Light Girls (Am I Watching This?)

 Reading Night, Monday will be canceled this upcoming week. I am watching the Light Girls Documentary. Not just because I am light-skinned. I am also watching because all aspects of Colorism (a form of prejudice or discrimination in which human beings are treated differently based on the social meanings attached to skin color) or Massa still ruling us need to be talked about. I watched Dark Girls and that was powerful. I feel like Light Girls will be just as profound for me. 

What is Light Girls?

Distinguished filmmaker Bill Duke produced the documentary film, DARK GIRLS, which premiered on The Oprah Winfrey Network last year and the show sparked a much-needed international conversation on colorism, self-esteem, and healing. The movement continues with the sequel, LIGHT GIRLS.

LIGHT GIRLS is an in-depth study of the advantages and disadvantages of being a light-skinned woman. Does light skin make for an easier life? LIGHT GIRLS explores skin color from historical, sociological, psychological, and scientific perspectives. This documentary is a global analysis of skin color addressing the following contemporary issues: bullying, skin bleaching, and this popular #teamlightskin versus #teamdarkskin rivalry on social media.

This is not just a conversation, but a movement that requires action, accountability, and responsibility. LIGHT GIRLS emphasizes the importance of healing and taking action. Please, don't just join the discussion, but join the movement!

I am hoping this documentary educates the origins & dispels stereotypes about those of us of lighter hues. Like "Light Skin Privilege", I am not saying it doesn't exist. I will say it is not as widespread & automatic as people think. 

Have you ever heard of "Not Black Enough"? Go to all the makeup counters (drugstore to high-end) and guess who has to mix and match foundations to get their color right in some brands. Also, the most popular Light Skin black people are stuck up and mean to Dark Skin black people. So, there are no pompous Dark Skinned black folks. Ha!

My life is full of colorism. The funny part is as prominent as it was, I was slow to the conversation. In my home light skin & dark skin were never said around me until I was 8. I first heard that term on the playground when I was called light-skin (and thought I was better than). One reason is my family. Like most black families, our skin tones are vast. I call my family a Black American Rainbow.

These are my cousins on my grandmother's side of the family. We call ourselves the 4th generation (there are in-laws, one 5th generation person & family friends on here). All our grandmothers & grandfathers are siblings. That is just one set of my relatives and not even all of them. So, it floored me when one of my relatives started dating a guy who had a skin tone that one of my older relatives disapproved of and voiced their horrible feelings. The blinders were off and could not be put back on. I decided that day to be on "wish creed" with that person & their opinion on who I decided to date's skin tone. Also, I was bullied because of my skin tone. I told y'all in another BLOG about my experiences with this person. This person is dark-skinned and had issues with my light skin. I didn't recognize their problem (Heck, I was also fat, nerdy, and had a big bust) until my niece was born when I was an older teenager. Everyone was doting on her and that person said "But she's bright". The lightbulb came on and I got it. Hey, Hurt people hurt people. Even now people still say horrible things about me being light skin. I only have one light-skinned friend. Why do I know this? People that are not my friends have pointed this out. Oh, and I have been accused of hanging with mostly dark skin people to be the cute one in the group. Yes, I have gone off and cussed those people out. That lie will not be in the atmosphere. Out of my eleven best & close friends, only one is light-skinned. So the heck what? I hang out with all kinds of people. That is known and seen

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 But these are the only images some folks think I only live. I hang out with people whose personalities & lives mesh with mine well. Of course, the people who have pointed out that I only have one light-skinned friend don't have personalities that harmonize with mine. Never will I ever perpetuate the myth light skinned people don't get along with one another.

I just hope these documentaries help heal our society. By our society I mean not just African American or American but Human Beings.

Hope you watch it also. I will Live Tweet during the documentary-like I did DarkGirls. So if you want to join the discussion, I'll be there. Oh the song, is one of my favorites. No matter the skin tone, she ain't giving up no booty. LoL

As Always, Talking to You in Adult Terms.

"I Blame Pop Culture" (New Blog Series Announcement)

If you follow me on Twitter, Here, you already know how hard I am on Pop Culture. Pop Culture has defined everything in our lives and all of its definitions are not positive. I am sick of it and this blog series is me taking a stand.

When I say Pop Culture, I'm not talking just what is "Trending". Thanks to Wikipedia, Popular Culture is the entirety of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images, and other phenomena that are within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the late 20th and early 21st century. Heavily influenced by mass media, this collection of ideas permeates the everyday lives of the society.  So basically, Pop Culture consists of the attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another that is appealing to the general public.

This will be an ongoing series. I'll spread my discussions out and not put them all out all at once. Topics will include:
American Dieting
Being Christian
College
Masculine/Feminine
Not Really a Nerd
Not Black Enough
Sex Tape to Relevancy
Rape Culture
Reality Shows
Romance/Dating
and many more. Also I will prepare you for me stating "I'm no hypocrite because I am Hypocrite". Pop Culture has made a one out of all of us. So while I'm discussing my issues with Pop Culture, I'll have to reveal how I was caught up in the hype of some of it also. Hey, I'm no hypocrite because I am Hypocrite. LoL

As Always, Talking to You in Adult Terms

The Hair Debate

I told you all that there three social debates I honestly think are stupid. Skin tones in the black
race has already been discussed. One day I'll discuss Working/Stay-at-Home moms but today let me discuss Relaxed/Natural hair.

I wear a relaxer. I've had a relaxer since I was 5. I don't want to wear my hair any other way. That's my choice. My sister wears her hair in natural locks. She can't imagine wearing a relaxer ever again. That's her choice.
Who made the Good Hair choice?
If you said My sister of if you said me, you are wrong, in my opinion. We both made Good Hair choices.

I HATE the term Good Hair. If you have hair on your head that is not falling out of your head, it is Good Hair.
The hair debate makes me outraged. Straight hair is not better than Wavy hair. Wavy hair is not more comb-able than Natural Coiled hair. Natural Coiled hair is not healthier than Straight hair. We need to get that through our skulls to our brain. The fact must get lost in the hair.

Hair choice is a matter of opinion. Opinions are not right or wrong. So how someone wears their hair is not right or wrong.

Boy massa did a number on us again. Lincoln may have emancipated us but our brains are still enslaved when it comes to hair choices. Well I'm off the plantation. My relaxed bob is cute just like my sister's locks. Afros are cute. Bald heads are cute. Weaves & ringlets are cute just like close cut haircuts. I think all hair is Good Hair. That's Great!

Always Talking to You in Adult Terms