"Left of Black": Pro-Sex Feminism and Black Women in Popular Culture

For Colored Girls- Cautiously Optimistic...

In the Winter of 2003/2004, I had the distinct pleasure to co-direct, choreograph, and perform in a production of Ntozake Shange's ground-breaking work, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. To say that the experience was life-changing and wholly transformative would be a gross understatement. The journey we took as a cast as we delved into the rich historical and lived experiences of black and brown women compelled us to engage with our herstories and the infinite hues of a colored girl's existence. We embarked upon understanding the "metaphysical dilemma" of being colored girls. Although our creative process forced us to delve into the painful, the traumatic, and the repressed, we each walked a way with a joy, a fire, and memories of laughter that did not simply validate, but that heralded the telling of black girls' stories.

Over five years later, when rumors began to circulate about a film version of this amazing feminist work, I felt a barrage of emotions that ranged from impassioned excitement to enthralling anger. Why anger? I could not imagine a "Hollywood" treatment of this foundational work, which greatly inspired and influenced the emergence of my feminist voice. That anger soon subsided, as I became cautiously optimistic about the possibilities of exposing a new generation or perhaps a broader audience to black feminist cultural production. This measured optimism however, was short-lived; the announcement of Tyler Perry as director, writer, and producer of the film re-ignited my anger.

I shared my incensed response with colleagues and friends, as I could not comprehend why Perry thought he would succeed at capturing the contours, nuances, and feminist standpoints extant in Shange's choreopoem. I thought about Perry's arsenal of "controlling images" of black womanhood that circulated in his plays, films, and television shows. I contemplated a list of directors I felt were more qualified to bring For Colored Girls to life: Julie Dash, Kasi Lemmons, Cauleen Smith, Leslie Harris, Gina Prince-Bythewood, or Cheryl Dunye. (This list is in no way comprehensive, but just a sampling of a few dynamic women of color directors/producers) I took a brief pause from my anger and began pondering the possibility that Perry would serve more as the Producer/Presenter of the work (a la Precious) and select a writer and or director to bring Shange's words to life. Alas, this was not the case.

As casting decisions became public knowledge, I allowed myself re-entry into a space of cautious optimism. With dynamic performers such as Phyllicia Rashad, Whoopi Goldberg, Loretta Devine, and Kimberly Elise, I imagined the life these women would bring to these words and the sincerity with which each of these artists could approach performing/articulating black womanhood(s). Surely their ability coupled with the pure brilliance and evocative power of Shange's work would allow for a solid, if not moving film adaptation.

FINALLY... the release of the trailer. My response: CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM! Just hearing the words again, being entranced by a new, collaborative version of Nina Simone's "Four Women," and seeing so many black women being featured in a film led me to a new phase in my outlook about this film. I reaffirmed my belief in the power of black women's stories and the liberatory potential of performance as a vehicle for challenging and empowering marginalized individuals and communities. Although Perry may not have been my first or 30th choice to direct this film, I firmly believe that Shange's words and this collective body of black women performers will offer its audience a glimpse into the transformative space of black feminist cultural production through the lens of stories about and for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf.

Diva Feminism in Motion!?!?

How do we as feminists grapple with "booty politics" when thinking about black female bodies in motion? Let us imagine the possibilities of embracing gyrating black females bodies as both a site of engagement and empowerment. Now I know this can be difficult because of any number of factors: the exploitative nature of global capitalism, stereotypes of black female hypersexuality, the dominance of a patriarchal, heteronormative gaze on black female bodies as sexual objects... the list goes on.... With this in mind, does the elimination of economic gain (e.g. black female pornography actors, black female performers in music videos, or black female strippers) from black female gyrations such as those displayed in the African Soukous Dancer video produce a more "acceptable" context, in which feminists explore the potential for pleasurable objectification? And if so, are we limiting how we think about how black women derive pleasure from controlling/manipulating/exploring their physicality?

Black Entertainment Television banned Ciara's "Ride" video (the 2nd video), stating that "the visuals are too risque." One only needs to watch BET's flagship show, 106&Park to see/hear music videos with explicit sexual content and innuendo. So what in particular about this video resulted in BET deciding to wave the censorship flag? Would BET ban the video of Chantal, the African Soukous Dancer? What differs about her presentation of her body in motion to that of Ciara's? One could argue that the skill sets/levels differ, but what connects both performances is the presentation of the black female body, and in particular the moving hips and buttocks of black women. The performances of both Ciara and Chantal be situated within a black feminist performance aesthetic that simultaneously recognizes the inglorious history of the sexual exploitation of black female bodies AND the empowering potential of black women functioning as authorial subjects who use their bodies as sites of expressivity and engagement.

I know both of these videos inspire me as an artist and scholar. It will also be in constant rotation as part of my Diva Feminist fitness program!

Attention Femcees and B-Girls

Check out this wonderfully brilliant new video from Rapsody, The First Lady of Jamla! Produced by Grammy-Award Winning Producer 9th Wonder & Directed by Kenneth Price.

http://vimeo.com/12944318

Thinking Through the Intangible Cost of Wars of Aggression

http://vimeo.com/12061164

My cousin is currently on her third tour in the Middle East. After witnessing the horrors and violence of war, she has become more invested in peace studies and addressing local, national, and global violent conflicts.

As I think about the phrases like "Support Our Troops," I am struck by the emptiness of such a phrase in terms of us and our troops grappling with realities of the cost of war. This is not a new revelation, but this video has once again reminded me of the losses all families affected by wars incur. This video is not ground-breaking, but it does bring to light a particular experience had by many military families. Kudos to those involved with the production of this video and let us continue to support our loved ones by agitating and becoming vigilante about the true cost of war.

In Memoriam: Dorothy I. Height

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126128076

Swag, Sex & Cipha: Trans/forming Hip Hop in the 21st Century

Femcee Cipher!!!!

http://hiphopwired.com/2010/03/30/who-you-calling-a-bith-a-discussion-on-female-roles-in-hip-hop/

Check me out at Hip Hop Wired!!!!

Baby Got Back!

An interesting study about the health benefits of being "Bootylicious.!

http://www.essence.com/lifestyle/health/experts_say_your_booty_is_good_for_your.php

Almost There From Disney's "The Princess and the Frog"

This scene is the inspiration for my Friday blog. Please check this out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAVM-vwX8Pk