Othering and Misogynoir in Social Media, Pop Culture and William Dunbar's Of A Black Moor
In the poem Of A Black Moor Dunbar spouts extremely racist remarks towards the subject of his poem, which is an African woman in which he disparagingly describes her features. He degrades her by comparing to an animal stating that she is “large-mouthed like an ape”. Despite the fact that this poem was written in the Middle Ages, this discussion around the aesthetic of black women and their natural features is very contemporary. I want to discuss misogynoir, which is a term coined by the scholar Moya Bailey while she was a student at Emory University. This term is based on the intersectionality of female oppression, in other words black women endure two interconnected forms of oppression simultaneously; one component of their oppression is their blackness, and the next component is their gender. I want to argue that misogynoir is a contemporary phenomenon in our society that polices black women. This not only comes from white men, but it also comes from white women and black men also.
*Sadly this is a thing, and the oppression comes from almost every angle*
While Dunbar continues to berate the African woman in his poem comparing her to a “tar barrel” when referencing her complexion it reminds me of the internalized racism plaguing the black community creating a hierarchy when it comes to black women in which the lighter skinned phenotype represents the beauty standard. Dunbar states that “Quhen schou was born the son tholit clippis” which translates to “When she was born the sun suffered an eclipse”. Dunbar’s reasoning for her dark skin is is described not as a natural feature of African people, but it is depicted as some type of phenomenon in which this event resulting in an absence of light, is the direct result of the absence of any lightness in her skin. Sadly this sounds oddly familiar. Many black men in the entertainment industry have repeatedly stated their “preference” for dating lighter skinned women and often berate black women or darker skinned women for the features that they naturally possess. This is misogynoir in full swing y’all and I am NOT here for it. In other words Black men have been guilty of pulling a “Dunbar” on black women.
*Black Women Classified into groups based on skin color*
As Dunbar repeatedly insults the subject of his poem who he continually refers to as “My ladye with the mekle lippis” which translates into “My lady with the huge lips”. He refers to the African woman’s lips as if it were a mantra and he is reducing her to nothing but her skin color and her body parts. This is a prime example of how both race and gender play a part in the subjugation of black women. The features of black women in modern times are still being challenged. Who could forget the god awful (yet perfect example of misogynoir) hashtag #WhiteGirlsDoItBetter that trended on Instagram and Twitter recently.
This disgusting hashtag was trending on social media and was a perfect example of when misogyny falls in love with racism and they both run off into the sunset together. The entire hashtag was dedicated to putting down black women for their features and stating that these features “look better” on white women.
*an entire hashtag dedicated to degrading black women for their natural features and ethnic hairstyles hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm*
Dunbar would be so proud of y’all. While Dunbar is representative of white males objectifying black women, I am going to use this hashtag as an example of the ways that white women objectify and degrade black women. Exhibit A: Kylie Jenner in cornrows on Instagram with the hashtag #WhiteGirlsDoItBetter (placed under her photo by one of her followers).
Amandla Stenburg did a great job of addressing the issue but sadly she was categorized as being an angry black woman. Hmmmm, but really though? Black women have every right to be “angry” and understandably so especially in regards to cultural appropriation of traditional black hair styles such as braids. Up until recently a young black girl was told that she could not come to school with her hair braided because it was “untidy” and “inappropriate”. In addition to that only up until recently were black women “allowed” to wear their hair in natural styles such as braids and twists in the armed forces yet, a white girl can go on Instagram and claim that #WhiteGirlsDoItBetter in her fresh cornrows all while stating that she isn’t a racist because she has an African-American boyfriend.
(The above is an example of unauthorized hairstyles in the military..twists not authorized I wonder why)
This is the epitome of misogynoir, she believes that she can not be racist because of her affiliation with a black man all while participating in an inherently racist and misogynistic hashtag bashing black women (Kylie was an active participant even though she did not initially type the hashtag under her photo she supported it by insulting Amandla). To top it all off she was able to play the role of the victim as the Hollywood Life website claimed that Kylie was “attacked”.
*Scratches Head in Confusion*
This is taking place while white women are already the default standard of beauty in our society yet they felt the need to “uplift” themselves (from what exactly I have no idea) at the expense of black women who are all ready placed at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to our society’s hegemonic white beauty standards. *Sigh*
Dunbar’s misogynistic and racist poem sadly resonates with todays society in so many ways and this is unfortunate. I feel that so much time has passed between the publication of that poem and our present era, yet its themes still hold true today. This leaves me with many questions:
How can we move past this?
How can we dismantle racism and misogyny (misogynoir)?
How can we get white feminists to comprehend why basic feminism which applies to them just will not cut it for us?
How can we get black men to understand that while they are also oppressed, that they are also (at times) guilty of being our oppressors?
While Dunbar’s poem is old it still represents a mode of thought and beliefs that are still in existence today. But sadly I don’t feel like we are progressing, especially when I see or hear mysogynoir coming from other black women in reference to women that are curvy or women that are darker. I’m literally like..
and every time we are dragged down by our brothers I just want to recite this.
it is so complex and there are so many levels to this topic which is an amalgamation of external and internalized racism within the black community leading to multiple intra-racial conflicts. I just want to find a way to fix it all. Hopefully, together we can find a way heal these wounds.
Yes I said together because black people did not create racism and we should not have the responsibility of being the only ones dedicating to fixing it. It becomes such a convoluted task once we attach gender to it also. Can we ever truly move forward?
I hope y’all feel me on this.
“William Dunbar: The Complete Works (Middle English Texts).”
Amazon.com: (9781580440868): William Dunbar, John W. Conlee: Books
. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
Fuller, Bonnie. “Kylie Jenner & Amandla Stenberg: Talk Out Your Differences – Don’t Diss On Instagram.” Hollywood Life. N.p., 13 July 2015. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
“Ohio School Bans Afro Puffs and Braids.” Black Girl with Long Hair. N.p., 20 June 2013. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
All other Images not cited are from Google Images Search
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