Essay on Dorothy Dandridge: Pioneering Black Actress, Singer, Dancer in Face of Racism

Dorothy Dandridge was an American singer, dancer and actress; whose life was a highlight of various struggles. The race was the primary struggle that she faced as she was starting and progressing with her career. That was because there was discrimination among black Americans at that time. They were not allowed to enjoy the privileges that the other people in the society had. There were numerous restrictions against the black people; which made it very hard for them to achieve any dreams in a community that was deeply divided on racial grounds. Moreover, there was the issue with her gender; as she was female. That subjected her to a lot of unfavourable circumstances because the women were considered as being second class citizens. What made it worse for her career and social life was the fact that she was a woman, and was black. That was a combination of unfavourable circumstances; which she was forced to battle with to attain her goals and objectives. Through the video, the struggles she faced are highlighted and how she made it through.

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Throughout the biography in the video, the primary issue is that or race; whereby Dorothy Dandridge was a victim majorly on that basis. That is because there was a preference for any other race but black. Race can be derived as the categorization of human beings; which is based on their physical and cultural affiliations (Dorothyjeandandridge, 2012). That was the major aspect of Dorothy Dandridge that created a great deal of inconvenience for her life. First, it was regarding her career. Even though she was talented, there was a great deal of discrimination against her. The other actresses, who were less skilled than her, were chosen for roles which she would have played far much better. However, just because she was black she was overlooked, and thus, her career did not achieve much as she was worth it. She was stunning, just as much as she was talented. That was an assurance that she would land an acting role in most of the leading plays. However, that was not the case. She was often overlooked because if she was chosen, there would be a divided public opinion regarding her choice to play a given role.

At the beginning of her career, there was a great deal of discrimination that she faced. For example, there are hotels which black Americans were not allowed to visit. That worked as a great inconvenience because she would not perform there, as it was against the standard order in society. However, because of her talent, some of those regulations were temporarily suspended. For example, there was a time when she needed to perform, and hence be accommodated at a specific hotel. However, because she was black, that was impossible. She was so talented and had a great brand on her name; which people could not resist. That forced the hotel's management to lift the sanctions against blacks and allow her to use the facilities (Lefkovitz, 2017). Another example is when she was accommodated at a hotel, and she used their swimming pool. That was against the interests of most people; who were unhappy with it. A s a result, the swimming pool was drained, and they declared it temporarily out of order, and needed some renovation. That was the height of racial discrimination that Dorothy Dandridge had to face for her to succeed in her career.

In some plays, her role was restricted, and she was not allowed to be as free as she would be if she were not black. For example, she was contracted in a film and was not allowed to kiss the main actor. That was because it was considered as being against the standard order at that time. That was bad because it showed they did not appreciate her as much as they were supposed to. The other struggle that Dorothy Dandridge faced because of racism was the social relations she was capable of establishing. For example, she got into a relationship with a white man, but there was a struggle on them getting together officially. She was told that because of the prevailing divisions across the races, they couldn't get married, although they were in love. That posed a restriction on the life choices that she could make. That is because, despite being attracted to an individual, racism could not allow them to be as free as they would if they belonged to the same race.

The other major issue that Dorothy Dandridge faced was about her gender; where there were unequal rights for men and women. Women were considered as a weaker section of the society, and they could not enjoy the same rights and privileges as the men. That made it hard for her to advance in her social life, as well as her career (Malone, 2017). The fact that she was discriminated because of being black spilt over and affected her life, as a woman. She faced a real struggle to find a partner and settle. Had she been a man, the situation would have been better as she would have been judged differently by society. She was had to battle domestic violence, from a fellow woman at one point. That pointed to the struggles that she faced because of her gender because she was to some extent too weak to champion for her rights and preferences. As a result of her gender, she was beautiful and had a great boy, which was attractive. That was the significant aspect that propelled her to some of the best films that she played a role. The feminine and beautiful body gave her an upper hand and not her acting skills. That highlights some of the judgment that women face. They were judged based on aspects that they could not control; which opened up opportunities for them in the long run.

It is evident through Dorothy Dandridge's biography that opportunities are sometimes aligned to racial or gender differences. Given the chance that she was a man, or was from a different race, and then her story would have been much different from what it was, as a black woman. That highlights the idea of sociological imagination; whereby if she was different, then her life would have taken a different direction. The experience that she lived was as a result of the circumstances surrounding her at that time, being a black female in a divided society. Given a chance that any aspects were different, and then her life would have been better. As a result of the stressful life, because she was a black female, she resorted to drug abuse. That led to her death in the long run, as she overdosed drugs; because of the life that was frustrating her.

References

Dorothyjeandandridge. (2012). Dorothy Dandridge: Little Girl Lost. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3tSPOqBNUo&feature=youtu.be

Lefkovitz, A. (2017). Transnational Cinematic and Popular Music Icons: Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, and Queen Latifah, 1917-2017. Lexington Books. https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781498555753/Transnational-Cinematic-and-Popular-Music-Icons-Lena-Horne-Dorothy-Dandridge-and-Queen-Latifah-1917-2017

Malone, A. (2017). Backwards & in Heels: The Past, Present and Future of Women Working in Film. Mango Publishing Group. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/33349962-backwards-and-in-heels