Panel Discussion: "Bling,
Booty, Bullets - Materialism, Misogyny and Violence
Portratyed in Hip Hop"
12/26/10 03:29 PM
So I stumbled upon this interesting panel discussion
of the negative of effects of the images of video
models and hip hop on the black community held at my
alma mater (UCLA) earlier this year. It's an
interesting discussion, even if that annoying music
in the background makes it nearly unbearable. There's
a female UCLA student at the 1:50 mark who is
exceptionally articulate. Also interesting: Director
X nearly loses it when he comes under attack.
This video made me think about all this and where I
stand on it. My position remains the same: the
problem is not that there are sensual images of
beautiful women of color out there. As I stated in
response to another poster on this blog, "Men have
been admiring the female form as long as we've been
on the planet. It is evident in the poems of
Shakespeare and the paintings of Picasso. The visual
admiration and resulting objectification of women’s
physical attributes will never disappear because it
is a natural part of human sexuality. Criticizing it
is like criticizing the squishy sound the heart makes
when it beats. What’s the point unless you’re
advocating we all drop dead?"
So, again, in my opinion, the problem is
not that there are sexy images of
ethnic women out there, and anyone criticizing the
visual celebration of the feminine form is headed
down a dangerous path that will inevitably lead to
hypocrisy. The problem is that there is a lack of
dimensionality and substance associated with women of
color in this context. For example, Pam Anderson and Kim Kardashian have both
taken a plethora of sexy images in Maxim, FHM,
etc. but they are also respected as business
women. Where is the African American analogue of
these women? Melyssa Ford has made significant
headway for urban eye candy and single-handedly
created that genre, yet she is constantly
berated as a "video ho." Last I checked, Ms.
Ford didn't have a sex tape out there like Pam
Anderson or Kim Kardashian, and yet neither of
those woman have suffered this negative stigma.
I'd be interested to hear what other's opinions are
on this topic.