He’s the one who talks of women as “pieces of art”
to be lured at by the male gaze
Of course that’s why we exist,
to appease and gain your oh so great praise
And if you hop on and affirm,
then you earn some cool points for enabling his ways
He’ll say your down –
but what use is ignorant acclaim?
But I don’t blame you trying to gain any crumbs that remain
I can feel like the only option in the
‘Male Monopolised Monopoly’ game
Or sometimes he prefers mammy-esque caricatures
That are “biologically” designed to nurture
And bear stress
Good strong black women, but what about an existence that
doesn’t require a permanent strength harness
oh right,
born to bear the burden,
that’s why we win Oscars as whores, victims, maids and servants –
Emeke demonstrates the problematic nature of black femininity as she considers the impact of negative images that are currently used in media. This is counteracted by representing a spectrum of millennial black women here; a form of resistance. She singles men, politics and art as sources of oppression. Women are ‘pieces of art’, the ‘male gaze’ lures at them; the irony of tone depicts the dissatisfaction of these associations. ‘Oh so great praise’ and ‘ignorant acclaim’ enhance the disillusionment of these ideas, which have become problematic for the millennial. Emeke proves that the struggle for black liberation far from over.
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