Wednesday, August 27, 2014

WHY I AM BOYCOTTING BET

Your natural hair and your soft skin, and your big ass in that sundress (ooh!) Good God, what you doing that walk for? - Poetic Justice (Kendrick Lamar)

When I first heard those lyrics I got goose bumps.  Wearing my natty hair has been liberating. I restarted my natural hair journey almost 20 years ago. I decided to do away with straightening my locks and I have never looked back.  Those moments of hot combs scorching my ears and my scalp being assaulted by lye are distant memories, and I shall never relive it.

I am not opposed to perms, straighteners or weaves.  Do whatever makes you feel beautiful.  What I am against is someone judging another for choosing a path that might be different than the majority.  If I want to let my natty locks blow in the win; it is my prerogative.  BET or no one else can kill my joy.

I am probably not part of BET's target audience.  I left my teen years and early twenties behind a long time ago.  So my boycotting of the cable network is not an issue for them.  I do have a son and while he is currently in my home he wont be watching BET either.  I have TV One to indulge in, so it really is not a loss. Honestly I stopped watching that channel consistently a long time ago.  Most of the time I could barely last 10 minutes watching their programming.  I do enjoy watching the award show every summer but I will have to live without that.

What's my motivation to abandon the once black owned basic cable network?  The recent comments made by Chris Brown's concubine about Blue Ivy's hair was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.  Little black girls have enough self image issues to contend with.  Attacking a little girl's natural hair is irresponsible and pathetic.

How absurd that wearing your hair in your natural state is not normal.  Only Black women are subjected to believing they must chemically alter the natural texture of their hair to fit in.   I shed that burden with no regrets.  It disturbs me to see people, passing as adults, ridicule a beautiful little black girl for wearing her gorgeous natural locks.  We can't blame white people for this ignorance. Anyone who objects to or is offended by an individual who has decided to let their natural go free is an asshole.  I have zero tolerance for anyone that believes it is okay to make fun of a precious child for being herself.  Fuck them and fuck BET.

BLACK EXCELENCE FOREVER

Since some of the fucked-up world changes that occurred in 2017, I have not been inspired to write anything.  Until now.  Black Panther p...