Hood Feminism
1. "Fast-tailed girls"
The historical background to the term "fast-tailed girls" and the early sexualization of women that are not within the control of the girls themselves must be addressed to it's deepest significance.
a pubescent body was enough to make me fast in the eyes of some people
Sexualization of women of color based solely on their pubescent bodies triggers the unwanted and groundless labeling of "promiscuity". However, this groundless label not only solicits emotional damage to the young females, it also leads to traumatic acts of sexual assault, harassment, and other forms of unwarranted behavior. The "fast-tailed girl" stereotype is used to justify unjustifiable actions targeted to black and colored women. For instance, the "Madonna-whore" complex alludes to the idea that that bad things don't happen to good girls---but bad things do happen to good girls.
In the case of R. Kelly, Kelly took part in child pornography as well as urinating on a young 15-year old girl. However, the girls were blamed for being near him, for not knowing better, for not being prepared to navigate interactions with an adult predator who had celebrity and wealth on his side. Kelly's condemnation did not terminate his career nor impact his freedom, yet the girls were left shattered and broken, by consequences from incidents that were outside their direct control.
This leads into the irony of the social convention to "cover up". By no fault of their own, a woman's blossoming body is seen as an invitation to some grown men. In Mikki Kendall's Hood Feminism, she recounted the time where she was punished for being "fast" simply because a man was staring at her "suddenly prominent nipples on a windy day".
Kendall talks about the "fast-tailed" label referencing "provocative girls" in the hood. These girls who are labeled "fast" are "justified" to be harassed because they "must have done something to entice a man's interest". The ridiculousness of victim-blaming to account for these tragic stories has yet to be addressed more seriously. In these scenarios, the perpetrator is to blame, but the media covers the stories in a victim-blaming way---merely to justify the perpetrator's motive.
As for more on the ludicrous media, the media portrays girls who aren't docile and ladylike as wild and violent. In society there exists these illogical expectations for women to stay silent and never express their concerns or fears: one one end, they are labeled as "fast" and promiscuous; once they stand up to their predators, they are condemned as "wild".
2. Catch 22: food insecurities and education
Poverty leads to food insecurities and hunger leads to poverty---how can we ever break out of this Catch-22?
In marginalized communities, poverty and food insecurities form a cyclical loop---where the initial second class citizenship leads to unemployment, which leads to food insecurities and the need for government aid, which causes stigma around receiving aid and finally cycles back to second class citizenship and continued poverty.
This loop is ever prevalent, yet little to no action has been done to address the roots of this issue. Without access to fresh food, the impoverished rely on highly processed foods found in convenience or liquor stores, leading them to require government assistance, such as food stamps or housing assistance. However, due to classism and racism, harmful stereotypes characterize those who rely on government assistance programs as lazy or freeloaders. As a consequence, these stereotypes of "laziness" causes the government assistance programs to be viewed as disposable or unnecessary, effectively putting them first on the "to cut" list during federal budget discussions. As a result, people who need these programs not only continue to struggle, they are also faced with discrimination for struggling and needing aid---and the cycle is repeated.
The seemingly unbreakable negative feedback loop also exists in other major issues of the marginalized community. There exists a great disparity of education, political fairness, and violence between the white versus the colored community. For instance, in education, a school to prison pipeline in the hood is visibly noted. In the inevitability of violence in the hood, teachers are given guns to protect themselves and other students in schools. However, as teachers are given guns and other weapons, it leads to more violence---thus making the school environment an inhospitable place to learn.
Education is meant to enlighten and instill creative ideas and genuine thought in young children, yet in the hood and other marginalized communities, the core purposes of education is almost lost in the danger of violence and gunshots.
3. Stereotypes, double standards and beauty standards
No one should tell you or me what pretty looks like
Black Gymnast Simon Biles faced body image issues as she was called "masculine" due to her muscular body. She was deemed "not womanly" because she did not fit the mold of euro-centric beauty standards. Although these preposterous statements could easily affect anyone's mental state and self image, Simon not only showed incredible mental strength, but she also demonstrated the empowerment of all women in her campaign targeting arbitrary standards. In her campaign, she emphasized the irrelevance of mainstream beauty standards: "no on should tell you or me what pretty should look like".
However, this stereotype of being "too masculine" does not only pertain to Simon, but also especially to the community of black women. As Kendall mentioned in Hood Feminism, black women are stereotyped as Mammies, Jezebels, and Sapphires, where Mammies are meant to be desexualized servants to white children, Jezebels being the embodiment of promiscuity, and Sapphires being women who are constantly angry, fierce, combative, and violent.
Media portrayal of women of color further reinforce the stereotypes as it paints them to be constantly engaging in sex work and alcohol. This leads to the stigma that they are unable to reform, and in accordance to the "masculine" stereotype of black woman, people begin to believe that they are deserving of harsh punishment. For example, black women protestors are characterized as hot-headed lesbians in the public media.
But the labels do not end there: along with the harsh labels from untrue stereotypes, black women oftentimes also face more labels of laziness and welfare dependent. Moreover, the untrue negative characterizations extend to unintelligence, over-sexualization, antagonistic personas, and unmotivated characters. The harm from the stereotypes alone are enough to damage the mental fortitude of these victims.
Stereotypes also play a huge role in the double standards that black women face, like the "angry black women" stereotype. Black women standing up for their rights or speaking confidently are sometimes perceived as angry. A black woman raising their voice is casted as rude, aggressive, and angry, however, the same action performed by a white male is applauded for, with comments encouraging the act as it is necessary to get things done. Traits that can easily be understood as leadership are twisted and turned into hate that black women receive.
Even in the process of abortion, black women continue to face double standards: in cases where young white women are comforted for their mistakes while getting an abortion, young black women are blamed for their situation and judged for their "promiscuity", tying back into the "fast-tailed" stereotype.
Harmful stereotypes can damage souls, but so do beauty standards. Attempting to conform to certain beauty standards is a key issue among everyone, including women of color. Some black women change their hair and natural body features only to be characterized as "pretty for a ...". The euro-centric beauty standards are subject to arbitrary opinions, yet they have the power to govern our lives. For instance, a few years ago, we would straighten our hair to fit in instead of wearing curly and frizzy natural hair.
However, in the recent years, with the rise of wearing our natural hair and embracing all of our features, we are making progress in society for all of us to proudly present our authentic selves. We don't need to hide parts of ourselves to fit in with the majority.
4. Priorities straight in marginalized communities
It's not a question of helicopter parenting or bulldozer parenting; it's survival parenting.
Instead of helicopter or bulldozer parenting, parents of marginalized children take on survival parenting, where they teach their children how to survive. Rather than worrying about which school would best support their children's hobbies and interests, these parents are focusing on keeping their children in school.
As Kendall mentions in Hood Feminism, hood parents don't stress about whether the school has the right playground materials; instead, they are concerned with whether their school is going to survive the latest round of closures and stay open. These parents focus on keeping their children out of gangs, crossfire, and jail. Instead of choosing healthy food or organic food, they focus on getting food on the table. Their children are taught how to be resourceful, resilient, and still be able to dream.
In Kendall's own life, she had to sacrifice to ensure her children eat a full meal: she ate after her children and prioritized her children's nutrition over her own. The sacrifices made by parents in marginalized communities are often overlooked, and instead of being recognized for their acts, they are discriminated against and looked poorly upon.