Sunday, December 11, 2011

Elegant African Women

I found a few videos of African model photo shoots. I think the clothing is so beautiful and feminine. They have the same skin as Western Black women. Of course these are models so they are unusually tall and thin and there are African women who are overweight. I don't think these models are as emaciated as Western high fashion models though (which is good because curves are feminine) Do you think people would treat us better if we looked like this?




Is a lot of the criticism thrown at Black women because of our weight? We definitely don't want to develop eating disorders, go on unhealthy yo-yo diets, or take dangerous pills but we should not purposefully try to look 'thick' either. We need to be healthier and physically active and find a balance while avoiding the extremes. I think EBWs really need to embrace healthy lifestyles, focus less on getting pleasure from fatty or sugary foods, and stop worrying about ruining our hair if we get sweaty. I exercise regularly and try to eat healthy as much as possible. I'm not perfect but it's always a priority for me...is a healthy lifestyle a priority for you? Would you want to look like one of these models or do you think that would be impossible? Is it dangerous to even look at models when discussing healthy lifestyles?

This also made me think about who Black women look up to as role models. My parents are from the Caribbean, but I don't pay much attention to that culture. Would Western Black women and EBWs be better off looking at African and Caribbean women as models of femininity? They are Black after all. There is a whole film industry in Nigeria with plenty of Black actresses but I have no idea if the women portrayed would be good role models or not. Does it matter if the women live in a different culture or is it good enough that they look like us? I'm going to look more into the feminine mannerisms of African and Caribbean women and I'll write about what I find :)

3 comments:

  1. I think women from any culture can inspire others to become feminine or more feminine, however, different cultures may have different ways of expressing it. For example, I have known quite a few Nigerian women. From my culturally-biased standpoint, the tone of voice and inflection (accent aside)they use do not come across as soft and feminine, but many other things about them do.

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  2. Being from the Caribbean myself and knowing about the influence of dance-hall culture on young women, Caribbean women today have a long way to go before being EBW....If we take cues from our mothers and grand mothers though who helped fight for our independence from Colonial rule alongside men and who were instrumental in women's suffrage in the West Indies all while looking beautiful and elegant then we may get somewhere...

    There's still alot of hope for women in the Caribbean though I see it everyday when I go to University.

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  3. Wow those models are stunning! & I absolutely love the fashion, where can I buy some clothes like that? haha for everyday wear, not just dresses? I'm inspired :)

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