Why We Love to See Black Women Snatching Each Other’s Weaves and Wigs

By Nomalanga Mhlauli-Moses

I watched an excellent TED Talk by award winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie titled The Danger of a Single Story. In the talk, Adichie pointed out that when we see only a small part of a story and then only tell that part of the story, we risk telling a very wrong story - a dangerously inaccurate story. The same could be said about what we see on television and how we see Black women being depicted.

On one hand we have the powerful “Olivia Pope” from “Scandal,” who is a superstar in her career, but a hot mess when it comes to her love life. She spends most of her time in a great deal of pain over “loving” a man who is committed to running the so-called free world and to his wife and children. If he has any time left over after serving his commitments, he might shove her into a closet and “have his way with her”. Even if he is The President, which may distract some from the essence of what is going on, she is simply put, a “side-chick” or a mistress.

On another hand we have women in reality shows who seem to always be on the verge of “losing it” and violently attacking each other, whether it is verbally or physically.

The Black women who take these “single story” roles in television do so for various reasons. Some are actors, who believe they are expressing their gifts and talents, and others are just trying to make ” a buck,” but the question one might ask is: what about those who watch them - why do they watch?

Below are four reasons why people watch these single stories:

1. Feeling superior - There is a reason why people watch shows like “Jerry Springer” and “Maury” and they have been running for decades; the shows allow them to see people with so little dignity and self respect that it makes them feel like not having stooped that low makes them and their lives somehow better, even superior. The same could be said about the Black women who humiliate themselves on television, whether in reality or in their roles; many people watch them so that they can have someone to look down on and feel superior.

2. You can relate - As hard as it is for me to imagine that the drama I see on television is real, especially when I am watching women snatch each other’s wigs and weaves, for some people that is “normal”. In other words, they see that behavior being displayed often and may even be a part of it so often that it does not seem as outrageous to them as it seems to me and those that have a different experience. While some may be shocked and appalled at what is often called “ratched” behavior, for some people it is actually something they can relate to and seeing it makes them feel normal.

3. You’re bored - Sometimes the reasons for watching anything on television is really not that “deep” and while flipping though channels a person might end up watching “Love and Hip-Hop” or “Basketball Wives”. The truth is, sometimes it can be mildly entertaining or interesting.

4. Those are the only Black people on television - I enjoy watching different kinds of shows and movies, but I often have a desire to see “my people” in the movies and shows I watch. For example, when the show “How To Get Away With Murder” first came out, I found it to be too fast paced and confusing to enjoy. I did however continue to watch it and hoped that it would get better (it did) simply because I adore Viola Davis and loved seeing her in such a dynamic role. I also thought that it was refreshing to see a Black woman in a lead role in a prime-time show. You may find that, like me, many people watch shows that may be highly dysfunction or are “single stories” simply because that is the only way that they can see “their people” on television.

Do you watch any “bad” shows? If so, why?

Nomalanga is a Life Balance Expert. Her speaking and coaching programs help busy women who struggle to balance Marriage, Motherhood and Money-Making™. She is an avid blogger and a sought after instructor and speaker.