title of the series: How to Get Away with Murder

years: 2014-2020, six seasons

showrunner: created by Peter Nowalk, produced by Shonda Rhimes & ABC Studios

object of analysis: selected episodes from the season first

short plot summary

How to Get Away with Murder is a legal thriller in which the main character, Annalise Keating, the remarkable Philadelphia criminal defense attorney and professor at the Middleton University’s Department of Law, teaches the class named after the show’s title, from which she picks the group of the five most outstanding students to work as interns at her law office with two of her assistants, Bonnie Winterbottom and Frank Delfino. "The Keating Five" – Wesley Gibbins, Laurel Castillo, Michaela Pratt, Asher Millstone, and Connor Walsh eventually become entwined with each other from the moment they commit murder on her husband, Sam Keating. As the show progresses, all of the five students and Keating’s assistants, get involved in another set of homicides, which Annalise keeps getting covered, thus letting them get away with it.

Through the character of Annalise Keating, How to Get Away with Murder touches upon the stereotypical construction of Black femininity in terms of internal and external traits. The criminal defense attorney is presented as an independent and resilient figure on the outside, at the same time suppressing her emotions and needs on the inside, thus fitting into the Strong Black Woman Scheme and allowing the show to refer to Black women's entrapment in detrimental social expectations and exclusive hegemonic beauty standards affecting the dynamics of their life.

Unmasked Black beauty and vulnerability, hair politics, double consciousness

S01E04 Let's Get to Scooping

In the last scene of episode fourth, season first, titled Let's Get to Scooping, Annalise sits in her bedroom before the vanity table mirror and does her evening routine. Right before this moment, she found out that her husband Sam was cheating on her with one of his students – Lila, a young white girl who was discovered dead at the time. Nevertheless, peacefully, while constantly gazing at herself in the mirror, Annalise removes the layers of her everyday look. She takes off her wig and rubs her natural hair, removes the fake eyelashes, and wipes the dark makeup off while simultaneously expressing pain on her face. While she is covering her neck with lotion, Sam comes into the bedroom and kisses her. The spouses get into small talk, which ends in Annalise peacefully calling out Sam by his name, and with a calm voice, right after completing her evening routine, turns around from her vanity table, holding Lila's iPhone with displayed Sam's nude, asking him: "Why is your penis on a dead girl's phone?"

First and foremost, through the portrayal of Annalise stripping off the mask she uses daily as a disguise to appear more appealing in the racist, white-dominated society, the series discusses the crucially important question of hegemonic beauty ideologies defined by Kobena Mercer as framed against the Black people. [1] In everyday life and professional settings, Annalise wears a straightened-hair wig camouflaging her natural hair and the heavy, smokey-eye makeup covering her African American features – she internalizes the occurring white beauty standard as a form of control to present herself more admirable. Her awareness of it manifests through the camera's focus on her reflection in the vanity table's mirror, thus referring to W. E. B. Du Bois's experience of double consciousness. [2] From the viewpoint of analytical psychology, mirrors are closely related to an individual’s self-awareness, thus triggering it by allowing one to look into their unconscious. [3] By capturing the process of Annalise’s evening routine in the mirror with the camera placed behind the actress, the scene manages to portray the two identities of Annalise – her true African American self and the social mask used by her to conform to the dominant white society. Moreover, as Cheryl Thompson notices in her discussion about the relation of hair to Black women's identity, if the media glorifies Black woman's beauty, they usually tend to be the ones with straight and long hair. [4] She also mentions the cases of Glamour Magazine's editor's racist claim that the office is not a place for "political" hairstyles, namely the afro or dreadlocks, and the instance of Black women being allegedly fired from American corporations for wearing dreadlocks or having their hair braided. [5] Mercer's and Thompson's research proves the existence of white-constructed prejudice towards Black features, present both in media and everyday life; nevertheless, How to Get Away with Murder challenges the stereotypical approach towards Black women's physical appearance, thus giving them space to express their unmasked beauty. The circumstances surrounding the scene, namely Annalise planning to expose her husband for cheating with the now deceased pregnant white girl, gives another layer to the analysis. She performs her evening routine right before exposing Sam; at the moment of confrontation with him, she is allowed to experience pain in a raw, vulnerable state – Annalise strips off her physical and social mask, thus her emotional trait of always being resilient and covering her emotions. In that particular moment, she is far from her character's portrayal according to the Strong Black Woman stereotype, in which she is trapped throughout the plot. [6]

The captured scene becomes a unique representation of African American beauty in television, in reverse to the ongoing cultural tendency of praising Eurocentric hairstyles and features, as mentioned by Thompson. Moreover, as Keating is viewed as an emotionally resilient, strong Black woman on the outside from the beginning of the show, the moment of showing her bare physical self allows her to express the internal pain that she usually hides under the mask of strength and indestructibility.

– [1] Kobena Mercer, "Black Hair/Style Politics," in Welcome to the Jungle: New Positions in Black Cultural Studies (London: Routledge, 1994), p. 97. [2] W. E. B. Du Bois, "Of Our Spiritual Strivings," in The Souls of Black Folk, 1903. [3] Yeo Reum Lee, "Symbolism of Mirrors as the First Step of Individuation and Self-Awareness" Journal of Symbols & Sandplay Therapy 9, no. 1 (2018): p. 45, https://doi.org/10.12964/jsst.18003. [4] Cheryl Thompson, “Black Women and Identity: What's Hair Got to Do with It?,” Politics and Performativity, 2009. [5] Ibid. [6] Morgan C. Jerald et al., "Subordinates, Sex Objects, or Sapphires? Investigating Contributions of Media Use to Black Students’ Femininity Ideologies and Stereotypes about Black Women," Journal of Black Psychology 43, no. 6 (2016): p. 611, https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798416665967.

Strong Black Woman stereotype

On the other hand, throughout most of the series's plot, Annalise Keating is portrayed as having an unlimited amount of emotional strength, thus, mental capacity to solve problems in her surroundings. She voluntarily puts herself in the position of the world's caretaker, which is reflected through her professional drive and perfectionism as a criminal defense attorney, but also, more importantly, through protecting everyone around her while putting her life and career at risk. In that way, How to Get Away with Murder's main character embodies the culturally constructed image of Black femininity described as the Strong Black Woman Schema. Scholar Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant defines a Black woman's strength as prioritizing other people's needs over her desires and showing emotional resilience in the situation of misfortune. [7] At the same time, she is obligated to manage various responsibilities from different spheres of life regardless of being exposed to broadly understood adversity. The scholar argues that a Black woman's strength becomes both social expectation and personal strategy – she is expected to remain invulnerable, thus developing a form of self-protection while always appearing capable of handling difficult situations in her life. In addition, Cailyn Petrona Stewart comments on the detrimental construction of Black femininity: "The SBW stereotype is a trap that disables and dehumanizes Black women. It is a colonial chain that derives from the mammy caricature that feeds on the myth of the infinitely independent Black woman who does need no one and their help because "she got this!" [8] 

–

[7] Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, "Introduction: A Half-Told Tale of Black Womanhood," in Behind the Mask of the Strong Black Woman: Voice and the Embodiment of a Costly Performance (Temple University Press, 2009), p. 6.

[8] Cailyn Petrona Stewart, "The Mule of the World: The Strong Black Woman and the Woes of Being 'Independent'," Knots: An Undergraduate Journal of Disability Studies, no. 3 (January 15, 2018): p. 31.

S01E10 Hello Raskolnikov

Annalise's testimony and flashbacks, part 1 of the clip

S01E10 Hello Raskolnikov

Annalise’s testimony and flashbacks, part 2 of the clip

Episode Hello Raskolnikov begins with Annalise again looking at her mirror, in distress, after finding out dead Sam in their house. As she decides to protect her students who committed the homicide, she has to put on her social mask of strength and fake her interrogation at the police station. The multiple flashbacks intertwined with Annalise's testimony record show the spouses' fight and the moment of Annalise's emotional devastation over Sam's dead body. Then, there is Wes, unaware of Annalise's presence at the house, who comes back to collect the murder weapon, and says, "I'm sorry," standing above the deceased Keating, to whom Annalise responds, "Don't be," and allows Wes to explain himself. Afterward, she instructs Wes step by step on how to get rid of the dead body, saying, "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself," and provides herself an alibi by visiting Nate and calling Bonnie in despair. The figure of Keating reflects Beauboeuf-Lafontant's claim about the stereotypical construction of Black woman's strength. [9] Annalise prioritizes the safety of her students above her well-being, to the point that she insistently tries to suppress her emotions after losing the person she spent most of her life with. Her attempt to reassure Wes that she can take care of herself reflects what Stewart describes as a myth of independence and conviction about an unlimited supply of emotional strength. [10]

On the one hand, it might seem like Annalise is protecting herself by covering up the murder, primarily because a recent autopsy revealed the pregnancy of Lila Stangard, Sam's mistress, which would immediately make her a suspect. However, as she stated during the first season – the location of students' phones would lead the police to her house, and the truth would eventually come out. While advising Wes on how to get rid of the remains, the woman mentions that all of their DNA is under Sam's fingernails, so the only way to cover it up is to burn the dead body. She voluntarily puts herself at risk to protect students who committed the crime and still feels responsible for taking care of them instead of protecting herself first – thus fitting into the stereotype of a strong Black woman.

–

[9] Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, "Introduction: A Half-Told Tale of Black Womanhood," in Behind the Mask of the Strong Black Woman: Voice and the Embodiment of a Costly Performance (Temple University Press, 2009), p. 6.

[10] Cailyn Petrona Stewart, "The Mule of the World: The Strong Black Woman and the Woes of Being ‘Independent'," Knots: An Undergraduate Journal of Disability Studies, no. 3 (January 15, 2018): p. 31.

S01E10 Hello Raskolnikov

Annalise winning Rebecca's preliminary hearing, part 1

S01E10 Hello Raskolnikov

Annalise winning Rebecca’s preliminary hearing, part 2

Another example of her stereotypically assumed to be racially determined strength is visible in the later part of the episode Hello Raskolnikov. The scene presents a court hearing regarding Lila Stangard’s murder case. Annalise represents Rebecca Sutter on a pro bono basis – convinced by Wes to take Rebecca’s case, as she is wrongfully accused of Lila’s homicide and has no resources to hire a professional attorney. When the court hearing is taking place, Sam publicly has the status of a missing person, based on Annalise’s twisted testimony. After admitting to the police that she recently found out about him cheating, she sustains the thesis that Sam is responsible for Lila’s murder. Despite her deep despair shown in earlier scenes, Annalise presents herself in the court as resilient and in perfect shape, in which the white-dominated, racist world wants to see her. While the expert testifying on the stand presents the collected evidence suggesting Sam Keating’s involvement in the homicide, the woman looks deeply concerned; however, she professionally continues her line of defense, thus convincing the court to drop the charges against Rebecca Sutter. After everyone cheers, Annalise goes to the court bathroom, experiencing a panic attack, hiding her pain and vulnerability from the public, and overhears two women negatively commenting on her in the bathroom. Enraged inside, she comes out of the cabin and presents herself as unruffled and unaffected by their words, thus manifesting the need to prove her strength to the world.

S01E11 Best Christmas Ever

The beginning of the episode Best Christmas Ever portrays Annalise's intense nervous breakdown as a response to the exposure to adversity in her life. She isolates herself in a hotel room between Christmas and New Year's Eve while excessively drinking alcohol, sleeping for whole days, and ignoring everyone's calls. Nevertheless, she returns to reality, presenting herself as resilient and in good shape. When asked about her trip, she says she returned to her family home to "get her head together," thus hiding the truth about her isolation and slowly developing alcohol addiction. As a result of internalized stereotypes about Black women's strength, she continuously reflects Beauboeuf-Lafontant's claim. [11] Annalise is trapped in both social expectations about remaining invulnerable when exposed to a crisis and in her personal strategy of isolating herself from the world while being in despair, afraid of showing signs of weakness.

–

[11] Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, “Introduction: A Half-Told Tale of Black Womanhood,” in Behind the Mask of the Strong Black Woman: Voice and the Embodiment of a Costly Performance (Temple University Press, 2009), p. 6.

S01E12 She's a Murderer

In She’s A Murderer, Annalise’s house is being investigated by the police under a search warrant after finding the burned remains of Sam Keating. The scene also shows flashbacks to the moment of Sam’s death, as well as Annalise’s cleaning up the blood from the crime scene with chemicals that night. With every episode, there is a pattern of potentially harmful consequences surrounding her decision to protect the students. The house investigation brought a potential risk of charging Annalise with first-degree murder, not to mention her constant exposure to the growing accumulation of distress as the flashbacks to the traumatic event haunt her. Her reputation as a criminal defense attorney is already under threat. Moreover, there is a visible bias among the investigators towards the main character, for instance, from 0:36 when the woman advises checking with the luminol test the area on the floor in direct sight of Annalise.

S01E12 She's a Murderer

Annalise’s assistant eventually infers the scheme of Sam’s murder after connecting the facts revealed by the police in the investigation with the circumstances happening inside of the house, as well as with students’ suspicious behavior. "You didn’t do this. They did. Don’t let them ruin you," says Bonnie, thus making Annalise overthink her decisions while reaching for another vodka drink. The flashbacks show her promises to help students get away with murder, reassuring them that without her, they will go to prison. The woman is constantly showing symptoms of intense distress but continues to prioritize other people’s interests above her to present herself as a strong figure to the outside world.

In conclusion, the depiction of Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder discusses the stereotypical view of Black femininity by giving the character space for emotional vulnerability and expressing the bare African American beauty in the mirror evening routine scene, thus showing the concept of double consciousness experienced by Black women exposed to the hegemonic beauty standards. Moreover, by depicting Annalise according to the Strong Black Woman Scheme, the series shows the consequences of projecting the hegemonically constructed racial stereotypes onto Black women. Due to the internalization of racist social expectations and myths, thus prioritizing other people's needs and remaining resilient in the moment of crisis, Annalise Keating struggles with emotional distress, develops an alcohol addiction, and puts her life and career at risk. The main character's depiction as an "indestructible superhuman" [Stewart, p. 31] underlines the detrimentality of the stereotypical views of Black femininity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Beauboeuf-Lafontant, Tamara. "Introduction: A Half-Told Tale of Black Womanhood." Essay. In Behind the Mask of the Strong Black Woman: Voice and the Embodiment of a Costly Performance, 6. Temple University Press, 2009.

Du Bois, William Edward Burghardt. "Of Our Spiritual Strivings." In The Souls of Black Folk, 1903.

Jerald, Morgan C., L. Monique Ward, Lolita Moss, Khia Thomas, and Kyla D. Fletcher. "Subordinates, Sex Objects, or Sapphires? Investigating Contributions of Media Use to Black Students’ Femininity Ideologies and Stereotypes about Black Women." Journal of Black Psychology 43, no. 6 (2016): 611. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798416665967.

Lee, Yeo Reum. "Symbolism of Mirrors as the First Step of Individuation and Self-Awareness." Journal of Symbols & Sandplay Therapy 9, no. 1 (2018): 45. https://doi.org/10.12964/jsst.18003.

Mercer, Kobena. "Black Hair/Style Politics." In Welcome to the Jungle: New Positions in Black Cultural Studies, 97. London: Routledge, 1994.

Nowalk, Peter, writer. How to Get Away with Murder. Produced by Shonda Rhimes. Burbank, CA: ABC, 2014-2020.

Stewart, Cailyn Petrona. "The Mule of the World: The Strong Black Woman and the Woes of Being 'Independent." Knots: An Undergraduate Journal of Disability Studies, no. 3 (January 15, 2018): 31.

Thompson, Cheryl. "Black Women and Identity: What's Hair Got to Do with It?" Politics and Performativity, 2009.