The digital world has been abuzz with controversy regarding the Netflix original limited series Self Made inspired by the life of Madam C. J. Walker. Much of that controversy surrounds the historical accuracy (or lack of it) throughout the series, but particularly when it comes to the character Addie Monroe. Many people who complain about the series suggest that the character Addie Monroe is meant to portray the real historical figure Annie Malone, and that the creators of the series made egregious errors in documenting Malone’s life.
As I suspected and eventually saw confirmed in tweets by A’Leila Bundles, Addie Monroe is actually a composite character. The use of composite characters is extremely common in film adaptations. This means that Addie Monroe was never intended to represent Annie Malone. The historical or “real” characters in the film maintained their historically accurate names, such as Freeman Ransom. Details about Addie Monroe borrowed heavily from Annie Malone’s story, no doubt, but also from other people and forces in Madam C. J. Walker’s life. The purpose of this composite character was to synthesize multiple external conflicts into an identifiable antagonist.
Some might argue that the similarities in both name and occupation are too close for comfort to be fully ignored. That’s a fine assessment to make, and I’m actually thrilled that Annie Malone’s legacy is benefiting from a bit of spotlight right now. After-all, it never hurts to know about more successful black women.
But I think the focus on accurately portraying Annie Malone hijacks the movie’s commentary from another important issue that I do think the creators intentionally prioritized in the film via Addie Monroe’s character and others: Colorism.
I think this Netflix series gives us such a salient and poignant tool to confront the harsh, ugly, painful legacy of colorism in American culture, but we’re wasting the opportunity by discussing the series as if it’s a documentary, or a history textbook, or a legal document. This series was never passed off as the official record of history. It is very explicitly an artistic interpretation of history inspired by specific parts of Madam C. J. Walker’s life. By fussing over fidelity to the facts or getting “the complete, accurate, and precise picture” of all of Walker’s life, we ignore that a dramatization made for TV is essentially a work of art.
While I do think artists are responsible for the impact of their work and that their work is rightfully subject to critique, I also think artistic license is necessary. An artist might rightfully say, for example, I’m inspired by Walker’s relationship with her daughter, and I want to create a piece that focuses on that. Or I’m inspired by Basquiat’s crown motif, and I want to write a book that explores his use of that. Or I’m inspired by all of Nina Simone’s life, but I want to tell it from the perspective of her piano. In other words, artists are free to take the angle that most intrigues them without having to appease everyone who might have a different perspective.
Also, it’s okay to have different perspectives. It’s actually more than okay. It’s great! That’s kinda what keeps the world revolving and evolving.
My Perspective
My discussions about composite characters and art comes primarily from my position as a creative writer and creative writing professor who purposely earned her writing MFA at a predominantly visual art school. My perspective for the rest of this discussion is primarily based in my identity and experiences as a dark-skinned woman who has been immersed in studying, researching, writing about, and advocating against colorism for several years.
Shortly before Self Made premiered on Netflix, another video related to black hair care went viral. In this video, a 4-year old girl is getting her locks done. She stares at herself in the camera and very clearly and directly articulates: “I’m so ugly.”
The parallel astounds me. More than 100 years later–more than a century later–members of our youngest generation still struggle with feeling ashamed of how they look as black girls.
That’s what I want to talk about.
A life like Madam C. J. Walker’s can inspire very many conversations, but the Self Made creators clearly intended to spark conversation about colorism. We really can’t tell Madam C. J. Walker’s story without that theme, because it was eurocentric beauty standards that made such hair products so popular to begin with. Even now in the new natural hair movement, there’s still texturism and a preference for certain kinds of natural hairstyles.
(I know that black people were taking great care of our hair long before the diaspora spread to the Americas, so black hair care is not inherently colorist, but since the diaspora, colorism has been a pillar of the industry.)
I love the way Self Made puts colorism front and center, and not just as a one-off, isolated incident. The series shows colorism as an ugly and ubiquitous reality pervasive in everything from regular small talk at the beauty salon to major systems of employment and oppressive forms of representation. One of my favorite things about Self Made is that there were numerous lines and scenes that incorporated colorism in all four episodes. I won’t describe them all, but I’ll share some general takeaways I got and the big questions that the series raises.
Colorism Affects Self-Esteem.
“They put us down, tell us we’re ugly, make us feel ugly….”
Madam C. J. Walker in Self Made
We didn’t need Self Made to tell us this, but it’s an honest depiction. These words spoken in Self Made are echoed by the 4-year-old girl in the Instagram video. It almost feels like time travel the way Madam C. J. Walker’s words in Self Made are mirrored by the words of this baby girl. We can’t deny that this painful legacy still lives on, even alongside the legacies that make us feel good, proud, and comfortable.
But it’s also great to see that a woman can be wildly successful despite struggling with self-esteem. The trend these days is to be “unbothered” and impervious to everything. In Self Made, we see Madam C. J. Walker struggling with feelings of shame and doubting her self-worth due to colorism while simultaneously demonstrating confidence, courage, strength, determination, and tenacity. People aren’t successful because they’ve never dealt with insecurity. They are successful because they don’t let their insecurities hold them back. They overcome. They feel the fear and do it anyway.
Colorism Affects Job Opportunities.
In one scene, Madam C. J. Walker gives a persuasive sales pitch to a group of women at a street market, saying:
“Wonderful hair leads to wonderful opportunities.”
Madam C. J. Walker in Self Made
Throughout the series, Madam C. J. Walker and other characters speak directly about how hair and complexion limits the job opportunities for so many black women. Things have improved over the decades, but we are still dealing with this issue, especially about hair that’s deemed unprofessional, people not getting hired at all, or getting fired for refusing to adhere to company policies on hairstyles, young girls getting suspended or kicked out of schools for not fitting into the eurocentric standards of professionalism and respectability.
Light Skinned Privilege is Real.
“Colored women would do anything to look like me even if deep down they know they can’t.”
Addie Monroe in Self Made
Directly tied to the career opportunities is the reality of light-skinned privilege. While biracial and/or light skinned black people are not granted white privilege, they are still positioned higher in the phenotype hierarchy than darker skinned people. If anything, Self Made reveals that a light skinned, biracial woman like Addie Monroe can actually have a lot of painful struggles in life even while working really hard. And I like that about the series. Just like Madam C. J. Walker wasn’t all superhuman success, Addie Monroe and other light skinned characters were not all posh.
There’s actually a scene where Booker T. Washington’s character compliments Addie on her good looks. It’s clear in that scene that Madam C. J. Walker is bothered by this praise because she knows it’s based in colorism. However, Addie also appears uncomfortable with the attention. I think this is a great instance of nuance on the part of the filmmakers. They depict the reality of light skinned privilege, but also depict the complicated dynamics of such privilege. The hierarchy is made very clear, but so are some of the nuances, contradictions, and complications within that hierarchy.
Colorism is Normalized.
An important aspect of how colorism is depicted in Self Made is that it’s woven into the everyday life of all the characters. It’s not an anomaly or an isolated incident. It keeps showing up again and again. Some commentators see that as a flaw in the show. As someone who created a platform for raising awareness about colorism, I see it as a point of praise.
I be tryna get across just how pervasive and ingrained colorism is. That it happens every day. That it’s in the media. It’s in conversations with our family. It’s in our intimate and romantic partnerships. It’s in our career lives. It’s in our entertainment. It’s in our social organizations. It’s in our politics. It’s in our activism. It’s in our sense of style. It’s in our culture. It’s just there.
I’ve seen so many shows and movies that give subtle nods or mere allusions to colorism periodically if at all. I like that in Seld Made there’s just no escaping it. We can’t brush it off and go back to feeling comfortable.
Confronting our Legacy of Colorism is just as Important as Celebrating our Historical Achievements.
I’ll just leave it at that.