Stereotype Her

Stereotypes have been acknowledged in society for many years and will more than likely continue to thrive until the worlds end. Whether they be good or bad, people will always be judged based on their ethnicity, race, sex, religion, and sexual orientation. Here are some common stereotypes of African American women, according to hellobeautiful.com, and my personal views regarding each:

1. We don't take care of our bodies

More than often, anytime that you leave your home, or are driving to work or a given destination, you will see joggers on the sidewalks who will more than likely be white. Rarely will you see an African American jogging in the early morning hours or out walking their dogs like u see white people do on a regular basis. Even if you go the gym you will surely see African American men working out but rarely will you see a women. Additionally, African American women have never been known to make it a habit of eating healthy on a regular basis. Maybe this is because within the African American culture, women are more desirable when they are thicker in the hips and chest areas. Black men usually make it known that they prefer their women to have some meat on their bodies in substantial places causing women to not go out of their way to stay skinny like the desirably skinny white women. However, this fact does not necessarily apply to all African American women.

2. We don't like to listen to our men

It is very true that African American women are very strong minded. They dont take no s#@* from anyone especially other women. Maybe this is because for so many years we were not given a voice being that we earned our rights far after African American men. Now that African American women have the freedom to speak their mind they like to show their power through stubbornness and lack of listening abilities. Alot of times this come from lack of trust.

3. Our hair defines us

This one I might just have to agree on. Hair for African American women is usually their pride and glory. Unlike women of other races, African American women have a history of having hair that is hard to manage and does not usually grow to be very long. Despite this however, African American women have broke these stereotypical boundaries with the creation of relaxers, weave, and even hair dye. I can say with all confidence that African American have the most versatile hair styles of all races on earth. Short, long, colored, non-colored, braided, dreaded, twisted, oily, straight, curly, fro-ed, finger-waved, relaxed, or natural, black women have broke the hair barriers that society has placed on them for many years. Indeed, African American women take much pride in their hair.

4. We like to argue and fight

This is probably the most common stereotype towards black women of them all. Thought I can not direct this to ALL African American women, I can direct it to most. Adding onto the strong-mindedness mentioned above, black women do not take crap from anyone. It can probably be considered a defense mechanism to help promote their strength and status in society, however it is strongly frowned upon. I would not say that they are all mean and rude, I believe that it is simply them trying to protect themselves against a world that is not always kind to them.

5. We are gold diggers

This, I believe, can be said to women of all races. Every women would like a man with money who could easily support her and their future children together. Additionally, all women like to be spoiled. This is not just a black thing.

http://hellobeautiful.com/hellobeautiful-original/yeahshesaidit/9-stereotypes-of-black-women-that-arent-always-true/

Milk Chocolate vs. Dark Chocolate

Since the beginning of slavery, the perception and treatment of blacks has always been a issue simply based on the separation of skin color within blacks. The "light-skinnded" blacks were often used as house negroes who usually got the easier and much more generous workload while the "dark-skinnded" were usually the ones doing the hard labor in the fields. The lighter-skinned house negroes were more than often the offspring of master and slave, resulting in lighter skin, who usually ate better, often got taught to read and write, and enjoyed liberties that many slaves could only dream of. The darker-skinned field negroes were usually stuck working 18-hour shifts in the hot sun doing hard manual labor and being whipped for any discretion against the master. Though it has died down exponentially, this separation within the black community still remains in society today. The anger over the separation has never quite gone away.

In society today, lighter-skinned blacks are usually viewed as better, more polished, and more privileged than the darks. No matter how hard they may try to avoid it, the dark-skin hue of certain African Americans would be their resume in certain areas of life. Usually within the entertainment media, and many other social aspects in society, lighter-skinned blacks are usually represented as they are seen to be more desirable in societies eyes. Many times you will hear rappers talk about "red bones" or "yellow bone" girls in their lyrics which are slang terms for light-skins. Even in music videos and movies, most of the time you will see light-skinned girls being used as cast members rather than darks simply because they are more preferable and desirable in society. Maybe this is because they are closer in looks and relation to whites (being that most of them are mixed of some sort of Caucasian decent). Or even because they are known to have more beautiful features including, longer hair, prettier eyes, and even prettier skin than the darker African Americans. Whatever the reason is, there is no rule in society saying that light-skin blacks are better than darks. Society needs to demolish their desire to surround themselves with people who look more like them and be more open to the acknowledgement of something and someone different than themselves.

http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/01/11/the-ugly-roots-of-the-light-skin-dark-skin-divide.html

Good Hair

The creation of Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair" all started with one simple question asked from his daughter, "Daddy, how come I don't have good hair?" From that one question alone, Rock made it his mission to make a movie in order to teach her daughter the definition as to what "good hair" really is. During the length of the movie, Rock visited various hair shops, hair shows, and even interviewed people within the African American community to share their individual views and ideas towards what it means to have good hair. Many of his interviews involved African American celebrities such as, Raven Symone, Lauren London, Ice-T, Nia Long, and Maya Angelou all of whom conveyed what they thought good hair was. Towards the end of the expose, you come to realize the reality of how big the the hair business really is in this world and that there is really no true definition as to what it means to have that "good hair" that every African American desires.
What does it really mean to have good hair? Though, Chris Rocks movie was able to define the many aspects and opinions that involve what it means to have this "oh so desirable" hair, no true meaning was ever defined. As an African American, it is commonly known and expected that you have the stereotypical "nappy", "rough", and "dark" hair. Unlike nearly every other race, African American need to work a little hard to get their hair to be soft, flowey, and straight through the use of either harsh chemicals,fake hair, or weave. Centuries ago, African Americans still embraced their natural rooted hair, however, with time comes renewal and trends, and in today's world, the smoother the hair, the better.
In today's world, many African American use a product called relaxer which is used to make the hair much more manageable and straight. However, most people fail to realize that the chemicals involved in making the product are completely toxic and potentially harmful if not used correctly. Ironically, instead of improving the quality of their hair, many of these African Americans are damaging and even removing their hair. Alternatively, many African American women solve their hair length and texture problems by simply putting hair that is not theirs onto their heads. The use of weaves has become such a popular epidemic within the African American community because it gives these women a way to change and improve the style of their hair without ever having to affect their real hair at all.
What ever happened to inner beauty and loving thyself? Beauty these days is so centered around characteristics that only white people normally posses causing people of other races to find new and innovative ways to become more like them. In a way, African Americans have begun to lose a sense of self worth and beauty which is such a disheartening reality. God made us this way for a reason, yet many of us are failing to appreciate this gift.

Real Eyes Realize Real Lies

One of the most popular industries that has grown over the past few years has been the vast use of the new colored eye contacts. Appealing to people of all ages, this new century innovation gives people the power to change their eye color by simply placing contact lenses in their eyes. Being able to express yourself and be able to change your look is always something that can be supported, however, I feel as though this one product in particular stretches the rules a little too much.

Because of the fact that the white race are the ones known to have the exotic and pretty eye colors, most of the consumers of the new colored contacts are people of color. Whether it be blacks, hispanics, or even asians; the marketing of colored eye contacts is being used exponentially. Though the idea of being able to change your look drastically just from a small eye contact does seem amusing, I believe the whole concept of colored contacts has taken away from people being able to flaunt their natural beauty. Because the vast majority of the African American race has dark brown eyes, when African Americans with colored contacts are seen they almost appear to be fake to a certain extent. It is almost impractical for an African American to have blue or green eyes unless they are mixed with another race. The more these colored contacts are being placed into the eyes of African Americans, the more unreal and all freakish they look. However, because of majority of African Americans possess the same dark hair and dark eyed features, any type of feature that drifts away or averts from those stereotypical characteristics is  seen as exotic and beautiful in the black community. Maybe this is the reason that African American men and women have begun to wear these "fake eyes" on a regular basis; they want to stand out from the rest. Little do they know, the dark eyes and thick dark haired features of African Americans are what make them a beautiful and exotic race without even trying. Since the beginning of time African Americans have always possessed "dark-like" features which is what characterizes them as the beautiful race that they are. The purchase the distribution of colored contacts only takes away from the beauty and individuality that African American possess in contrast to every other race. Though they may make you stand out and seem different, colored eye contacts do not have the power to change one as a person and only hide the real beauty you hold.

http://www.expresscontacts.com/contact-lens-reviews-information/colored-contact-lenses.htm