#controllingimages

I loved stumbling upon this article, because I am a huge fan of Michelle Obama- who isn’t?! I was not only impressed by the public acknowledgement of her excellence, but also the analysis of many celebrities about what her leadership as an African-American woman has meant in the greater American story. Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie notes there was some backlash towards the First Lady, and that the “cheapest caricature” of the Angry Black Woman was thrust on her by many of her opposers.  This notion of the Angry Black Woman is one of the four “controlling images” that Patricia Hill Collins points out in her article, “Controlling Images and Black Women’s Oppression.” This racist stereotype is one of the many forms of discrimination that Michelle Obama has overcome throughout her career. Her ability to gracefully lead in a racist society that continues to oppress her and other black women, is part of what makes Michelle Obama brilliant.