Welcome to my blog.
I have been harbouring it in my intellectual womb for a few months now, and I figured it's time I gave birth. You are its godmothers/fathers.
I have been harbouring it in my intellectual womb for a few months now, and I figured it's time I gave birth. You are its godmothers/fathers.
I'm writing this, in total honesty for selfish reasons, but my wider intentions aren't, so stick with me! I'm currently writing a dissertation discussing concepts of Black Beauty in English literature. I'm focusing on one particular decade but I'm bursting with thoughts and feeling around concepts of beauty in Western culture. I'm particularly interested in how "black" beauty is transmitted and received in the UK, Europe and beyond.
Yesterday I watched Alex Hayley's (of 'Roots' fame) 'Queen'. It's about the story of the illegitimate child of a slave owner, and a pre-nose job Halle Berry plays the starring role of the child as an adult. I must admit, I enjoyed it- lots. Maybe that was something to do with the essay that I was meant to be doing, I don't know... Whilst I enjoyed the melodrama ("Massa" proposing to the archetypal vile, moneyed Southern Belle whilst his slave mistress is giving birth to his child in a cabin on the plantation) I couldn't help but noticing that the time distance between when this drama was set (civil war America) and when it was made (early 90s america) had more or less collapsed. When Queen goes to work for two eldery Christian Spinsters, one of the reasons why they hire her is that she is 'nice and light'. I wonder, was this one of the premises on which Halle Berry was chosen for the role? I'm not questioning her ability as an actress- she did a fine job in 'Queen' but I thought that casting her, as well as Jasmine Guy (another light skinned, caucasian featured woman) was making a statement. That a) we being made aware of a history of the oppression of black peoples in America, and that oppression was under no circumstances acceptable BUT b) the instilled psychology of the beauty hierarchy of value in accordance to how 'white' one looked may not apply to men anymore (Danny Glover being Queen's love interest) but it certainly does to women, and that is acceptable.
Well... the point of this blog is certainly not to probe the "racial" identity of "black" female beauty icons- this is not constructive to my aim of deconstructing norms that have been constructed by a relatively small number of people orchestrating consumer culture. Besides, if you believe "race" is purely a social construct-something I'm grappling with- then that is a futile discussion.
Sing Hosanna for that!
And I'm writing to argue that this is not acceptable.
I'm sitting in the SOAS occupation room at the moment: I've just heard the superb Paul Gilroy speak. And he has urged us not to continue arguing the how, what and wherefore's within current ideological systems. But we must question the roots of where these ideologies come from, and work within the system to start deconstructing them brick by brick. This does not just apply to the matter of university fee hikes, but concepts of beauty also. They are relevant, they are real and they affect everyone.
I'm genuinely hoping that this blog and your contributions will act as a catalyst to smashing down illusory barriers of oppression surrounding validility and valuations as females according to beauty standards- regardless of which colour, race, orientation or any other catagorisation that has been thrust upon you.
Yesterday I watched Alex Hayley's (of 'Roots' fame) 'Queen'. It's about the story of the illegitimate child of a slave owner, and a pre-nose job Halle Berry plays the starring role of the child as an adult. I must admit, I enjoyed it- lots. Maybe that was something to do with the essay that I was meant to be doing, I don't know... Whilst I enjoyed the melodrama ("Massa" proposing to the archetypal vile, moneyed Southern Belle whilst his slave mistress is giving birth to his child in a cabin on the plantation) I couldn't help but noticing that the time distance between when this drama was set (civil war America) and when it was made (early 90s america) had more or less collapsed. When Queen goes to work for two eldery Christian Spinsters, one of the reasons why they hire her is that she is 'nice and light'. I wonder, was this one of the premises on which Halle Berry was chosen for the role? I'm not questioning her ability as an actress- she did a fine job in 'Queen' but I thought that casting her, as well as Jasmine Guy (another light skinned, caucasian featured woman) was making a statement. That a) we being made aware of a history of the oppression of black peoples in America, and that oppression was under no circumstances acceptable BUT b) the instilled psychology of the beauty hierarchy of value in accordance to how 'white' one looked may not apply to men anymore (Danny Glover being Queen's love interest) but it certainly does to women, and that is acceptable.
Well... the point of this blog is certainly not to probe the "racial" identity of "black" female beauty icons- this is not constructive to my aim of deconstructing norms that have been constructed by a relatively small number of people orchestrating consumer culture. Besides, if you believe "race" is purely a social construct-something I'm grappling with- then that is a futile discussion.
Sing Hosanna for that!
And I'm writing to argue that this is not acceptable.
I'm sitting in the SOAS occupation room at the moment: I've just heard the superb Paul Gilroy speak. And he has urged us not to continue arguing the how, what and wherefore's within current ideological systems. But we must question the roots of where these ideologies come from, and work within the system to start deconstructing them brick by brick. This does not just apply to the matter of university fee hikes, but concepts of beauty also. They are relevant, they are real and they affect everyone.
I'm genuinely hoping that this blog and your contributions will act as a catalyst to smashing down illusory barriers of oppression surrounding validility and valuations as females according to beauty standards- regardless of which colour, race, orientation or any other catagorisation that has been thrust upon you.
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
Stay tuned.
