Character profile analysis and development

Character Profile

Jazmin Biltmore, the character Mo'Nique plays in the 2006 film Phat Girlz, has many different stereotypes that she is working against in the movie. The main way in which she identifies herself in the movie is indicative of this fact; she sees herself as -- and is convinced that others see her as -- a fat black woman. There are many misperceptions that she faces as a result of this identity, which would make it difficult for her to receive full and equal treatment from receiving any of the human services that she may require. Women have been marginalized by many -- if not most -- cultures throughout history, which is why it makes up such a major part of her identity and the limitations she feels she is faced with. Her ethnic background as an African-American plays an even bigger role in her sense of identity and in the problems she faces. But the biggest facet of Jazmin's identity -- the one on which she focuses in the film and the one on which she is convinced everyone around her is focused -- is her weight. All three of these factors could affect the availability and the equality of the human services that might be offered to her in real-life situations.

Interestingly, one of the misperceptions about her race that is common in the United States is that blacks are generally equal to whites in terms of the types of professions held, income, and other socio-economic factors (Morin, 2001). Though Jazmin herself is rather well-off, government statistics show that most African-Americans "continue to lag significantly behind whites in employment, income, education and access to health care" (Morin, 2001). The gap between reality and the perception of African-American socio-economic status can make it difficult for African-Americans such as Jazmin Biltmore to receive fair racially-conscious human services; because the misperception exists that the races are already equal in this country, feelings of racial discrimination might be discounted by some human service practitioners when in fact it is still very real.

The fact that Jazmin is a woman could also have a significant impact on her ability to receive fair care from providers of human services. There does not even need to be any overt misogyny -- or indeed, any conscious or even sub-conscious discrimination against the female gender -- in order for there to be a barrier to Jazmin receiving fair and adequate human services. Communication differences -- and the misperception that these do not exist -- between men and women can lead to misunderstandings and frustration: "For example, men are passive listeners" while "women, on the other hand, are active listeners," which can lead to needless repeating on the part of a woman who feels she isn't being listened to, and a false sense of communication from men picking up women's active listening signals (like a head nod) (Knowledge, 2002).

Complicating matters still further is Jazmin's self-identification as an overweight woman. Some of society might indeed see her as too fat, which could lead to a mishandling of human services. Alternatively, others could dismiss her weight worries as inconsequential, and therefore never get to the lack of self-confidence at the root of her concerns. There is much confusion and mis-identification regarding weight; according to a recent study of women, while only "55% were overweight, though two-thirds said they thought they were overweight" (Kaiser, 2007). Jazmin is, in fact, somewhat overweight, but not to the extremity that she thinks she is, and not enough to cause her immediate or permanent medical damage. Her misperceptions about herself, however, as well as society's misperceptions about weight in general, can cause for a misdirection of human services.