Black women are constantly stuck in a messy beauty paradox. We’re routinely considered less attractive than other races and everything from our braids to our do-rags are derided as ghetto and unbecoming. And yet, at the same time, our hairstyles are repeatedly appropriated on different bodies and considered cool or chic. Some of our most notable physical features–like our butts–are ridiculed or exotified…and then non-black people get butt implants or wear booty pops in an attempt to make their butts bigger. Basically, black features aren’t cool until they’re on non-black bodies…and then they’re okay.
If you think I’m overreacting or making any of this up, just take a look at the response to a recent post on MAC’s Instagram page. It features a black woman with full lips wearing a gorgeous dark purple lipstick...