My Black is Beautiful

Horace Pippin 1888-1946

Today I was teaching my first graders about Horace Pippin and in an instance they laughed at his lips, as children will do, however, this was that teachable moment of the beauty of our differences and how our features accentuate a painting, drawing, sculpture, and other works.

The black form has been used for centuries in the arts as well as in design. Through the late 1800′s, the bustle was created by the Queen of England at the time eyeing the form of African women. The bustle was made to look like a black ass woman in a sundress…lol…rather a regal woman in her native attire in all of her beauty. Her astounding gorgeousness led an entire fashion movement that stayed well within fashion and costume history for many years to come.

The fact that some could even be talked down too, ridiculed, or bullied for being too poor to sport these fashions is a winner within itself.

The slim waist and well-ample buttocks of the African woman also led to the design of the corset. The corset was used much like a waist trainer to accentuate and make the woman look much like an hourglass.

Therefore in the great words of the exceptional poet, Kendrick Lamar, who simply states, “I am sick and tired of the photoshop”, in an audacious voice and humble vibe, it is necessarily believed and will remain believed that we as black women are simply beautiful and when the world recognizes and admires the beauty they take the entire idea and snatch each and every fiber of it from our being, then ridicule us for being ourselves.

Back to the lecture at hand, I had a chance to teach my students to simply love themselves and the people that have paved a way for them. Today I taught them that every black feature really does matter and each image that they see needs to be importantly recognized. Black art really does matter.