I take pride in being a woman. After all, we are nurturers, trend setters, muses for fashion; face it — humanity is nothing without us. But, there is more to womanhood than that.
As author-poet Ntozake Shange said, “Where there is woman, there is magic.”
Women have undoubtedly played a part in history. From ancient queens like Nefertiti and Hatshepsut of Kemet and Makeda of Sheba to figures like Ida B. Wells, Eartha Kitt and Faith Ringgold, women have proven to be forces to be reckoned with. They pushed the envelope, spoke out and advocated for causes even when their lives were on the line. These women were wor-thy of admiration.
I don’t think the same can be said for some of today’s female celebrities.
In the age of social media, where digital reputation and image is looked at as a hot commodity, women are idolized more for appearance than character. They put more weight into how many likes their Instagram photos receive, versus getting a degree and holding a steady career. Young women-to-be are exposed to more Rihannas, Beyonces and Nickis than Janelles, Chrisettes and Solanges.
While the former may have hit records, they still shamelessly flaunt their bare bodies across social media, ride “surfboards” and com-pose verses about their sexual prowess. As young women, we should expose young girls to idols that don’t engage in Twitter wars and raunchy behavior; they need idols that are marked by progress and possess a classy demeanor, on and off the record.
But girls don’t see the Ava Duvernays, who direct and produce films using their own agencies. They don’t see the Ursula Burnses who lead Fortune 500 companies. They barely recognize that they have a new role model to look up to: A college-educated woman who received her degree from an Ivy League university and can now say she is an Academy Award-winning actress – Lupita N’yongo.
The Black female image is extremely fragile and heavily manipulated. Much of society sees us as drama-driven, scorned, hopelessly single home wreckers – thanks to characters like Olivia Pope and Mary Jane Paul. But in reality, we are so much more. We are intellectuals like Johnnetta Cole. We are politically apt like Dorothy Height. We are groundbreakers like WSSU’s own forethinkers Merdis McCarter and Margaret Poston.
There’s no need for optical illusions, tricks or a wave of a wand. All we need is soul searching to decide if we are worthy of being seen as more than Barbies. We must find our magic and use it wisely.