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Background information
Towards the end of the 20th century, black women from the US formed different movements to campaign for social justice. Due to numerous social issues such as class, racism, and sexism, black women began campaigning for justice and fair treatment in society (White, 2011). Led by Alice Walker, Patricia Hill Collins, and others, black women’s movements called for the liberation of a black woman (Collins, 2000).
According to these feminists, the liberation of a black woman would be the first step towards freedom from oppression, issues of class, racism, and sexism (White, 2011). In this research paper, I will provide a personal story about a black woman and describe how she has changed society. I will also highlight how the black woman’s work and experiences have influenced me.
The black feminist movements saw the liberation of black women from slavery and discrimination as freedom for all women (White, 2011). In fact, black women had to fight the rigid male domineering system as well as the general discrimination from white Americans (White, 2011). African American women who worked in plantations as slaves faced numerous challenges such as gender stereotypes, sexism, and discrimination (White, 2011). According to White (2011), Black women had many responsibilities both in their homes and in society, which denied them their true sense of womanhood. To liberate themselves, Black women formed activist groups to help them gain their position in society.
My personal experience
Ethnicity study has helped me to understand issues that are pronounced issues in real-life situations. A good example is the role of phonetic variation within the racial category. By studying ethnicity, I have understood how cultural stereotype affects and influence social perception, especially among Black Americans. In addition, I have understood “color complex” issues. There is a hidden topic of racial discrimination among African Americans, which plays a big role in cultural stereotypes and social perception. On the other hand, the numerous challenges that black American women have faced and their achievements have helped me to understand and appreciate them.
A number of Black women have inspired my life greatly because of what they have achieved despite the numerous struggles that they have undergone. Tyra Banks is one of my role models. I believe that feminist activists such as Alice Walker and Deborah Gray White, among others, have highly contributed to the empowerment of modern Black women.
Tyra Banks has been an influential media personality despite being an African-American. Mainly, Tyra Banks has Eurocentric features enabling her to influence both Blacks and Whites. This is because variation in skin tone affects social and psychological outcomes. Among African Americans, there are two categories of skin tone: light-skinned and dark-skinned Blacks (Russell, Midge, and Hall, 1993). Blacks with lighter skin and Eurocentric features are more preferred than those with Afro-centric features are.
Tyra Banks, as a black woman, has made great achievements in life despite her ethnicity. As ambitious as she is, Tyra Banks has worked hard to establish herself as a model despite challenges faced by African Americans. She says that it was not easy to get a modeling agency to enroll her as a model in the early stages of her career. She recalls how a modeling agency representative turned her down by telling her, “We already have a Black model.” This is discrimination. However, after this incident, Tyra Banks did not give up.
Tyra inspires me with her passion for reaching out to other women and bringing social change. Through her career, Tyra Banks has redefined womanhood and taught other women to appreciate their bodies and skin color. At some point in her career as a model, Tyra Banks gained more weight than what is acceptable in a modeling career. However, the agency advised her to reduce weight, which she refused. Instead, she looked for a company that was ready to hire a curvier woman. She went to Victoria house of Lingerie, where she sold more bras and panties than any other model. I admire this feature of self-esteem.
Like Alice Walker, Deborah Gray, and Collins, Tyra Banks continues the legacy of black women since she is ready to campaign against racism, sexism, and discrimination. In fact, she has domineered in many fields. The reason why Tyra Banks has been successful in her modeling career and subsequent talk shows is that she posses Eurocentric features. According to Maddox (2004), low-prototypic individuals have more influence than high-prototypic individuals do. In society, a light-skinned Black enjoys a high status more than a dark-skinned Black does (Russell, Midge, and Hall, 1993).
According to Collins (2000), “racist and sexist ideologies, if they are disbelieved, they lose their impact.” Tyra has “disbelieved,” enabling her to overcome sex and gender discrimination. Indeed, she has been at the forefront of fighting against discrimination, sexism, and racism. Through her television shows, Tyra campaigns against discrimination of Black women based on race. As an experienced model, she has struggled a lot to portray Black women as beautiful.
In one of her stories, she narrated how she became successful in an industry that only White women dominated. According to Tyra, Black women were only seen as “good models” when they wore certain clothes, which matched their skin color. For Tyra, accepting to compete with White women marked the first step in fighting racism. This portrays hard work and self-confidence.
Tyra Banks has helped me deal with a weight problem. As I grew up, I had difficulty appreciating myself; I did not feel beautiful, and I disliked myself due to overweight. However, Tyra provided tips on how to lose weight in a healthy way enlightening me. Indeed, I can confidently say that Tyra Banks is a positive influence in my life. Today, Tyra encourages me to have the intrinsic motivation that will enable me to achieve my long-term goals. In addition, she inspires me to work hard to reach my dreams. She also helps me appreciate myself as a woman because I know I can achieve anything in life.
As a Black woman, Tyra Banks continues to influence me through her passion for fighting racial and cultural stereotypes. In one of her interviews, Tyra Banks was quoted saying, “when I mean Black women are beautiful, it is their short hair, their full lips, their dark-skin and their broad noses that I love” (IMDP, Inc, 2012). This is clear that she has overcome cultural stereotypes. As a white woman, I appreciate Tyra Banks’ passion for empowering other women through her programs. Regardless of color, she is a great influence in my life and continues to inspire me to live a healthy life, appreciate myself, and respect others.
As Collins (2000) puts it, “the struggle for a self-defined Black feminism occurs through an ongoing dialogue” Tyra Banks continues empowering women through her interactive programs. A good example is the American Top model, in which she uses her knowledge and passion for inspiring and empowering other women. Following her life story closely, I continue appreciating her work as a black woman. Indeed, her passion for empowering women has really influenced me.
In conclusion, I can say that the struggle of black women towards liberation from racism, sexism, and discrimination in society has been able to gain major achievements in modern society. Women such as Alice Walker, White Gray, and Patricia Hill have contributed a lot to the liberation of Black women through their campaigns over the years (White, 2011).
On the other hand, Tyra has campaigned for women, and since she has Eurocentric features, both Whites and Blacks have evaluated her positively, making her an influential figure. This is just a matter of social perception. If Tyra banks had more afro-centric features, probably she would not have been successful due to the cultural stereotype associated with dark-skinned African Americans. This is because, in generally, dark-skinned blacks are associated with negative traits (Maddox, 2004).
As a black woman, Tyra continues the legacy of other activists by representing black women in different fields. Regardless of her race, Tyra Banks continues to inspire my life and of many other young women through her numerous programs (IMDP, Inc, 2012). Although I am a white American woman, I have identified with Tyra Banks as a woman. To improve women’s participation in different spheres of life, there is need to do more campaign. This is because a small number of women have occupied public domain compared to men.
Reference List
Collins, P. (2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of Empowerment. New York: Routledge.
Collins, P. (2006). From Black power to Hip, Hop: Racism, nationalism, and feminism. Philadelphia: Temple University press.
Guy-Sheftall, B. (1995).Words of fire: An anthology of African-American feminist thought. New York: New Press.
IMDP, Inc. (2012). Tyra Banks. Web.
Maddox, K. B. (2004). Perspectives on Racial Phenotypicality Bias. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8 (4) 383-401.
Russell, K., Midge, W., & Hall, R. (1993). The color complexamong African Americans. New York: A division of random house, Inc.
White, D. (2011). Aren’t I a Woman? Female Slaves in the Plantation South. New York: W.W Norton and Company.
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