Still Beauty : The Policing of Black Women
“There are messages everywhere that tell Black women we aren’t soft, feminine, or beautiful. I rebuke those messages; I am womanhood personified-soft, feminine, strong, and beautiful!” -Excerpt from, Naked: a memoir, found here.
Monique, the actress and comedian, has recently come under fire for a video she posted chiding black women for wearing bonnets, head scarves, pajamas, & slippers in public. Admittedly, I felt a way while watching it. While I can tell Monique was sincere and coming from a genuine, loving place, the larger implications bother me. My issues are two fold:
Black women are constantly scrutinized and critiqued.
Black women’s body, hair, etc. have been policed in this country since we were brought here to be slaves. And while slavery has long since been abolished, black women, to some degree, are still being subjected to the auction block to be ogled, inspected, and policed.
Only recently(as in 2020) did the Crown Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, get passed on a federal level. Up until then Black women could get fired or sent home from work based on their hairstyles. TF?! The Crown Act is legislation aim at ending discrimination against Black women for donning their hair in natural styles such as braids, locks, and knots at work. The legislation prohibits discrimination again natural hair and protective styles being worn in the work place. Let that sink in…We just passed legislation to prevent discrimination of our hair in 2020…Better late than never I suppose. 🤷🏾♀️
But back to my point…Black women are CONSTANTLY scrutinized and critique. I don’t like it and I’m not here for it. Period. Our hair texture is different. It’s unique. It’s a part of our “magic”. And there are certain things required to maintain it: bonnets, scarves, and the like.
Confession 🤫😜: I often run errands with my hair wrapped in a scarf. It protects my hair and keeps it looking nice for where I’m ACTUALLY going. LOL! Our head scarves and the like are the equivalent of a baseball cap and ponytail for other ethnicities. Yet, we are the only ones judged…I wonder why…🤔😑
2. The statements reek of judgment.
Storytime: I was out with a friend at a restaurant once when a “provocatively” dressed woman walked in. The friend, looking at the woman, turns to me and whispers, “See, that’s why they don’t respect us.” I stopped her right there and replied, “Why would what she’s wearing be a reflection on anyone other than herself?'“ Crickets.
We as Black Americans love to shout “We are not a monolith” when chiding other ethnic groups for lumping us altogether but our actions towards each other say something different. I understand our history and how the need to band together and lookout for each was integral to our survival but I often wonder are we paying the cost now at the expense of our individuality or right not to be mocked and judged for going against the grain?
I don’t have all the answers… but I do know that those statements made by Monique, while presented in a caring context, reeked of judgment. Like the statement made by the friend at the restaurant, Monique’s statements presupposes: 1) that there is some objective standard of “respectability” we all must comply with; and 2) that how others present themselves in public will be a reflection on her. I don’t like either supposition.
Which is it? Are we a monolith or not? What are your thoughts on the bonnet debate?
Chic-a, the Self-love Advocate
“Still Beauty”
From the book Naked: a memoir, found here.
