Adopting as a single Black woman, representation in 'Queen Charlotte,' and young women embrace 'sex negative feminism'
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Netflix’s ‘Queen Charlotte’ hasn’t learned from 'Bridgerton’s' blatant colorism
MSNBC, Patrice Peck
“Some viewers have argued that Rhimes and her co-writer, Nick Nardini, gave the first two Black women leads in the ‘Bridgerton’ universe the most turbulent and distressing relationship dynamics of all, though anyone familiar with Shondaland’s filmography might argue that Rhimes doesn’t discriminate when it comes to struggle love stories. However, the passionate love, deep respect, and tender care shared by Queen Charlotte and the white King George stand in stark opposition to the Danbury’s loveless marriage and the abuse and denigration Lady Danbury endures. This jarring polarity perpetuates a long line of imagery portraying dark-skin girls and women as invisible, undesirable and unworthy of love and respect.”
Related:
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Balances Race, History, and the Regency Romance Black Girls Deserve, Teen Vogue, Liv Facey
The real history of Queen Charlotte, and the problem with Netflix’s Bridgerton spinoff, Vox, Nylah Burton
Brooke Obie’s “Queen Charlotte” recaps for The Grio
Janelle Monáe and Her Provocative Era Aren't That Shocking
OkayPlayer, Jaelani Turner Williams
“As Monáe’s history shows, she’s always been self-authoritative over her sexual liberation to averse the male gaze. “Lipstick Lover,” a single that Monáe said is “rooted in self-acceptance,” was shot à la “Pynk” but as a defiance to homophobic societal norms, especially as R&B has grown to embrace LGBTQ+ artists. She also recently clarified how her earlier aesthetic was more a tribute to her working class parents and not meant to be a critique against anyone else, saying in a 2018 interview with The Breakfast Club: “...I felt like people were using my image to denounce, defame and demean other women...some people, who have their own agendas and are respectability politicians, may have been misled into thinking I covered to be an example of what's proper...I didn't like that.””
The Rise of Sex Negative Feminism Among Young Black Women
Refinery29 Unbothered UK, Hannah Uguru
“There is a growing subculture of young women (and girls) who identify as sex-negative feminists, taking to the likes of Twitter and TikTok to express candidly negative views on phenomena deemed the offshoots of a male-centric and hyper-sexualized society, such as porn and hookup culture. This movement stands at odds with the sex positive legacy of the mainly millennial-heralded 2010s, which paved the way for ‘slut pride’ and a heightened consciousness of kink and BDSM within the mainstream. Such generational differences have become apparent through ongoing discourse on popular youth programming providing unrealistic and inappropriately graphic depictions of female teens and young adults.”
Related
Why I’m Making Ethical Porn For Black Women, Refinery29 Unbothered UK, Mellie Akpoghene
Who’s To Blame For The Tarte F1 Miami Fiasco? It Isn’t Black Influencers
Refinery 29, Kailynn Johnson
“It’s been easy to become enraptured by what has been framed as internet beef between three Black, female content creators. Our timelines are eating up the drama. However, reducing this controversy to a spat between Black women deflects from the larger issue at hand, which is the treatment of Black influencers by brands, and the inequities that Black creators face. We know that Black creators are more underpaid than their white counterparts, are gifted less promotional products, and aren’t invited to as many press trips. Plus, the brands that these creators are fighting to impress are riddled with their own controversies.”
Meet the Woman Responsible for #AliyahCore
The New York Times, Sandra Garcia
“Being Black is what people see, obviously, whenever I wear anything,” Ms. Bah said, referring to how her style subverts expectations of how Black women are supposed to dress. “When I see a lot of dark skinned girls dressed up in Aliyahcore, it makes me really happy because I never saw it growing up. I love that because for the longest time ever we were never really given the space to be alternative just because it was always seen as something that white people did.”
LSU Champ, Flau'jae Johnson And Her Mother Share How They Continue To Land Million-Dollar NIL Deals Without An Agent
ESSENCE, Jasmine Browley
“Another one just came through,” Kia Brooks, Johnson’s mother said during my call with her in early May. She has been at the helm of securing all of her daughter’s partnerships, which have been flooding in as of late, to the tune of more than $2M. This feat is impressive in and of itself, but what’s more applause-worthy is the Georgia native’s self-taught managerial skills. “I learned everything about this management process from working in a dental office, ironically,” Brooks shared.
'Freeway Phantom' Podcast, Produced By Jay Ellis, Dives Into Serial Murders Of Black Girls; Reward Increased To $300K
Blavity, Kui Mwai
“Between 1971 and 1972, six Black girls ranging in age from 10 to 18 — Carol Spinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia Yates, Brenda Woodard and Diane Williams — went missing in the D.C. area, and the killer later discarded their bodies alongside local highways. The culprit didn’t exactly hide in the shadows following the incidents. Instead, they teased and taunted police and the victims’ families with harrowing notes and phone calls claiming responsibility for the crimes.
It’s been over 50 years since the young girls’ deaths, and authorities still haven’t brought their killer to justice. Freeway Phantom aims to change that.”
A Black cheerleading team from Buffalo, NY, seeks safety after a racist massacre
NPR, Na'kya McCann, Marianne McCune, Dan Girma, Abby Wendle
“Ayanna Williams Gaines is the coach and founder of Buffalo All-Star Extreme, a Black competitive cheerleading and dance team from Buffalo, New York. Williams Gaines started the gym as a space for Black girls to feel safe and to thrive in the predominantly white world of cheer. But on May 14, 2022, a white supremacist came to a predominantly Black neighborhood on the east side of Buffalo and killed ten Black people at a grocery store just a few blocks away from the gym. In the wake of the massacre, feeling like a target, Williams Gaines and her cheer families are faced with the challenge of making sure their cheerleaders feel safe and confident, on and off the stage.”
Philadelphia’s Next Mayor Will Almost Certainly Be a Black Woman
The Nation, Gene Seymour
“Parker’s canny familiarity with the city’s patchwork of neighborhoods, particularly in predominantly Black North and West Philadelphia, came in handy in getting out the vote on May 16. It remains an inscrutable mystery how what one party regular characterizes as Parker’s “Black Girl Magic” will translate to governing the city, especially since she’s given few solid clues as to what she’ll do about those aforementioned local ills, beyond a tough-on-crime stance where she implies she might “reexamine” stop-and-frisk policing, and an inclination toward what one of her aides, replying to a citizen’s text about the housing crisis, characterized as “moderate-income housing.””
Journey To Motherhood: Adopting As A Single Black Woman
EBONY, Chana Twiggs
“Though Woodson’s story ultimately had a happy ending, the process was quite a challenging ordeal. From the beginning, she was told that as a single, Black woman who wanted to adopt, she was a unicorn as agencies typically see white, married couples looking to adopt.
“It really hasn’t been until recent times that single parents were allowed to adopt, but there are still many agencies who will not work with you unless you are married,” Woodson says. “Or they purposely show expectant moms more profiles from white, married couples. The birth mom who picked me said she only wanted me as her choice. Later, she told me that the agency kept prodding her to choose more than one family, and those families were mostly white couples.”
Related:
If I Were a White Woman, Would My Child Have Been Born Two Months Early?, Vogue, Cecilia Rabess
For Black Moms, Burnout Hits Different, The Root, Angela Johnson
‘Truth Tellers’ chronicles careers of 24 Black women journalists since 1960
Richmond Free Press, Jeremy M. Lazarus
“Bonnie Newman Davis, a career journalist and current managing editor of the Richmond Free Press, is turning the spotlight on 24 women who have made a difference – women such as Dorothy Butler Gilliam, retired Washington Post reporter and Diane Walker, who retired last year from Richmond’s NBC 12 after 40 years as a news anchor and “12 On Your Side” investigative reporter.
‘I hope to help people realize how much Black women have brought to journalism. I want to open the eyes of readers, expose them to the strength that women have shown and to help them see the importance of our stories,’ said Ms. Davis, who self-published the 256-page book.”
Keke Palmer Said Black Women Have Been "Overly Sexualized In The Media To The Point That People Have A Hard Time Seeing Us As Innocent"
BuzzFeed, Morgan Murrell
“During a recent interview with BuzzFeed, I asked Keke if she's noticed any change in the industry since she initially wasn't believed for speaking out about an alleged sexual harassment incident with singer Trey Songz. "I don't," Keke told BuzzFeed. "I don't think it's changed too much. I still get trolled about that, every now and then. I think there's propaganda against Black women not being seen as damsels in any situation. We kind of have been overly sexualized in the media to the point that people have a hard time seeing us as innocent. Even as young as 15 and 16, Black women have become sexualized so that people have a hard time, like, believing they're innocent in any scenario."
Bedazzled and jet lagged, the Beyhive swarms Stockholm for ‘Renaissance’
Janay Kingsberry, The Washington Post
“Sidestepping the massive demand for tickets in North America, Anderson is among the droves of U.S.-based fans who opted for the European leg of Beyoncé’s world tour. Many of them swarmed to her first shows Wednesday and Thursday in Stockholm, where the weakening Swedish krona allowed them to secure seats that were hundreds of dollars cheaper than comparable ones in U.S. cities. Their strategy underscores the lengths to which fans are willing to go, especially in the midst of a post-pandemic concert boom, when some of the world’s biggest entertainers have emerged with new projects.”
Patrice, I found you in doing research into the COVID and was going to reach out about an interview on my podcast. In finding the updated website, there's actually two different episodes I'd love to discuss with you. if possible and interested, could you let me know the best way to reach you? You can hear the podcast here - https://systemicpodcast.podbean.com/
Thanks for the work you do!