would afford her the material items she desired.
Illegal activity has a significant impact on the African American community, especially
those who are considered unemployed. Since the late 1980s, the African American
unemployment rate averaged about 2.2 times that of Whites. In 2015, the jobless rate for Whites
was 6.6 percent and 12.6 percent about Blacks (DeSilver 2013). Many unemployed African
Americans turn to crime to maintain and/or obtain their desired lifestyle. Because Whites,
especially White police officers are aware, they tend to target low-income African Americans
which leads to mass incarceration within this demographic. Also, because the media covers a
significant portion of Black crime stories, Whites perceive the race as being dangerous and
Frankie
Frankie’s character would be viewed as having “The Sapphire” characteristics also know
as the mad Black woman trait. Though Frankie was perceived to be angry and revengeful, her
emotions were warranted due to the unfair treatment at her workplace. Frankie worked hard for
the opportunity to work as a bank teller, a job that superseded her other friends and
neighborhood associates in regards to wages earned. When she received this job she did not take
advantage of the opportunity by slacking off and not performing her task --which is the
stereotypical working behavior for Blacks, but she worked exceptionally hard. She explained to
her employer that she clocked in earlier every morning and left after closing hours every day, she
counted over $200,000 in cash manually, and she completed all assignments to the best of her
abilities (Gary 1996). However her explanation was not enough, her employer showed no
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 25
compassion when he fired her without probable cause and told her sternly to calm down when
is a poor, African American women who was given the opportunity to make a better life for
herself, but that opportunity was stripped because of her living environment/association. The
third region of the Johari Window is labeled the hidden area or the facade. This section
represents a person’s knowledge about themselves that others don’t know. This region relates to
Frankie’s story in particular because her employers don’t understand why she has become frantic
due to losing her job. In their mind, she could simply find a replacement job which would be
completely accurate, if she were white. However, the fact that she embodies all of the layers of
oppression recently mentioned, limits her ability to regain employment which is an occurring
conflict that Frankie is aware of. Though Whites don’t understand this because they don’t
encounter as many layer of oppression due to them being the majority race.
Her emotionalism was misunderstood as anger which is common when White Americans
perceive African Americans. Through Frankie’s storyline, it is apparent that White Americans
don’t expect Black women to feel disappointed or hurt. Being sad or grieving is not an option for
Black women unless the label of angry Black woman is associated with their character. A white
differently than those of black women. When white women express their emotional state, it is
perceived as a “bad hair day” or perhaps, a hormonal imbalance (Cadet 2013). When a black
woman does the same, her behavior becomes who she is in the sight of others. She is assumed to
be easy to trigger and difficult to control (Cadet 2013). This unfair treatment poses a significant
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impact on African American women. By Black women not being able to voice their concerns
with the fear that they will lose their jobs or someone that is significant to them, limits the
personal power that African American women posses and diminishes the progression of this
specific demographic. Not only does the angry Black woman label strip African American
women of power, but it also tells them they don’t belong and that their feelings don’t matter.
Unfortunately, anger has become what Black women exploit, bowing down to express it or
Conclusion/ Summary
The African American casted film, Set it Off, depicted four women in pursuit of obtaining
the American dream. Though the American dream meant something different for each woman,
their goal was to achieve happiness and they thought that money would help them accomplish
this goal. However, the film ends with the death of three out of four women. Tisean never
regained custody of her child, therefore, never achieving her American dream. Cleo
accomplished her dream by having the financial means to purchase luxury items, however, it was
short lived. Frankie who satisfied with simply getting revenge never found true happiness.
Lastly, Stoney the only remaining character, achieved her goal by escaping her impoverished
lifestyle and neighborhood. However, it was at the price of missing out on the possibility of true
By reviewing Set it Off , it is apparent that the negative stereotypes of African American
women that were developed during slavery and depicted in Black film beginning in the 1970s
continues in film currently. However, to reduce the negativity of these stereotypes, film writers
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 27
have either combined stereotypes and/or have added other positive characteristics to diminish the
significance of the negative caricatures. Because these stereotypes still remain in film today, they
continue to impact the way White Americans perceive African American women. The perception
stems from the limited interaction with Black women and the idea that all Black women
represent what is portrayed in film. In return, African American women are disadvantaged
because of this portrayal. Until Black films change the stereotype depicted of Black women,
White Americans will continue to view Black women as angry, sexually explicit, and stern
maternal figures.
References
Ben Baeder. (2013, March 23). Studies: Disproportionate number of black children wind
http://www.dailynews.com/article/zz/20130323/NEWS/130329325
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 28
Cadet, D. (2013, August 26). Black Single Mothers Are 'Biggest Impediment' To
Progress, Journalist George Will Says (VIDEO). Retrieved April 28, 2017, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/26/black-single-mothers-biggest-impediment_n_38188
24.html
Publications.
DeSilver, D. (2013, August 21). Black unemployment rate is consistently twice that of
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/08/21/through-good-times-and-bad-black-unemploy
ment-is-consistently-double-that-of-whites/
Ebert, R. (1996, November 06). Set It Off Movie Review & Film Summary (1996) |
Gebreyes, R. (2014, August 29). Study Shows Most White Americans Don't Have Close
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/29/white-americans-black-friends_n_5733250.html
Johari Window: A Model for Communicating to Each Other : The Journal of Perinatal &
http://journals.lww.com/jpnnjournal/Citation/2007/04000/Johari_Window__A_Model_for_Com
municating_to_Each.19.aspx
SET IT OFF: REPRESENTATION OF CRIME AND PASSION 29
Actresses Between the Years of 2000-2010 (Doctoral dissertation, The Pennsylvania State
University) [Abstract]
Pilgrim, D., Dr. (2008, August). The Sapphire Caricature (Doctoral dissertation, Ferris
Pilgrim, D., Dr. (2008, April). The Jezebel Caricature (Doctoral dissertation, Ferris State
Soy, Susan K. (1997). The case study as a research method. Unpublished paper,
Vanzant, I. (2016, September 08). The Myth Of The Angry Black Woman. Retrieved April
28,2017, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/iyanla-vanzant/the-myth-of-the-angry-black-woman_b_1189725
2.html