#black is poetic
iHeartOG is not Ugly our ideology of Beauty is
I’m disappointed with the negative and dehumanising discourse sounding the “attractiveness” of Ogom Chijindu aka Og, the Nigerian-American reality television personality who appears on Basketball Wives LA.
Please let’s do our best to speak with compassion and understanding, particularly, when it concerns black dark skin women with distinct Afrocentric phenotypes.
The notion that featurismim isn’t real is undermining Og’s (and many other women who look like her) lived experience.
We must acknowledge that, like its ugly cousin RACISM, colourism, featurismim and texturism are all deeply ingrained within our psyche due to the success of White Supremacy.
If featurismim isn’t a thing then why is rhinoplasty surgery so popular among black and brown people? Kelly Rowland, Ciara, Halle Berry and other black female celebrities have surgically alerted their “Afrocentric phenotypes” because anything that has close proximity to whiteness is deemed more attractive.
Unfortunately, European colonizers have successfully engraved their standard of beauty in our minds, that we also succumb to their destructive ideologies by changing the texture of our hair ( or wearing straighter no Afrocentric weaves), lightening our skin complexion, and undergoing invasive (and no intrusive) surgery to alter our distinct African negroid features.
The whole premise of “Pretty for a Dark-skin Girl” is rooted in colourism and featurismim. As the said black girl/woman is deemed attractive because she doesn’t aesthetically look “too African” or “too Black” i.e. she doesn’t have a wide nose, a big pertruding mouth with thick lips, large eyes, basically features that are typically considered “animalistic” or “ugly”.
The gag is, our entire understanding of facial symmetry and perception of beauty was created by old white male biologists/scientists. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that our preferences for lighter skin, softer and slimmer facial features are running rampant in the Black and Brown countries white Europeans colonised ♀️
Let’s re-educate ourselves so we can teach our children that beauty is nuanced, multifaceted, diverse, but more importantly, beauty is skin deep.
Author - @iameriwa
Model - @iheartog
Richly Melanated Queens
They call us “coloured” because of the complexion of our skin.
When in fact the more appropriate term is “richly melanated” as our skin tones are rich, deep and beautiful.
For all my richly melanated women, don’t worry about being overshadowed, just focus on shining bright, the way The Creator made you.
Ladies, always remember to let your light be an inspiration to others.
Author - @iameriwa
MUA - @flawlessfacesbyjane
Photography- @peterusmanphoto
Thinking Out Loud
We cannot dismantle white supremacy without the support of white allies
We cannot deconstruct patriarchal ideologies without the support of men
We cannot heal the wounds of Black women without Black men taking accountability for their role in perpetuating misogynoir
We cannot end hunger or poverty in developing countries without the support of more affluent nations
There is power in collaboration, together we can create the change we so desperately need to see.
Be kind to yourself and your neighbour
Author - @iameriwa
Model - @adwoaaboah
Artist - @langstonamadi
Juneteenth ✊✊✊
