Even A Facial Mud-Mask Can Be Mistaken For Blackface

I’m writing this today, not as a proponent of blackface or racial disparity, but in order to offer some context to an otherwise objectionable situation.  Case in point, The Golden Girls, Season 3 – Mixed Blessings.

Now, The Golden Girls, as forward thinking and progressive as it was 35 years ago in 1985 when it debuted, even they missed their mark sometimes.  This is one such instance.

In this particular episode, Dorothy’s wayward, sometimes lost son, Michael, shows up on Dorothy’s doorstep because he’s in town with his band and wanted to see mother, understandable¸ and share some amazing news with her – he’s getting married! 

A seemingly joyous event, right?  Well, hold up here just a minute.

Michael shares that he’s met the love of his life, she is the lead singer in his band, they’ve become very close over the 4 months they’ve known each other, oh and by the way, she’s black.

Dorothy initially gasps, swirls this around in her brain, and comes to the conclusion that, well, if you love her, that’s all that matters… for the time being at least.

In 1985, blended or mixed marriages were becoming more common.  The thinking at that time was, “Wouldn’t it be nice if he met a nice young white woman and settled down?”  And that may be just as common in 2020.   If they love each other, why does it matter, right?

Enter Lorraine.  Beautiful, stunning black woman… twice Michael’s age.

That is what get’s Dorothy’s attention.  Not that Lorraine is black, but clearly much older than Michael.

Dorothy and Lorraine finally get a moment together and Dorothy asks Lorraine why she’s marrying Michael.  She explains that when she was very young, in her 20s she rushed into marriage very unprepared and they just didn’t love each other.  She didn’t want to make that mistake again.  She truly loves Michael.

 
Dorothy doesn’t approve, again, because of the age difference between Lorraine and Michael.  Nowadays, we’d refer to Lorraine as a ‘cougar’, and of course, that relationship would be a non-issue.

Here, Lorraine is introducing Michael to her mother, who is well, shocked.  Check this out:

Mom’s look says it all.  Clearly shocked that Lorraine is marrying a “skinny white boy”.  Dorothy takes offense of that remark, of course, noting Lorraine’s advanced age.  And then, this bombshell:

Enter Blanche and Rose with those facial mud-masks.  Not the best timing, obviously, but also a very poor choice for the writers to include these two in that scene.

And, no, it doesn’t help that dimwitted Rose points out, “We’re really not black.”  No kidding?

Dorothy and Michael talk.  Lorraine and her mother talk.  They both come to the same conclusion – Michael and Lorraine are very much in love, they are going to get married, and you can both be a part of our lives (and our baby’s life), but that decision is up to you.

Wait. What??   Yes, Lorraine and Michael are pregnant and they want to get married so that their baby will have a mommy and daddy.  Timeless thinking in any era.

HBO recently pulled “Gone With The Wind” from its streaming service for this very reason: It glorified slavery and denigrated slaves.  What Turner Classic Movies (part of Turner Broadcasting) did was re-release the film with a disclaimer upfront, adding context to it. 

I hope that in some small way, I’ve been able to do that with this one particular episode of The Golden Girls, a series about women of a certain age, living together in 1980s Miami Beach, Florida.

Why?  Because, as a fan, I’d hate to see the entire 7 years tossed out over a few minutes of screen time.  That would be a shame. 

Learn from the mistakes of the past, and correct them moving forward.

 
Progress, not perfection.