Mammy archetype

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Mammy, is a variant of "mother", used most prominently by blacks in the Southern United States since the days of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. When used to refer to a black woman it is sometimes considered an ethnic slur.

Contents

1 Archetype
2 In pop culture
3 In music and film
4 In video games
5 See also
6 External links

Archetype

The mammy archetype is, perhaps, as old as slavery itself— that of a dark-skinned, heavyset, big-busted, matronly black woman wearing an apron and a kerchief on her head. She generally is a maid, cook, seamstress, nurse, or another kind of domestic servant who was an earth mother type, good-natured, sometimes jovial and loud. Like the emasculated black "pappy" or "uncle", she is asexual, despite having given birth to many children.

In pop culture

A number of variations and usage of the "mammy" character became prominent in pop culture during the pre-civil rights period. One of the most notable examples is Aunt Jemima, a mascot for Quaker Oats's "Aunt Jemima" brand pancakes, pancake flour, and syrup.

In music and film

Singer Al Jolson often sang about Mammy

Mammy characters were a staple of blackface minstrelsy, giving rise to many sentimental show tunes dedicated to or mentioning mammies, including Al Jolson's My Mammy from The Jazz Singer and Judy Garland's performance of Swanee from A Star is Born.

In video games

Macha

The videogame Chrono Cross, released in 1999, features a character named "Macha" who is reminiscent of a mammy character. She is a portly, black housewife who tolerates no sass from her children. She also fights with a frying pan and folds enemies like laundry. In the original Japanese version of the game, Macha was called "Mamacha".

External links

Pilgrim, David. "[The Mammy Caricature]". Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. Ferris State University, Michigan.