IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE THE MEDIA INSPIRES WOMEN INSTEAD OF DEGRADING THEM
Normally I would not post about things of this nature on my blog, but due to a lengthy conversation with my facebook fans earlier this week, I felt I needed to use my voice to speak out about R. Kelly and his new Black Panties album. Can I just start by saying, R. Kelly, you need Jesus! I know you are laughing, but I’m so serious. There are so many things I want to say about this photo that I’m not even sure where to begin. On Monday, I posed a question to my facebook followers, “Does this girl look underage or just model skinny?” Here are just a few of the 109 comments from this thread:
“Why does it send the wrong message?”
“Man get off this man cover….and enjoy his good music….Kanye West….doing far worst things acting like he Jesus…”
“Ok, normally I wouldn’t respond, but really? The 1st thing people say is underage? Dude, let that shit go. It’s just some chick in some black panties.”
“We’re grown! 40 n older black panties are better than getting shot @in a song or killed, its classy not tacky”
I would just like to know after R. Kelly’s documented criminal past of molesting several young girls, why are people still protecting, promoting AND supporting R. Kelly? It just doesn’t make sense to me, and dare I say, it makes me angry. It’s not okay to give him a pass because it’s good entertainment. I know that some of you are outraged like me, but I was really shocked at the amount of people who choose to look the other way. Don’t get me wrong: I do think R. Kelly is a talented musician, but at what point do we hold him accountable for degrading women and consistently depicting women as sex objects? I stand behind my original statement on facebook regarding R. Kelly: I stopped buying his music years ago, and I refuse to support any of his ventures. Oh and to those of you who will ask, “If you are so against it, why are you sharing the album cover?” I’m sharing because we need to start the conversation about how women are continuously misrepresented in the media, AND we need to do something about it! I plan to continue to use my media platforms as well as my events to celebrate women and to speak out about this. One last thing: Wake up, people! Wake up!
You are so right. These responses show either just how little some folks care about black girls or how oblivious they are to how important it is to be concerned about the issues of both black girls and black boys. Some of the same folks are impassioned about victims of white racism like Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis. I share that anger and passion, but we have to be concerned by all our young folks. Condemning unrepentant predators like R. Kelly who have ruined so many young lives is a start, and that condemning means not supporting him in his musical endeavors. It’s not hard for me to do because I never liked him in the first place. That’s because most of his songs reflect an emotional immaturity about sex that’s excusable at 15 but not after 45–especially because he has daughters of his own. He was sexually abused himself as a child, and he should have gotten some help. Apparently, he doesn’t feel he needed any help or he would not be producing the garbage he does. There is no separating his “music” from his criminal acts.
Hey Anne thanks for visiting my blog and sharing your comments.