Saturday, February 12, 2011

INDOCTRINATION: Societal Suppression Of Black Female Beauty, Pt. 2

The sun seems to finally be setting on a "brand" of humor and humiliation that has plagued black women since the beginning of all things recognizable. Some might argue against that...and it may be so, but I refuse to be on the negative side of that argument. There IS a positive side that is WORKING.

I'm using the picture above to show us - as black women - watching this part of our suffering as it begins its demise for those of us who REFUSE to be identified with the seemingly normal and degrading depiction of "us" in mainstream media, pop culture and life in general.

Now....I'm not the only one that has noticed, as of late, a brand new streaming of "black woman bashing" commercials going on on national television.

I will only MENTION them in writing here as they are not WORTHY of being represented NOR viewed in video, in my selfish and stubborn opinion on this matter.


Here are TWO of the {most recent} high profile offenders:

A}. Pepsi Superbowl Commercial. 

FIRST: DON'T get me started on {the "black womans"} badly-done hair. That may sound vain....not entirely, but of course. Who wouldn't want to look their BEST on national television...however, they portrayed her/"us" as "attempting" to look attractive. BIG difference. If you don't get that, you never will.

Make NO mistake, that was done on PURPOSE to show "us" in a NEGATIVE LIGHT; to SHOW us as being "wanna-be" or what they believe we "ARE"...we WANNA have that pretty hair or look pretty---then shows the audience what they believe we "are" - I'll leave assumption that to the negative seekers.

Pepsi is a MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR corporation. They couldn't have used NATURAL hair OR a LACE FRONT wig OR WEAVE on this...."model"...she sold herself AND the REST OF US, OUT with that "look". NO EXCUSES...if you got a job like that, demand some level of RESPECT.  "They" ALWAYS find someone willing to sell their soul...and ours!!!!

SECOND: this commercial started off as an angry black woman, always nagging "the black man", taking away from him, picking on him, belittling him, degrading him...and him {the VICTIM, mind you} just taking it, taking it, taking it...to the point where they are sitting in the park while she's enjoying her Pepsi; then comes along another woman, who sits close to them and it is THAT woman HE pays respect to AND that woman SHOWS HIM RESPECT - AND INTEREST, with just a simple smile...and she is a white woman....a BLONDE, too. The ULTIMATE white woman {so they say...LOL..."ya don't say"...riiiight, whatever!} LOLOL.

So what does this "black woman" do? Throws her Pepsi can at the black man, MISSING him, but STRIKING the WHITE WOMAN, who is INJURED...and the black couple FLEE the scene TOGETHER, leaving this injured woman on the ground...THAT'S THE COMMERCIAL!!! SMH. 

That SPEAKS VOLUMES about "their" perception of....black women {unattractive, jealous, angry, violent}, black men {always running from any and ALL responsibility} and white women {being victimized by BLACKS - male AND female - OR black people in GENERAL being a threat to whites, period.}

Get it???? Got it??? GOOD!!!!


Now, don't write me about being paranoid; no sir, no ma'am. Just a REALIST. Just someone {and those like me who refuse be be identified as such} who has {and may or very well, WILL} SUFFER from these stereotypical "suggestions". This isn't about conspiracies, it's about FACT AND EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO NOT think for a mere MOMENT that that wasn't all CHOREOGRAPHED to PERFECTION to cast black women in the WORST NEGATIVE LIGHT and during what is the most WATCHED PERIOD of advertising, period, the SUPERBOWL , for goodness sakes. Pepsi certainly made their point...black women are "fake", "angry", "bossy", "mean" AND JEALOUS of WHITE WOMEN, especially BLONDES.


That's the message that was CONVEYED...it was LOUD AND CRYSTAL C-L-E-A-R!!!!!



B}. Nicki Minaj on Saturday Night Live {SNL}.


A few weeks back, Ms. Minaj was on SNL. *SIGHS*. 

Guest host was the lilly-white, JEWISH Jesse Eisenberg.


Now, we all {should} know that Nicki is the protege of the dark-skinned, self-hating-and-black-woman-hating Lil {as in lil-to-no brains, morals, ethics, soul, etc} Wayne. Nicki used to have darker-skin, but Wayne "saw" to that. She had an average black booty too, but, Wayne also "whored-out her look" to the max for HIS profit...and she really believes he's "helping" her....yes Nicki, he is....to DESTROY yourself AND other black women as well. He's doing real good at it, too....but, I digress.


So, it should come as no surprise that Nicki went on SNL and spoofed "The Bride of Blackenstein", I believe it was; making ALL BLACK WOMEN EVERYWHERE, all SHADES of black women, look like the COONS and BUFFOONS that the audience and ALL {black women & black people hating folks} WATCHING and HOPING--really believe and/or WANT TO BELIEVE "we" {especially black women} actually are.

Oh, don't worry. SNL also provided a couple of black "males" - since no real "men" would do this - to ALSO demean and regress themselves, {as black men} and black women, as SNL/NBC wanted it portrayed here.


SO....Nicki sits up and "comes alive" and the FIRST THING she does - is shake her jelly ass; camera all up on it, close-up, etc. The two buffoons in the room equate her worth with ONLY the size of her ass....cause when she opens her mouth to speak, it's degrading blaxploitation JIVE, STUPIFIED rhetoric, worthy only of the Purple Velvet "Crown Royal" Bag Ghetto Projects Hood Rat Award.


To make matters WORSE...yes, it did get worse....Jesse Eisenberg utters from his MOUTH...how he came to "make" this bride...he got her bits and parts from various places in a series of humiliating statements, INCLUDING her MOUTH...which he got from a "HOE WHO DIDN'T KNOW HER PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!" 


I.........stopped watching at that point. All I could do was look at Nicki....who was just standing there, in room full of "males" UTTERLY DISRESPECTFUL not only to her, but ALL BLACK WOMEN; in front of an audience, on NATIONAL TELEVISION, in front of the WORLD...and she's a willing party to this. I would feel pity for her if I believed she deserved it, but I reserved that sorrow for the "rest of us" who have to endure the consequences of the actions of a few like these.


Do you think Jesse Eisenberg...OR SNL, NBC, PEPSI....would've done that to...let's say, Natalie Portman...or Cameron Diaz...Jennifer Aniston, Christina Hendricks, Katy Perry, JLo, Brooklyn Decker, Angelina Jolie, etc., etc.?

NOT EVER ON THIS PLANET NOR IN THIS LIFETIME, EVER!!!!! That would NEVER, EVER HAPPEN.


I couldn't even tell if the audience really even liked it. NO ONE BOOED this fiasco. NO ONE DARED TO.


I've also recently heard of a BOUNCE {fabric softener} commercial where a full-size black woman is also "shown" in full buffoonery-style as well, but I don't need to elaborate...you get the picture.


One of my friends told me that she honestly believes it's a foreplay to the 2012 elections, to be honest. An attempt to diminish respect not only for black women, but also for the most POWERFUL black woman in politics at the moment, Michelle Obama.


Do you understand what that really means....to me, it means the following:


We, as BLACK WOMEN, have LOTS OF "CERTAIN PEOPLE and/or GROUPS"...WORRIED, CONCERNED, THEIR ATTENTION, etc., etc.  

They have felt our arrival, our UPRISING...no matter how slow nor small {but growing} as it may be....They KNOW we're HERE!!! Not just here, but VISIBLE and making a DIFFERENCE; in contrast, they are trying to "show us" as they "prefer" us to be seen ... in a negative light.

WE ARE MAKING WAVES. WE'VE GOT THEIR ATTENTION. TIME TO USE IT and USE IT WELL, TO OUR ADVANTAGE!!!!!


Think about it...for them to use such a large-scale platform for our public humiliation and degradation means we are getting ahead and the  "applicable" POWERS-THAT-BE, are attempting to show us...."our place". They are attempting to "slow us down" or "grind us to a halt"; to send us back "into hiding" or self-doubt. 

Their actions are meant to invoke self-hatred and shame, y'all...HURTFUL, nonetheless, but DO NOT let "THEM" stop NOR distract NOR slow you down.

I say.....KUDOS to "US", LADIES, who REFUSED TO be categorized NOR stereotyped in this demeanor. We're showing them AND we're MAKING our presence KNOWN.  We may not have the platform, but what little we DO HAVE {and WILL GET/EARN} is already MAKING WAVES, getting attention, GETTING NOTICED. 

I recognize and appreciate the silver-lining in this disturbing trend; and I use the word "trend" lightly here, because this is nothing new for black women to be the "butt of the joke"; BUT...as of late, it's becoming "approachable" once more to make "us", {black women}, the "donkey" to pin the tail on. 

Let us SHOW THEM....that is NOT ACCEPTABLE. NOT AT ALL, NOT ANYMORE, NOT EVER!!!

HOW do we "show" them? MONEY TALKS...don't endorse their products. We as black women have TREMENDOUS FINANCIAL POWER...we just don't recognize nor use it to our advantage...not enough. Let's make a stand.

Also, through EDUCATION, SUCCESS, just GETTING AHEAD in this WORLD. BEING SUCCESSFUL is the BEST REVENGE.


So, with that...I'M VERY PLEASED....VERY PLEASED that we have made OUR statement SO LOUD, that this is their attempt to "destroy" us. WE'RE DOING IT, LADIES....IT'S WORKING. WE'RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT AND EFFICIENT, AS WELL. 


Let's keep up the EXCELLENT WORK and show them ALL that we are BLACK, CLASSY, SMART, EDUCATED, DESIRED, SUCCESSFUL, LOVING...AND BEAUTIFUL. 


Let's DO THIS!!!!! I LOVE THIS PROUD, BLACK AND BEAUTIFUL SISTERHOOD.

6 comments:

  1. Great post! on point with everything your-saying all bw come together as one f*** the rest...

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  2. You should check out the new movie Jumping the Broom which is suppose to coming out May 6, 2011

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laofDF745bM

    I wrote about it a bit in my blog: "seems really interesting. Being a film with a mostly black cast (Paula Patton is mixed FYI) dealing with the issues of class and prejudice. My type of topic!! :D" Although I know this movie is bound to have it's problem I pray it's just the stepping stone for even better films.
    http://tempresslove.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-movies-2.html

    and another woman talked about it in her blog also: http://blackgirlslikeus.blogspot.com/2010/11/jumping-broom-tia-i-have-to-be-honest.html

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  3. This post was definitely on point! You hit the nail on the head and you hit it hard! I hadn't heard about the Nicki Minaj thing, but that's just disgusting. I mean, wow. SMH. Again, great post. I do have to say that it's ridiculous how much overt black-woman bashing there now is in the media. SMH.

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  4. @A Work In Progress....THANK SO MUCH!!! Thanks for sharing in my dissention, AWIP. I LOVE having this sisterhood that is RISING UP TO SAY...ENOUGH, NO MORE!!!! ;) THANK YOU!!!!!

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  5. @Love In All Colors...THNK YOU SO MUCH!!! I tried not to swear myself, but if it gets the point across, so be it...LOLOL. Let's stand TOGETHER AS ONE on this...F&%K the rest...let's BRING IT, Y'ALL...that WAAY more than enough of that nonsense!!!! ;)

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