Carefree* (*Rules May Apply)
If you’ve been on the internet for the past few years, you definitely are familiar with the Carefree Black Girl movement. Black girls on the internet and real life are freely expressing themselves through art and fashion, dominating every corner of pop culture and social media. Stars like Solange Knowles, Amandla Stenberg and Willow Smith are being recognized as carefree black girls, ushering in a new era of black representations or so it seems.
A while back For Harriet exposed a whole in the Carefree Black Girl movement: that it isn’t very inclusive of black girls, women and femme expressing people who are considered ghetto, don’t have natural hair,aren’t thin and aren’t rich with creative jobs deemed acceptable by society.
After reading the article, it seemed so much more obvious to me. As a young black woman that identifies as a carefree black girl, it seems like I should have asked these questions before but somehow I decided that it wasn’t important. But after reading the article that question sat in my mind for a while, and opened my eyes. I saw the art hoes and the cute black girls who are fashonable, but where were the hood black girls? We saw the natural women with light skin and skate high Vans, but what about the dark skinned girls with 30 inch weave and Victoria Secret Pink sweatsuits? Is the movement truly inclusive of all black women who are free willed? I took to twitter to ask these questions and the results were telling.
After reading the article, it seemed so much more obvious to me. As a young black woman that identifies as a carefree black girl, it seems like I should have asked these questions before but somehow I decided that it wasn’t important. But after reading the article that question sat in my mind for a while, and opened my eyes. I saw the art hoes and the cute black girls who are fashonable, but where were the hood black girls? We saw the natural women with light skin and skate high Vans, but what about the dark skinned girls with 30 inch weave and Victoria Secret Pink sweatsuits? Is the movement truly inclusive of all black women who are free willed? I took to twitter to ask these questions and the results were telling.
Do you identify as a carefree black girl or person?— lmao anyways (@fatalitiess) January 14, 2016
Do u think that the movement does a good job of covering all misrepresented black ppl? (Disabled, queer, plus sized)— lmao anyways (@fatalitiess) January 14, 2016
Do you feel like sometimes there's almost a set of rules to carefree blackness? Like you have to be a certain way?— lmao anyways (@fatalitiess) January 14, 2016
The responses I get to my questions were even more shocking and enlightening than the polls, as fellow carefree black girls elaborate on the questions I presented:
@fatalitiess there's different categories. I feel like the carefree movement completely erases *ghetto or "hood" girls, there's a certain— sage (@TAMARAJUANA) January 14, 2016
@fatalitiess they're all super thin with the same features and hair texture. As a plus sized black woman idk where I fit in the movement— a wannabe chaka khan (@wokemami) January 14, 2016
Post a Comment