My brown baby can see the magic in her complexion!
To some extent, I ignored the status quo. It's none of my business because it's a broken record with so much noise. It's deja vu without effective results, so my ignorance is bliss! In other news, yes my little girl is a young lady now! And guess what, a member of one of her favourite girl groups just dropped a banger.
Though not yet age appropriate for her due to the lyrics, Normani's 'Motivation' video is everything! Imagine a brown girl breaking the internet! She's earned the applause of her peers and even praise from legends such as Missy Elliott. Y'all we weren't ready!
'Motivation' pays homage to music videos from the early 2000s. We see Beyoncé's 'Crazy in Love'; J Lo's, 'I'm Real' remix, and Britney Spears', 'Baby Give Me One More Time' to name but a few. It's been a long time since we've celebrated a brown girl killing it! Back in the 90s and early 2000s brown girls ruled! I'm not here to start the the light skin versus dark skin debate, but I will celebrate the dark skin queen.
I myself am light skinned but my daughter is chocolate. I'm angst with the status quo in mainstream media. There's little representation for brown to dark skinned black women and girls. Sure Beyoncé can sing about 'Brown Skin Girls' but it's a collective narrative about women of colour (Latinas and Indians included). But she and many light skinned or mixed race women will never experience the need for representation as much as their more chocolate skinned counterparts.
The craze over Normani's song will eventually fade, like the attention span of today's audience. But in the meantime I will busk in the excitement of a young woman that my daughter can see herself through. My daughter loves to dance, so when we watched the 'Motivation' music video, she was excited. She was like, "Mum, that's the girl from Fifth Harmony! She's so pretty!" She added that she loved the back flips that Normani pulled off by the basketball court.
There's so much that a parent can do to influence their child's perception of self. Pop culture is often the 'influencer' in pre-teens and teenagers' lives. I grew up at a different time, where television was a privilege. Regardless, I spent my formative years in West Africa with plenty of ebony skinned women. I felt represented at that stage because they were black and African like me. I knew that people had different skin tones, but that wasn't major. Even as I grew older, I looked up to Brandy, Monica, and Naomi Campbell, who were all brown women. Hell, I even loved the first aunt Vivien from the 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air'. And remember Will's cousin, Ashley played by Tatyana Ali? They were portrayed as beautiful, strong, elegant and feminine. I remember the lead female singers in groups such as 702, 3LW, and Misteeq, were also brown and ebony skinned girls. They were vocally talented and beautiful. That's what I would love my daughter to see.
Today, brown girls take the backseat and are underrated. We might scream inclusiveness and diversity but that's not the narrative on the ground. I constantly have to check for films, TV shows and music videos where my daughter isn't exposed to subconscious self hate. I look at Keke Palmer, SZA and Ryan Destiny and value their contribution to black and pop culture. Keke is so underrated it breaks my heart. SZA is an insane vocalist while Ryan Destiny is the total package!
But I am amongst those changing the narrative. With the blessing of living in Africa, my daughter and other little girls can see themselves represented. As a storyteller and content creator, I take full advantage of sharing what I believe in. From books to animations, movies and music videos, little brown and ebony girls can see protagonists like themselves. Little boys can have a diverse perception of black beauty. When they grow up into young men, they will find brown and ebony women beautiful, and desirable. This will be encouraged by the images that they see and messages they receive.
The 'Motivation' doesn't filter Normani's complexion. She has more brown and ebony dancers during the choreography. Her love interest is a fine, chocolate man. Representation. Not to mention the confidence coupled with sultry vocals. I hope that 'Motivation' is just the beginning of Normani's stardom. Wouldn't want her to be a 'one hit wonder' during her solo career. I want her to reach Whitney Houston, (another brown woman) levels in her own lane. There's a whole generation waiting for such inspiration and representation. We want more black girl magic!
To my daughter, you are beautiful and you are magic! Bind the world under the spell of your kind spirit, infectious smile and unearthed talent!
A happy birthday to my #motivation...
...Mama might not always get it right, but I will try!
P.S. Always write your own love story!
Ciao!
Lady E
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