I read an article and I'm a bit disturbed by its contents....... the following information will allow you to locate and read the article:
Thomas, S. Geneva. (2010, Sept. 10). Re: Sidibe’s Elle cover makes case for black fashion directors. Retrieved on September 11, 2010 from www.thegrio.com.
http://www.thegrio.com/entertainment/sidibes-elle-cover-makes-the-case-for-black-fashion-directors.php
This article asserts that actress Gabby Sidibe, who starred in the movie “Precious” has recently graced the cover of Elle magazine. The writer argues that the staff at Elle magazine and perhaps Sidibe’s team are at fault to how horrible her hair was on the cover. Sidibe was seen earlier on several red carpets and on Oprah with her hair looking great so they argue that the Elle magazines cover is the exception....
Perhaps we are a society that does not allow Hollywood to take a day off. If the issue at hand is really due to the ill regards that magazine staff have towards black celebrities and their hair then lets address that....
On several occasions, I have seen Beyonce’s edges along with her blonde hair and sandy roots (while the hair is two different textures), being featured on magazine vanity covers and in hair magazine spreads. This has happened more than a few times yet none seemed to have noticed or blantedly disregarded it what so ever. This is not to mention the braid styles that needed to be redone and touched up. But are we so shallow as to ignore a celebrity that is often regarded as a sex symbol who is sure to wear a body suit in her music video despite the fact of what the storyline entails. However, a new actress that does not have the 5-7-9 shape and the cosmetic model look, is under constant attack although most of America looks like her!
The average woman is a size 14-16, although Hollywood does not seem to acknowledge her as a woman as much as they acknowledge her flaws. We have few characters that we can give reference to in the film area that are allowed to remain in our sights on our television screens. These characters include, Queen Latifah, and Monique who have taken leading roles and have more to handle than the overly exploited 5-7-9 shape. i.e. “Just Wright,” “Bringing Down the House,” “Phat Girls,” and even Nia Vardolos in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding!”
It seems as if celebrities with light complexions are allowed to “get away” with a lot more. As the author of the aforementioned article failed to mention that Gabby Sidibe was dolled up wearing flawless makeup and a cute frilly dress. Instead there was an entire article addressing the issue she has with her hair. Not only does the writer Geneva S. Thomas use the words ‘brillo’ pad to describe how coarse she feels Ms. Sidibe’s texture was. I am not mad at the author of the article. However, I digress that her opinion may be similar to how other journalists in a similar position may feel. Our homework as a culture and as a society should be to step out the box with our opinions! Perhaps we’ve stepped back into the 80s version of the film “School Daze” created by Spike Lee where he portrayed the “gigaboos against the wannabees” whereas the gigaboos were of a lighter complexion with fine hair and the wannabees were of a darker complexion and had a more coarse texture of hair. Have we stepped back into the dark skin nappy hair, light skin, fine hair concept? Or have we always been stuck with this concept, never growing nor pulling away from it?
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