The War on Black Women's Bodies Again

Tonya L Jones

           So, about a week ago I am doing my morning ritual of scrolling the newsfeed of my Facebook page.  Instead of watching TV news, I like to find out about what’s happening in the world via social media. I have “liked” many groups on Facebook that I feel provide a better alternative voice for people who are often marginalized in mainstream news (POC, the poor, etc). My favorite page What About Our Daughters (a blog dedicated to the empowerment of Black girls and women), posted a scathing review on an article that had just been published in the New York Times.  The article was called “Why Black Women Are Fat” written by Alice Randall (a self-identified Black woman).  The article seemed like a well-meaning discussion on the issue of obesity in the black community, yet in the end it was just another mainstream piece to publically shame black women (it’s a known fact that the BMI is racially biased).  If Ms. Randall was truly concerned about the plight of “fat” Black women why not discuss it in a Black woman’s magazine like Heart & Soul (dedicated to the health of Black women). The mainstream newspapers don’t care about fat OR skinny Black women (I mean I haven’t seen any articles about missing Black women, have you?)

The writer of WAOD noted, “We get it, we’re Black, we’re a fat, we’re all gonna DIE!” I could relate to WAOD’s frustrations. Within the last year there seems to be a media obsession with all things Black women and not in a good way. We can’t get any man to marry us (as if that’s our biggest goal in life), we have the highest rates of herpes (the CDC had to retract that statement after claiming they “made a mistake” in their research), we only have $5 dollars to our name, and we are considered the ugliest of women (Psychology Today’s “Why Are Black Women Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women?”).  Dealing with issues of weight can be hard for Black women as we have to struggle against two standards of beauty, outside AND within the black community.  

Just as Eurocentric beauty standards can be damaging to a Black woman’s psyche (skinny, blonde, etc) so can black standards of beauty (if you don’t look like Beyonce or if your butt isn’t THIS big). It’s not surprising eating disorders are actually increasing with Black women (Google: “Breaking the Silence: Eating Disorders in Black Women”). I’m sure some of you have heard about the young black woman that recently died in surgery because of a desire to have a bigger bottom (Google: “Tragic bottom implant girl thought having illegal injection would make her a hip hop star”). Black women are being pressured to fit into two contradictory body types. While I will always bump Jennifer Hudson’s song “Spotlight” it’s becoming quite disconcerting to flip the channels and see her hollering at me to join Weight Watchers (as well as Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson). It seems Black women have become the new target to make money off of and what better way than to remind us about how undesirable we are.  

So, what’s my advice to Black women regarding weight? I feel you have to do what’s best for you. It’s a personal journey. If you feel it’s time to start being healthier then do it. If you are just concerned about living your life then do that too.

Photo Shop – Off the Page and Leaking into our Lives

By Megan Coleman
Student Projects Assistant
Office of the Dean of Student Life
Enrollment Management and Student Affairs
Portland State University

I have to admit that I am a bit of a reality TV junky. Not all reality television mind you, mostly the competitions; American Idol, The Voice, and most recently American’s Next Top Model. I love seeing all the fabulous photo shoots and the crazy things they do with hair and makeup. The show overall is probably not the best show in the world, and they’ve done some things in the past that I really didn’t agree with but this season something came up that I thought was interesting.

In episode 6 of the current season they were told that their weekly competition would be to create a music video. In order to do their best in the video they were given dance lessons by Tyra Banks. They were told to put on something called “the booty tooch”; which is pretty much spanx with extra padding so that you look like you have a bigger butt.

One contestant, Az, who is known for her androgyny decides to pass on wearing the butt pad. Tyra Banks told Az that if she didn’t wear the butt pad that she could not participate in the challenge and had to leave. Az then decided to leave and it created a lot of tension in the group. The other girls than went into an in depth tutorial about the do’s and don’ts of sticking your butt out in music videos. Later on in the episode Az almost gets eliminated because of her bad attitude and apologizes for not being up for the challenge. Now I’m not a model, and I have heard you have to be up for some weird things when it comes to your photo shoots but where do we draw the line?

There has been a lot of controversy about the media and the amount of photo shop that is used make images “more appealing”. The constant drive toward a homogenized version of beauty is leaking off the page and into our everyday lives. If you go into almost any department store that sells women’s clothes there is a whole section of “body shapers”. Tight spandex to suck in our stomachs and thighs, bras with more padding than the actual cup size we are and now butt pads? Where do we draw the line?

I understand where Az was coming from, I thought the entire challenge was a bit ridiculous to be honest and I wouldn’t want to wear a butt pad either. Women are being pressured into looking a certain way so they buy these “enhancers” to help but what happens when the shapers come off? We are hiding our true beauty in order to blend in better and I think it’s sad.

So where do we draw the line? We are outraged when they photo shop the wrinkles off an older celebrity or when they take an extra 20lbs off the swim suit models, but what about our push up bras and spanx? I’m definitely a girlie girl and I love to straighten my curly hair and put on makeup every day. I could make the case that I do it because I like to do it but what are my underlying motivations? We live in a world where we are constantly trying to enhance or improve upon one thing or another and it’s definitely got me thinking.

I’m not saying I’ll stop doing my hair or playing with make up because I think those things are fun but I definitely think that we should evaluate why we are making the choices we are, and how it could be affecting our self-image. We are all beautiful in our own way and we shouldn’t be trying to hide what makes us individuals. I know that I’ve struggled in the past with my self-image and I haven’t always been happy with it but It’s something I strive for. In the worlds of John Mason, “You were born an original, don’t die a copy.”

Eyes Wide Open: The Burger King Likes Square Butts, huh...

(originally posted 4/09 at wordpress.com)

by Talia Jae Potter

 

The measure of a woman?

I walked into the Women's Center a week ago with Ellie and Deborah and our director pulled us over to the computer to show us a video. She told us how they had been talking about it on The Today Show or some other morning entertainment/news show. Apparently Burger King is promoting Spongebob Squarepants and has released a new commercial to hype the toys they pass out with their version of a happy meal. Spongebob is one of my daughter's favorite cartoons.

We pulled up the video and hit play.

"Bill would LET moms breastfeed in public"

(originally posted 04/09 at wordpress)


by Blythe Pavlik

http://www.katu.com/news/local/42641712.html

This issue really gets my blood boiling. To go into all the issues surrounding breastfeeding, public or not, would be too labor intensive right now. But the issue that such bans or bills brings up is an issue of our hyper-sexual, sexually unhealthy society that can't see a breast as having any more value than as an object (never mind it is attached to a human being) of sexual titillation.

Well Rounded Womanhood

(originally posted 02/09 at wordpress)


By Olivia Jarratt

"You know, a lot of girls are as big as you but at least they hide it." My brother poked my belly as he told me this after picking me up from ballet when I was in the 8th grade. I felt ashamed when he said this, because I knew it was true. I was not hiding my flaws well enough.

Growing up, I was always taught to be my true self. I accepted my quirky behavior and had as much fun as I could, even though my actions were often 'weird'. My mother allowed us to dress ourselves, as soon as we were able, how ever we wanted. My outfits were loud and creative and I embraced it. It wasn't until I hit 6th grade that I began thinking about my belly or my double chin or my bulging arm fat. I was never very big, just chubby, but as my classmates began caring about their appearance and clothing, I found myself tagging behind. I cared about making sure I had a ring on each finger and prided myself on the 6 handmade necklaces I would make and wear everyday. Peace, harmony and love love love is all I cared about.

Hey... its 2009... Playboy... really???

(originally posted 01/09 at wordpress)

by Blythe Pavlik Why is Playboy okay?I don’t get it. I don’t get why Playboy is still considered the “gentlemen’s” magazine or why it is exempt, in some groups, from critical critique. I don’t get it. I grew up in a house with Playboy magazines.

Women Our Age: Not Dying or “Dye-ing”

(originally posted 08/08 at wordpress)


by Emily Calkins

Mainstream culture has never been particularly kind to women, but once we hit that magic “middle age” number it gets even worse. We lose our value as an advertising commodity and that, in this society, is a real bummer (or do we still say that?).

I swore off the henna a little over a year ago. Being an organically oriented sort of person I never used chemical hair color, but I was looking for a new job at the time and figured my graying locks would reduce my odds. Falling for this is something I am not especially proud of, thinking about it in retrospect. Who was I kidding? I grew up in the 60s and 70s; “Hair” was often on my turntable; Gloria Steinem and Betty Freidan were in their heydays. I read “Our Bodies, Ourselves” in high school. There is no way I am going to hide that anymore.

Women do not have to conform to the prescribed role of middle-aged frump, any more than we should conform to any other kind of obedience. It’s almost like another type of rebellion, in a way. Our society revolves around fast everything, processed food, overwork, and materialism. All these things age us faster than just about anything else I can imagine. I take good care of myself because I want to be around when my grandchildren come along. Getting older is not about surrender; it is about staying vital, strong, healthy, and beautiful in whatever way fits us. It is about reading, writing, dancing, yoga, lifting weights, marching downtown for peace, and forgiving. Most of all, it is creating ourselves in this new “format,” whatever that happens to be.

"On March 8, 1857, thousands of working women marched through the streets of New York City demanding an end to sweat-shop conditions, improved childcare facilities, equal pay for equal work, and the right to vote. In 1910 at the International Conference of Women Socialists, Clara Zetkins proposed that March 8th be observed as International Working Women’s Day in honor of the New York March. Since that time, International Women’s Day has been celebrated around the globe.

The Portland event features female entertainers, women owned and/or operated businesses, and organizations that focus on women within our community and globally. It also showcases poetry and writing, health issues, and educational workshops designed by women for women. Our volunteer organization is committed to going beyond cultural barriers and prejudices to provide a place to share women's achievements as individuals, communities, and institutions. We are proud to present Portland’s 33rd Annual International Women’s Day Celebration in honor of women making a difference in the quality of life of women. "

For Information about Portland International Women's Day, please visit http://www.piwd.org/2008/

posted by Blythe

Imagine a Woman...

(originally posted 03/08 at wordpress)

"Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman.
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself.
A woman who listens to her needs and desires.
Who meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who acknowledges the past's influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs a personal spirituality to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her life-energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman." ~Patricia Lynn Reilly, 1995

www.imagineawoman.com

The Vagina Monologues Inspire Portland

(originally posted 02/08 at wordpress)





by Blythe Pavlik

Friday night I gathered some friends and headed down to PSU for the second night’s performance of the Vagina Monologues. When we arrived on the third floor of Smith Memorial we were greeted with positive, welcoming vibes. Smiling people lined the way to the entrance creating a funnel into the ballroom where we connected with all the other vagina celebrators. Volunteers and tablers were helpful, directive and very knowledgeable. My friends and I felt well received.

Thoughts of a Voluntary Object

(orginally posted 7/07 at wordpress)



by ideath

Lots of women in Portland get paid to take off their clothes. I've been doing it, myself, for about twelve years, on and off. When new acquaintances hear that I'm a nude model, it often elicits surprise, then