THE BOUGIE BLACK WOMAN

WHAT IS THE BOUGIE BLACK WOMAN ARCHETYPE?

The Bougie Black Woman is someone who captures the audience with style and attitude. She is known for her interest in materialistic things such as shopping and money and sometimes her depth. It is important to note that there are different archetypes to the Bougie Black Woman. The first being the Bougie Black Woman that was born into wealth and doesn't necessarily understand and or lack the understanding of race related issues prevalent in the world. These women tend to be naive and freviouls when it comes to their wealth and status. Then there is the second archetype of the Bougie Black Woman who was not born into wealth and had to work hard to get what they have. These women tend to be ambitious and have an understanding of poverty and race related issues as their ambition fuels their drive to climb out of impoverishment.

For the majority of our history in television and in film black women are usually depicted as a reflection of societal opinion which opinions are awfully racist and sexist towards balck woman.

From wildly racist stereotypes such as the hyper sexualized being (the Jezbel), the domesticated mute (the Mammy), or the loud mouthed, angry black woman (the sapphire), to name a few.

In recent films and television, new representation for black women have skewed to a new persona, the Bougie Black Woman.

An example of this persona would be Dionne from Clueless (1995), or most prominently known Hilary Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-1996). Both of these beloved characters exude affluent lifestyles which in the present day has become prominent in Black television. The bougie Black Woman is wealthy, beautiful, a good sense of style, and self centered in a way that makes anyone fall in love with her and her persona. The bougie Black Woman persona for me is a stepping stone for young Black girls to see themselves on screen living in luxury without having to answer to anyone. This type of character is more representative of the Black woman on screen than what we as the audience are so used to seeing.

Diahann Caroll as Dominique Deveraux (Dynasty 1984-1987)

For instance, the idea of luxurious living emerged from Diahann Caroll in the 1980s soap opera Dynasty, in which Carroll played the oh so fabulous Dominique Deveraux. The introduction of Deveraux was a stepping stone in having more inclusive representation for Black women as the character was portrayed as an equal to her white counterparts with regards to economic and social status, which during that time was unimaginable to see on screen. The character was revolutionary and steadily became a domino effect in creating what we all know as the Bougie Black Woman persona.

Whitley Gilbert, A Different World (1987-1993) / Hilary Banks, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-1996)

Shows in the 80s and the 90s that were centered around Black families and Black neighborhoods were being increasingly popular worldwide as Black culture itself was becoming mainstream and the forefront of pop culture through music and fashion. This sort of influence was reflected in Hollywood as Television shows began to push out the Bougie Black Woman as a staple figure in sitcoms. Thus, the creation of iconic and most notable characters within sitcoms, Hilary Banks, the ultimate daddy’s girl who is known to be self-centered and shallow on the hit TV show, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-1996) and Whitley Gilbert, the snobby, stuck up southern belle on the hit TV show A Different World (1987-1993). Both of these two characters perfectly embody the Bougie Balc Woman persona as they were both born into wealth, held themselves to a high standard, had little regard for anyone else and were often seen as ditzy. In addition, these characters were often used for comedic purposes within the show and were more often used to show the juxtaposition of another character. For instance in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Will and Hilary would be juxtaposed with another to show how economically different their backgrounds were and just how out of touch these characters were and how they presented themselves, this also goes for Whitley and Dwayne in A Different World.

Toni Childs, Girlfriends (2000-06)

Furthermore, the Bougie Black Woman persona was also prevalent in the early 2000s, with notable characters such as Toni Childs from the 2000 TV sitcom Girlfriends. If you have watched Girlfriends then you would know that Toni is most notably the most popular one out her girlfriends, including the fact that she was the most unapologetically bogie within her friends as well. She brought boginess to television that ultimately became an aspirational figure for Balck women, whether you loved or hated her. Unlike our most notable nineties sitcom heiresses, Toni was not born into wealth, instead she worked her way up into a high end lifestyle and was prominently known to be fiercely determined and hardworking as hse did not want to return to the lifestyle that she has climbed out of prior. Toni was fierce, independent, confident, straight forward, and self centered. She only exclusively dates wealthy men and was only interested in establishing herself and her wealth.

Dionne Davenport, Clueless (1995)

Within film, the Bougie Black Woman persona was also prominent with the likes of Cher’s besties Dionne Davenport in the 1995 film Clueless. Dionne in Clueless navigates through Black and White social groups at her Los Angeles high school, however it is unclear how she is perceived by her Black working class counterparts. However, it is important to note how Dionne’s attitude towards her boyfriend Murray sparked irritation within Dionne when he would use street slang that was prevalent during hip hop culture at the time. Dionne is most notably known for her confidence, straightforwardness and unique sense of style which has garnered much influence in today's films and television shows.

Monet De Haan, Gossip Girl Reboot (2021-present)

Most notably the Gossip Girl Reboot, Monet De Haan. Portrayed by Savannah Smith, Monet De Haan is most notably known for her cunning ways in addition to her style which reflects the old money aesthetic. Like Dionne, Monet is confident, straight forward and not afraid to express her opinion. Both Dionne and Monet were born into wealth and comfortably well off amongst their peers. Monet De Haan along with her other rich friends are well off in their own right due to their economic and social background, however, given that Monet is the richest student to go to her private school it is not surprising that she has a self centered and cunning attitude towards other students and even the teachers.

In recent times the new Bougie Black Woman is typically cold and calculated as she is someone not to be messed with. Arguably, this trait is reflective of the resilience and toughness that Black Women are known for having and enduring within socio economic positions or simply throughout their day to day lives. These characters are designed to be blunt in order to contrast to their optimistic and sometimes clueless counterparts and or best friends, which in recent pop culture has become the new norm for this particular archetype.

Distinguishable traits of the Bougie Black Woman

Firstly, the Bougie Black Woman is usually associated with a lot of white friends and are able to navigate amongst white society as they are smart and calculated in what they do. Due to respectability politics these women are more palatable to white society.

Toni Childs fashionable looks, Girlfriends (2000-06)

Glamorous, bold, and hilarious, the Bougie Black Woman makes their mark on the TV screen with their ostentatious personalities that are guaranteed to keep the audience reeled in.They are materialistic and unapologetic about it, never shying away from spending money on the dinner things for themselves.

Dionne Davenport fashionable looks, Clueless (1995)

Secondly, the Bougie Black Woman is always serving a look that in turn serves as a visual for who they are and their personality. They are always sporting the most stylish looks amongst their friend group, in addition to their hair and makeup. The Bougie Blak Woman always looks presentable and always appears as if they have never had a bad day.

Hilary Banks fashionale looks, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-1996)

Thirdly, the Bougie Black Woman is usually incredibly intelligent, with the exception of a few. These women usually have deep knowledge about business and politics, as they are determined and ambitious to receive what they know they want.

WHY IS THIS ARCHETYPE SO IMPORTANT?

For me personally, I have always been drawn to women that are ambitious, determined and know exactly what they want in their lives. As a young girl my mom would watch the show Girlfriends and whenever it was on I would always wait for Toni (played by Jill Marie Jones) to come on the screen with her bougie, stylish self. She is the embodiment of the Bougie Black Woman and from a young age she has always been an aspirational figure for me now that I am a young woman myself with an ambition to make something for myself.

The Bougie Black Woman archetype is something that I have grown up around. My grandmother is a testament to this as she has always held herself to a high manner when it comes to appearance. I remember being a young girl and her telling me about how to look presentable when you leave the house and how to act whenever we were in public. Those principles that ultimately make the Bougie Black Woman have been instilled in me from a very young age until now. From now and then I still catch myself embodying this archetype without even giving it much thought. It’s women like my grandmother, and characters like Dominique Deveraux (Dynasty) and Dionne Davenport (Clueless), that I am able to see other women that look like me live their lives so unapologetically within a space that tries to bring them down constantly. Their straightforwardness is very inspiring to watch within TV and film as it is something I relate to within myself. Being able to speak on something unapologetically and straightforward without having to sugar coat anything is something that has always captured me within the Bougie Black Woman archetype. They aren't afraid to speak their minds and go after what they want. Their ambition and ability to speak freely without doubt is something that is very important to view within society and the realm of TV and film.

In conclusion, the Bougie Black Woman persona is a riveting archetype that I want to see within film and TV more often. In this present time with the rise of social media and Black Girl luxury, I am confident that the Bougie Black Woman will not falter. The Bougie Black Woman is ambitious, confident, and yes materialistic, however they are always unapologetically themselves and are never afraid to speak the honest truth and know exactly what they want in life. It is always nice to see these types of women live their lives unapologetically as they never shy away from spending too much money and embodying their own aura of beauty and confidence. These women have clear cut goals and are determined to achieve these goals which is something I msefl love to see within TV, film, and society as a whole. The idea of a Black Woman living a luxurious lifestyle, selfishly endearing to respectability politics without the pains of society is very satisfying to see as it brings light to the beauty of Black Women as opposed to the stereotypical hard, strong black woman is resilient towards the grief and pain that is constantly placed upon them.