January 8, 2006 | In an era when movies, music videos and other mass media constantly reinforce the notion that women can never be too thin – that skinny is sexy, and hotties aren’t hefty – Queen Latifah proudly struts her stuff as the sassy exception to the rule. As a chart-topping rapper, A-list actress and high-profile commercial pitchwoman, she’s savoring success unprecedented for a size-plus woman of color. And as she continues to live large and take charge, she’s subverting conventional wisdom about what constitutes sexy star power.
Just as important, she’s also emerging as an empowering role model.
“Most women don’t look like Halle Berry or Nicole Kidman,” notes Eric Harrison, an African-American entertainment writer who has reviewed films for The Los Angeles Times and The Houston Chronicle. “In Latifah they see a large woman who is comfortable with her size, who sees herself as a sexual being… She doesn’t let her size, her skin color or other people’s perceptions define her. Seeing her on screen is self-affirming for these women, in much the same way that her strongly feminist raps were affirming.”
Appearing in crowd-pleasing comedies like Bringing Down the House, Beauty Shop and now Last Holiday has allowed Latifah to broaden her audience while communicating “a pro-woman, love-yourself message without anger or preaching,” Harrison says.
And women aren’t the only ones who have gotten the message.
“For a long time,” says indie filmmaker Bertha Bay-Sa Pan (Face), “I’ve known many men who have found Queen Latifah extremely sexy and beautiful. So it’s nice to see that their opinion is finally also being reflected in the mainstream media. After all, film and pop culture are supposed to represent life in general — not just one particular type of life.”
The secret of Latifah’s success? Well, sizzling sex appeal doesn’t hurt. “I’ll bet you any money I have,” says film director Lexi Alexander (Green Street Hooligans), “that if we ask every male in the audience of her next movie if they find her sexier than some A-list actress currently suffering from anorexia or bulimia, the Queen will win hands down!”
Having a great personality also is important. Queen Latifah “is plain-old charismatic,” says film scholar Marsha McCreadie, author of Women Screenwriters: Their Lives and Words. “That always helps in breaking down stereotypes.”
