Miss Cleo Died Into the Arms of Adoring White Folk
After watching “Call Me Cleo”, I find myself intrigued by the unspoken…although scholar Andrea Nevins did low-key refer to her as an incarnation of the Mammy archetype. Was Miss Cleo the ultimate magical Negro?
“Call Me Cleo” is a documentary about the rise and fall of the iconic psychic in the 90s infomercials. Now streaming on HBO. In the documentary, people who knew her explain how she had a difficult childhood. No one from her family was able to be there because she spent much of her childhood in the foster care system. Raven Simone and Deborah Wilson (who looks amazing, omg) had parodied the character in their respective works, showed compassion to her as a woman struggling with identity and agency over her image.
Now if you have gotten past the title, thank you. I am a firm believer of Black women going where they are celebrated and not tolerated. If that is in the whitest part of the world where she is the only Black person for miles, so be it. My most popular article “Meghan Markle Doesn’t Have Any Black Friends” immediately got people harping on the title- and projecting into their own personal situation. Moreover, I view Black people as individuals and therefore this is solely based on an analysis of what i’ve learned about Miss Cleo. Black Americans only make up 13% of the population. I extend a tremendous amount of grace…
