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Anatomy of the "Nappy-Headed Ho"
Black women everywhere, please stop, take the concrete albatross from around Imus’ neck, and pick up your nearest compact mirror. Now ask yourself, are you really angry with what Imus said, or are you ashamed that he called us out?
True to form, Imus has not said anything that hasn’t been said before, and the very nature of shock jock-ism is what it is--just enough tawdry talk to make your blood boil and just enough scandal to send the jock’s ratings through the roof.
But let’s not let the picket signs and cries for Imus’ dismissal muddle what we should really be talking about. Let’s talk about our own deep-seeded, self-hatred, and how our long-held, secret, double standard of beauty has now come home to roost. Let’s openly acknowledge the resurgence of colorism.
Colorism, for my non-Black brothers and sisters who are listening, is the practice of preferring European physical features and standard of beauty over the traditional, Afro-centric standard of beauty.
In a nutshell, the darker the flesh, the less beautiful you are. (This was not the golden rule for dark men, however, as they are often seen as sex symbols thanks to the Michael Jordans, Wesley Snipes and Morris Chestnut(s) of the world.)
Throughout history, Black women, however, are encouraged to date the fairer skinned men, and black men are warned, “Not to bring a Black ass girl home” so that their babies would have “good-hair” (that is, less kinky, or curly hair) and “pretty eyes” (that is, the lighter shades of eye color) and fair skin.
The old African-American adage was: If you’re white, you’re alright. If you’re yellow, you’re mellow. If you’re brown, stick around. If you’re black, jump back.
And lo and behold, colorism is making a comeback.
The typical black woman’s self-image is constantly under attack as we’re shown daily that the standard of beauty is the very opposite of what we naturally are. From the blue-eyed, curly-haired, black girl pitching beauty products on television; to the Brazilian goddesses gyrating in the rap videos; to the Latina bombshell parading around with her new Black superstar fiancé—it’s pretty evident that the browning of America has resulted in a brand new beauty standard and, for the most part, the typical, kinky-haired Black woman doesn’t fit in.
And we can’t blame it all on the media. Or even Rio for that matter.
For the most part, it is we, Black women, that perpetuate the madness. It is we who continue to pop our fingers and shake our behinds to the songs that call us “hos.” It is we who spend millions of dollars a year, frying, dyeing and buying hair that is the exact opposite of what we naturally grow. It is we who steer our sons away from the little ebony girls. And it is we who spew “black ass this” and “black ass that” the moment someone pisses us off.
But that was our dirty little secret and, truth be told, it may be at the root of this anger and outrage that we have against Imus. My grandmother always taught me to accept the blessing, no matter the fool that brings it to you. And the blessing in this Imus scandal is a momentous one; his hurtful, spiteful, painful words, have opened the door to dialogue.
The graying shock jock has given us a forum to display our black unity, black pride and ultimately, embrace our standard of beauty in every office, beauty shop, Sunday school, and nook and cranny all over the world.
And for that, we should thank him. Let’s band together, my beautiful black sisters, and take Imus out for a night on the town--and a decent haircut.
Release date: 4/13/2007
   
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