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The New Bad Girl in AA Women’s Writing

© Dee Y. Stewart

In 2003 I reviewed over twenty books written by African American Authors, Half of which were women writers. Eight of those books had women antagonists. What was most surprising is that six of those antagonists were similar in structure and new in archetype. This discussion will take a look at this new archetype and how other writers respond to the change in women writing. I want to thank authors Mary Ann Reid, Jeanette Hill, and Rodney Aaron Thomas for joining me on this discussion. Check my links page for further information about them.

The Discussion 1. Has the diva socialite villain of contemporary fiction been replaced by the evil white woman of past fiction like Contending Forces and Waiting to Exhale?

Mary Ann Reid, novelis: Yes. Black women are not all good and not all bad. In my book Use Me or Lose Me (St. Martins Press), Farah is a complex character. A bitch. A vixen. A friend. And a lover. She is shrewd, but readers like her selfish ways because she is smart, calculating, and ambitious.

Jeanette Hill, playwright: I am a playwright as opposed to a novelist but I think the concept of a diva socialite villain is 1)a reflection the of times, there are those of us who have made it and were not angels about it. 2) A change from from the stereotypical stalker, girl from the hood with street smarts, the prostitute who had a hard life and wants to make everyone pay, the drug dealing queen who's going to get hers any way she can. Now we get to see someone A list be the 'bad one'. I don't think of it as stereotyping, maybe it's a reality check.

2. Are African American Women Writer's copycatting E. Lynn Harris' formula by replacing male villains with diva-esque women?

Kim Holland, writer:I don't know if this formula belong exclusively to E. Lynn. I think most of it comes from the commercial expectations of juicier, more outrageous stories and plots. It is a just a reflection of what we see in the media- strong, bad women, hurting and even misleading good, strong men.

3. Does the black bad girl in commercial fiction appeal to the masses or is it another form of stereotyping?

Mary Ann Reid: It's not stereotyping, if it's a well- rounded character who are particular and unique. There are white bad characters and no one mentions stereotyping there. Black bad girls exist. Life is full of characters and it is an author's job to bring out the good and the ugly.

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