Heterosexual Imagery
How film shows marriage as unnatural
Heterosexuality creates a standard with traditions and boxes that must be filled for straight people, even with different genders, classes, and racial backgrounds. These boxes force the idea of marriage and coupling as a necessary part of the straight timeline, with activities like promposals preparing straight people for what is required of them in the future.
The experiences and pressures of marriage work differently for people based on class, race, sexuality, and gender. By comparing the proposal scenes in “The Best Man” versus “Sex and the City,” I will present the different social pressures of being a black man compared to a white woman. Through juxtaposing these two proposal scenes, we can see how the standards made for heterosexual people are overall universal stresses forced upon people even with different gender or racial backgrounds.
In the film “The Best Man,” Harper proposes to Robbin after his friend’s wedding. After all the negative events that have happened to Harper and seeing his friend get married, Harper wants to transition from his “bachelor life” to being married. We see Harper propose to Robin, even with all…