The Care-Free Black Girl?
I recall being labeled as a care free black girl,
and to be honest, I did a bit of research to come to terms with that label
(note: not to conform and accept it), but rather to navigate the origins to see
whether I could relate to it. I mean yes
I prefer my hair untamed with its natural kinks, I may possess an attitude that
wouldn’t be typically associated with the “more traditional or conservative”
Black girl, not to mention my calm and free spirited nature that aligns with my
“carefree persona”. I could be jumping
the gun by pointing out that such a title is considerate of mainly the physical
attributes of an individual, possibly dismissing the views and interests of the
supposed “care free Black girl”. Or it’s just not “that deep”, I mean labels do
exist as a way of recognizing the people whom you can relate to, nothing more,
nothing less.
We are a diverse bunch of people. Preference,
socialization and our lived experiences continue to shape our individual perception
and line of thinking. The above factors can then separate us into the existing categories
that have been put in place by society itself, in hopes of introducing a sense
of identity and belonging. I often think it’s careless for one to use these
existing categories i.e. class-ism to prescribe labels and titles to individuals
that are seen to possess the “common characteristics”. I would like to think
(through my personal observations and
interactions) that one possesses much more than what is projected through
dress, speech and demeanor unless that individual has accepted and conforms to
the label imposed onto them (for a sense of belonging) and has become
accustomed to the relevant behavioral and psychological characteristics set out
for them.
We live in a world of trends that are continuously
evolving by the day. Today the status quo is the LBD (Little black dress) that leaves
little to the imagination; tomorrow it’s the high-waisted maxi skirt that aims
to accentuate your tiny figure. Yes, I might’ve digressed a bit with that
example, but what I’m getting at is, it’s
truly refreshing to see the solidarity forming among us Black people, we owe it
partially to these Black aimed movements, the influential Black people across
all platforms, and to some extent, social media painting the Black movement as
a revolutionary one that every Black person (possibly other races too) should
be soaking in, even though there’s a load more that needs to be mitigated in
the name of transformation through the various systems.
My biggest deliberation however is rooted in the
fact that some of us are treating such an important part of our history as
merely just a trend. It is now trendy for a Black girl to sport her natural fro
even though she prefers a weave. Its trendier to be part of woke nation and use
derogatory terms, all in the name of fighting oppression and degradation. I
admit, this does however aid in the understanding of our Black history because
we subconsciously absorb so much more than we realize. But the question is, do
we (me included) uphold such an attitude in our daily interactions? Do we stand
for our own when we feel an injustice has prevailed? Or do we choose to quietly
echo “Black Girl Magic” only within our circles or our social media pages to
let others know that we’re just as “woke” and in support of such movements?
What’s the extent of our involvement?
It’s all good and well to be seen as an open-minded
Black girl who has created her own canvas, who thrives on good vibes and is
comfortable not being viewed as the “typical Black girl”. It’s also perfectly
normal not to fit into a category, subscribe to any sort of label, or to
channel the kind of Black girl that is accepted in society in order to appear
legitimate in your support for these movements. I deem it more important and
beneficial to dig deeper than the physical component of being Black to truly
grasp the essence of our history, our people, and our land.
Comments
Post a Comment