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Nicholas A. Banta
Professor Marie Lo
University Studies 103A
4 May 2015

Malcolm Xs Representation of Women

In todays society, someone who possesses or wishes to possess influential


power must have well-rounded ideals to have an impact. Malcolm X, who very
clearly had a major impact in the Civil Rights Movement, didnt play by those rules.
Malcolm was already breaking the boundaries with his views opposing those of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., but what might seem shocking to some was his views of
women. Malcolms views of women changed throughout his life, moving up and
down as certain aspects of his life changed.
His views started when he was a child. Seeing how his family was structured,
he developed the idea that men (husbands and fathers, more specifically) were
meant to be strong and support the family, while women were meant to support the
men. Describing his father, Malcolm states, In addition to being determined,
focused, honest, he was also greatly humorous, delightful, and boy-like, while at the
same time a strong, firm male presence in a house filled with little women. His
women. The first thing to note about this statement is how he describes his father:
determined, focused, honest, strong, and a firm male presence. He already has this
solid image of how men should represent themselves. Then, he brings up his mother

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and sisters. He calls them little women. Now, if he were just talking about his
sisters, they would literally be little women because theyre children, but the fact that
his mother is in essence grouped into that statement means that hes talking about
more than their stature. Malcolm sees his father, a man, as a superior being to his
mother and sisters. While this may not have been in a derogatory sense at his young
age, its still a strong view for a child to hold. Later, he talks about how the Negro has
lost his sense of identity, and lost touch with himself, rather than using their and
themselves. Another possible connection to his feelings of male superiority. At one
point, Malcolm even deliberately states, All women, by their nature, are fragile and
weak: they are attracted to the male in whom they see strength.
The other part of Malcolms description of his father that cites the foundation of
his views of women is when he calls his mother and sisters his [fathers] women. It
almost gives off a sense of male ownership of females. As Malcolm moved forward
in his life, he ran into literal ownership of women through prostitution. Pimps treated
prostitutes as their own personal property. That was the source of their money-- their
paycheck. He talks about his friend, Sammy The Pimp, who picked women out of
crowds and turned them into prostitutes. The way he talks about these women is
the same way one might talk about going to a department store and picking out a tshirt. This also brings up the topic of the manipulation of women. These pimps took
innocent women and made them sell their bodies and drugs. Malcolm talks about
how close he and Sammy became, to the point where they were actually best
friends. Ones best friend often plays significant roles in the shaping of their views,
and Sammy most definitely played a negative role. Digging deeper into the topic of

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objectification and manipulation, Malcolm spent a large portion of his life around
prostitutes, and even ended up peddling women himself. He talks at one point in the
autobiography at one of the brothels his women worked at, saying, You could walk
into one or another room in this house and get a hot fur coat, a good camera, fine
perfume, a gun, anything from hot women to hot cars, even hot ice. He groups
women in with all of these other items. As if you could own a women like you could
own any other object. He talks about how Cadillac and Sammy had women making
their livings. Surprisingly enough, one of Malcolms biggest issues with women
wasnt the prostitutes. It was the other women that he encountered in his day-to-day
life. He said, Later on, it was chiefly the women who weren't prostitutes who taught
me to be very distrustful of most women; there seemed to be a higher code of ethics
and sisterliness among those prostitutes than among numerous ladies of the church
who have more men for kicks than the prostitutes have for pay. The reason behind
this is that he himself felt as though he was a victim of objectification. Throughout
the whole book, he talks about how White women lusted after Negro males. They
would commit adultery and cheat on their husbands while they were at work, or
away at war. This experience made him gain a severe distrust of women.
A major turning point in Malcolms views of women, was when he joined the
Nation of Islam. While women were still viewed as inferior compared to men, there
was a certain respect that men had for their wives and the Sisters of the church.
Malcolm himself said that the women were given an honor and respect that [hed]
never seen black men give to their women, and it felt wonderful to [him]. The
Muslim faith itself says that domestic quarreling and discourtesy towards women is

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not allowed. When he became a minister, he decided to share his new-found respect
with others of the Muslim faith. He cited teachings from Elijah Muhammad, where
Muhammad said that black men would never get respect until they start respecting
their women. However, as he gained reputation in the temple, his views started to
falter back to those that he held while he was pimping out women. He talked
constantly about the natures of men and women, being that the true nature of men is
to be strong, and the true nature of women is to be weak. He even went so far as to
say that a man must control his woman is he wants her to respect him.
Malcolms following of Elijah Muhammad took a dark turn however when
Muhammad was accused of adultery. His personal secretaries had become
pregnant and were ousted from the temple and charged with adultery in the Muslim
courts. Comparing Malcolms feelings about adultery at this time to his feelings
about adultery when he was a pimp is like comparing day and night. Alex Haley
himself recounts Malcolms dark past. In all of this darkness, he rose and found his
light.
Through everything he learned and all of his own teachings, he was still unable
to trust women. It was deeply seated in his past experiences, and even up until the
end of his life, he was only able to put 75-percent of his trust in his own wife.
Malcolms wife, Sister Betty X, was one of the most interesting points, as well as the
biggest key point to Malcolms views of women. At the time Malcolm joined the
Nation of Islam, his sole purpose was to spread the word of Elijah Muhammad. He
swore that, even though the Muslim sisters were infatuated with him, he wouldnt let
them distract him from his goals. He met Sister Betty X at Temple Seven. She was a

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major figure among the Muslim women of the temple. His past life of lusting after
women and women lusting after him turned him away from Betty for a time, but they
grew close, and Malcolm decided to marry her. The interesting part about all of this
is that Malcolm never believed in any form of relationship outside of lust. Women
were objects to him, and he was an object to women, but his relationship with Betty
was able to grow into love. About this love, Malcolm said, Islam is the only religion
that gives both husband and wife a true understanding of what love is. The Western
love concept, you take it apart, it really is lust. But love transcends just the
physical. Love is disposition, behavior, attitude, thoughts, likes, dislikes-these things
make a beautiful woman, a beautiful wife. This is the beauty that never fades. She
was the only woman Malcolm was able to ever truly love, and through this love came
trust.
Malcolm was one of the most influential African Americans in the Civil Rights
Movement. He was an alternative for people that decided that Dr. Kings peaceful
protest was no longer an option. He started from the lowest of lows and made a
name for himself, and was a voice for others trying to do the same. Although he
played a major role in the Movement, his reputation and ideals were tainted by his
views of women. Had Malcolms early life not been so scarred by the mistreatment
of women, its a strong possibility he could have garnered more influence from his
followers.

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