In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to highlight lesser know black women, especially ones that changed how I perceived beauty growing up. My junior year of high school, I went through a Marilyn Monroe phase.
She was sensual but cute, coy but charming, and her image represents the 50s. I remember loving her red lipstick and short blonde hair-do, while envying her Coca-Cola bottle shaped figure. She was a bombshell and a beauty icon. However, Marilyn was white. In my mind, even if I dyed my hair blonde and wore a corset for the rest of my life, I could never be as beautiful or charming as Marilyn because of my color.
That’s when I found Joyce Bryant. Known as the “Black Marilyn Monroe,” Joyce Brant was hot. With her blonde or silver hair, curvaceous frame and skin tight dresses, she was quite appeasing to the eye. I mean look at her.
Joyce Bryant was also well-known for her voice earning her other nicknames like “The Belter” and “The Voice You’ll Always Remember.” Her voice and song lyrcs were so sensual that she a few of her songs were banned from the radio, but that didn’t stop her from being a star. She continued to book shows and broke down barriers by becoming the first black woman to perform at many venues.
For me, the most amazing part of her story is when she left show business. She explained that she was very religious. She didn’t like her image, working on the lord’s day and her voice was getting tired. She overheard her manager talking with a doctor who said that he could spray cocaine in her throat with the risk being that she would get addicted. Her manager responded, “I don’t care what you do, just make sure she sings.” She took a break from the industry and became a devout follower at a Seventh Day Adventist church. She became involved with the civil rights movement, even meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a few times to discuss black advancement. She would later return to the entertainment industry and join the New York Opera.
I believe that one of the most empowering thing for woman is seeing their own beauty, both inside and out. Sometimes, it is easy to see it within ourselves, other times finding a rolemodel can help us find our strengths. I saw the following headline when researching for this article and was quite frustrated.
Joyce Brant’s beauty to me is one that should be a work of art, not a ticket to acceptance by another group of people. I frankly don’t care if she “excited white males throughout the U.S.” She’s an amazing singer that could rock both silver and blonde hair and knew her limits. While I still find Marilyn Monroe charming, there’s now a special place in my heart for Joyce Bryant, The Voice You’ll Always Remember.