True Self, False Self: The Role of Popular Media in Subjugating Women of Color

Subversion of the woman's voice to conform to the values, institutional practices, and aspirations of society has been explored through a psychodynamic lens by a variety of authors (Charles 2011, Belenky, Klinchy, Goldberg, & Tarule, 1986; Jandeska and Kraimer, 2005). I would like to continue this exploration within the context of popular media's perpetuation of such subversion with respect to the oppressed female in general, and the Black woman in particular. Being pushed to sing the songs of the institutional choir rather than one's own takes on new dimensions when the melody not only distorts one's true voice but the lyrics literally devalue and demean one's personhood in a manner that maintains the oppressive state. In short, I would like to highlight how popular media fuels the Black woman's oppressive traverse between being silenced and having someone else's words put in her mouth.

This idea of having two competing voices or consciousnesses is not foreign to psychoanalysis. Winnicott introduced the notion of the true self and the false self. He stated “Other people's expectations can become of overriding importance, overlaying or contradicting the original sense of self, the one connected to the very roots of one's being” . Winnicott suggests that there is a danger of the authentic self being smothered and distorted by the false self, which is in alignment with societal norms (Winnicott, 1965). It becomes dangerous when such mores are more than just a burden that can leave one feeling inauthentic, but function as a mechanism to undermine a woman's attempts at equity and personhood as she faces oppressive structural barriers that have historically related to both gender and race.

Fanon describes Blacks as having dual consciousness (Fanon, 1967). The first is an original self that is hidden from society and perhaps even oneself. The second reflects the cultural and institutional norms of the dominant group, often