1. The Bitchy Black Woman Lives
The bitchy Black woman is not a stereotype; she lives. She’s snarky, sarcastic, fights her life with every quip, and dishes out a mean side-eye. Newsflash, that’s fine. Some Asian’s are good at math, some Hispanics in America are undocumented, and some White people are racist. The problem is the monolithic thought that every Black woman at all times is bitchy. We seem to give women, specially those of color, two roles to play: the virgin or the whore, Claire Huxtable or New York (of Flavor of Love fame). If I have to idealize women by a TV character I like to think of them as Olivia Pope, she's well rounded. Recently, I was asked if we ended the negative portrayal of Black women on television would the stigma and stereotypes cease. No. Television didn’t start racism and this monolithic characterization that all Black women are bitchy. I find it hard to believe that television, solely, can eradicate a mindset that was prevalent before VH1 put celebrity faces to the archetype.
2. Tragedy Can Pay Off
Is charity the secret to rejuvenating a career? The season finale of R&B Divas showcased the vocal troubles of Nicci Gilbert and the Brownstone reunion. Gilbert's idea was to give back and get some in return. This charity was suppose to provide a return on investment for Brownstones reboot. It is a relatively new American ideal to turn tragedy into consumerism, the breast cancer merchandise segment of businesses is a multimillion dollar subsidiary, with a big disparity between profit and charity donation. Do you recall when American Apparel was doing what was good for business, but was in bad taste, when they promoted a sale on the back of the human tragedy Hurricane Sandy. What about when President Bush, two weeks after 9/11, urged us to “Get down to Disney World in Florida” where his brother was previously governor. At least we can all agree that Nicci Gilbert has the mind set to become President of the United States.
Follow the author of this article: @noose_lme
Follow the author of this article: @noose_lme
3. Being Gay Is Not a Perversion
On the season 2 finale of R&B Divas, a jubilant yet reserved Monifah tells her Jesus “fanatic” 20 something year old daughter, Akemi, that Monifah, herself, and her partner of two years, Terez, are now engaged. Akemi was noticeably battling with the idea and expressed her thoughts by calling Monifah’s relationship (and all same sex relationships) a perversion. I saw nothing perverted about the relationship between Monifah and Terez, perhaps Akemi would rather her mother be in heterosexual abusive relationship like that of Evelyn Lozada and Chad or Keke Wyatt pre-Michael, instead of just a healthy relationship between two adults.
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