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Yezzi Yezzir, the host of the Hey Sis UK podcast, had rather a lot to say concerning the ridiculous magnificence requirements Black girls are sometimes subjected to on the Feb. 15 episode of the podcast.
Whereas discussing the subject of pure hair and look along with her co-host Atieno Yemoja, also called A_Y, Yessir questioned why Black girls are sometimes pressured to maintain themselves “properly saved” and groomed in comparison with girls from different ethnic teams.
“Have you ever seen the usual for Black girls to be properly saved is larger for every other kind of ladies?” the podcaster opined.
“It’s prefer to be deemed as a handsome Black girl, Yeah? You must be 10 out of 10, seven days per week, 24/7. We’re not given the grace — not that we have to be given it — however we don’t have a relaxed, informal look the place we’re nonetheless rated a ten out of 10. You must be wanting pink carpet-ready on a regular basis. ”
Yessir theorized that the ridiculous customary was linked to America’s obsession with “awing” over Black girls. The media persona argued that for Black girls to be deemed lovely, “worthy,” or “attention-grabbing,” they should have a singular high quality about their bodily look or options to be seen. She additionally famous how lovely Black girls are sometimes subjected to uncomfortable microaggressions in public, for instance, folks touching their hair with out consent, in comparison with girls of different ethnic teams.
“Each time individuals are in awe of the Black girl, it’s seen as a spectacle. It’s seen as a circus. It’s seen as a petting zoo. Your definition of being in awe isn’t each different girl’s definition of being in awe,” she pressured.
“Lots of people are in awe of different sorts of girls from afar. You may admire her magnificence from afar, and also you don’t really feel the necessity to contact her up shut — it’s an admiration of magnificence. However when it’s the Black girl, if I’m in awe of you, I have to cease you. I have to style you. I have to rattling close to be you,” Yezzir advised Atieno.
The podcaster added that people infatuated with Black magnificence typically attempt to copy or emulate our gorgeous options as a result of they’re inherently envious.
“You may’t be the one one,” she mentioned of these people. “Once I take a little bit of what you’ve – your essence — you’re not particular anymore.”
Black girls react to Yezzir and Atieno’s debate on the Hey Sis UK podcast.
Yezzir’s spot-on argument struck a chord with Black girls within the feedback sections, who shared their adverse experiences with unfair magnificence requirements.
“I simply stopped caring,” one consumer wrote. “I do my hair myself, which isn’t skilled. I hardly put on make-up, and I put on style that I like, which isn’t a development. I’m missed more often than not, however why care? I’ve peace in being myself.”
One other netizen mentioned she confronted the “well-kept” discrepancy all through her life due to her darkish pores and skin. Referring to her bullies as “They,” the consumer revealed that she was “masculinized” for carrying her pure hair.
“Afro = unkempt and straight hair = put collectively. You at all times need to smile and snicker, otherwise you’re thought of imply and uppity,” they added.
One consumer famous the way it was unlucky to see Black girls criticizing different Black girls on their look.
A consumer within the feedback part summed up the dilemma completely:
“That’s as a result of each side have internalized self-hatred. Because of the indoctrination and assimilation into white-driven societies and their establishments. Most Black people aren’t prepared for this dialog. Because it requires self-examination and acknowledgment of 1’s wrongs.”
In a world the place Eurocentric beliefs predominantly form magnificence requirements, Black girls typically discover themselves grappling with the strain to adapt to those norms. The demand to stick to Eurocentric magnificence requirements normally derives from worry and survival. As Yezzir and Atieno talked about on the podcast, in skilled settings, Black people steadily encounter refined but dangerous remarks, actions, or attitudes about their hair, race, or basic look. These microaggressions can vary from disrespectful feedback to biased remedy in hiring, promotion, or uncomfortable interactions with coworkers and administration.
A survey co-commissioned by Dove and LinkedIn in 2023 discovered that Black girls have been 2.5 instances extra more likely to be seen as unprofessional by carrying their pure hair within the workplace. Round 54% of members mentioned they wanted to put on their hair straight to be thought of skilled or profitable. Some girls mentioned they skilled uncomfortable microaggressions from coworkers or higher-ups when carrying their pure hair or textured hair within the office.
“Greater than 20% of Black girls aged between 25-34 had been despatched house from work due to their hair,” the examine famous.
Moreover, the media performs a big function in perpetuating these requirements, typically selling pictures of magnificence which can be unattainable for a lot of Black girls. From journal covers to ads, the glorification of Eurocentric options reinforces the concept that Blackness is one thing to be fastened or altered to be deemed lovely or fascinating. Consequently, many Black girls really feel pressured to adapt to those unrealistic requirements, resulting in dangerous practices equivalent to pores and skin bleaching, chemical hair straightening and beauty surgical procedure. These ridiculous magnificence requirements can have a devastating impact on our psychological well being, contributing to points like low vanity, physique dysmorphia and despair, Form notes.
We’re blissful Yezzir and Atieno are lastly shining a lightweight on this problem so we will get one step nearer to breaking free from these ridiculous requirements.
Watch the complete episode of the Hey Sis UK podcast beneath. Ideas?
RELATED CONTENT: Examine Proves White-Dominant Workplaces Negatively Affect Black Girls’s Careers
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