POP #4 "More than Just Hair: Gabby Douglas & Willow Smith"

WOMEN’S GROUP MEETS EVERY TUESDAY WITH FREE MEALS 7-8:30pm AND THURSDAY FOR STEPHANIE MESSER’S MOVEMENT CLASS 7-8:30pm

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Be Advise Explict Content

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More Than Just Hair By:Teresa Lynn

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ince the Summer 2012 Olympics started, Gabrielle Douglas, has not only caught America’s eye but their hearts as well. Gabby is only 16 years old and has won gold medals in both the team all- around and individual competitions. She is also the first womyn of color and African American gymnast in Olympic history to become the individual all-around champion and the first American gymnast to win gold in the individual all-around and team competitions.

However, despite her amazing accomplishments, Gabby is constantly receiving negativity. Not for her performance or her skills but for her hair. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook were flooded with criticizing comments about Gabby’s hair. The most disturbing part is that most of these comments were coming from other womyn of color. Instead of giving her love for all of her hard work, she was battered with jokes about needing a perm or a more kempt ponytail. To which she replied: “I don’t know where this is coming from.

What’s wrong with my hair? I’m like, ‘I just made history and people are focused on my hair? It can be bald or short, it doesn’t matter about (my) hair. Nothing is going to change. I’m going to wear my hair like this during beam and bar finals.You might as well stop talking about it.”

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Another young womyn of color who is currently in the lime light is Willow Smith. By the age of 12, Willow Smith has acted in 5 movies (including I am Legend and Madagascar, has 6 hit singles (such as Whip my Hair and I am Me) and has won aYoung Artist Award, an NAACP Image Award and a BET award.

However, similar to Gabby, Willow has been under attack for not conforming to hair norms. When Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow’s mother, was asked why she let her daughter shave her head, this is what she said:

“This subject is old but I have never answered it in its entirety. And even with this post it will remain incomplete.

The question why I would LET Willow cut her hair. First the LET must be challenged.This is a world where women, girls are constantly reminded that they don’t belong to themselves; that their bodies are not their own, nor their power, or self determination. I made a promise to endow my little girl with the power to always know that her body, spirit, and her mind are HER domain.Willow cut her hair because her beauty, her value, her worth is not measured by the length of her hair. It’s also a statement that claims that even little girls have the RIGHT to own themselves and should not be a slave to even their mother’s deepest insecurities, hopes, and desires. Even little girls should not be a slave to the preconceived ideas of what a culture believes a little girl should be. More to come. Another day.”

It is a difficult task in today’s society where so much attention is placed on what’s “in style” and what the media considers “beautiful.” That is why it is so important that young womyn voice their opinions and state their case, to help other young womyn stand up for themselves in a positive way.

We have to create a safe platform or environment so that they can learn how to articulate how they feel to everyone, their mothers, their peers and society at large.These two young girls should be used as role models for young people every where to show that there is no text book definition of beauty.

Hair is simply something you use to express yourself .There is no such thing as “bad” hair. There are only different types of hair. And whether you decide to wear your hair naturally, get it relaxed or shave it off, it doesn’t matter because it’s your hair and you’re beautiful either way. So don’t let anyone try to make you feel ashamed of your hair.

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Woman

.

Pain.

Desire.

Hurt.

Pain.

Emotion, pain ...

Love, hate...

Desire.

Pain.

Abuse.

Repeat.

Do Pain.you know, what it’s like?

To be a Woman?

Desire.

Hurt.

Pain.

Give, bleed, suffer, endure Tolerate, patiently bear, procure . . .

Provide, nurture, love, sweat, blood and tears, .and this will on for how many years?

Wait, in Silence.

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Silence.

Fear.

Desire.

Pain, hurt, pain.

More pain, more hurt, more suffering, more desire . . .

Relax! A moment of peace, support . . .then, Crash.

S/He smacks you back down once more. I hate you, I love you, I want you, I hate you . . . He screams, desire, pain, hurt, anger.

Red. Blind, overcome, unconscious, he touches and tugs demands, Takes All and then begs, pleads, and screams MORE! Bleeding, hurting, enduring you squeeze out your very last drop, only to find . . . he changed his mind. He didn’t want that, he’s finished he’s through, he’s used up all of You and he’s done, that’s all. I don’t want you today. I meant nothing, I really don’t want you to stay.

Get out, get lost, leave me be. I’m fine, I’m perfect alone by myself. Don’t try me with your looks, glances and sweetness, I like that, when I want it, but today, I do not. So Shut up, bitch, you’re not in control. I’ll show you who’s Master and teach you your Role. Submit, bitch, serve, shut up and swallow my aim is to leave you beat up and hollow.

I want you. I need you.

To make you for me, so I can Crush every last bit of consciousness I See in your face, your eyes, your curvaceous body.

I scream at you no words! But one glance will do, I’ll crush you, I’ll smash you till you’re all black and blue, then come to me, limping, Yes, that’s how we do.

When you’re no longer, I can be FREE from desire, from Anger, hatred, Love, too Can be at peace and not need to prove I’m a Man, bitch, shut up and show some Love, but not without showing some Tits and Ass too. I’m a Man, bitch, Don’t you know? What is it, what else, do you need me to show? You want that? You want what? Say it again. Be real now, c’mon, no need to pretend, I’ll teach you, one last time, so you know for sure,You have a disease, which is impossible to cure. It’s called WOMAN, bitch, didn’t you know? fuck you, Again, and again. I’ll fuck your brains out. Just to contend, to prove to You and Me again and again,You’re not real, bitch, so shut the fuck up.You don’t exist, and you never have.You exist in my mind, to pleasure, to please, to help me transmit my Ego disease. I am the Supreme, so fall right back in line.

Do not, Do not,challenge me, One Fucking Last Time, You heard that, bitch??

You’re fuckin’ not real. So shut the fuck up, and let me feel, Breast, legs, thigh, hip and waist, let me savor your fuckin’ sweet taste, Let me pull tug, take, suck and don’t say a word.

I’m not finished yet, haven’t you heard?

So shut up bit ch, don’t make a sound. I’ll take my sweet fu ckin’ time, and keep you bound, to My time, My words, My thoughts, My way, That’s all, bitch, I’ve got nothin’ fu ckin more to say.

Shut up, bitch, yes, that’s what I said.You make one more sound, and I’ll shoot you, fucking Dead.

By: Jaelyn Vargas

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POP blog: POP is an online zine created by and for young women of color. We’ll discuss current events, sex education, healthy relationships, LGBTQ issues and the politics of being young women who identify as people of color. POP is necessary because it addresses the well-being of young women of color. We need a safe space online to talk about issues and address current events. We love pink and do our nails, too, but POP understands that there is more to young women than what she looks like. With the “War on Women” in government and our lack of representation in positions of power, POP provides us with the online space to shift power to the people who are being affected by unjust, sexist politics. We will appropriate our image and use humor to talk about issues most pressing to us!

The Steps: We need to fundraise in order to complete The Green Workers Cooperative program.

Through this program, we will develop the business model of POP, create the website, and make POP an interactive zine for young women.

Green Worker Cooperatives is a South-Bronx based

organization dedicated to incubating worker-owned green businesses in order to build a strong local economy rooted in democracy and environmental justice. We train and develop worker cooperatives that have a positive environmental impact and enable the transformation of their members and community.We value the principles of solidarity and decision-making by those affected by decisions. And we are committed to contributing to worker cooperative and environmental justice movements around the globe.

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Thank You to The donors K TERRY-SEPULVEDA. D KAO. L MESSER. T KOCHIS. Elizabeth H. M CARTER. K QUARFORDT. L NADAL. J POPLAWSKI. D KONG. Sharon D. B ALPERT. A DESAI. D GRIFFIN. C MCCARTHYFADEL. C PENG. E LIPPOLD CHENEY.

Amy M. S SCHER. S RUDY. C RUSSELL. X LOPEZ-DIAZ. R SCHETELICK .

A JONAS. E LOVINGER. F CASAS. Noemi G. M BONAPARTE. R GOMEZ. M ROUSSELLE. D BURKHARDT. H KOLOS. J BINDAS-TENNEY. Lisa R. Sharon D.

Total: $3,125

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