The Boomerang Hammertoe Effect is a phenomenon that I have
been aware of for some time. It has
nothing to do with the wooden
tool/toy (although . . . well maybe). It
is really a reference to the movie Boomerang starring Eddie
Murphy. You remember, in the movie
Eddie’s character makes a point to check out a woman’s feet before he will decide if he can date her. The woman could be PERFECT, but if she’s got
bunions, blisters and hammertoes (Hammertime in her shoe as he calls it) she’s
outta there. Funny, right!
Boomerang Movie Poster - 1992 |
The interesting thing is . . . this became a
requisite part of the mating practice for a time.
I know I am showing my age here, but as the former Queen of the First
Dates, I remember guys would check a girl out and intentionally add her feet
and toes to the equation, especially in the summer. Not necessarily a deal-breaker like in the
movie, but it was definitely a factor. It
wasn’t something I minded terribly. I
didn’t fare too badly, as a rule I have always tried to make sure my lil Yabba
Dabbas are up to par. Foot care should
always be a necessity.
My toes in aqua. Very hip, very now. |
But, there was a boom.
The BH Effect is real. Everywhere
you went, you heard people discussing foot care like never before. Foot spas
& nail shops popped up everywhere you looked – and I do mean everywhere. Pedicures were no longer a posh service at a
day spa. It was no longer for the well-heeled and the wealthy. Even we common, ashy foot, females from the
hood could now get a pedicure in nearly every mall or strip mall – right after we
picked up the groceries.
Ok, ok so there might have been other factors that
contributed to the rise in nails shops on nearly every corner, but the truth of
the matter is that there is something to be said about how we consume media and
how it becomes a driving force for fashion trends, for social phenomena, and how
it sometimes becomes an instruction manual for our culture. Working with teenagers, I see it every day.
The Upside of The BH Effect
·
Over the years there have been many articles,
studies and surveys conducted on the influence of the iconic sitcom, The Cosby
Show. They portrayed a positive
example of a married, professional couple raising healthy Black children albeit
quirky and imperfect. People who didn’t
have the Cliff and Clair prototype in their home could look at the show as an
example of what is possible – many did and still do.
·
Movies like School Daze and shows like a Different
World had everyone wanting to go to college. Not just a black college -
Any college. My friend Sean often credits
these two for helping to plant the seed about college for him and some of his
peers. Today, he is successful in television and
media, has earned two Emmy's, and can speak first-hand about its power to influence youth.
·
And let’s not forget Love Jones. When this movie came out EVERYONE of a
certain age with a modicum of talent (and even those none at all) thought they
were a poet! Poetry sets were a staple
of the single's scene in the late 90’s and they were packed with women looking
for their Darius Lovehall ready to be “the blues in [their] left thigh and tryin’
to become the funk in [their] right”!
·
Today, movies like ATL and Love
and Basketball, have all my students wanting to move to Atlanta and
hoping to find success and love on the basketball court. And thanks to shows like Law and Order, CSI, NCIS, etc. they all want be a police detective
or forensic scientist (even students who don’t like science)!!! Each year I
have to try to debunk myths about the profession without killing their desire
to pursue it. I put together a Law
Enforcement Career Panel for our students, and it was by far the most crowded of
all the Career Panels we hosted this year.
It was full with students wanting to know how much their REAL careers were
like what they see on television.
The Downside of The BH Effect –
· There is no denying that Black films in the 90’s
gave us a glimpse into the lives of people in hoods all around the country –
particularly Los Angeles – and there was an effect. Films like Boys in the Hood and Menace
to Society featured things like drive-by’s and carjacking that were common
in LA. These things existed in Chicago but
they didn’t really have a name. I can
remember when I was 12 a friend that lived across the street was shot and
killed by people driving by. It was what happened; it didn't have a name. We didn’t call it a drive-by. After those films, for us it now had a name
and unfortunately we began to hear of it happening more and more.
· Let’s also include Any Movie with Gabrielle Union!
She is often portrayed as the quintessential successful Black Woman who can’t
find a man, will steal your man, and in the process will be a royal BIATCH!! These
films and these characters have helped to perpetuate the idea that Black women
in positions of authority have to be BIATCH, and a lonely one at that. Sorry Gaby,
it’s not you it’s the characters – we know you gotta work, girl.
·
Today psychologists are studying the effect of
shows like Bad Girls Club, Real Housewives
of . . . . , Basketball Wives, Teen Mom, etc. They are studying the link
between these shows and levels or aggression and incidents of violence among
young girls. Well, I ain’t no researcher
. . . but um . . . the link is pretty
clear to me! When I hear young girls quoting the cast members, making references to their conflicts on the show, and talking about “what they would do” in
that situation, it’s pretty clear to me that there is a link.
So maybe the connection to the actual wooden boomerang is
more apparent than I initially thought.
Life definitely imitates art and what we put out there inevitably comes
back to us – the good and the bad. The Boomerang Hammertoe Effect is real - media has always and will always have the power to affect change in society, not just with film and television, but music
too. But, I’ll save that discussion for
next time.
It has been nearly
20 years since Boomerang was in theaters, and nail shops are still crowded with
women trying to get their feet right for summer. Every nail shop in America
should really have Eddie’s picture up to pay tribute. Because of him, no woman
wants to be caught dead with “Hammertime in her shoe”. Peace,
C
Now tell me. What film have you seen start a fad or social phenomenon? Did ya love it? Did ya hate it?