The Connotation Of Homosexuality In Film

Another example of this is when Celie and Shug kisses. There is a visible lesbian presence in the kissing scene, but the kiss is not perverse. This conforms to the pre-Hays Code where “lustful kissing” was prohibited in films (Mondello, 2008, para. 10). Patricia White further argues that characters that are portrayed as a lesbian or gay are often consigned to the status of supporting characters (p. 148). This is completely true because Snug is not a main protagonist in the film and the audience did not get to see her relationship with Celie blossom. Shug enters into the film for a brief moment just to act as a trigger for Celie’s new sexuality rather her lover. This was down because of the period the movie was set in, so the producers had to portray Celie as a woman not allowed to her sexuality.

These negative connotations associated with black women’s sexuality are translated and coded in both films. For example, The Color Purple draws audience attention to the fact the black women's bodies were not considered desirable during the slavery era as Celie struggles with her sexual identity due to being constantly abused by the men in her life. In fact, this was the beginning of her traumatic life experiences when she marries an abusive man who takes advantage of her body. The turning point in her identity is when she meets her husband’s ex-lover,