Stereotypes In Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures, a 2016 film based on a true story by the Director Theodore Melfi. The film follows the lives of three female African-American women who endured racial discrimination, segregation as well as the patriarchal American society of the 1970s. These women acquired temporary jobs in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and were the brains behind launching the Friendship 7 into space. The Friendship 7 was the first rocket the Americans successfully sent to outer space. During their struggle to gain recognition for their capabilities, these women were exposed to harsh criticism due to their colour and gender. This film shows dual prejudice that African-American females faced and their battle to overcome racial and gender
Many scenes throughout the movie show the white American society’s negative perception of the capabilities of female African-American’s. This prejudice results in female African-American women developing their own self-concept (Cooley, 1902). Instead of feeling insignificant, these women strive to show the intelligence they hold and disprove their colleagues’ false perceptions. For example, in one scene, Mary Jackson is told by her boss to pursue her engineering degree to which Mary replies “I’m a Negro woman, I’m not going to entertain the impossible” (Melfi, 2016). The American society of the 1970s influences how Mary responds to her boss’s encouragement. She believes that due to her race and gender, she will not be able to pursue her dream. However, Mary realises that she is one of the smartest engineers and should not limit herself thus taking the issue to court. Although society has affected the way Mary views herself, she knows that she is more than what others say and later realises that her capabilities are endless. This film is very relevant to many areas around the world. Engineering is considered as a male-dominated profession and females that wish to enter in that field are discriminated. It shows that society’s view on how gender and races should behave influence our understanding of what we can
White men were at the top and women at the bottom. Although, the African-American ranking was underneath the white status. In the engineering classes that Mary attended, all of her peers were white males. This scene shows the imbalance of the genders and the races. Throughout Hidden Figures, there is a clear distinction in the way the two colours interact, such as black people were to sit at the back, different toilets, different water taps and library sections designated to a certain race. For individuals to step out of their fixed place in society was frowned upon. For example, in one scene a white male astronaut is shaking the hands of white NASA workers. Before he reaches the African Americans who are slightly separated from the white people, white supervisors try to head him off into another direction. However, he pushes past and acknowledges the hard work of the African-Americans. As he is talking and shaking hands, the white people look at him with anger and frustration at his bold standout to thank the other