http://afropunk.com/2017/11/nothing-clothing-black-womens-bodies-hypersexualized-no-matter-wear/
I found this article that pertains to black women being hypersexualized no matter what outfit they are wearing. I really enjoyed this article because I can personally relate to it. I am a black woman and have been through several situations where I was being sexualized even as a child. I also found this article interesting because it talks about how body positivity is often shamed. We are shamed when we wear clothes that show our figures. What is the alternative? Wearing clothes based on what the public wants to see us in? While women with less curvy figures get praised for wearing the same outfit that we would be shamed for wearing? The article mentions Patrice Brown. She is a teacher who's photo went viral. People labeled her as "Teacher Bae" because of her curvy and attractive figure. This led to her being under review by her employer.
This photo is mentioned in the article. This woman is being shamed because of how her figure is in this outfit. I've watched plenty of news shows and have seen rather skinny and less busty women wear dresses similar to this and are not shamed for it. It's really unfair that women with curvier figures are often policed. This also plays a role in rape culture. I once read a case about an 11 year old Latina girl who was gang raped by several boys and men. She was blamed for it. The defense said that she lured them in. This happens a lot in this society. Women and girls who are more developed than others are dehumanized. If they are assaulted, it is seen as their fault for not covering their bodies up. Even if they weren't wearing revealing clothing, people would still find a way to blame them for the body that they can not control.
I'd like to finish this post with a quote from the article:
"I see these things converging into a point: the issue is the hypersexualization of a specific body type, which becomes even further hypersexualized on Black women who look like Demetria Obilor and Patrice Brown. Because it is not their clothing choices that are perceived as inappropriate and unprofessional — rather, the bodies that they exist in are seen as inappropriate and unprofessional because of the way that this specific body type has been so sexualized and fetishized."
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