White<-->Black ?

For centuries, images like this one, have been considered THE NORM. The white women, with their slender bodies, blond hair, and blue eyes were seen as perfection in the eyes of the white males in charge. The black women were seen as overweight, and often their role was subservient to the white females.

I really liked the idea that Alienation took in the blog post "What if Black women were White women?" I thought that the idea itself, to turn the roles that each type of women is considered to inhibit was genius. I think that the blog post did a great job presenting what it would be if white women were taken by the society the way that black women are, and vice versa. I definitely believe that this blog post presented a new perspective to this racial debate, that we might nto necessarily consider otherwise.

However, one thing stroke me with this post. As I was reading it, I realized that instead of fighting the stereotypes that are still persistent in our society, it actually reinforced it. I thought that by saying what would white women be like if they were what black women are today, the blog post literally described, and furthered the stereotypes that today's world has about the black women. And vice versa. When the post described what the life of black women would be like if they were considered the way that white women are treated and perceived today, it described the stereotypical image of the white women, and did not consider the reality as it is. Hmmm... I'm not sure if what I am saying is 100% clear... I guess maybe I'll try to explain it in class somehow???




Finally... I came across this picture, that appeared as a main point of discussion on this blog, and I found it extremely interesting. I automatically thought of the commodification of the female body, and of the prevailing ideologies of the female beauty that our society upholds. The white, blond female is considered perfection in the world we live in. And I just found it extremely ironic, that a person like Beyonce, who is always proud of her body, and is not afraid to show it off, would agree to make her appearance look "so white" in this L'Oreal add, instead of trying to show off her beauty. Any thoughts?