By: Kai Heslop (’19), Staff Writer
Black women in the entertainment industry are fed up with receiving less pay than their white male and female counterparts for equal work, and rightfully so. Anyone in this position would understandably share sentiments of frustration and discontent. This trend is seen across various industries, from music to law to engineering. Despite having made gains in television, black women are still severely underrepresented and undervalued for their work in the entertainment industry, as acclaimed actress Mo’Nique informed everyone of recently in an Instagram video.
After being offered $500,000 to do a comedy special for Netflix in January, Mo’Nique called out the streaming company for making similar show offers with higher pay involved to actors such as Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, and actress Amy Schumer. Her allegations against Netflix were originally questioned since false reports circulated that Mo’Nique was offered $3 million instead of $500,000 for the comedy special. Despite this, after posting the Instagram video, Mo’Nique then posted a tweet encouraging people to boycott Netflix due to the color bias and gender bias that the company exhibited. As the result of these actions, a movement started on Twitter where multiple celebrities such as Chance the Rapper and Shonda Rhimes came forward and used the hashtags “#TeamMonique” and “#ImWithYouMo” to show public support for Mo’Nique. While this movement was well-received by some, many celebrities and fans alike suggested that Mo’Nique was making a bigger deal out of the situation that was warranted.
Before the movement was augmented and arguably cushioned by the support of big names in the entertainment industry such as Shonda Rhimes, Mo’Nique was subject to criticism that falls in line with problematic and limiting stereotypes of black women. Fellow actress Adrienne Houghton (formerly Bailon) criticized Mo’Nique for the way she approached discussing the issue by tweeting: “Being loud doesn’t mean you’re keeping it real.” Houghton went on to insinuate that Mo’Nique was not being “classy” and that she should “hold her peace and move on,” which is the exact mindset that this movement attempts to avoid. Ironically, the issue of color bias and gender bias within the entertainment industry also negatively affects Houghton, however, many people of color in this industry have been conditioned to think that they should merely be grateful for the opportunities that they are now given. In years past, people of color were not afforded a fair chance to play certain roles, so the progress made by way of increased representation can serve to quell some complaints, or cast those who complain as unappreciative of the steps forward that have been taken. This phenomenon in effect silences the complaints of people of color, especially those who fear verifying negative stereotypes.
Since black women are tired of either being silenced or being made to feel that they need to remain silent by exterior forces in instances such as these, Mo’Nique’s actions signify a new standard where black women can use their voices to advocate for themselves. Houghton’s word choice also lends to the negative stereotype that black women are loud, which can have a chilling effect on the speech of black women, since generalizations like that will more than often than not cause women to not want to come forward out of fear of playing into that expected behavior. Instead of focusing on the manner in which the message was delivered, it is important to focus on the message itself, which has value and puts a microphone to an important issue that could benefit from attention being brought to it.
Despite receiving criticism for speaking up, Mo’Nique also received support in her movement to boycott Netflix and support in speaking up about this issue of gender and color bias in the entertainment industry. Artist India Arie applauded and defended Mo’Nique, tweeting: “I’ve been called difficult when I demand accountability, take self-care time, speak difficult truth or stand up at all LOL!#ImWithYouMo.” Here, India Arie points to another stereotype of black women being cast as difficult or too demanding, which is certainly a stereotype that Mo’Nique continues to face in this movement. This is the same stereotype that Charlemagne tha God heavily referenced in his interview with Mo’Nique on the popular radio show The Breakfast Club. She was characterized as erratic and prone to complaining, made worse by the fact that the importance of what she was complaining about was continually downplayed.
Following Mo’Nique’s initial statement regarding the unequal pay offered to her by Netflix, acclaimed actress Viola Davis came forward sharing similar sentiments. Davis said, “Actresses like Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman deserve everything they get, but guess what—I deserve it too. So does Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, Halle Berry. We’ve put the work in too.” Hearing that such well-decorated stars have to face the prospect of receiving less pay than their work merits is both shocking and telling of the faults with the entertainment industry. It took Mo’Nique breaking boundaries by initiating this necessary conversation and drawing attention to the issue for other black female actresses to feel comfortable and safe speaking up, which demonstrates that they initially refrained from sharing their truth until space was made for their voices and their stories. If Mo’Nique would have refrained from advocating for herself like others who came before her who felt forced into silence, the gateway for this conversation would have never been opened.
