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Ebunoluwa Adesida - Black Women's Dehumanizing Celebritization

During a political rally held by 2024 president-elect Donald Trump in Asheville, North Carolina, Trump extended his usual slew of insults against his opponent Kamala Harris towards her laughter. He remarked that she has the laugh of a crazy person, going on to say that “her laugh is career-threatening. They said, ‘Don't laugh.’ She hasn't laughed. She doesn't laugh anymore. It's smart. But someday, it's going to come out” (Trump, 2024/2024). While this is such a small and seemingly insignificant aspect of a person to pick on, it specifically struck me because it felt similar to the comments I’m used to receiving pertaining to how I compose myself in public as a black woman. With further deliberation, I realized the controversy over Kamala Harris’s laughter is a demonstration of how the unfairly complex ways Black women are policed in popular culture make it near impossible for us to be genuine. 

The laughing phenomenon began with social media’s shaping of Kamala Harris’ online presence during her 2024 presidential campaign. According to one of Graeme Turner’s definitions of celebrity, Harris’ celebretization occurred through the collection of different types of texts and discourse to create a consumable representation of her (Turner, 2010, p. 13). Harris' celebrity image was constructed through representational elements of her identity underscored by the public and then utilized by her team; most notably her hearty laughter. From YouTube video compilations of Kamala Harris laughing for one minute straight to being dubbed “Laughing Kamala” by her political peers and the public, this attribute became heavily associated with her persona. 

Unfortunately, her giggles soon turned into a source of weakness as her political peers began to use her persona to attack her ability to be President of the United States of America. Donald Trump dubbing her a lunatic for a simple human reaction that everyone participates in, exemplifies how media representations can almost replace you as a person. While I don’t agree with all of Kamala’s politics, her intelligence and career accomplishments shouldn’t be tarnished because she has been seen chuckling from time to time. Trump's labeling is emblematic of another aspect of Greame Turner’s definition of celebrity as a discourse, where being a celebrity alters how you are consumed by the public and what you represent (Turner, 2010, p. 13). Under this concept, silly videos showcasing the Vice President’s humor become exposés of an “unserious” and “manic” politician. Harris’ portrayal of herself was taken out of her control because the meaning of her actions were now determined by the viewer. 

Personally, I found that her laughter brought a charming, genuine, and down to earth vibe that isn’t found in many others holding such high positions in government. Her laughter symbolized that she wasn’t afraid to be herself, but as Trump remarked, such an idea is “career-threatening” for Black women. This unique form of oppression that befalls black women because of the interlocking oppression between racial and gender marginalization can be described as Misogynoir, a term coined by Moyo Bailey (Bailey, 2021, p.1). There are subtle racist and sexist undertones in Trump's characterization of Harris as a lunatic since he draws from well-known negative stereotypes of Black people being excessively loud or women being emotionally unfit for positions of power. He knowingly weaponizes these stereotypes against Kamala Harris to highlight her black womanhood as a fault in her ability to be President, perpetuating and normalizing misogynoir in public media. 

The misogynoir ever present in popular culture causes Black women to feel pressured to change themselves in order to receive the respect they deserve. As Donald Trump stated in his recent political rally, “They said, ‘Don't laugh.’ She hasn't laughed” (Trump, 2024/2024), Kamala Harris had to learn to police herself to protect her image from being sensationalized by others. Harris’ adjustment could be seen as adhering to respectability politics, an idea that if marginalized groups comport themselves well enough they may be accepted into society and overcome discrimination (Bailey, 2021, p. 15). Ultimately, a Black woman’s success hinges on having to strategically restrict her public actions based on arbitrary social rules designed to oppress her. 

Overall, Donald Trump’s comments in his recent rally showcase the impossibility of being a multidimensional black woman due to the dehumanizing effects the policing of black women within popular culture. Trump capitalized on Kamala Harris’s celebritization by distorting the representational elements of her online persona through weaponizing misogynoir and respectability politics. While Trump's actions were performed on a large scale, such audacious acts of oppression embolden every day people to scrutinize Black women and girls over their appearances and behavior. I believe it is deeply detrimental to the safety and well-being of Black women everywhere that such actions are not only accepted but affirmed, as seen with Trump’s win in the presidential election. 

References 

Trump, D. (2024). Donald Trump Holds a Political Rally in Asheville, North Carolina. [Speech Transcription]. Roll Call. https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-speech-political-rally-asheville-north-carolina-august-14-2024/ 

Bailey, M. (2021). Misogynoir transformed. New York, NY: NYU Press. Pp. 1, 15

Turner, G. (2010). Approaching celebrity studies.  Download Turner, G. (2010). Approaching celebrity studies.Celebrity Studies, pp. 13.



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