ABSTRACT
Between 2005-2010, Black women had been all but removed from the primetime television lineup. Gone were the heydays of the late 1990s and early 2000s where family-centered situational comedies reigned supreme. Instead a new lineup of shows, focused on sensationalized ‘reality TV’ had taken over cable outlets and permeated every aspect of society. These shows introduced a new type of stereotypical representation of Black women. Instead of depicting women as mammies and matriarchs, Black women as loud, aggressive, angry, ratchet mistresses came to dominate the airwaves. Unlike traditional terms, the “21st century mistress” is multidimensional.
Merriam-Webster defines mistress in several contexts, including as a woman who has power, authority or ownership. A woman who employs or supervises or who is in charge of a school or other establishment. It’s not until the fourth definition that the term is classified in more common notions as a “woman other than his wife with whom a married man has a continuing sexual relationship, archaically known as a sweetheart.” So by default, the definition of the word “mistress” is complex.
As representation of Black women continue to shift and evolve, so do the labels associated with them. From mammies, sapphires and jezebels at the turn of the 20th century to Black ladies, matriarchs and mistress during the 21st century, these shifts are directly related to the increase in media ownership and creative control obtained by Black women over the last 66 years.
