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Subjects of Desire

Directed by Jennifer Holness
Canada, 2021 (documentary, 103 minutes, colour, English)

Film Description:
"Since 1968, the Miss Black America beauty pageant has been celebrating and upholding the philosophy 'Black is Beautiful.' Capturing the 50th anniversary edition of this once-revolutionary event, the film dives deeper and deconstructs the contemporary meaning of the phrase. It looks at how shifting global beauty standards are moving towards embracing Black aesthetics, but, as one of the contestants points out, on the backs of Black women. Why is it that the same Black features are more desirable when they're on the body of a white woman? In the face of this contradiction, today's Miss Black America contestants embrace all the different variations of what it means to be a Black woman in North America. Featuring interviews with India Arie, Amanda Parris and Rachel Dolezal, Subjects of Desire offers a much-needed deconstruction of the intersection of race and the power of beauty."
-- Aisha Jamal (source)

Film Description:
"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, 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 beauty."
-- Hungry Eyes Media (source)


Film Credits (partial):
Written by: Jennifer Holness
Produced by: Jennifer Holness, Sudz Sutherland, Tyler Evans, Elise Whittington
Participants: Ryann Richardson, Alexandra Germaine, Seraiah Nicole, Brittany Lewis, India Arie, Jully Black, Rachael Dolezal, Amanda Parris, Dr. Cheryl Thompson, Dr. Carolyn West, Dr. Heather Widdows, Kaya Joubert Johnson, Charli Proudfoot, Daeja Sutherland, Rayne Sutherland, Torie Williams
Cinematography: Ricardo Diaz, Iris Ng
Film Editing: Lawrence Jackman
Music: Teddi Jones
Production Company: Hungry Eyes Film & Television
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Notes about Subjects of Desire

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