Based on a true story, the plot follows the aristocratic Von Trapp family as former convent novice Maria (played by Julie Andrews), shows up to be governess and changes their lives.
—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
11 Sep. 2025
There is a painfully revealing example in Emma where Miss Bates is telling Emma about Jane Fairfax’s prospects as a governess to the Sucklings’ friends the Smallridges.
These include typecasting Black women as jezebels, sapphires and mammies; these depictions, combined with the law enforcement they may be exposed to, increase their vulnerability under the law.
—
Kerry Lester Kasper,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
The mammy stereotype, which desexualized both dark skinned enslaved and free women (who were often in domestic roles), made muting Black beauty the norm.
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