TGIF all!
As I’ve gotten older, making new year resolutions have stopped being a priority for me. This year though I’ve decided to make one resolution …to continue to love myself. As a dark skin, plus size woman, it can be at times incredibly hard to feel comfortable with myself. Hell being a woman these days can be challenging to your self-esteem. We are constantly being told we’re too old, too fat, too skinny or too wrinkly to exist in society. So for the coming year I resolve to continue to love myself and feel comfortable in my skin despite these toxic messages. I realize I can’t please everybody so I’ll just focus on being good to Georgette and celebrating that. That’s why Beyond Classically Beautiful message of self-love appeals to me. This movement was started by Abi Ishola after a New York Times article called Viola Davis (who I LOVE!) “less classically beautiful” than lighter skin counterparts. This insult caused Abi to create Beyond Classically Beautiful to celebrate the beauty of blackness that is often deemed ugly in our society (as evidenced by the disgraceful personal attacks on our First Lady Michelle Obama). The aim of this movement is to empower black women to love themselves and banish beauty stereotypes that hurt all of us. It’s a movement I firmly believe in and I hope you’ll join in 2017 by following Beyond Classically Beautiful on Instagram. Also if you sign up for the mailing list this week, you will be automatically entered to win one of four “Beyond Classically Beautiful” tee shirts for you to rock in the upcoming year!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Jacket: ASOS Curve (old, similar here)
Shirt: c/o Beyond Classically Beautiful (here)
Skirt: c/o Lane Bryant x Glamour (sold out, similar here)
Stockings: Lane Bryant (here)
Shoes: BCBGirls (old, similar here)
Amen! I’ve been following this for a while and it is so necessary! Blessings to you in 2017 Ms G!
Author
Yes it is! Thank you for always supporting me and my blog! Blessings to you too in 2017!!!
I read the blog as you suggested and was confused… I didn’t mind that it was exclusively about black women, but I don’t understand how black women are culturally robbed by white society as it is stated in one of the current posts. Inclusiveness and tolerance and celebration of all forms of life are the only way we’ll advance together as a society. Divisiveness simply doesn’t work. When will so-called black society and so-called white society simply be society? Thanks for sharing.
Author
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Historically in American society black people have been not considered apart of mainstream society. Therefore mainstream norms (including the notion of what is beautiful) came from the dominant culture which happened to be white. Segregation of people of color in our society was something that was legally endorsed for hundreds of years until state & federal legislation deemed them to be inappropriate within the last 50-60 years (i.e. The Civil Rights Act). So inclusiveness and divisiveness was not something people of color created or endorsed because we’ve always wanted to be apart of American society. Due to this lack of inclusiveness, black people created their own norms to celebrate our culture. Often these norms have been mocked or looked down upon by mainstream society. So when these mocked norms are then adopted and celebrated by the mainstream for themselves, for many people of color they may feel “robbed” due to the historical context of cultural appropriation.
I completely agree divisiveness doesn’t work and that we should all (theoretically) live together BUT that is an ideal that is not sadly supported in our current society.
Thank you for the thoughtful and sincere reply. I always appreciate constructive discourse and the opportunity to understand another’s perspective. I do understand the historical context of the black/white cultures in the US – my family fought for the North in the Civil War. I have close relatives fighting daily in mixed-marriages for equal treatment by society for themselves and their mixed-race children. There is a ton of good and bad on both sides. The two cultures coalesce more and more these days – especially in more metropolitan areas of our country (I live in a very diverse part of So Cal, my child has close friends of many colors – inclusiveness is indeed happening and being supported by parts of society; still a long way to go, but it is happening). So isn’t mixing and blending and celebrating each other’s unique contributions a good thing – which I think equates to acceptance/respect – and not culturally robbery? “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” Quote by
Oscar Wilde. How can various groups blend and share without causing bad feelings? I am white and follow your blog and emulate some of your styles; I see you as a strong leader and a much-needed voice in this world. I have cried as you’ve shared your deep feelings about body image and the fashion world. I sincerely admire you, your strength. I hope by doing so I am not somehow robbing or diluting your cultural identity. You see, if we continue to claim “This is how black girls act and dress” and “this is how white girls act and dress,” etc. to the exclusion of each other then the two sides are at constant odds with each other and sadly never really gain the immense benefits of sharing and inclusiveness.
Perhaps I am still not understanding something and I am sorry if I’ve offended you with any of my comments. I truly appreciate the sharing.
Author
You haven’t offended me at all! It’s a conversation I find people want to avoid instead of really discussing it. I appreciate your willingness to have this conversation with me. It’s something that is severely lacking in this country. I’m happy you are bringing up your child in an inclusive environment and exposing them to the beauty of diversity!
I agree we should love ourselves. I am signing up now. Thanks for sharing this movement.
Author
Yes! Celebrate who you are!