The long-awaited Netflix documentary “Self Made”, which chronicles the life of Indianapolis resident and millionaire business mogul Madam CJ Walker, has been trending on social media since its debut last week.

However, many of the people who viewed the series were unhappy by the way the program portrayed the Mogul Madam CJ Walker. Others have criticized the numerous historical inaccuracies presented throughout the documentary, which they say misrepresented the integrity of Walker’s business.

We compiled a list of reviews from some of the largest national media sources.

Time magazine had one of the most glaring reviews, accusing the documentary of “making a mess” out of Walker’s life, calling the show “depressing”

Normally, a show this bad would at least be amusing to watch. But when you consider the richness of the subject and the larger issues it raises—the politics of black hair, Walker’s anti-lynching work, sexism and colorism in the black community—its incompetence is just depressing. TIME Magazine

NBC News called the program uninspired, saying it contained black stereotypes, and dishonored Walker rival Annie Malone as a “colorist schemer”

“Self Made” cheapens this history, using the idea of black hair, rather than even its reality, as fodder for a tawdry storyline about two businesswomen who often behave more like cartoons than real people. Both Madam C.J. Walker and Annie Malone deserve better. NBC News

The Grio said the documentary was able “to get some things right, but most things wrong.“

Self Made is a missed opportunity to celebrate Walker’s complex life, so far off the mark that it leaves audiences wondering whether she was worth celebrating. Walker deserved better. So did the audience. The Grio

The headline of Mashable.com’s review of the series says it all — “Netflix’s ‘Self Made’ is a disappointing attempt at celebrating black excellence”.

Perhaps one day, there will be so many stories about historical black women that Self Made can be viewed as a blip, or simply bad TV in a sea of bad shows. That day is not today, and it’s hard not to take Self Made’s complete ball drop as an insult. Better shows have been made about less important people, but Self Made comes nowhere near the excellence of its own subject. Mashable

Perhaps the most scathing review came from historian and best-selling documentary producer Tariq Nasheed, who dedicated an entire episode of his weekly podcast to blast the series.

In the podcast, Nasheed accused the documentary of being inaccurate and replacing factual history and characters with an “intersectional” agenda.

The director of the series Kasi Lemmons is also responsible for the recent “Harriet” film. That piece was also heavily panned by critics and rejected in the Black Community for being historically inaccurate, and creating fictional drama and villainization of Black characters, along with having a “white savior”.

Black Indy Live STAFF Black Indy LIVE has been the #1 Source of Black News in The State of Indiana Since 2017. Our work has been referenced by publications such as: The Atlanta Black Star, Blavity, The New York Post, PopCulture.com, The Inquisitr, Clutch Points, and many others. See author's posts

Related