White Chicks Passes the Representation Test

White Chicks, directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, is a classic movie that in my personal opinion definitely represents a diverse array of people. I am very interested in the inequality between women and men in the workforce, but especially in the film industry. This is why I chose this movie: because it is a rare case that focuses on women roles rather than men. The plot of this movie might come across as confusing at first, but after dissecting it is clear that the director is focusing on women in this situation. But with all movies, it does have its faults. Instead of focusing on the empowerment and liberation of women, Wayans depicts women in a somewhat materialistic way. When I compared the movie to The Representation Test, it did not do poorly. White Chicks received a B because this movie does do a great job of including a different array of people, but that does not mean that it breaks inequality issues.

One of the main assets to why White Chicks got as many points as it did on the Representation Test is because of the diversity. The two main characters are black males who dress up as white females, and the main point to be taken away from this situation is that men are learning to step in women’s shoes. I find it very interesting that men are being transformed into women, and personally think that breaks the inequality issues. I would think it would be the opposite, for men are often praised more than women when talking about main character roles in films. The film is also written by someone of color, adding to the diverse culture of this film.

Yes, it is upsetting that the women in this movie appear to be solely interested in makeup, perfume, status, clothing, body image, and men, but I love the fact that this movie is centered on women. The movie never creates an ideal image for what a man should look like. It’s rare to find that now a day, where women are found talking about other things than men and are the main point of focus throughout an entire film.

Now that we have addressed the women roles in the movie, it’s important to notice that in no way did the movie director try to portray an ideal image for how a man should look. The two main characters are black and are not reduced to racial stereotypes. This is another reason why White Chicks received a higher rating on the Representation Test.

Although it is hard to determine whether the main character is actually a man or women, white or black because technically it could pass as both, watchers do not feel as if one gender was praised more than another. When I completed the Representation Test, I looked at the main characters as both women and men, black and white. I think it is awesome how the director of the movie had men of color play wealthy white women, for it showed that they were just as capable as completing the job as a white man or another white women would be. There are no insights into racial issues or gender gaps, and that makes this movie one of my favorites. It’s hard to find movies like that now, that don’t include some aspect of the following. The saddest part is that most of the time it is unintentional with movie directors, but just what attracts the most viewers. It’s not that directors are trying to continue to place stereotypes on race or continue to corrupt the gender issues, it’s just what our society has established as ‘right’ and what will make the most money. The more we continue to break these issues and show that movies can be successful without these aspects, the most we will break away from these problems. White Chicks is a great example of a successful movie that thankfully avoids racial stereotypes and gender gaps. I enjoyed scoring White Chicks up against the Representation Test and think Keenen Ivory Wayans did a great job of including diversity in his film.