Spike Lee’s movies are always interesting, because often he explores intersectional problems withing the overarching problems the Black community must deal with as a result of living in a white dominated society. In his film, Love and Basketball, Lee’s characters explore themes of misogyny within the Black community, as well as issues of parental familial relationships and the practice of sports in Black society, and how they affect players and their lives.
I think Lee’s portrayal of how society affects Black women who do not fit the mold made for them is very effective; by showing Monica as a more “masculine” presenting figure in the movie, Lee easily explores how Black women are treated by both their peers and others. Monica must constantly balance being the “tomboy” of her family with being masculine enough to be perceived as a serious basketball player. She must also balance her own feelings of inadequacy in her feminine nature, especially in matters of romance and sexuality. In both avenues, Monica constantly feels as though she is “not enough”; she is too much a woman to be seen as a serious player, and too masculine to have a “normal” high school romantic experience. On a more personal note, Monica’s experiences aren’t too far off from my own experiences, and I believe that hitting a more personal note for the women in the audience was Lee’s intentions. There have been many studies and anecdotes throughout history that show Black women being perceived as more masculine than their white counterparts, and the timing of the film coincides with the rise of women oriented Black films in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.