Wednesday
Feb272008
White-Run "Feminist" Blog Decides to "Celebrate" Black History Month and Can't Figure out Why Black Women Refuse To Participate
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 9:03AM Gina, The Blogmother
So apparently Gawker media's "feminist" blog, Jezebel decided to celebrate Black History Month by asking Black women to send in their best and worst hairstyles so that they could hold an online exhibition.
Regarding whether Black women read jezebel.com. Of course we do- they have some good stuff on occasion- don't judge reluctance to participate in an online mass mocking as not reading your blog. Can't wait to see what they pull out for March, Women's History Month- What kinds of pictures of their White readers will they solicit?
Got a particularly fuzzy 'fro from 1974 you want to share? Send it in. A crooked set of cornrows courtesy of your frazzled, multitasking mom? We want those too. Oh, and ladies: Jheri curls? Please???? I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Jezebel.comWell apparently, they are disappointed that Black women didn't join in in their own mass mocking, objectification and humiliation. They can't figure out why on earth, we wouldn't want to play in their Black History Month reindeer games.
"Earlier this month, we decided to celebrate Black History Month (and the dearth of black models during Fashion Week) by asking for your best -- and worst -- black hairstyles. And the submissions uh, trickled in. Meaning we barely got any. Seriously, don't black women read this blog?" Jezebel.comNow they added the caveat that they wanted to celebrate the dearth of Black models AFTER the fact. But it is pretty clear from the first post what they were looking for. WAOD Reader SK is not happy with Jezebel and had this to say:
I am so tired of clueless white liberal indie/hipster women presuming that they don't have to be racially sensitive and they don't have to tread carefully around race because they have decided that there's no way they could ever be racist --- WAOD Reader SKSK, Um I think the jezebel writer involved is an African American woman. If you would like to help Gawker Media out you can still get in your photo to be placed on exhibition.
Regarding whether Black women read jezebel.com. Of course we do- they have some good stuff on occasion- don't judge reluctance to participate in an online mass mocking as not reading your blog. Can't wait to see what they pull out for March, Women's History Month- What kinds of pictures of their White readers will they solicit?
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Reader Comments (13)
What the f'ing hell?! THAT's their idea of celebrating Black History? They need to take some tips from http://diaryofananxiousblackwoman.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow"/> - she does an excellent job covering Black (women) history. Smh.
I don't think your critique is entirely fair. I am a regular black female reader of Jezebel. They have been railing for some time about the lack of black models and other WOC featured in magazines, fashion shows, etc.
http://jezebel.com/tag/black-models/
FYI, I didn't send in a picture either, because back in the day, my hair was fly.
That is why I have just ignored them...Some groups have a sense of entitlement, where they feel correct in undertaking projects like these...Telling this blog where to go would dignify it too much...
"Black Women Deserve Better"
http://thecwexperience.wordpress.com
What a disappointment. I used to read Jezebel every now and then. You can't demand that Black models be treated better, rally against the now fired Glamour writer, and then ask that Blk women submit pics of bad hairstyles during BHM.
I have no tolerance for this type of thoughtlessness so they've lost me as a reader.
I agree with sakinah irizarry. I have been reading Jezebel for awhile. They have been taking about the black models, etc., for quite a while. I thought the pix thing was funny but I didn't send any in because all my pictures are with my mom. You should read some of the other posts. It isn't fair to hinge Jezebel's whole identity on just one issue.
No serious white feminist blogs that I read consider Jezebel a feminist blog. Jezebel celebrates their coolness, their sexual desirability, their sexual manipulation under the guise of feminism. Many serious feminist blogs are against pornography and prostitution, Jezebel leans toward prostitution and pornography as being a empowering choice.
To ask black women for pictures of their hair to celebrate black history month is to relegate black women to hair. It is to imply that black women have nothing better to do (to survive) but worry about their hair. It implies that black women are simple minded and superficial and materialist. I would ask Jezebel if Harriet Tubman gave a rat’s ass about her hair.
What pisses me off about “white women” sites like Jezebel is the indifference to other than white women, if not indifference this false sense of shared reality, as in we all share the same concerns, in this case to look fuckable because at the end of the day that is all it is about being fuckable and serviceable for men. Fuck Jezebel. I’m pissed now.
There is already this breach, this incredible breach between black and white women, it is not an equal breach, but it is a breach nevertheless, it is an angry breach, a distrustful breach, a some truth in it breach, a fucking breach. Instead of working to heal this breach, Jezebel does the stereotypical white girl who is indifferent to black girl move, ---she flips her hair dismissively in the direction of the black girl.
UGH!!!!!!!!!!!
I read Jezebel a few times a week and have yet to determine what I really think of the site. One moment they seem semi-conscious, as when they blasted the Glamour editor who called natural black hair a fashion don't, then they totally blow it with stuff like this, or by having a short conversation with said Glamour editor and deciding that she is, like, totally not racist at all.
I do find the site a little too precious and enamored of its own coolness.
That's crazy. How in the hell does that 'celebrate' black history?
Black women have more than hairstyles to contribute to the discussion on black history.
What are they going to ask (white) women to do for March? Submit the worst tanning jobs???
Seriously....
March is women's history month. That does not mean white women only.
At my chapter of AAUW we have many appearances scheduled for schools. A lot of the characters are other than white.
I don't read Jezebel, but I think what they did is ridiculous. Were they serious? They couldn've thought that black women would've wanted to participate in such a thing. Why not focus on something like black women's achievements in business, or the legal field, or something else? Maybe the divide is too wide to close. Because somebody on that site should've realized that black women would be offended.
i don't read jezebel, but i must say that the comment makes me say wtf... is this stuff still happenning in 2008? yep...
I'm with you Kitty... and yeah it's 2008 but I'm not surprised this is still happening. In some ways it might as well be 1968.
Jezebel is nothing more than racist white feminism. I remembered their demonizing post on white men and asian women relationships got pulled to the forfont not to long ago by Racialicious.com. You should have seen the liberal white Susan Wannabe Anothonys' retorts on those sort of relationships.
We're all BFFs until we scorn the precious white woman, is that this and their other posts suggests. Once they can show the differences between minorities and white women, and show who's really at the top of the world, then it's all okay.
Can I ask Jezebel to run a contest of the best fake white bodies and the cost of each titty for the month of March (Women's History Month)? What about white women's best extension? Or, the best white women sexually-liberation bedroom pose or myspace photos?