Subjects of Desire
Subjects of Desire explores the cultural shift in North American beauty standards towards embracing Black female aesthetics and features while exposing the deliberate and often dangerous portrayals of Black women in the media. From society’s new fixation on the ‘booty’, fuller lips, and the dramatic rise of spray-tanned skin, ethnic hairstyles, and athletic bodies, some argue that Black women are having a beauty moment. But others, primarily Black women, argue that traditional Black features and attributes are seen as more desirable when they are on White women.
Told from the POV of women who aren’t afraid to challenge conventional beauty standards, the film is partially set at the 50th Anniversary of the Miss Black America Pageant, a beauty pageant that was created as a political protest.
Subjects of Desire is a culturally significant, provocative film that deconstructs what we understand about race and the power behind the beauty.
Subjects of Desire Social Links
Details
PARTNERS
TVO, Starz, Hulu, Crave, Knowledge, SBS, Globo, Mnet, Kanopy
GENRE
Documentary
FORMAT
101 minutes Documentary Feature Film
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What People Are Saying
“Affectionate film... adds to a chorus about navigating this very subject with frustration but also self-love.”
“A nimble, idea-packed doc that acts as an excellent primer on Blackness and the beauty ideal.”
“The 50th Miss Black America pageant provides a springboard to explore a cultural shift from past stereotypes of Black womanhood... to today’s Black girls and women embracing African aesthetics, from Black natural hairstyles to skin tone.”
“Fascinating, educational, and insightful, Subjects of Desire should be seen widely and considered thoughtfully by people of all colors.”
“Subjects of Desire, a compelling treatise on the gradual shifts in global beauty standards as they relate to Black women and Black beauty.”