Movie Review: Silence - In Search of Black Female Sexuality

by Esther Coleman

Silence: In Search of Black Female Sexuality is a no holds barred documentary aiming to tear down myths and reveal the truth about black female sexuality. I had the opportunity to screen this dynamic film a few weeks ago at which the director, Mya B. addressed why she wanted to spark a dialogue about what some consider to be a taboo subject. Mya B. disclosed that she, as many other black women, had been raised in a home in which sex was not discussed and she wanted to create a work that would facilitate more discussion and lead to more healthy ideas about sex for future generations.

This movie is a melding of interviews with notables such as Dr. Tricia Rose, Dr. Hilda Hutcherson, Dr. Llaila O. Afrika, Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Jessica Holder of the Punany Poets; black women of various ages; clips from Jacopetti and Prosperi’s film Farewell to Uncle Tom and historical images to convey the story of sexuality, the path to sexual normalcy, sexual health and address issues of sexual repression in today’s society.

In one of the early scenes of the movie, the director asks her mother when was the first time she had sex and the mother quickly dismisses her and refuses to answer. This response is indicative of how many parents, particularly mothers, deal with the discussion of sex with their daughters. In the interviews with the various women, several expressed getting similar responses when they asked questions about sex, most being warned not to have sex until marriage and even more not being told anything at all and having to learn what they know through friends, television and experience.

Many women cite religious teachings as a reason for remaining silent on the topic of sexuality. In a scene in which the director approaches a number of parishioners on their way into church, she posed the question of what the church was doing to address the issue of sexuality. Some of them said that they didn’t know what the church was doing as far as having discussions about sex, others said that the church was addressing issues with sexuality in their youth ministries, while others answered with contempt that sex wasn’t something that should be discussed at church.

Violence and exploitation of black women has been an issue since America was colonized and in present day sexual stereotypes are being disseminated on our airwaves and used to sell everything from cars to music. Combating the stereotypes of the Jemima and the Jezebel, black women have tended to either be depicted as asexual caregivers or hypersexual temptresses. Video directors Little X and Nzingha Stewart contribute to this film by contributing to the dialogue by discussing the aesthetic of the “video girl.” They both laud the progress that society has made in seeing the black woman as beautiful, but both also agreed that there should be less objectification of the black woman’s body and more depictions of whole black relationships.

Although many of the images within the film were difficult to stomach, as they portrayed the way that black women have been objectified down through the ages, this film gives voice to a topic that needs to be discussed, but many still consider forbidden. The movie left me with the notion that through having open discussions about sexuality, black women would be able to take more control over how they are portrayed in the media, destroy antiquated notions of what sexuality is, protect themselves and their partners from infections and disease, connect to the spiritual aspect of their sexuality, develop and nurture fulfilling relationships and be empowered to heal themselves.

Additional Resources

Mya B.’s Official Website

Nguyen, Natalie Brewster. Movie Review: Silence - In Search of Black Female Sexuality in America. Clamor Magazine (Issue 37 | Summer 2006).

Johnson, Yolanda M. (2005, June 25). Interview: Mya B. Awareness Magazine.