In the film “Hidden Figures,” Langley’s offices are segregated by race and gender. The African-American female computers work in a separate office from the white female computers and the white-male NASA Task Group. The set design of the offices reflects racial and gender segregation with the unequal treatment and opportunities afforded to different groups based on race and gender, particularly black women being segregated from white men and women.
The office for the African-American female computers is located in a separate building from the main offices and is referred to as the “colored computers” room (Haryanti et al., 2019, p. 7). Further, Haryanti et al. (2019) state that the room is small and cramped, with desks next to each other. The office is shown to be poorly lit and needs an upgrade in amenities and equipment like the other offices. The African-American female office needs an upgrade since it is not respected and is equipped with fewer resources and opportunities than its white counterparts.
The white female computers work in a separate office from the African-American female computers and are also segregated from the white-male NASA Task Group. Their office is larger and more spacious than the African-American room, but it still needs to be more modern and well-equipped than the white-male NASA Task office. This is evident when Dorothy says that “…quite a few women are working in the Space Program, sir” (Haryanti et al., 2019, p. 6). White female computers are shown to be more privileged than African-American computers, but they are still not treated as equals by the white-male NASA Task Group.
The white-male NASA Task Group works in a separate office from the white and African-American female computers. Their office is much larger and more modern than the other offices and is equipped with the latest technology and amenities (Haryanti et al., 2019). The set suggests that the white-male NASA Task Group is Langley’s most respected and valued group and is given the best resources and opportunities.
In conclusion, the set design in the film “Hidden Figures” effectively reflects the racial and gender segregation at Langley during the period depicted in the film. This set design effectively highlights the unequal treatment and opportunities afforded to different groups based on race and gender, particularly black women being segregated from white men and women. It highlights how discrimination and bias manifest in the physical space and how it impacts the opportunities and resources available to different groups.
Reference
Haryanti, R. S., Kuncara, S. D., & Valiantien, N. M. (2019). Discrimination towards African-American women as portrayed in the hidden figures film. Jurnal Ilmu Budaya. Web.