Female Power in A Project Chick

A Project Chick paints a new definition of femininity and womanhood as the women of the novel navigate and survive the systems of oppression that they are living within. Tressa is described as the perfect woman and mother, who is doing everything she can to stay afloat after leaving her abusive boyfriend. The novel states that she “was very meek, humble and the definition of a lady. But don’t get it twisted, because her spunk and feistiness would make one think she had the heart of a lion” (150). Thus, we see a new definition of womanhood emerging as Tressa must develop strength to navigate the class, race, and gender discrimination that she faces.

More women in the novel are presented as strong and independent with a strong sense of self. Tressa’s hair stylist Gypsy believed and “lived by her motto, “Pussy is Power”, and as long as she had a well and clean coochie between her legs, there laid the power” (157). Despite this strong picture of the women in the novel, they still rely on men for financial help. For Gypsy, the novel also foregrounds the fact that “the guys she dated would pay her double, sometimes triple the money she made, so her hobby, her hustle, to do hair became second to her seeing her male friends” (159) and furthermore, “she saw opportunity and purposely got pregnant” (160). Gypsy strategically uses the men in her life to support her and her family financially.

The novel constantly draws attention to the precarious position of women’s finances, in that they are extremely strong and independent while still dependent on men to live a more comfortable life. We see this after Tressa leaves Lucky, “Tressa’s life had changed tremendously in the past few months since she had left Lucky. A dollar didn’t come easy” and “there were so many sacrifices she had to make” (154). Tressa also recognizes some of the various systemic obstacles and oppressions that face her when she says that it “seems like you have to commit some fraud just to stay afloat” (181). Again we see this reworking of womanhood for survival with Tressa’s relationship with Bill. She recognizes the mutual benefits of their relationship when she says that she “didn’t feel like a prostitute at all, she was getting paid for her services and doing what she had to do” (217) and “Tressa was definitely grateful because that money came in handy” (230) and it “enabled her to get ahead a little” (236). Thus, relationships with men become devices to help the women live a more stable life.

Within this dynamic, the novel also foregrounds class politics in which people reject low class status through consumption and material goods. Thus, although Tressa is in need for financial support, she rejects outright asking for help. The novel states that, “Tressa reflected that she didn’t want to put herself in the situation of making Jacko think, for one minute, that she needed him” and she “didn’t want to feel ‘needy’” (207). We see the motivations behind this throughout the novel, because “she didn’t want anybody feeling sorry for her or looking down on her” (183). Overall, the women in this novel have a lot of strength and agency despite their oppressions. Although they navigate this system and build their own lives, they are still very dependent on men for financial support. However, in my opinion, this is still a very strong representation of women because Nikki Turner emphasizes the fact that it is their choice to use the men and they also continually reject outright victimization, which, similar to Jacobs’s choices in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, grant the women more agency and power over their lives and bodies.