Her Body, Her Love, Her Story By Maiya Sinclair
I reverence the full bodied Black Women that have come before me. I say their names to pay homage and honor them for their contributions. I give gratitude for their work and efforts. I say their names twice because it wasn’t enough to make it to 20. It was barely enough to make it to 10 and I got lucky to have one extra. These are the most notable full bodied Black Women in media in the last 50 years.
I want to know because I rarely ever see it. Growing up into the woman I am today, I have longingly looked at TV’s and movies searching for me. A reflection or a resemblance to something to show what my life could be when I grew up. I know my wishes were and are no different than any other young girls who are obsessed with the media and what’s currently trending.
Historically speaking Black Women have always been trivialized and penalized for our bodies. Trivialized because women of all other races beat down the doors of doctors in Miami to purchase our lips and hips. Penalized in schools because our pants are too tight and causing boys to lose focus. I’ll never forget the day when I was walking Representation: the description or portrayal of down the hallway of my highschool minding my someone or something in a particular way or as business, when a caucasian female teacher fixed being of a certain nature. Where is it though? her lips to tell me that my khaki skinny jeans Where is the whole and well rounded full bodied weren’t flattering and I should consider something Black Woman who has an amazing career, full that hides my large behind. For context I was a of self love and completely aware of her self women’s size 8. Crushed and embarrassed are the worth? Where is the young girl who is the center words that rush to my mind. How could another of attention in a guy’s life that doesn’t have to woman say something so harmful to me? compete for his attention against a smaller girl? Where is the Woman who is the romantic lead and She could say it because when she saw me she not put there as a supplemental character to help didn’t see a young impressionable girl, she saw a the skinny girl solve her life’s crisis of landing the pair of legs that rounded out into what the world guy of her dreams. Where is that representation? was hungry for, something ready to be devoured. In that moment she dehumanized me and kept on THE SQUEEZE
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WINTER 2021
Photo By: Joshua McKnight from Pexels
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Florida, Nicky, Khadija, Mickey, Sheila, Raven, Mercedes, Tasty, Niecey, Synclaire, Becky, Kelli, Ruby. Florida, Nicky, Khadija, Mickey, Sheila, Raven, Mercedes, Tasty, Niecey, Synclaire, Becky, Kelli, Ruby.
