A 'fly' black woman! |
It
got me thinking about how black women discount themselves from
certain mixed relationships and discount other people from being
interested in them, and how this mindset might actually (more than
anything else) be the reason why they don’t get to be in these
partnerships and with diverse types of men and not- as they believe-
the world-wide conspiracy against black womanhood. Contrary to
popular opinion and given our eclectic society where people brush up
against each other and are compelled in dozen ways each day, to
eschew small mindedness and instead join the mainstream of life, most
people are not automatons programmed fully by the prejudices of their
communities, such that they cannot respond favourably and positively
to other people, no matter how maligned these are by their in-group.
There
are a hundred different reasons why a 'Hindu' woman would not date a
black man, but maybe it is the knowledge of these reasons in the mind
of the black man that would be the barrier and not the reasons
themselves. In the case of black women I am beginning to think this
is the critical issue.
One
of the reasons why I am beginning to lean in this direction is that
in a multiracial community as most of us live in, we mostly interact
with others outside the charged imperative of finding a mate or
getting into a relationship. We meet as work of school colleagues,
just getting on with work or school tasks, not looking to get into
'relationships' with any of these. This can mean we can find
ourselves falling for another before we remember to put up barriers
of prejudices and apply the 'he/she is not suitable' type parameters.
Richard
has a lovely smile and he is passionate about the environment. I
deeply admire these attributes and respond positively -but unconsciously- to Richard
and way before I even realize I am thinking along lines that should
trigger or make me trigger my reservations about romance with him,
and the process is happening vice versa. This is a scenario that
plays out, a hundred thousand times a day around our multiracial
communities. By the time we think of triggering our romantic
reservations, the impression formed of an individual might simply be
too overwhelmingly positive to override. Nature is a master at
manipulating the situation in favour of optimising reproduction and
the diversity that improves an offspring's chances of persisting into
the future.
There
are other realities of a modern society that can also strengthen our
resolve against retreating back into old insular ways, for one, more
and more interracial couples out there proclaim loudly -without
saying a single word- that it can be done and it's no longer a big
deal. Many of us also have come to understand that our communities
are not bastions of peace and self-sufficiency but can be places of
pain and stifling, so why not open to good wherever it comes. Many of
us also know there are higher values to live up to, of openness,
tolerance, the brotherhood of all humans and despite religious and
cultural arguments, many of us would love to live up to these ideals.
And
to leave the domain of theory, there are men who have developed a
taste for black woman that is beyond social re-engineering –
strange as it might be for black women to believe and accept this to
be the case, which is a sad commentary on our sense of self worth.
I
know some people experienced a little discomfort at the word 'taste',
but guess what, I bet they would still experience discomfort if I
used the words preference, 'are stuck on' or 'fixated', which is a
commentary on how any sort of attraction to us, good or otherwise, on the
part of white men has been 'sordidized' (yes this is a made up word).
I remember a couple of years ago, one perceptive commenter on a web
discussion on interracial dating, asking the question, 'how does a
white man then show his legitimate/valid attraction to a black
woman?' She then went on to answer her own question, that it appears
there is no provision given for such an occurrence.
Guess
what, when a white man's attraction is made sordid under any and all
circumstances, this is how black women's womanly confidence suffers;
she may start off frowning at white men for their ugly attraction to
her but she later starts to (with the help of black commentary on the
issue) believe something about her encourages this abnormal and
inordinate response in him, and then she begins to nurse major doubts
about her own femininity and feminine attraction.
As
an addendum, a good deal of us feel that men are conditionally
attracted to us (i.e. because of what we did right). This is the way
media/current culture shapes the discourse (women need to do A, B,
and C to be attractive). There is no denying that appearance and
presentation etc go a long way, however it is essential to consider
that some of the times, it is more about who that person is
(internally), that makes for his attraction to us.
How
does a black woman deal with gnawing self-doubt as she interacts with
the world?
One
way is to ignore it or act despite it.
Actors
and performers often deal with crippling stage fright/fears, they
still get through their performances without mishap. Sometime the
answer is, 'Just do it'- just like Nike says. You don’t have to
necessarily, resolve your disquiets before you accept the attention
of a man or mingle in a group like you are the belle of the ball.
Step forward even with the butterflies- the butterflies often are
gone by act 1 scene 2!
Sometimes
you fake it, nod and accept he thinks you are this magical thing, and
soon you will grow into the confidence.
My Latest e-books are now available to buy from my website book page or from Amazon. Please click on the corresponding links below for more info.
First Steps to Personal Empowerment Buy Here or Buy at Amazon |
Do Black Women in Afros Date White Guys? Buy Here or Buy at Amazon |
Supposing I wanted to Date a White Guy...? Buy Here or Buy at Amazon |