What’s Black Enough For You?

June 4th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Source: Ego-living.com

This is a question that’s been on my mind for a while now, mostly incited by the reactions geared toward Beyonce when she was named PEOPLE’s most beautiful woman earlier this year. The response from a lot of women to her win was essentially that it took her lightening her skin, getting long, silky blonde weave, and perhaps a nose job to be beautiful, followed up with questions of just how black she really is because of some of those features which she was simply born with, like her skin tone. The backlash was ironic to me because not long before when her L’Oreal commercial depicting her as a French, Native American, and African American woman came out, a surprising number of people said they had no problem with her identifying as such because of her Creole roots. But when it came to celebrating a Black woman being named the most beautiful woman in the world, the claps and cheers were nearly non-existent from the people who aren’t diehard, Beehive stans.

Bey is hardly the only woman who gets her black card pulled from time to time. There have been comments about Zoe Saldana and Lala Anthony who were recognized on Maxim’s list of beautiful women. Because of their Latina heritage, plenty questioned why some outlets were recognizing them as black and even spread lies about both women denouncing their African heritage, when the opposite is actually quite true. Lala has always self identified as a Black and Latina woman, as has Zoe, but because they may have lighter eyes, or a thinner nose, or a less coarse grade of hair, they get their Black pride fists slapped down as we remind them, they’re not really black like us.

Beyond their physical features, Zoe has been chastised for dating white men and labeled as someone who’s only black when it’s convenient because of her dating history and perhaps preference, but it’s ironic in a day when every other piece on dating and relationships is encouraging Black women to date outside their race. I get the questions that perhaps she’s trying to date white to assimilate, although that could clearly never happen with her brown skin and thick accent. But when I’d asked the question not that long ago of whether dating white trumps your black card, the response was a resounding “NO!” and why are we even asking this question and why are we still talking about interracial dating, yet every so often comments come up to the contrary suggesting black women who do date outside of their race frequently are accused of self-hatred and not being black enough much like black men who do the same.

It’s totally understandable and justifiable to be sick of seeing light-skinned, long-weaved, Caucasian-featured black women celebrated in the media but the frustration should be taken out on the outlets upholding this standard not the women who can’t help that they embody some of these characteristics naturally (i.e., I’m not talking about the Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim’s of the world). It certainly didn’t ease the “not like us” sting to have Paula Patton be the only other Black woman on PEOPLE’s list but it’s also counterproductive to try to tear her down for having her beauty celebrated. Sometimes the policing of these women’s negroness is not unlike other ways black people segment each other by saying people who are into comics or Harry Potter or something along the fantasy entertainment lines aren’t really black or someone who speaks “proper English” isn’t one of us. The comments are divisive and truly put us on display as a group of people who are never even good enough for each other, forget mainstream media. In the push for more representations of blackness via skin tone, hair texture, facial features, body sizes, and so on and so forth, we don’t have to tear down or try to eliminate women on one end of the spectrum to make room for others. The focus needs to be on inclusion and intra-diversity, not light-skin, “good hair,” interracial dater shaming.

It’s also unfair to expect everyone to hold up an Afro pick and talk about and be about their blackness all day long anymore than we can demand homosexuals to come out of the closet to the public and become a crusader for LGBTQ rights. There are some people who love to talk about their blackness any chance they get and others who prefer to be in the Idris Elba camp and not have to have their race interjected as a constant qualifier to their achievements. Neither is wrong, it’s a personal preference and no one should be guilted into having to speak out more as a black woman or accused of trying to hide their blackness because they don’t. We get enough criticism externally for being too black, we don’t need to turn that aggression inward and start policing other people for not really being black enough in our minds. Especially when the critiques don’t stop when a dark-skinned woman is on display, or a natural-haired girl, or a thinner black woman. The depictions are truly never to our liking which begs the question of whether we’re simply insatiable?

This isn’t a push to say be happy with whatever “they” give you,  because there’s obviously a lot of work to be done to balance images of beauty when it comes to black women. But it is a question to make you think about whether you really know what images you want to see and what would satisfy your so-called black quota or if you’re just rebelling against the status quo because that’s what it is. We can’t just complain if we don’t have the solution, and calling out women with features or behaviors we deem to be less black is not it.

Do you think it’s wrong to call out some of these women as not being black enough or are the criticisms justifiable?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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  • Lotengwa

    I am a young african(Malawi) woman, even here in Africa we have the same thing. Being light-skinned is considered special. Why can’t we just accept each other no what your skin tone is.

  • not a fan

    1) i have a problem with black people having a problem with Beyonce’s heritage. There were criticisms about her naming Native American, French and Black which is crazy! Why is it that black people can’t celebrate all that makes them “black?”. 2) i can see how it was a problem that Beyonce’ was named the most beautiful. To keep it 1000, Bey been getting lighter and lighter over the years. Her skin tone today, is def not the same as the yester-years. And why wasn’t her usual ethnic wig present for the photoshoot? 3) i don’t like lists like this anyway so … 4) I applaud Zoe and Lala for celebrating their black latina heritage. However, the trend seems to be that black people consider Hispanics to be black sometimes, even if they technically don’t have that ethnicity whereas there’s a considerable amount of Hispanics who wouldn’t dare be associated with Black. Colorism is very rampant in the Hispanic community as well and even Zoe claimed that the hispanic community don’t like to claim her sometimes cuz she looks more black. 5) black enough isn’t a problem..it’s portraying what all of black is and that’s the problem. I don’t fault blacks with light skin, european features but i am sick and tired of seeing only that. We are such a diverse community and i’m tired of it being portrayed one dimensionally.

  • JustSayin

    “We are all self-conscious I’m just the first to admit it”- Kanye West “All Falls Down”
    My issue has never been if Beyonce is “Black Enough” it is more so… is she okay with who she is. There are women in this world who won’t go outside without make-up, a fresh hair weave and some cute clothes. With her named as the most beautiful woman of the world (anyone for that matter) and she isn’t showing her true self (minus the dyed & weaved hair, make-up and flashy clothes) it does affect how children will see where the glamour lies. Yes; I had my mother as a role model but that never stopped me wishing I could have the same amount of attention the video and super star girls have from the boys. And; sadly… this just adds on another reason why children will see this photo and not see real natural beauty but what happens after your make-up, hair and stylist gets done with you.

  • QuianeR

    I think people are made at the fact that, the more famous a black person gets, the more they try to slide to the white side, and that’s what people see Beyonce doing. That’s something I myself would get offended with, because to me, be proud of what you accomplished as a black person (i.e. Michael Jackson). But it’s a phase I’ve passed, if it takes for you to try and break down every part of you to feel accepted then that’s your own self-doubt and that’s your demon to bear. For the record Beyonce’s father is black, so bottom line she’s black and no matter what she does, says or tries to dig up, that’s what it is. My mom’s father was Italian and Irish and their was never a day that she used that to try to get in somebody’s good graces, or be something else, and she was pale with orange hair. And the one thing she always made me and my sister aware of was that no we werent light like her (i.e. she found the darkest men on earth to have kids with, lol) but we were beautiful, black women, and that our color or hair didn’t break us it made us who were and she wanted. And just like I tell my 8 year old who gets this false sense of beauty should be “God doesn’t make mistakes, you are just who he wants you to be”!

  • Anonymous

    The problem is the media. The only representation of black beauty are people like Bey or Halle Berry. You have young black girls looking up to these women and probably feel more insecure because many don’t fit into the mainstream beauty. What people are complaining about is, people like Bey go extra mile to look more European than black. Her skin looks extra white in her L’OREAL commercial, her super blonde hair and her emphasis on being creole. For example, many Latin women have African in them, they don’t mention it at all. But every chance a black person get, he/she mentions some white/indian blood down the line, it’s irrelevant, the society sees you as black. Black children who have white fathers are considered black, let alone two black parent. It will not be a problem, when we stop downplaying dark skin, idolizing lighter skin or making fun of having thick kinky curly hair and it starts from home, us. I don’t expect white people to promote black beauty, they will only promote what they classify as beauty which is what is close home to them.

    • Lydia

      The reason why many Latina women don’t mention they have African in them is because they’re ashamed of it. They have this thing called “Mejorar la raza”. Some think it’s better to marry a white person so that you can better the race.

  • AName

    HEAR HEAR! This was very well-rounded.

  • Numero Uno

    Sometimes I just sit and wonder will the day ever come when it won’t matter who’s light, who’s dark, who’s mixed, who’s not, who has good hair, who has nappy hair, etc…the list could go on and on with the petty crap that keeps holding the black community back.

  • Onelove

    This is another manipulation to set us backwards. We need to change our mindset, that being black, having certain features that does not fit into the mainstream society is perfectly fine. Accept who you are. In addition, being African is not only limited to specific features. Every race have been traced back to Africa, so people need to embrace it, they are African whether they like it or not. I’m Egyptian/Eritrean, and it can’t get more African than this. People ask me what are you mixed with all the time, I’m African not Arab because my Egyptian side of the family are Africans not white. Oh, I’ve never seen an African with green eyes, are you wearing contacts? No. You must have some white in you, not necessarily because my grandmother was dark skin with green eyes. The worse part is when my people tell me I’m not African enough. It’s ridiculous, it’s all ignorance. Light colored eyes, white skin is not limited to just European or make you less black. Let’s accept who we are.

    • guest

      @ Onelove alot of it is ignorance. keep in mind you have a lot of people in the U.S. who went through a poor educational system and there are a lot of people who have never been outside of the country. It’s so sad, especially if more people in our community was educated and had more knowledge of the world, there wouldn’t be so much of this self hate. There are people who think Africa is a country and all Africans look like the Africans shown on the 6 oclock news.

      • The Truth2.0

        If I could like your comment a million times i would! I also agree with Onelove, that the black community as a whole needs to realize that not one of us looks exactly like the other. We can be as dark and beautiful as Alek and have gray eyes or be as light skinned as Zoe or Bey and have thick, kinky black hair. We are NOT carbon copies of each other!

  • Smiles

    True BLACKS are the Africans living in Africa..have you people ever seen the many tribes of Africa to see not everyone has the large nose and lips the white man in the past kept telling you that’s how you look? Don’t forget that African AMERICANS..or just plain black Americans don’t represent the whole of the black race *rolls eyes. You guys along with other black ppl outside of America were taken from certain parts of Africa..so we all will have are particular looks, each of us was not representive of EVERY TRIBE or race on the African continent. They have so many black women from AFRICA (if you want to talk at what real black is..that is them..not you sorry, so get over the self obsessiveness and mental slavery hold on to so tightly). Black American culture is so different than what other black around the world have experienced, because so high up, America that is, many follow you thinking stupidly to be black is to be “ghetto” or act like you *rolls eyes, when they growing up is different, even other races/ethnicities who ..”love” black ppl and the Black American culture think that ALL black people unfortunately are like and act like Black Americans and that is soo sad. Many Africans who are the ones that are poverty stricken and not getting the right nutrients in their bodies and all that stuff along with being in the HOT sun..will cause them to look certain ways, and just because you just see kids and ppl dying and looking horrid unfortunately does OT represent all of Africa. There is always a rich side and a poor side in most of these places. I have seen many Africa Movies and many of their actresses look soooo different and are so gorgeous and do not always carry the “sterotypical” look/features that the white man told your ancestors and you grow up following have at ALL. Anyways many celebs are VERY CLEAR SKINNED..Rosa Park was clear and many others! were they do not treated like how blacks were treated back then? Oh ppl, black skin/ppl appear quite different on camera and video. Many end up looking darker than really look especially from back then. Beyonce was always very clear so was RiRi and many others, know some of you don’t travel but when some black ppl who live in the sun or not and go way and travel ALOT to colder places..they skin color change to much clearer. Alot of these stars to make you feel comfortable use alot of that same tanning stuff, duh. Sometimes with the help of sun but many are very clear skinned, Beyonce was always very fair skinned..it STRONG in her genes, just because she looking clearer or any other “black fair skinned” person gets clearer doesn’t always mean bleach or skin whitening okay? :) . Surgery is another topic, but with skin color, there ya go. Saw many AFRICAN born ppl without the “sterotypical” how true blacks look features from nose, lips, eyes etc. And they talk pretty good with intelligence, not saying if you can’t talk properly for the most part you are dumb..but just saying all this slang and all the other crap does NOT represent “true blackness”. Let’s just say that it represent YOU or YOUR COMMUNITY, not all the BLACKS in America and around the world. Peace Out.

    • angel

      - _____ -

    • stevievi

      Ok, thank you for telling blacks from america that the cant be black because blacks only come from Africa. this is a AFRICAN AMERICAN MAGAZINE, THE writer is most likely an African American and most of the readers are African American and the subject we are discussing is an African American. What mkes you think we are in any way representing blacks in Africa. We dont care about how other blacks are treated because of African America stereotypes. Just because you see it on tv doesnt make it true, and if you are judged by that then thats the other persons ignorance not every African American.

    • not a fan

      please dont come on this site and try to read black americans. and the issue isn’t bey’s skin color it’s a wider and more vast issue that this image is constantly perpetuated in American media. and further more, us being black americans doesn’t make us less or more black. we have a different history and ideology than Africans and Caribbeans. So please with that “Back to Africa” mentality. *black american and proud*

      • monitorette

        I don’t think that the comment tended to a Back to Africa mentality.
        African Americans are different from the peoples of Sub saharan Africa, nevertheless, the majority of the ancestors of African Americans come from Africa. Interesting to read that African Americans cannot be compared to Africans, well I will say that Beyonce is not French, her ancestor was.

  • Msmykimoto2u

    Personally, I dont care what Beyonce is or what magazine she is on. What I DO care about is to actually see someone who looks like me more often on a magazine cover. A size 10, dark skinned, natural hair, full lips, a black nose, and curves. Is that too much to ask?

  • akra

    about the bleaching stuff,i don’t think these celebs bleach, i think cosmetic procedures, and going to the spa, and her living in new york instead of houston, have contributed to make her lighter. when i look at old pics of my parents, they looked darker back in the day, and i know they have not bleached, just that they started going out in their car more often as the grew older , so less sun exposure. I have also noted that for myself, since I came to live in north america, we’ve became a lil it lighter, and last thing when i do a scrub or a peeling i appear lighter…also, I don’t think the light skinned girl that has always been hated( i’m dark skinned) should be the problem, when she can’t help how she’s born. we should call out the people who perpetuate these kind of ideas…

  • empress123

    Now as for Beyonce? I mean come on… her ‘look’ does not represent the overwhelming majority of Black women walking the earth. Neither does half of Black female hollywood. Why are we scared to admit that? Even people of other races recognize that. I had an asian coworker refer to her as the white black girl. This was back when she was in Destiny’s Child! I have had to do a few double takes when viewing Beyonce because she looks like a white woman most times if you are not paying attention. I do not know why we can’t admit that there has been some mixing of the races that has produced some beautiful women WHILE focusing some of our attention on the women who have had little to no mixing in them especially when it pertains to Black women. Why is that such a world wide problem?

    • Angel

      It is a problem because ppl are Always focusing on the mixed.idk where youve been thats All we always hear abt lol.

    • monitorette

      Because Beyonce’s true hair colour is black and her very own hair are hidden under this weave. Having ‘her’ hair blond all the time automatically lightens her skin, you have to accept that she looks more Black with a Black hair colour, thus the ‘debate ‘ is legitimate.
      If there had been a nose job done, I think that was a very slight one.
      But I’m certain she had a lip operation as she used to have lips more like her sister Solange’s ones.

  • empress123

    Well as it relates to the articles written here: obviously you are never going to please everyone and everyones comments are not going to be pleasing to you. Having said that, I don’t know why it is so hard for Black people to understand themselves. Is it truly because of the white supremacy movement?

  • FromUR2UB

    At a first, quick glance, I thought it was a white woman. I really don’t like the pic because it reminds me of those avatars people were using on their emails a few years ago; she looks very artificial there. She’s actually prettier with very little makeup.

    • monitorette

      at first glance, I thought it was Jennifer Lopez!

  • IllyPhilly

    There is no way heLL that’s Beyonce! OMG. That’s sad that she allowed them to photoshop her like that. I sure hope that’s not her.

  • divahd3

    Sad, sad, sad, sad, We are in 2012 and black women are still not comfortable… just being black. “I got indian in my family” Where is the skin bleach?. EVERY body is not blind. It is clear that Beyonce has bleached since she emerged on the scene in 1998 or whenever she arrived. It is also sad that after she bleaches her skin and dyes her hair blond… she is voted the MOST BEAUTIFUL woman in the world by a caucasian magazine. SAD!!!!!

  • entyce

    Black women cannot win for losing period!!!! On the flip side of this article, you have darker women who are often portrayed by the media as loud, undesirable, ghetto, and negative. There are many women who are darker who are beautiful, confident, intelligent, and positive. Many of small minded people take these stereotypes and run with them. So there is criticism on both sides. Many dark skinned women have to defend themselves often as well from these ignorant stereotypes, and sadly a lot of times its from our own black people. I do me. I don’t feed into or buy into that negativity. I know what real true beauty is and it goes beyond skin/color.

  • temple t00

    “Especially when the critiques don’t stop when a dark-skinned woman is on display, or a natural-haired girl, or a thinner black woman. The depictions are truly never to our liking which begs the question of whether we’re simply insatiable?”

    This right here. Too light, too dark. Black people are never satisfied.

    • NSimonefan

      At times, it can become worrisome and weary to a Black woman when those comments are coming from Black men.

  • LuvTheSkinUrIn

    Also when you are someone of mixed race or “guilty” of having those type of features, its almost like you cant win either way, for example I identify myself as a black woman regardless of how i appear or what im mixed with, but not a day goes by that i don’t get asked by another black person “what are you mixed with?” and the “im black” answer doesnt suffice, but if I break it down like beyonce and say im creole (french, indian, & black) and italian, then you get flack as if your somehow denying your true black roots or somethin. I am proud to be a women of color and embrace all sides of my heritage/size/skintone (as should we all) and should’nt be “shamed” or “more praised” for it because thats the way GOD made you and its what makes you unique and beautiful.

    • http://www.facebook.com/joann.nash JoAnn Nash

      I am feeling you on this one! I finally went and got a DNA test so that I can break it down once and for all! Of course it turned out that I’m black. But every African or African American is West African decent. Some of us have North and East African descent.

  • BeautyWithin

    Wow in 2012 Willie Lynch is still in effect! Let go people and let God. We cannot expect the media to raise our children, as well as we cannot expect to live up to the media’s superficial expectations. They are beautiful African American women in various shades, many different hair textures, body shapes, etc. It is IMPOSSIBLE to determine the most beautiful woman in the world because it does not exist. Beauty is within, in the eye of the beholder, and they are many women of different backgrounds that are beautiful. Perhaps this is the problem with us today. Beauty is not defined by media standards or american standards. You would think people would realize that by now.

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