Leaking topless photos, sexing in limousines, and twerking while wearing a diamond-encrusted bra will get you crowned “Queen of THOTS” (current slang for hoe) in a hot second. Rihanna’s topless photo on a French magazine cover got her shipped to THOT Land, where Beyoncé has been exiled since the release of “Partition.”
Lots of folks are concerned that these sexy singers are bad role models because of their young fan base. Now, I wouldn’t bump “Drunk in Love” in the car with my little cousins riding in the back seat, nor would I use Rihanna’s “S&M” video as a stand in for sex-education conversations. But for mature audiences, the vixens of the music industry may be some of our best sexual agency role models.
Okay, fellow feminists, womanists, and everyone in between: I know what you’re thinking. Not too long ago I thought the same thing. I’d watch music videos and think: Why would Rihanna twerk in a thong in the “Pour It Up” video, when everyone knows black women’s bodies are viewed as hypersexual? Why would Nicki Minaj pull so much attention toward her ass when everyone knows the story of Saartje Baartman’s Venus Hottentot 19th Century “freak show,” where she was mocked for her huge ass? We all know that black sexual politics dig deep into a painful history of inhumane treatment of the black female body, and that in searching for our decolonized image, we often turn our noses up to super-sexy black pop stars.
Yet, as Hip Hop feminist Joan Morgan said in her well-known seminar, “The Pleasure Principle,” we should have a “relationship with the history that doesn’t over-determine our sexuality or our choices.” As Morgan and others examining pleasure politics argue, we need to incorporate pleasure into our black feminist discussions. In only focusing on the damage done to the dehumanized black female body, we do ourselves a disservice.
So why not re-humanize it for ourselves? In discussing pleasure politics as sexual agency, There are a few things we can learn from these so-called bad role models. Read more…
Author’s Note: Hey Everyone. This article was originally published on Slutist (Ya girl got published again!). So you can read the rest of the article there. Let me know what you think!
A Woman's Worth 
Black Feminist Backlash I’m Tired of Hearing
28 FebTop 5 Things Not to Say to a Black Feminist
“Uh oh, she quoted bell hooks. That’s how you know it’s serious,” said one of my guy friends while reading an article I’d written on Katy Perry’s cultural appropriation for the Ms. magazine blog.
He and another friend were impressed with my stance on appropriation’s way of reinforcing harmful stereotypes, but their response wasn’t the general response.
Of course, that wasn’t the only article I’ve written that’s gotten negative feedback, and I’m not the first writer to ever be told that my work is “a load of bs.” However, as I review the comments on my writing and on the writing of other black feminists on the web, I’ve noticed a pattern of backlash. The disapproving comments usually fall into 5 main responses. And since I’m sick of reading the same old comments on every black feminist/womanist blog or website, I think it’s time to address the backlash. Read more…
Author’s Note: Hey Everyone. This article was originally published on XO Jane (Ya girl got published again!). So you can read the rest of the article there. Hope you enjoy!
Oh, and heads up! A Womyn’s Worth got a Facebook page (I know—long overdue). So like it on Facebook, share it with your friends, and enjoy.
P.S. This article is part of the Top Posts. Check out the Best of A Womyn’s Worth.
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Tags: Beyonce, Black Feminism, comments, Lily Allen, Womanism