There are many stereotypes about Black women that are extremely harmful and offensive. In reality, Black women can be anything they dream of and racial stereotypes should never get in the way of them being themselves.
The women mentioned in this article have all made major impacts that inspire Black women today.
Chichi Eburu
Chichi Eburu is the owner and founder of Juvia’s Place, a cosmetics company that caters its products to all skin colors. Eburu started her brand when she was unable to find makeup products that were suited for her dark complexion and wanted to create a company that made all Black women feel beautiful.
When Eburu was growing up she rarely saw images of Black women in beauty campaigns and it made her feel inadequate. She wanted to use her company to help Black women stop questioning their beauty due to the beauty standards they see in the media.
Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes is a television producer and screenwriter. Rhimes’ most popular shows are “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal”. In her projects, she consistently creates roles for Black women that provide excellent representation.
Both “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” show Black women working in professional settings where they are trying to build careers.
For example, the main character in “Scandal”, Olivia Pope, is a gorgeous Black woman who is the Chief of Staff for the President of the United States and owns her own consulting firm. Pope is played by Kerry Washington and she portrays the character as extremely well educated and always up for a challenge.
Dr. Hadiyah Green
Dr. Hadiyah Green is a Black scientist who became the first medical physicist to cure cancer with nanoparticles. This method targets the cancer cells directly without affecting healthy cells. Needless to say, this is a major step for the search to cure cancer and can save countless amount of lives.
She is an inspiration for Black women across the world to pursue these kinds of careers that leave a mark on the world.
SZA
SZA is a singer-songwriter who rose to popularity in 2017 with her debut studio album titled “Ctrl”. She continues to consistently release new music.
Her song “I Hate U” was number one on the U.S R&B chart. SZA is a huge inspiration to me and many other Black women because she’s so successful and has her own unique style.
SZA is also known for embracing her naturally curly hair. Black women have been told that their natural hair is “unprofessional”, but SZA’s perfect, natural hair tells otherwise.
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is a well-known actress who has played a wide range of roles. During the early part of her career, there was very little representation of Black women in films; she broke down many barriers so that there can be more roles for Black women today.
In fact, she was the first African American woman to win the Academy Award for Best actress with her 2001 film “Monster’s Ball”. She also was ranked number 1 on People’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” list in 2003.
Berry wants other women to feel confident in their own skin, the same way she is able to. She said “Sexiness is a state of mind — a comfortable state of being. It’s about loving yourself in your most unlovable moments”, in a BangaloreMirror article.
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