Jada Pinkett: a look from her resistance against the ideal model.

This article does not reflect the opinions of the FeminUN student group, but of their respective authors.

“The patriarchal system in which we as women are submerged carve that we have to be a body for others and not owners of ourselves.”

As part of the Oscar awards ceremony of the current year, it was revealed how the cinematic industry exposes women to racist and violent comments. Jada Pinkett, the actress, filmmaker, and producer, was the one who went this time through an unacceptable situation. As a result of a colleague’s comment that was qualified as “comical” dark humor, which encompassed an enormous transcendence, not only in the life of Pinkett but also in the fight against the stereotypes of beauty ideals that women are supposed to follow.

Chris Rock expressed “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2’? Can’t wait to see ya” alluding to the 1997 film, in which the actress had to shave off her head for the role of Jordan O'Neil (Diario, Criterio, 2022). Thereby, mocking her for the alopecia Jada suffers from, in return she replied with a disgusted gesture.

To analyze Rock’s behavior, we have to acknowledge the implications of his actions concerning aesthetic and racial violence. In the first place, aesthetic violence is defined as the way in which social agents apply an ideological control over women in such a way that without the need for a third party to be present, they autonomously modify their bodies to fit into the women's stereotypes (González, Y., 2018, p.188). Therefore, we can acknowledge that the patriarchal system in which women have been immersed imprints on us that we must "be a body for others" (González, Y., 2018, p.188) and not owners of ourselves. Because of this, today's women go through rigorous aesthetic procedures such as surgeries to match the perfect voluptuous body, the use of wigs or carry out procedures to have straight hair, as well as developing eating disorders to being thinner, among many others.

On the other hand, in relation to racial violence we have that is related to the idea of otherness towards black women, from which "representations or models have been assumed that do not include them within the social dynamics of beauty" (Chapman, 2007 cited in Asprilla J., 2020, p. 12). This means that the comment made by Rock regarding Pinkett's alopecia has greater implications, precisely because throughout time the hair of black women has been constantly rejected by the patriarchal culture that imposes the ideal of straight and long hair.

In this way, it is impressive how an entire internal struggle that not only Jada but thousands of women have gone through, due to the beauty ideals imposed on us, such as the perfect and slim body, "fixed" hair, etc., is minimized. Because precisely there are huge tensions between what the hegemony imposes to be accepted and what for us represents that (González Y., 2018). As evidenced in a previous interview with Jada, who commented that when her hair was beginning to fall out, one day in her bathroom she cried in fear because she might go bald. This internal conflict between what was desirable for society as a beautiful woman with long hair and the possibility of going bald and not being able to fit in is evident.

We can conclude that, despite being in environments that force us to fit into a framework of ideal beauty and constant rejection, women can choose to enter the path of appreciating and loving ourselves as we are. Jada, is an inspiring woman who, after losing her hair due to alopecia, was faced with an internal conflict, the fear of rejection everywhere that was imposed on her; deciding to accept it and make it part of her. Today, she is an example of resistance to what the patriarchal and capitalist system says is feminine identity and what it is to be a woman, to the extent that despite being criticized for not submitting to the canon of having straight and "beautiful" hair, she persists in her struggle for self-acceptance.

Authors: Valerie León, María Claudia Maya & Jackeline Álvarez.

Translated by Mariana Cuadrado Saurith & María Ángeles Charris Gómez.

References

Asprilla, J. (2020). EL CABELLO COMO UNA EXPRESIÓN DE RESISTENCIA: CONFIGURACIÓN IDENTITARIA EN MUJERES NEGRAS Y AFROCOLOMBIANAS PERTENECIENTES AL PROGRAMA MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COHORTE 2017–2018. https://bibliotecadigital.univalle.edu.co/bitstream/handle/10893/18508/Cabello-Expresion-Resistencia-Asprilla-Juliana%20Melisa-3350-2020.pdf?sequence=1

Diario Criterio. (2022, 29 marzo). Jada Pinkett Smith y la violencia estética en los Óscar. Diario Criterio. Recuperado 8 de abril de 2022, de https://diariocriterio.com/violencia-estetica-en-oscar-jada-pinkett-smith/

González, Y. (2018). La Violencia Estética en el Cuerpo Femenino como Expresión de la Identidad de las Mujeres: Un Estudio desde las Representaciones Sociales construidas por un Grupo de Mujeres Madres del Cantón de Palmares, durante el Año 2017–2018. Universidad de Costa Rica. http://www.ts.ucr.ac.cr/binarios/tfglic-sr/tfg-l-sr-2018-04.pdf