Why Are Sheiks More Palatable As Romance Heroes Than The Black Man?
Wednesday, June 13, 2007Posted in: Black Dagger Brotherhood, Gwyneth Bolton racism in romance, J.R Ward, Sheiks
If you groaned when you saw the title of this blog, then the following isn’t for you. Seriously, leave. Now.
Gwyneth Bolton has a really interesting blog about the popularity of the Romance Novel Sheik. She posted a couple of excerpts from an essay written in BITCH magazine, which focused on the very subject of Middle Eastern men in romance.
The excerpts were interesting, but this comment from Gwyneth was what ultimately caught my eye:
“Given all the recent talk on various blogs about racism in romance land, I thought this article raised some really interesting questions. We have been having this discussion based on the things that most white romance readers won’t read–African American romance novels.
But what happens to the conversation when we really interrogate the ever-so popular reads: the sheiks, the Native Americans, the Latin Lovers. What happens when we really interrogate how men of color are objectified and made into the exotic other”?
She asks some interesting questions don’t you think?
A lot of the comments that were made during my Racism In Romance posts, seemed to hint that one of the reasons why white women seldom read AA romance was because they couldn’t relate to the characters, or the vernacular. (Or should I say, the assumed difference in vernacular)
Hmmm…
I never bought this at the time, and quite frankly, I still don’t, because if that were true, then J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series would have sunk big time.
Ward writes about vampires who are into hip hop, bling, and expensive threads, and call each other “My Brother”.
Sounds like the stereotypical black man to me, except of course, the Brothers aren’t black, are they? They’re white, and that I’m afraid, is the key to her success.
Had Ward made The Brothers black, how many books would she have sold? Would readers have rushed out to buy her books in their thousands? Would she have inspired the same kind of fangirly following that she has? Even with her gift of turning the written word into a thing of beauty?
I really don’t think so.
Why do I think this? Simple, I just don’t believe that Average Jane Reader finds the black man sexy, and she definitely doesn’t see him as a romantic hero. Now before y’all go and get all defensive, and twitchy, think about it. Seriously.
If you really, truly think about it, you’ll probably come to the uncomfortable conclusion that I’m more right than wrong.
So, considering the current social, and political climate that we exist in today, considering the repercussions from 9/11, considering the current unrest in the Middle East, considering the fact that the majority of men from this part of the world believe that women are ultimately inferior to males, why is it that the Middle Eastern Man, is so much more acceptable to The Romance Reader, as hero material, than The Black Man?
Anyone hazard a guess? Anyone totally disagree with my assertion? Would you have bought Ward’s Black Dagger series, if the Brothers had been black? Honestly?
Sharon Cullars
June 14
10:16 pm
OK, I’ve re-constituted The Brotherhood, now affectionately known as “The Brothas.”
Anonymous
June 15
12:13 am
Anonymous said: “White women with black men is a really contentious issue in certain sections of the black community”.
…..and this is true of the opposite. Jealousy is (mostly) a female disease, so don’t label it a particular colour, honey!
chandra
Do you really think thats true? I personally don’t have a problem when a black woman is with a white guy, and several of my black female coworkers date white guys because if they don’t, they seem to sit at home a lot…
Then again, I never thought that being a white chick, made good guys thick on the ground for me either, no matter what their color… Being single sucks…which is why I stay married..heh..
roslynholcomb
June 15
1:44 am
I don’t know about you anonymous, but I’ve had plenty of white women lose their damned minds when they see me with a white guy. I think that’s particularly true when the white guy isn’t a wannabe (can’t stand those).
There also seems to be an assumption amongst many white women that a white man married to a black woman would much rather have them. They’ve become very aggressive in approaching my husband in the past, oftentimes right in front of me.
Even back when I was in high school and I’d be hanging out with a group of white girls. We’d be flirting with guys or pointing out guys we liked. It was all good until a white guy happened to flirt with me, or I happened to mention liking a white guy. Many white women like to flaunt their affinity for black men in a black woman’s face, but when the opposite occurs, watch out. The claws are definitely unsheathed.
Ronyelle
June 15
2:42 am
Roslyn I feel ya. Being married 7 years to my polar bear, I am amazed at the hostility we still encounter from white women.
I am a BDB fan but like Shiloh (who did a great job with the sista) the story helps me overlook the language and “Federline” issue. The thing that really bugs me though is if they can act like “brotha’s” then cant one of them fall in love with a sista???
And this idea that whitened men of color and blackened white guys being popular in romance is really intriguing to me. Does it signal some kind of progress or is it just another warped form of cultural appropriation?
Hmm… is it just an acceptable way for white women to be with black men without actually being with..you know…black men?
Anonymous
June 15
3:44 am
I tend to stay away from sheik books…when I was growing up, Mom and Dad took us to the Mosque every Saturday and the image in my head when I think of “sheik” are those of the men I used to see there..and Lawd, they were not what anyone would consider hero material! ROFL Another reason I stay away from them is that my grandfather is considered one and really, I don’t want to be picturing my grandfather when I’m reading a book! LOL
Giggles — I totally agree about your Kaysar suggestion. Now he was a cutie! 🙂 Maybe I should try some other sheik books and just picture Kaysar? LOL
Mad
Anonymous
June 15
5:36 am
Can’t stand Sheik romances. Even when I was a stupid teenager I didn’t want to read them, because the reality was just too stark to ignore, not when on my way to the romance section I’d have to pass by the front of the store with memoirs of highborn Arab women about their prison-like existence staring me right in the face.
As for AA romances…I think it’s not that a black man isn’t as good a fantasy. God, I’d done an internship earlier this year and my manager was black, brilliant, and HAWT. I could totally fantasize about him.
BUT, and this is a big but, if I marry a black man, then my sons would also be black men. And they would enter life and live it with all the discrimination and ugliness that go with it, just by being black men. I’m already happily married, so that’s a moot point for me personally. But if I weren’t, and I meet this gorgeous, wonderful black man who’s crazy about me, I will have to give it twice as much thought, and he will probably have to be a brain surgeon–terrible isn’t it?–for me to be willing to brave the trouble I’ll get from my Asian family and the kind of worry I’ll have about our kids.
So yes, I guess, in a way, reality is also intruding here.
Angela
June 15
6:02 am
And we must also be aware that many white people(who make up the majority of romance readers) assume any book featuring black characters is going to be all about race and how “we” hate “whitey”, never mind the perceptions about vernacular.
Angela
June 15
6:18 am
And I must add this, re: Anonymous, to elaborate on my last post.
The entire black experience isn’t defined solely by racism and discrimination–it’s just one facet that I’m certain anyone of any ethnicity will experience (check out racialicious.com).
Which leads me to another issue writers of color have to deal with: the fact that the world wants to simultaneously believe racism no longer exists while at the same time telling people of color they are only supposed to write books about race and racism. Mat Johnson @ Niggerati Manor brought this up and I’ve noticed it when I flip through Vogue and read, time and time again, that in the book reviews, literary books written by people of color are ones dealing with the “struggle” of being [insert ethnicity] in [insert setting]. And I can see it in romance reviews when non-black reviewers subtly comment on how surprised they were that race was not a focus in interracial and/or “multicultural” romances.
Anonymous
June 15
9:29 am
Anonymous asked:
“Do you really think thats true? I personally don’t have a problem when a black woman is with a white guy, and several of my black female coworkers date white guys because if they don’t, they seem to sit at home a lot…”
I’m afraid so. It’s a two way street with all females and it rather irks me reading or hearing especially (white) women labelling this as a black woman phenomenon.
Like Roslyn, I’m dating a rather successful, really goodlooking (subjective, I know) white guy and I do experience lots of “animosity” from my white female counterparts, but I take it all in stride and put it down (at worst) as us females showing our claws, as I believe most of us tend to be a bit covetous……
Chandra
roslynholcomb
June 15
2:13 pm
Oh damn, another anonymous bringing the truth like buttercream frosting.
Being with a vampire vigilante doesn’t rock the fantasy, but the idea of having black sons does. Interesting.
BTW, I don’t think Sharon’s link worked. Y’all need to check out her reconfiguration of the BDB. I can’t imagine why any heterosexual woman would prefer a Federline over these luscious chocolate drops. (Except the last one, of course.)
http://sharoncullars.blogspot.com/2007/06/new-brotherhood-of-dagger-author.html
Gwyneth Bolton
June 15
2:52 pm
Thanks for posting the link, Roslyn. It didn’t work yesterday. Sharon’s picks were perfect for each BDB (if they were black). Right on the money!
Gwyneth
Casee
June 15
3:22 pm
There also seems to be an assumption amongst many white women that a white man married to a black woman would much rather have them. They’ve become very aggressive in approaching my husband in the past, oftentimes right in front of me.
At least I can say that I’ve never thought that. Girl, I would be freaking livid if that happened to me. Good God.
B
June 15
5:35 pm
All Abrahamic religions have outright banned infanticide including Islam which has expressly prohibited female infanticide in very strong terms. Where did you get that killing female babies idea? I would think it would happen in Africa or China if at all, these days.
Personally: Middle Eastern romances by Middle Eastern woman, would love me some of that.
Race isn’t really relevant to me, being of an ‘ethnic minority (?)’ myself. I never felt like I was persecuted for my race. Or maybe I just ignored it like all the other jabs which include geekiness or whatnot. However, I do find myself more attracted to a white guy in a novel, simply because all the romances, fantasy novels, YA novels I have had access to in my former little corner in the world were about… white guys! I don’t care what guy’s in a novel though. If I see it well recommended and talked about, I’d get it.
Somehow, however, even though I was raised in a Middle Eastern country, the UAE, and both my parents are Arabs my thought process are quite English. I can’t even speak Arabic anywhere near as fluently as English. Modernly, I would think, a lot of the sheiks who have lots of money would send their sons to the best schools guaranteeing them a good education. One sheikh simply has no time to monitor all his 50/30 offspring (too much money and four wives at a time…) The sheikhs let their sons do whatever the heck they want so they may be very Westernised. But their dispositions may be closer to Paris Hilton than Fantasy Man of the Year. There are, of course, exceptions.
I read one Harlequin (Mills & Boon in the UK) called the ‘Ambassador’s Vow’. I detested it because… black man dressed as white plus lots of riches/high position. I would’ve liked it much more if he was more… real! More Black! It felt like the character and his family had sold out on his culture and adopted some sort of upperclass American thing. But, then, I don’t remember it so well.
I do agree that it is an unconscious thing though. I did read a romance-like novel written by a black man. I cannot say that a black couple on a cover will not make me automatically avoid the novel but I do like widening my experiences. I prefer word of mouth for deciding on new novels to try.
Hopefully, as I continue to keep tabs on this blog, I’ll get good recommendations for all sorts of novels that may or may not include sexy black heroes.
I’d like to hope I’m at a point, and hope the romance community would be at it too, where there is no distinction that needs to be pointed out between novels except the quality of their writing and the themes they deal with. Race should be just, irrelevant, when it comes to good writing! I would like to see a point where a label of ‘AA’ will not be needed, but then again, women just have their very particular preferences sometimes.
Why do you always make me have to say something, Karen?
B
June 15
5:58 pm
‘There also seems to be an assumption amongst many white women that a white man married to a black woman would much rather have them. They’ve become very aggressive in approaching my husband in the past, oftentimes right in front of me.’
About this: I recieved an absolutely revolting e-mail from a black friend with two letters, one supposedly a white woman saying black women were somehow inferior since she snagged a black dude and another from a black man with an attack against white women labelling them as easy. The levels of racism exhibited on both sides was breathtaking and that trash has been imprinted in my head. It is hard to believe some of the crap out there is real and I don’t want to believe anyone really wrote both those letters.
I extend my sympathy to all those suffering from hearing any of this, because it is illegal to actually beat these guys up with a bat. It must be very difficult to restrain yourself.
Angela
June 15
6:29 pm
B–However, I do find myself more attracted to a white guy in a novel, simply because all the romances, fantasy novels, YA novels I have had access to in my former little corner in the world were about… white guys!
This was talked about at WisCon this past month where an Asian author never thought anything of writing sf/f with “white” characters because that is all they saw in the books they read. They didn’t ever think to write sf/f with Asian characters because their subconscious had been trained to view everything through “white” culture.
I would’ve liked it much more if he was more… real! More Black! It felt like the character and his family had sold out on his culture and adopted some sort of upperclass American thing.
I’m curious about this. Did the black hero not mention his race or his experience as a black man at all? There are upper-class black people (in fact, there is a rapidly increasing percentage of black people moving into the upper & upper-middle-class income bracket), and even within all sorts of stratospheres of black people in America, there are many black people who don’t filter everything through being black–I’m one of them for the most part. It takes me aback when black people are accused of not being “black” enough–what is being “black”? I’m certain that based on what you’ve said about your life experience, someone could consider you not “Middle Eastern” enough.
roslynholcomb
June 15
6:33 pm
Ambassador’s Vow, if I recall correctly, was written by a white woman. I read the sequel which was pretty horrific, if I must say sao.
But I guess that book does prove the point, that for ‘ethnic’ heroes must have their culture diluted (deleted) to be palatable for white audiences.
BTW, Dyanne Davis has an IR story, Let’s Get it On, with a black woman and a Pakistani man. He’s a Muslim doctor, not a sheikh. Its quite good.
Generally I don’t let what those women say effect me. Generally the hubster is pretty oblivious to their come-ons, and most of my snide comments go over their heads. Too much bleach, I presume.
Gwyneth Bolton
June 15
6:38 pm
Yes, Ambassador’s Vow was written by a white woman. I read it. I didn’t like it. It was another case of folks needing to do a little research before they create characters of a different race or culture….
Gwyneth
Comment
June 15
7:35 pm
I tried to forget Ambassador’s Vow as soon as I read it, so I can’t say exactly how he wasn’t black. The book was meant to push interracial romance and, if I remember correctly, the way that issue came up was in the form of a conflict over her whiteness. It had nothing to do with his character or background, because it seemed virtually that of an upperclass white American.
I can’t remember specifically so I can’t tell you more than that.
As for contrasting him to me, even though I myself have Westernness about me, I also do have a lot of elements that correspond to my Middle Eastern background. They show up quite glaringly a lot of the time. Perhaps saying, however, that him abandoning his black culture is not quite right. This resulted from an exasperation with it being absent. I suppose what the novel tried to do was introduce sexiness by making him powerful and rich and fitting him into the mold of American politicians, which was something I was exasperated with.
I can understand a person of any ethnicity not feeling as if they were ethnic all the time, but what bothered me in the novel was that issues were made out of being black while no actual black culture was in evidence. Or, at least, that’s what I think bothered me since I can’t quite remember the thing!
Anonymous
June 15
10:25 pm
I just want to say to ALL the ladies/others 🙂 on karens blog that I find you guys to be some of the most matured and forthright I’ve encounter on the internet. That goes for other blogs like Sharon’s, Roslyn (think I don’t read you?), Mrs Giggles etc. I love good, interesting, straight forward without all the BS discussions and as a reader am sincerely grateful for ALL the links you’ve provided.
Take a bow!
Chandra
PS: Karen, because of you I’m now so into Shiloh Walker….
roslynholcomb
June 16
1:16 am
I can’t believe its taken me this long to realize that Ward’s random use of consonauts in her protoganists names is in fact an appropriation of the non-standard spellings of many black names.
Whereas before I was mildy for the most part amused by Ward’s consumption of ‘the other.’ Now I’m starting to get just a tad annoyed. It seems a bit mocking and more than just a bit condescending. I’d be fascinated to see her explanation as to why these vampires who don’t have a race just happen to have Ebonic names.
Nicole
June 16
3:01 am
‘I’ve had plenty of white women lose their damned minds when they see me with a white guy’
hey, I’m a white woman, but whenever I see a woman of color with a white guy, I’m thinking ‘good for her!’ But uh, that’s not something you can usually go up to someone on the street and say. unfortunately it’s the bigots a lot of times who make sure everyone hears them.
Sandra Schwab
June 16
7:59 pm
There also seems to be an assumption amongst many white women that a white man married to a black woman would much rather have them. They’ve become very aggressive in approaching my husband in the past, oftentimes right in front of me.
Gosh, Roslyn, this is seriously sick. I can only imagine how annoying (to put it mildly), but also how distressing this must be.
They didn’t ever think to write sf/f with Asian characters because their subconscious had been trained to view everything through “white” culture.
Which is exactly why we need to get a good hit over the head from time to time. 🙂 So, Karen, please continue to do the hitting!
Anonymous
June 16
8:07 pm
Anonymous asked:
“Do you really think thats true? I personally don’t have a problem when a black woman is with a white guy, and several of my black female coworkers date white guys because if they don’t, they seem to sit at home a lot…”
I’m afraid so. It’s a two way street with all females and it rather irks me reading or hearing especially (white) women labelling this as a black woman phenomenon.
Like Roslyn, I’m dating a rather successful, really goodlooking (subjective, I know) white guy and I do experience lots of “animosity” from my white female counterparts, but I take it all in stride and put it down (at worst) as us females showing our claws, as I believe most of us tend to be a bit covetous……
wow.. sorry for not getting back sooner on this, but I actually answered those other posts while on vacation, one of them in a long ass line for the rollercoaster..heh..
I thought about this a bit, and remember where Maria Shriver said that in the early days of her and ARnold, women would come up and give him their number, right in front of her… So guess its just a stupid bimbo thing, regardless of color…
I guess I am lucky my guy is a geek. Women don’t hit on him much, which is fine by me..
(not anonymous, blogger just forgot me, Sallahdog)
Dawn
June 18
10:32 am
Coming a lot late, but I have to say that I’m a sucker for Sheikh books. I am very ashamed and hang my head, but I can’t help it.
If I find a book with black characters, I’ll fall on it, although if the blurb indicated the vernacular was too street, I’d probably avoid it (and I’m black, but I can’t relate to that kind of dialogue!).
Regarding the race issue in romances, I read Harvard’s Education by Suzanne Brockmann (really enjoyed it) a few years back. Both H/h were black and I seem to recall a part where they were discussing being black in a white world, and Harvard saying that when he was out late with a group of white friends and when they all went off home, he decided to run home, because he was a good runner and him being pulled over by the cops because he was a black man running in a white area and therefore he must have been up to no good!
Anonymous
June 19
10:33 pm
In my experience, Karen, the white hero rules. I’m a black author who writes romance and mainstream fic using three pens. Some of my readers are aware of this, others aren’t. Without fail, I receive at least two emails a week inquiring about my books – or more specifically about the race of my characters.
Royalties tell me my interracial novels outsell my wm/wf and AA titles every time. So in MY experience, it is all about the hero. And if he’s white, he’s right.
Shelli Stevens
June 20
6:23 pm
In my personal opinion, I love a black hero. But I tend to like the book to be interracial. In real life, I’m attracted to black men more so than white. And honestly, the shiek thing? I can’t go near that since 9/11. Even before that day I was a little skeptical about it.
Kendra Mei Chailyn
June 29
5:20 pm
A lot of women, cannot see a black male in a leading role in a romance novel for a number of reasons…maybe they were conditioned not to think that way and the Sheiks have been the lead in MANY of the old romance novels that I used to read when I was younger…I for one have written a few stories with the male lead being a black man and think that we should start writing more black males as leads because whether some people like it or not, there are some WONDERFUL, romantic, black men out there….
Hornblower
July 6
3:48 pm
there are some WONDERFUL, romantic, black men out there….
I think readers don’t know that yet.
Middle Eastern men and Latin men come from cultures where charm and manners and flirting and slow seduction have all been part of the repertoire for generations. I think that’s the allure for the reader, and that’s why the reader will suspend the rational side of the brain which is screaming ‘run from the misogynist!’
Readers think black man = promiscuous and violent. The “hip-hop potty mouthed ‘gangsta bro’, complete with pit bull as a fashion accessory” image isn’t helping.
One thing I find puzzling is the whole ‘not black enough’ issue. So if a black character is charming and honorable and faithful and speaks like white people – does that no longer make him a good enough black? And then the author is accused of making the character a vanilla version to placate the white readers. Never mind that men like this exist in real life….I guess they’re vanilla also. I don’t get it.
Of course there are wonderful black men. It’s incredibly sad that we need to say it & yes, I think more need to be written. BTW, I suspect book with Obama-like heroes might do well now…..
Oh, and for a nice interracial erotic romance, check out Susan Lyons’ “Champagne Rules” from Kensington Aphrodisia. They even put a guy with dreads on the cover.
Dyanne
July 16
1:10 am
KEWL! Glad to see my name and book mentioned here and in a good light.Thanks Roz
Dyanne Davis
Kendra Mei Chailyn
July 28
9:47 pm
Hornblower I agree…I think it is up to us who write inter-racials or of the African American background to change that..I have to admit that I am all over the place when it comes to my main lead males. I try to hit one culture at least once…But lately I have been gravitating towards AA males….I think that I should do something to help out.
Jenni
January 15
7:41 am
Maybe white women just don’t find black men as attractive. It’s worth it to mention Sheikhs/Arabs are genetically identified as Caucasians, albiet a different breed than whites.
Erere
November 19
5:49 am
The key is cultural exportation or appropriation or exploitation, take your pick of word. Particularly, when you’re marketing to a Western audience (white or black), you must present the exotic.
Try this. Replace African American with an African king from the Benin Empire (which, as an aside is a real empire). He is beautiful and dangerous, intelligent and shrewd. He is powerful and untamed, and most importantly my dear, he wants you. And whatever the king wants, the king gets. Now, would you read the story? I know I would.
I’m Nigerian and after being in the United States for a while now, I’ve learned that you need to know how/what parts of yourself to sell when interacting with people- both white and black Americans. Everyone comes with preconceived notions of who I am. For some, I am the beautiful African queen, for others the exotic Nigerian intellectual, and for others the tribal, earth-worshiping native (there are a few less “flattering” ones, that I won’t mention here but you get my drift).
The business of romance is the business of selling fantasy, that and desire. No one desires the gritty realism, the real story of the AA man finding love in racially charged America. They want the fantasy, make the man a mogul, a pirate (In the case where he is black, but not AA, I hear Somali is up for grabs these days), put him in a different country where HE is the exotic one, anything to introduce an element of fantasy to the story.
You’ve got to know what the consumer desires, give them the fantasy, then laugh all the way to the bank.
Grayinsea
February 6
4:36 am
I agree mostly with what has been said on here, but the thing is, people talk about how their aren’t any african american women and white men in romance as well as white women and black men but the fact of the matter is, from what I can see there are an inordinate amount of aawwm in romance compared to wwaam I have a hard time understanding why that is. Is it just me or are there a lot more romances with aa women, asian women, and interracial women and white men then with their male counterparts and white women? Am I missing something?