It is now 2018 but it’s no secret that one of this years already known topics goes hand-in-hand with two simple topics: Cardi B and taking back female promiscuity. It’s February, which means it’s Black History Month (also the shortest month of the year. . . go figure.) This month, being that I am Black and a Woman, I decided to write on a topic that interests me and also touched on this month’s importance. The idea and image of “black women” has changed gradually over the past few years. Cardi B. is an incredible example of that change.
Female Promiscuity:
Can be defined as a topic frowned upon by society; expecting most members to have committed long-term relations. So many women, especially popular celebrities, come into the face of society and pretty much toss that idea away. Cardi B, a woman who went from being known from the Vine “A hoe never gets cold”, to being featured on Love and Hip Hop and now an award-winning rap artist. It’s no secret that Cardi B. is loved because she is always herself and doesn’t try to make herself appear as anything other than the intriguing woman she is. Some people attempt to frown upon her lyrics, her words, the way she dresses and she chooses not to give a damn.
We began to hear about female artists breaking boundaries with women like Lil Kim. Lil Kim is a famous rapper from New York in the early 90s and topped charts alongside individuals like Notorious B.I.G and Tupac. She was infamous for wearing revealing outfits and owning her sexuality; the “norm” that the public tried to turn her away from. This type of change can also be seen in an artist like Nicki Minaj who used to wear bright and revealing clothing, and Trina who’s let out lyrics such as “ Got an A** so big like the sun, hope you got a mile for a di** I wanna run” and more.
Let’s talk about why Cardi B is the perfect example of female promiscuity.
- Unlike most female artist, Cardi B. doesn’t censor herself or try to make herself appear as anything else. One reason people love her is because she has little to no media training. While to others that may seem like a bad thing, it just shows us how real she is because everything that comes out her mouth is very raw and unfiltered.
- Cardi B. dates a popular rapper (Offset from Migos) and she didn’t become famous because of him. Although the media would love to make it seem as if a man deserves the credit for a woman’s accomplishments and she did it without anyone’s assistance.
- Cardi B’s body doesn’t fit the body type of “America’s sweetheart”. Her amazing curves and beauty more closely align with the over-sexualized ideals that were placed on young black women for centuries and that frightens society.
In an article written on the online magazine, The Lily, this topic was covered. The title reading, “There’s nothing wrong with being a ‘hoe’: How some black women are reclaiming their sexuality.”
There is one piece from this article that peaked my interest, “In order for white women to be upheld as pure, black women are first defined as licentious and sexually deviant,” she writes. “This impacts how black women and girls come into their sexual identities because there are expectations inscribed on us from the very beginning. The idea that we are inherently sexually irresponsible, but at the same time expected to always be sexually available, absolutely influences how black women and girls think about sex and how we think about our bodies as a sexual conduit.”, said journalist Jagger Blaec. That paragraph highlights the fact that the Black woman is literally seen as nothing more than a sexual being, yet for some reason when we own and reclaim that sexuality and image we’ve been forced to claim, we’re just as wrong! It seems like no matter what we try to do it is on us to be wrong by the public.
This Black History Month, I challenge every beautiful Black woman to look herself in the mirror and find one beautiful thing about herself daily. I challenge everyone to embrace their sexual being and strengthen it.
You get one life, and you get one body. Own it, love it and embrace it by any means.