Irene Bedard on Tyra

Random thoughts:  Ted Fang and Tyra BanksI’ve developed a (probably justified) reputation as a Tyra-hater :) , but I have to give the show some props for their race episode last week, titled “Focus on Race: Are Celebrities Immune?” It was actually pretty good. They had Margaret Cho on to talk about Asian stereotypes, and Irene Bedard on to talk about Native American stereotypes. I was disappointed in Cho’s reluctance to acknowledge the fact that her imitations of her mom may actually perpetuate stereotypes, and I found it interesting that Bedard criticized the Indian princess stereotype even though she voiced Disney’s Pocahontas. But I guess we all gotta eat. And as problematic as some of Tyra’s race-focused episodes have been, she’s still lightyears ahead of Oprah.Comment:  See the official recap of the show here.

I happened to watch this show. Yes, it was pretty good. Irene Bedard got 15 minutes and two young Native starlets, Shauna and Shannon Baker, got another 15 minutes. It must be the most air-time Natives have gotten on a major talk show in a long time.

Bedard made many of the usual points about Hollywood's portrayal of Indians. These aren't news to readers of Newspaper Rock, but they may have been to Tyra's viewers. Among them:

Americans have an idea that "Native Americans are all the same thing."

Hollywood usually tells "stories of Manifest Destiny characters"--i.e., "the ones that helped the settlers. Those are the ones that got into the history books." (Tyra:  "What's Manifest Destiny?")

Female Indian actors often depict a "princess who's going to end up with the protagonist who's usually a white guy."

Growing up was difficult because, as she put it, "I had no visual images at all. You're always trying to find out who you are."

She's always played Native people rather than trying to pass as another ethnic type. As an advocate for each role she takes, she "can make sure this character is a full, three-dimensional human being that has wants and desires and all the things that every other human being experiences."

She mentioned Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and added, "We're the invisible people. We don't get the chance to have representations in the fabric of American society today."

(All quotations are approximate.)

Carmen Van Kerckhove raises a good point about the Indian princess issue. Tyra didn't press Bedard on it, but Bedard might have defended herself as follows:

Since Pocahontas was a chief's daughter, it was correct to portray her as such. That's the historical reality.

Disney's Pocahontas was more developed than the typical Indian princess. She didn't stand by meekly while her father decided her fate. In fact, she was more mature and independent in the film than she probably was in real life.

She ended up alone rather than with her (white) man. For once a Disney movie didn't end happily ever after.

On the other hand, it's still a movie where the Native woman served primarily as a romantic object. More to the point, the alleged romance never happened. Pocahontas was a child of 10-12, not a nubile young woman. The 27-year-old John Smith wouldn't have fallen in love with a pre-pubescent girl young enough to be his daughter.

It's a close call, but I can understand why Bedard chose to take the role. Disney's version of Pocahontas was arguably more positive than negative. Bedard may have fought to make her a better character than she was on the page.