My classes are studying the play, "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry, a play first produced on Broadway in 1959. Among other themes, the play explores cultural and individual pride. One of the characters, Joseph Asagai, asks Beneatha why she insists on mutilating her hair. He suggests to her that her hair would be beautiful if she let it go natural. I asked my class what they made of this, and at first they weren't sure. So then I asked them what was the most popular hairstyle for black women in the 60s. All of them, even those in their 20s, knew it was the afro. "Why?" I asked them, which led into a discussion about taking pride in natural beauty instead of trying to mold oneself into the narrow definition of beauty promoted by our dominant culture.
To further this idea, I brought up the 90s song, "Baby Got Back." (How do you know about that song, Ms.Pullin? they asked. They think all I listen to is Leann Rimes) True, the song is full of innuendo, but at its heart it is encouraging women with curves, especially women of color, to see themselves as beautiful and desirable the way they are. This is why I found it so offensive when Cameron Diaz danced to the song in "Charlie's Angels."
So I'm wondering, besides incredibly thin bodies, what other standards of beauty does our dominate culture promote that damage the confidence of men and women who can not fit these standards?
2 comments:
Men who look like women.
Men who act like "chicks with dicks".
Leann Rimes? I just threw up a little in my mouth.
Yes, I agree about the Diaz scene.
Lessee, what else....
I hate the whole men vs women thing about everything.
I hate how everyone has to be supremely confident in everything they say and do.
I hate how everyone is now so action-oriented.
That is my hate list.
More if demand dictates.
My verification code was "encerboo". Sounds like something naughty to do to part of the brain.
As long as we're going back in time in the music world, let's remember Mick Jagger's lament that he could, "get no...satisfaction." The song still rings true about the American success myth wrapped in consumerism: If I just attain (or obtain, "this thing," I will be a success. For too long we have emphasized successful image over an ethical individualism that would nurture a diversity of culture and would begin to erode the insecurity that fosters myopic consumerism and shallow role identification. We are held back by a message that tells us to be true to an image rather than to our deepest dreams.
Post a Comment