Can Black boys and men be “beautiful”?
Can they be beautiful if they aren’t muscled and large with lowcut hair affecting a huge masculine presence?
Can they be beautiful with straight hair and slighter bodies?
Can they be beautiful if their features aren’t read as “mixed” or they aren’t considered to be “striking” with some feature that is so extreme it is read as uniquely beautiful?
I think we can, but I think that in a society that ain’t never loved us, we have to blaze our trails and set fire to the path to light up our way.
In the following podcast, I read the tweets of the one and only @MalePocahontas about being a Black man and daring to defy the archetype of beauty that’s been laid out for us. The archetype of beauty that, if you don’t conform to strictly, you can be punished for.
Afterward, I springboard from his points to talk a little bit about hair and the spaces we have to make and maintain. And ask the audience to engage in reflection about how they can broaden the archetype.
Without further adoooo… LEGGO!
Black Queer Men and Beauty (feat. @MalePocahontas) by Sagesaturn on Mixcloud
If you can’t listen to the podcast, check out the tweets at the very least! Check out the entire thread by clicking the link to the tweet below:
I find it very difficult to talk about self worth and body image on here without sounding self hating.
— Unapolagetic (@MalePocahontas) November 30, 2015
Share your thoughts in the comments section or tweet us @ConQueerMag! Don’t forget to show love and follow @MalePocahontas!
