The Black woman is amazingly beautiful. But Black women didn’t always feel that they were beautiful. When the dominant form of beauty seems to be the opposite of being Black, Black women were taught they simply weren’t beautiful enough to keep up with the rest of the world. But the people who control most mass media were not Black people, therefore, they scolded being Black as if it was a type of disease. Black women were told that they were too dark or their hair was too nappy. After hundreds of years of this abuse by people all over the world and eventually, even Black people, it started to sink in.

Embracing the Radiance: A Journey to Redefine Black Beauty

In a world where standards of beauty have often been dictated by a narrow lens, the Black woman emerges as an epitome of resilience and grace. However, the journey to embracing this beauty has been marred by a history of societal pressures and external judgments. This blog post embarks on a compelling exploration of the transformation of perceptions surrounding Black beauty.

The Echoes of a Distorted Mirror:

For centuries, the dominant narrative of beauty seemed to cast shadows upon the radiant essence of Black women. In a world where mass media largely fell under the control of non-Black entities, a distorted mirror reflected messages that scolded the very essence of being Black. The consequence? Black women were taught to believe that their beauty did not align with the prescribed standards set by the rest of the world.

A Legacy of Misrepresentation:

The narrative of misrepresentation dug its roots deep, perpetuating damaging stereotypes. Black women, with their rich melanin and diverse textures of hair, found themselves subjected to a relentless barrage of judgments. The color of their skin was deemed too dark, their hair too “nappy,” as if deviations from Eurocentric norms were flaws rather than unique expressions of beauty.

Internalization of External Judgments:

The echoes of external judgments, however, didn’t just bounce off the surface; they seeped into the consciousness of Black women, leaving scars that spanned generations. The perpetuation of these damaging ideals became a societal ailment, leading even some within the Black community to internalize these notions of inadequacy.

The Beauty that Defies Conformity:

Yet, within this narrative of adversity lies the strength and resilience that define the Black woman. The journey towards self-acceptance is a testament to the unwavering spirit that refuses to conform to societal norms. Black women are not only reclaiming their beauty but redefining it on their own terms, celebrating the richness of their heritage and the diversity that makes each individual uniquely beautiful.

A Call for Collective Empowerment:

The journey to redefine Black beauty is not a solitary one; it’s a collective call for empowerment. It involves dismantling the distorted mirrors of the past, rewriting narratives, and fostering an environment where every shade, every curl, and every feature is celebrated. It’s about recognizing that beauty comes in myriad forms and that the richness of Black beauty contributes to the tapestry of human diversity.

Conclusion: Radiant, Unapologetic, Beautiful

As we navigate the complexities of a history riddled with misrepresentation, the Black woman emerges, radiant and unapologetically beautiful. The journey is ongoing, but with each step towards self-love and acceptance, Black women are rewriting the narrative. It’s a celebration of beauty that defies conformity, embraces diversity, and stands as a testament to the strength that arises from overcoming centuries of external judgments. The beauty of the Black woman is not just skin deep; it’s a powerful force that shapes narratives, inspires generations and radiates from within.

Over the years and decades and centuries, lighter skin became valued more and more in the Black community. It became a necessary idea to stay away from the sun and seek shade. White people teased Black people about their skin and their unusual traits and features that the rest of the world didn’t share.

Black women were always told that their lips were too big and it looked funny. White people told Black women that their butts were too big and it resembled the ass of a horse or a gorilla or even a donkey, hence, the slang word, “donkey booty!” The curves of Black women were always seen as flaws, though, in history, no other woman has been raped or used for sex as much as the Black woman has. She tops the list when it comes to being raped. The Black woman has been raped so much throughout history, that now in certain countries like America and European countries, most Black people in these countries are mixed with white. That’s a lot of raping and abuse that went on.

These days, Black women are raped mentally. The same people who once jeered and teased her for having exotic and unattractive features, now pay tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands or more to emulate her likeness. Butt surgeries have gone crazy, so crazy that even the Black woman wants to emulate the Black woman. You’ve seen pictures of the Kardashians. And how about tons of surgeries where the lips are injected so badly that they take up half the face?

Even though now it’s not in to have nappy hair, one day it will be. But the Black woman is fooled every time like the pack being outwitted by a fox. She constantly chases after everyone else’s beauty while everyone teases her for her supposed flaws, yet they are trying to emulate these “flaws” the entire time they tease Black women about them.

The Black woman, unsure of herself and tremendously lacking self-confidence or self-esteem, spends hundreds or even thousands of dollars trying to maintain fake hair. She has become so unsure of herself, that many Black women cry and hide if you reach for the hair. But weave and wigs have become so common in the Black community, that no one expects most Black women to wear their natural hair. Jobs won’t hire them usually when they wear their hair naturally because they say it looks terrible.

But Black women never learn. They said the same thing about braids and forbid Black women to wear them in public, however, recently it has become a big fad for white people to wear braids or cornrows so now it’s considered “acceptable.” Most Black women only want to be accepted, therefore, they fall right into line and instead of becoming the leaders that everyone follows, they try their best to emulate everyone else. What’s ironic about Black women emulating and buying hair to look more European is that they have sort of caught on that everyone else is copying them. This still doesn’t change the fact that they love to follow what everyone else is doing, but now they have coined a term called cultural appropriation, which is when they tell white women that they cannot copy them.

All cultural appropriation is when another race or culture copies a style or trend of another. For instance, when white people wear African clothing, it’s cultural appropriation. What makes it politically incorrect is the fact that these people’s ancestors have enslaved, raped, tortured, and oppressed Black people and nothing has been done to right the wrongs, therefore, they are unsuited to copy Black culture.

But some Black women wear weave so often that their real hair falls out. It’s just like slavery when Black women were told to cover their heads because their hair was not fit to show to white people. These days, they purposely cover up their heads, simply because they are ashamed of their nappy hair. Usually, these Black women buy Indian hair and once they put it in their heads, they love talking about what they are mixed with. It’s because deep down, they are not proud of their African identity.

Slowly but surely, some Black women are waking up! There is this thing called the natural hair movement that has gotten big. More and more Black women are saving money on fake hair and learning to embrace their hair. That’s the first step to them learning to love themselves again. Someday, more and more Black women will embrace their natural hair again, but it may not be until white women start embracing Afro weaves and wigs. The only thing probably stopping them from wearing these things now is the big buzz about political correctness and “stealing” their style, which is weak!

You see, the weakest thing about cultural appropriation is that Black women put other people’s hair in their heads to make their hair look more like white people’s. But when white people are culturally appropriate, they are embracing the Black culture, so there is a difference.

One of the biggest b.s. about cultural appropriation, I have heard a Black woman say that “when white women appropriate Black culture, they get more attention for doing it and it’s not fair.”

Black women… let them get whatever attention they are going to get. When you rock your natural hair, you are the queens and goddesses. No one can rock that style like you. You are supposed to show everyone else how it is done and cut out this cultural appropriation nonsense. The way most see it is that if you can wear weave then they can rock cornrows. If you can spend tons of your hard-earned money at these stores owned by white people, just so you can wear clothes made by white people, then who is the biggest perpetrator of cultural appropriation?

If white people decide they want to start wearing dashikis and put money into Black or African people’s pockets supporting something that you refuse to, then if you oppose that, you must be a hater. Hating needs to stop.

Black women who rock their natural grade of hair are the most beautiful women on the planet, from long and kinky to curly to bald or shaved! I salute Black women with even self-respect and confidence to wear their hair. I bow to a Black woman who represents herself as an African queen.