Kobena Mercer ‘Reading racial fetishism.’ In Representation. Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, S. Hall ed. (1997 pp 280-290)

In this article Kobena Mercer analyses Mapplethorpe’s controversial work, in particular his photography series on black men.

Mercer argues that Mapplethorpe’s portrayal of black men depicted their bodies as objects of desire in his pictures. He argues this reduced black men solely to their sexuality and separated their physicality from their subjectivity. Mapplethorpe’s photography perpetuated the colonist gaze, and displayed black men as something different, excessive and “other”.

Mercer argues that the male-gaze, which is seemingly subjected onto women, is here subjected onto the black male body. What is at play here is no longer a fetishised difference of gender but rather a fetishised difference of race.

Mercer states there is no deep contextualisation to Mapplethorpe’s photographs and therefore it further perpetuates the white male fantasy.

Twenty years or so forward, it seems that it is not only the black male body that is fetishized but also black-culture itself. The fetish is not just about watching and gazing at the black body but also about the embodiment of the ‘black persona’, meaning the media constructed image of successful black men.  In current times the only images that are perpetuated in today's media insinuate that to be black and successful, you need to be a rapper or athlete, further adding to Mercers argument against the view that sees  the black body  as machine-like with super athletic physical prowess. The gaze is no longer just that of the white-homosexual male but now also that of the white-female fetishising blackness. Subsequently, cultural appropriation is always at the forefront of Twitter debates, with influencers and celebrities alike being “called out” for blackfishing, a term used to describe someone accused of pretending to be black on social media. Females are trying to embody the black-male fantasy by replicating what they think the black female body is. When black people become successful whether in music, theatre or sports, fetishism is somewhat an issue.  Black actors such as Idris Elba and Michael B Jordan are no longer known for their acting ability but rather for their good looks.

Streetwear and grime music are just some of the many things rooted within black culture that have become mainstream, mass-produced and fetishised for the straight white male.

The narrative of the black male from low-social economic backgrounds "making it" in the face of adversity is profusely perpetuated continuously in music and media. But when we look Stormzy's most notable performances at Glastonbury and The Brit Awards it is clear that Mercer argument is still relevant today. No matter how good his music is and all the black culture he projects, what becomes the focus is his black-body walking around the biggest stages and naked, black, chiselled torso.