The Help and Formation
Film poster ‘The Help’ and ‘Formation’ by Beyoncé portray key representations that both adhere to and defeat stereotypes. The representations conveyed in both texts are fascinating. Firstly, the representations of black women in ‘The Help’ is a key element due to the connotations of slavery and post-colonisation. The poster hugely promotes binary opposition between the servants and the two white characters. While the servants function is to ‘serve’ their white superiors, the function of the white masters is to exploit the servants and use them to their own advantage. This reinforces Gilroy’s post-colonial theory as audiences are also forced to see the servants as ‘other’ and inferior. The links to slavery are also prominent in the poster and are highlighted by the representations. During the era of slavery, black people were ceaselessly made to perform laborious tasks and were hideously oppressed. This is, to a degree, reflected in the poster in relation to the role of the serv