The Impact of “The Watermelon Woman”

As a queer woman, I always look for media that sheds light on the experiences of those whose voices have been silenced throughout history. It is not uncommon for the struggles of POC, the LGBTQ community, and women/non-binary individuals to have their struggles erased and overlooked by society. However, finding representation in the media is the only way we can reclaim any power in society, as it is in our hands to create art that shares our truth about the injustices bestowed upon our identities. The type of filmmaking that creates the representation of these groups by sharing the experiences of marginalized communities closely aligns with Alexandra Hildago’s definition of feminist filmmaking. Throughout chapter 2 of Hidalgo’s textbook Cámara Retórica: A Feminist Filmmaking Methodology for Rhetoric and Composition, she explains that aspects of feminism encompass the struggles and fight for equality not just in terms of gender but of race, class, ethnicity, religion, and other identities which are not represented properly or at all in society (Hildago 1). Therefore, for a film to fall under the feminist filmmaking category, specific criteria must be met, which Hildago addresses as the feminist filmmaking principles. I will argue that feminist filmmaker Cheryl Dunye’s 1996 film “Watermelon Woman” follows various steps of Hildago’s criteria for a successful feminist film and successfully sheds light on crucial issues relating to race, sexuality, and class.   

To start the analysis, it is essential to explain who Cheryl Dunye is, as her identity drives her passion for her work. Dunye is a black lesbian who received the accolade as having the first feature film directed by a queer black woman with her film “Watermelon Woman” (Crow 1). Dunye’s film “Watermelon Woman” is half fiction and half nonfiction as the main character, Cheryl, is played and loosely based on herself. In the film, Cheryl is an aspiring filmmaker trying to find the identity of a black actress whose identity was left out of the credits of a movie she was starring in, seemingly erasing her identity forever. Cheryl became so passionate about finding the identity of this actress because many black actresses in the 1930s and ’40s were left out of movie credits, and rightfully, Cheryl felt outraged by this injustice. Now, what makes Dunye’s approach to creating the “Watermelon Woman” so successful is that from within the first 10 minutes of the film, it is apparent she adheres to Jackie Hildago’s first principle of feminist filmmaking criteria, which is the need to have diversity within the cast in front and behind the camera. Dunye is a black woman, and her best friend in the movie, Tamara, is a black woman with a black girlfriend named Stacy. As Hildago states, it is essential to cast actors and actresses who can represent communities that mainstream media usually does not promote or advertise (Hildago 3). If Dunye had hired a white main cast, then the critical racial issues pertaining to women of color would have been overlooked, as the cast would have been filled with people who do not suffer discrimination due to the color of their skin. Choosing to have a black queer main cast is empowering and exposes viewers to a group of individuals whose identities are overlooked. As Dunye stated in a 2018 interview with IU CINEMA, she makes films primarily for women, the queer community, and, most importantly, those who look like her. This is why having a cast filled with individuals who looked like her was necessary, as representing the queer and black community is the most impactful aspect of her films. Additionally, when talking with the OWN network, Dunye explains that in the mid-’90s, nobody wanted to fund black lesbian feature films, which forced her to spend her own money and create a crew of her friends to tell this important story on the erasure of black women in history and the black lesbian identity. This final detail shows Dunye’s successful representation of multiple identities on and off the screen, making the creation of “Watermelon Woman” successful feminist filmmaking. 

(Tamara on the left, and Cheryl)

In addition, Dunye’s film perfectly captures Hildago’s sixth principle of feminist filmmaking: the film’s content must address various social injustices. A key idea of Hildago’s identification of feminist filmmaking is one that I have personally spent time in my undergraduate years trying to convey in my research, and it is the idea that feminism must go beyond just gender as it must also fight for equality based on race, class, sexuality, and other minority groups. The idea that feminism only adheres to gender is very surface-level and ignorant, so Dunye goes beyond that way of thinking and highlights the struggles of various groups. When it comes to race, Dunye addresses the injustice of the lack of appreciation and visibility of black women throughout history through her looking for the “Watermelon Woman.” This idea is powerful because, at the end of the film, Dunye states that this specific instance of the “Watermelon Woman” is not real as she is a made-up alias created for the film’s sake. This was done to emphasize the erasure of black women throughout history and how the entertainment industry purposefully left their names off the credits, giving society the unjust idea that a black woman’s work is not appreciated and easily replaceable. Additionally, Dunye quotes herself at the end of the film, stating, “Sometimes you have to create your own history,” and this is precisely what Dunye did as she created the story that the Watermelon Woman’s “real name” was Fae, who was black, and a part of the LGBTQ community as her secret partner was her fellow costar, Martha. By creating a story like this, Dunye can address racial issues and draw attention to black lesbian identities. In a scene in the film, Cheryl talks to a white professor about the findings of the love affair between Fae and Martha, and she reacts in disbelief and is unconvinced of a biracial lesbian relationship during that time. The scene with the professor highlights the issue of people refusing to acknowledge black lesbian identities throughout history. Many people who disagree with the LGBTQ community act as if we are new to this generation; however, we have always existed throughout every generation and timeline. Dunye created this character arc for Fae to show the truth that talented, black, and queer women have existed and will always exist, and their voices will not be silenced because there will always be people fighting for their rights. 

Lastly, Dunye addresses social injustices related to class, gender, and race using her own character. In the scene where her character Cheryl is alone outside holding her camera, two police officers spot her and say: “Looks like one of our crackhead friends” and accuse her of stealing the camera (which is hers) and state she looks like a freak because she is a girl who resembles a boy. This scene closely aligns with Hildago’s sixth principle as she states that work that humanizes a population and seeks social justice can be deemed a success in terms of feminist filmmaking. This applies to Dunye’s scene as she can humanize Cheryl as a black lesbian because she lets the audience know her as a person, and even though the police believe she is dangerous, we know this is untrue. Thus, Dunye creates a sense of empathy for her character and brings attention to the unfair treatment of black people by police officers. Cheryl is racially profiled and judged by her perceived social class and gender expression. Dunye wants the audience to feel the outrage of this occurrence and bring awareness to these very real issues.   

Overall, Cheryl Dunye is a feminist filmmaker because of her diverse casting on and off screen and her ability to address important racial, gender, sexuality, and class issues in her film “The Watermelon Woman.” This film was the perfect combination of comedy and romance, with the inclusion of essential themes that enlighten society on issues that need to be taught in classrooms and history books. Throughout our educational careers, we are often taught a very white-washed, surface-level overview of history. However, we must do our research, listen, and give space to people like Cheryl Dunye, who fight back against this discrimination to educate others and bring justice to those identities that have been wronged. I highly recommend the “Watermelon Woman.” I was able to watch it with a Paramount Plus subscription! 

Works Cited  

Francis-Crow, Alana. “8 Essential Feminist Filmmakers.” FEM Newsmagazine, 10 May 2018, https://femmagazine.com/8-essential-feminist-filmmakers/ 

“Final Draft: Cheryl Dunye on Film.” YouTube, IUCINEMA, 18 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=it7Kra-Aw-g. 

Hidalgo, Alexandra. Cámara Retórica: A Feminist Filmmaking Methodology for Rhetoric and Composition.