Hi 76 / Lo 53
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Hi 76 / Lo 53 |
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Volume 72, Issue 67,
Monday, November 27, 2006
News Forum tackles common misconceptions
by Ashley Anthony
In an effort to address what organizers said were fallacies created by media, Black Woman Defined: Exploring Black Feminism, an open forum focusing on black women's role within hip-hop, sexuality and beauty was held in the University Center's Mediterranean Room Nov. 20. "I wanted (people) to understand there's no right definition of a black woman. She doesn't fit into a box," said accounting senior Kristian Coopwood, the event's chair. The program allowed a majority of black female audience members to confront stereotypes they are familiar with, such as that black women are gold diggers, loud and materialistic, have bad attitudes, dislike one another or are overly sexual. "I wanted to get the stereotypes out there so people would have an idea about what they are (because) they need to be terminated," Coopwood said. Coopwood said black women face challenges when dealing with media outlets that reinforce these images, particularly hip-hop music videos that are centered on the appearance of black women with full chests and behinds. "A lot of women like the attention it gives them, even if it's demeaning," public relations senior Kimberly Hill said. Some, however, said they feel this exposure can lead to success, as it did for former rap video dancer Karinne Stephans after writing the national best-selling book Confessions of a Video Vixen. "Video Vixen is just one case, but a lot of black women (in music videos today) see her as someone successful and (think) maybe they can do something like that too," Hill said. Students said the media alone is not to blame for misconceptions about black women. Some can be traced back to slavery when black women were used for their bodies as mistresses and breeders for their white owners. Also, those with lighter complexions and longer, straighter hair were held in a higher regard. "Men may say that they want a (black) woman with long hair. That's associated with that concept of European beauty. It's an illusion or fantasy one may have," nutrition senior Karla Anderson said The program was organized by the Zeta Sigma chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and also gave female students an opportunity to embrace their feminist side. "Not many women want to be labeled as black feminists because it comes with negative connotation. It's believed to be trying to take over a man's part, but that's not true. Feminism is about uplifting and praising," psychology senior Kasa Uba said. Send comments to dcnews@mail.uh.edu |
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