Homage to My Hips
by Lucille Clifton
these hips are big hips.
they need space to
move around in.
they don't fit into little
petty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don't like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top
~~~
Michelle Obama has forced America (and the world) to openly pay tribute to the beauty and style of a (dark-skinned) Black woman. Yes, there have been several black women held up as "sexy" or beautiful, but typically those women are entertainers or professional athletes, and have not garnered half as much admiration as the new first lady. Mrs. Obama is neither entertainer nor athlete. She is a mom, wife, ivy-league educated attorney, and fierce.
As the world celebrates a new view of of American beauty, the rest of us are left to grapple with what Mrs. O means in relation to the historical view of Black women. For years we were seen as mere chattel, commodities, or as exotics. Will the adoration Michelle Obama is receiving change the way Black women are portrayed in the American media? Will we finally be seen as more than just a "big butt and smile"?
I was invited to take part in an interesting podcast hosted by my girl, M.Dot and tomorrow we will be discussing the dynamics of Michelle Obama and the Black Female Body . Please listen & call in to share your thoughts.
i.can't.wait.
Listen Live on BlogTalkRadio tomorrow at 6pm Est (3pm PST)
Call in (347) 843-4723
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LOVE the poem! I am a fan of Ms. Clifton. She writes with a grown woman mind!
and Michelle Obama...FABULOUS!
One of the things I find most interesting in the talk around Ms. Obama is the focus on her arms-- is it because it is a "safe" body part? Is it because we aren't used to our "pretty" women being physically strong? Is it because we want to look at the outer strength of a woman with such inner-strength?
I think Michelle Obama is a fantastic woman, and I love that she's become a modern fashion icon-- but I'm disappointed that the focus of what I hear is her fashion, and not her iniatives as First Lady.
I absolutely love the poem.
Oh yeah, Patrick Ewing in a skirt.
I'm tired of women telling men not to appreciate a female public figure's sexuality, then in the next breath telling us what we should notice.