Being Black Is Not a Monolith

Soooo we’re still putting limits and restrictions on what Black is??? I thought we’d addressed this before…but maybe not. I’m not going to hold you, but yeah…about that. Saw a post on Facebook about the Jonathan Majors Ebony Magazine cover shoot. The individual who wrote the post was pitting the February Valentine’s shoot of Majors against Black masculinity. Stating that images such as those of Jonathan Majors were emasculating and promoting Black men being feminine.

The pictures of Majors are soft (some were based on an Anime character). The colors are pinks, reds, blushes…colors not traditionally associated with masculinity. His poses are thoughtful, emotional, sensual, and relaxed. The clothing is minimal (IYKYK J), but the textures and patterns are again not traditional of those of a “man.” Even in that…what are manly poses, colors, or textures? Which brings me to my point. Why are we putting limits on what presents as a “man”? More specifically, a Black man or just a Black person.
 
How many times have we attached a negative description to a Black person based on them just BEING? Being Black is not a monolith. Black people represent over 13% of the population…that’s over 40 million people! 40 million people from different communities, political views, expectations, backgrounds, perspectives, and so much more. So someone please tell me how we can demand another Black person fit into these made-up categories. We allow space for other races to be their seemingly authentic selves; however, that may present, but for some reason, Black people put boxes around other Black people, and if you don’t fit into those sometimes warped views, you’re ________ (fill in the blank with whatever negative adjective of your choosing).
Look at the Black TV shows that have run within the last 2-3 years…Grand Crew, Harlem, Abbott Elementary, First Wives Club, and so many more showcase the eclectic personalities, styles, and preferences of Black people. We see in these shows Black people being nerds, quirky, eccentric, sexual, reserved, and a lot more! There’s space for that.
 
Being Black is not a monolith. We require other races to see Us, but I want US to see US. Open your mind, reevaluate your thought process, and question yourself. Where did I get the idea that a particular attribute must look like this? Who taught me that “cool” only behaves one way? Allow people to just BE. If you rock with it, you rock with it; if you don’t, you don’t.