Is the Mammy Sterotype a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?

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IS THE MAMMY STEROTYPE A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY?

Molly Humphries

Philosophy 205 B: Philosophy of Food

December 13, 2016

The mammy stereotype is defied by Alice Deck as an “African-American cook and domestic worker who enjoys cooking and serving white people”, the “quintessential cook and housekeeper”, and an “uncontested female subordinate”.[1] I will argue that this stereotype is a self-fulfilling prophecy that negatively affects African American women today. In doing this, I will show how the mammy stereotype can affect the education level of African American women, the types of occupations they hold and their health. In addition to this, I will also mention other factors may also affect these areas of life for African American women.

A self-fulfilling prophecy involves “situations where many individuals act on the basis of an expectation, [and] may actually influence whether an incident will take place or not… creat[ing] the very conditions they actually believe exist.”[2] For example, in Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the three witches inform Macbeth that he will become king. Macbeth then completely alters his usual actions and begins to have everyone around him murdered so that this prophecy will come true. This is an example of a self-fulfilling prophecy, because without being told about this particular outcome, Macbeth would not have killed so many people. Self-fulfilling prophecies do not always end with negative results, though. For example, if a teacher believed that a young student was going to grow up and become extremely intelligent, they might favor that student and spend a majority of their time aiding that student. Because of all of the extra attention and help, that student grew up to become very intelligent, despite the outcomes that may have occurred without this assumption and extra attention.

The mammy stereotype can be found on many food logos and advertisements. For example, the mammy can be seen on Gold Medal flour, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, syrup, corn meal, and grits, and even in the advertisement for fast food restaurant, such as Popeyes. The mammy stereotype may help aid African American women in connecting with these foods, and in doing so, encouraging them to consume more. This may occur, because it appears that that is what they are supposed to do. For example, people similarly buy popcorn at movies, because it is advertised that people eat popcorn at movies. One feature that all of these foods have in common in addition to using the mammy stereotype in their packaging or advertising, is that when eaten in excess, or even regularly, health problems can ensue. A moderately active woman, ages 25 and up needs approximately 1,800-2,000 calories everyday.[3] If eating foods from just the above mentioned companies, one would surpass the recommended calorie intake for one day in just two meals.[4] This excessive intake of calories can then lead to negative health affects including diabetes, high blood pressure, and arthritis. African American women have the highest rate of obesity compared to other groups in the United States, with 4 out of 5 being overweight or obese.[5] In addition to this, 1 out of 4 African American women have diabetes.[6] We can then conclude that the mammy stereotype on food advertisements may be a factor in the negative health of African American women, fulfilling the “large breasts, muscular arms, and wide hips” stereotype of the mammy.[7]

The mammy stereotype is further fulfilled through advertising and media. Alice Deck’s article described the mammy as the “quintessential cook and housekeeper”[8] In all of the above mentioned examples of food advertisements the mammy can be seen as this cook. Additionally, the mammy figure can be seen on products such as Pine-Sol (a cleaning product), and in movies such The Help, Big Momma’s House, and Madea movies, acting as a housekeeper, or an unemployed motherly figure. All of these depictions clearly show a domestic worker. Just as the food advertisements encourage eating certain foods, I believe that these portrayals of African American women encourage them to work, or not, in specific fields. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, African American women are more likely to work in production or the service industry as opposed to management or professional occupations.[9] These occupational fields usually involve providing services for others and very dependent on demand, and because these images are so prevalent, one might subconsciously think, just like buying popcorn at the movies, that this is what they’re supposed to do.

This possible desire, or misconception that they are unable to work higher level jobs, might be a factor in African American women and their level of education. According to U.S. Department of Labor, 9 in 10 African American women in the work force only have a high school diploma, and, only 3 in 10 have a college degree.[10] With the evidence above, we can conclude that the mammy stereotype of being a domestic worker, or one that happily serves others, may be a contributing factor to not only the occupational choices for African American women, but also their education levels. This then leads to the fulfillment of the mammy stereotype that is that African American women are domestic workers.

Some might argue that the mammy stereotype is not a factor that causes these things to occur, but that there are many other factors that contribute to the African America woman’s health issues, job choice, and education level. For example, the American Heart Associate states that “research suggests African-Americans may carry a gene that makes them more salt sensitive, increasing the risk of high blood pressure” which could be a leading factor in why African American women have poorer health than other people.[11] Other factors that may affect these areas include, racism, sexism, personal choice, and socioeconomic status.

While it is easy to recognize other factors that have a role in negatively affecting the health, education levels, and occupations of African American women, it is important to realize that the mammy stereotype does indeed impact all of these areas at once, and that is why this image is exceedingly problematic. This issue is not only that the mammy stereotype is used in abundance and glorified, but that it simply exists. While there are other factors that cause negative effects on various aspects of African American women’s lives, I believe that if the mammy stereotype was eliminated, then there would be a significant change in these issues, because African American women would not either consciously or subconsciously choose to fulfill this portrayal of this image. Until this image is completely eliminated, society as a whole will be responsible for keeping a “black woman forever in that class as a happy servant”[12]

[1] Alice A. Deck, “’Now Then- Who Said Biscuits?’ The Black Woman Cook as Fetish in American Advertising, 1905- 1953.” In Kitchen Culture in America: Popular Representations of Food, Gender, and Race (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001), 264-267.

[2]

Isaksen, Joachim Vogt. 2016. "The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy".POPULAR SOCIAL SCIENCE. http://www.popularsocialscience.com/2012/12/27/the-self-fulfilling-prophecy/.

[3] "USDA Food Patterns | Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion". 2016.Cnpp.Usda.Gov. https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPatterns.

[4] "Calorie Chart, Nutrition Facts, Calories in Food | Myfitnesspal.Com". 2016.Myfitnesspal.Com. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calorie-chart-nutrition-facts.

[5] "African-Americans | Womenshealth.Gov". 2016.Womenshealth.Gov. http://www.womenshealth.gov/minority-health/african-americans/.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Deck, “’Now Then- Who Said Biscuits?’ The Black Woman Cook as Fetish in American Advertising, 1905- 1953,” 265.

[8]

Ibid.

[9]

Black Women in The Labor Force. 2016. PDF. 1st ed. WOMEN’S BUREAU: United States Department of Labor. https://www.dol.gov/wb/media/Black_Women_in_the_Labor_Force.pdf.

[10] Ibid.

[11]

"African-Americans and Heart Disease, Stroke". 2016.Heart.Org. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/MyHeartandStrokeNews/African-Americans-and-Heart-Disease-Stroke_UCM_444863_Article.jsp#.

[12] Deck, “’Now Then- Who Said Biscuits?’ The Black Woman Cook as Fetish in American Advertising, 1905- 1953,” 267.