The Proposal
Melissa Harris-Perry's "Crooked Room" Theory
The primary reference was of the crooked room and its meaning in relation to the role of Black women in America. When speaking of the crooked room, Perry is referencing a field dependence study in which the subjects of the research study were “placed in a crooked chair in a crooked room then asked to align themselves vertically” (Perry, 29). This study was conducted to observe “how individuals locate the upright in a space” (Perry, 29). In this study, some of the subjects believed they were already straight or only need minor adjustments, even when they were completely tilted. This was because “some perceived themselves as straight only in relation to their surroundings” (Perry, 29). Perry chooses to reference this study in particular because she uses it to compare it to the position of Black women in America. Perry believes this is why some, though not all, Black women give in to negative stereotypes and adhere to the negative images projected onto Black women in America, such as being the video vixen in rap videos that degrade women. These Black women have a distorted perception of who they are as women and often contort to this “warped image” rather than find “which way is up” in the “crooked room”. Perry's "crooked room" is a theory that states “when they confront race and gender stereotypes, black women are standing in a crooked room, and they have to figure out which way is up. Bombarded with warped images of their humanity, some black women tilt and bend themselves to fit the distortion” (Harris 29).