Why Are There No Black Female Action Heroes?

Uma Thurman kicked butt in "Kill Bill," Quentin Tarantino's two-part martial arts action thriller. A few years earlier, Angelina Jolie brought Lara Croft's TombRaider to the big screen. A few years earlier still, the fate of the modern world rested upon the diminutive shoulders of one fire-haired Milla Jovovich, in the futuristic adventure movie, "The Fifth Element." These are just a few examples of popular action films featuring beautiful and tough leading ladies. But if you take inventory of Hollywood's most successful action films starring women, you'll notice one thing in particular-a distinct absence of African-American faces. Is it just a coincidence that the majority of the strong female action heroes happen to fall into other ethnic categories? Is it that directors don't find black actresses attractive enough to play strong action leads? That probably is not the case. But there is indeed a definite shortage of African-American women playing tough lead roles. But some of the reasons why may surprise you...

THE RISK TAKERS

Turn on your television and watch out for shows featuring extreme sports or stunts. Notice that that particular industry is not saturated with African-American participants. In fact, outside of traditional sports, it is very rare to find a large number of African American enthusiasts who even find certain extreme activities interesting. Some might assume that black people don't like taking too many physical risks. Thus, surfing, skiing, and extreme "air sports" might be out of the question. That being said, this is perhaps why the general population does not immediately consider African American actors for high-impact physical roles in films. The assumption is especially relevant when considering black women in these roles.