Black men in Hollywood wearing dresses continues to be a hot topic, and more actors are coming out and sharing their thoughts about it.
Marlon Wayans was the latest actor to give his opinion on the conversation. Wayans has worn a dress for a role, most notably in the film White Chicks, as a character who was pretending to be a White woman.
Wayans was asked the question during an appearance on “The Cruz Show,” and said that the conversation was “silly” to him.
“You’re talking to a Black man that put on a dress,” Wayans said. “That conversation to me is silly because it’s a negative thing that is only in Black people. We have for some reason been programmed to look down on the craziest parts about our experience, that we’re supposed to not embrace our past, not embrace our history, not embrace our heroes, not embrace our different levels of comedy, and that we have to be this way.”
Wayans then pointed out how White actors are perceived differently than Black actors in Hollywood for wearing dresses.
“When Robin Williams puts on a dress in Mrs. Doubtfire and is nominated for an Oscar, White people think it’s brilliant,” Wayans said. “His community embraces him. When Dustin Hoffman puts on the dress in Tootsie and wins an Oscar, he’s labeled brilliant.
“Black people put on dresses and all of a sudden we’re labeled by our own people as something negative. We did White Chicks and that’s a classic. The whole thing about you putting on a dress and you’re selling out, that is not an artist’s mindset. When you are an artist, you go out and you create art,” he said.
7 Responses
I LOVE KIM WAYANS, SHE IS SO DAMN FUNNY & IT TAKES A LOT TO GET TO MY FUNNY BONE, BUT I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST STATEMENTS OF FACTS FROM MARLON THAT I’VE HEARD & PERIOD REGARDING THIS TOPIC/SUBJECT! QUITE FRANKLY I’M SICK & GDAMN TIRED OF ALL THE STIGMATISMS & HARDSHIP JUDGEMENTS THRUST UPON BLACK MEN & I QUITE FRANKLY DON’T GAF WHAT ANYONE THINKS ANY LONGER!!!💯💯💯🖕🏼👏🏾💩🤡🤬
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MARLON SAID IT BEST PERIOD!
Yes, Marlin said it best. It’s an art and they are artists which should stop judging each other. Because that’s not for us to do. We should be showing more love forgiveness and understanding towards one another. We as people need to wake up and start coming together holding on to one another in love and forgiveness. We are always trying to stab each other in the back it’s much more I could say. But I will say all black entertainers, entertainers, men and women athletes, artists rappers, apples R&B singers. And the rest of you are. Please take a moment to think about where you come from. Reach back, grab a couple of your people. Not just meaning family but people and pull them up along the way. We need to start helping our own instead of marrying theirs if you know what I mean. I’m just speaking with real love love. That’s all that’s all God wants from us.
Thank you. Well said.
I was wondering when someone would make this comparison. White men have been putting on dresses for decades….not a disparaging word. As far back as Jack Lemmon(Some like it hot)wearing a dress. The industry has found a “hot button” to push for the Black community and we fell in line. IMHO a dress doesn’t define a person. If it doesn’t bother you to wear it, then wear it.
He makes a valid point.