Female Masculinity: Disrupting Standards of Beauty and Redefining Womanhood
When I declare, “I am a beautiful woman,” what image comes to mind? Am I smoothly brown-skinned with a figure 8 frame? Am I thin with a flat stomach? Am I stunning with some extra curves?
What about if I have arms of Kobe Bryant? Or the legs of Usain Bolt? Can I have the jaw line of Barack Obama?
Would I be “woman” enough for you? Perhaps, you wouldn’t call me a woman at all. You’re not alone and I’m not pointing the finger. Womanhood and femininity remain inextricably intertwined causing female masculinity to be outside the norm. Thus, your visual discomfort is expected.
The truth is that I don’t have the characteristics of Bryant, Bolt, or Obama. I probably look like your stereotypical image of a “beautiful” Black woman (with a crazy afro); however, I know women who look the opposite. The need to redefine beauty standards and womanhood goes beyond “liberal” ideology and discussion. It’s about women’s empowerment, self-confidence, and inclusion. It’s about recognizing that not all women, even if solely a minority, have to look like each other. It’s bigger than the discourse of body image and weight in popular culture. This is the need to confront the taboo of female masculinity and pay homage to all the women who have lived outside the standard of beauty for too long. In fact, we should chuck the standard all together.
Female masculinity remains a touchy issue for many women, mainly because it often intersects with hard conversations about gender and sexuality norms. Yet this conversation is necessary and also represents a reflection of the deepest fears about ourselves.
How many of us have felt our bodies were wrong or not good enough? Our breasts too small? Too large? Donks too fat? Or perhaps too flat? Shoulders too broad? Face too hard?
The list goes on . . . but let’s take it to the next level.
Imagine having your womanhood questioned. Picture having your self-identified gender rejected by society. Could you take being criticized for your lack of femininity? Perhaps you’re masculine by choice, but what if it’s simply by nature. Your muscles bulge in all the wrong “woman” places. Your body simply doesn’t curve like that coke bottle. It may be like a large, long plank of wood. Despite all of this, you still bask in being a woman and wish that other women would accept you into this sacred community.
When we look at Caster Semenya, what do we see? Is she “beautiful” in our eyes? Be honest, did we wince when we saw her picture for the first time? Does her intersexuality make us uncomfortable in defining her as a beautiful woman?
Could Serena Williams possibly tone her muscles down a bit so they wouldn’t measure up to some of her boyfriends’? Will she ever be deemed a “beautiful” woman with some of her more masculine features?
What about in terms of fashion? Do we secretly wish that Janelle Monae would put on a dress sometimes? If she wasn’t “cute” and petite, would we put her into the “beautiful” woman category?
Here’s one that will make your brain stir: are transgender women allowed into the sacred space of womanhood even though the majority retain physically masculine characteristics?
Yup, I’m sure that one went over the head. Before you start throwing e-beer bottles, I promise that I’m going somewhere with this.
“Beautiful” women shouldn’t have to be feminine. From the time we were little, we’ve had Barbie dolls with proportioned breasts and butts thrown at us with matching feminine attire and a few too many pink accessories. Not all of our mothers looked like this, nor our grandmothers or our aunts, so why do we continue to support this messaging? I have aunts that haven’t worn a pair of heels in their lives! I couldn’t pay some of my female friends to wear a dress if Oprah’s inheritance was on the line (okay, maybe that’s a bit drastic). On the natural side, how many women do we know who could rival some men in physical stature? By solely promoting femininity as beautiful, what type of message does that deliver about the inclusiveness of womanhood? What are we teaching some of our current young girls about beauty and sisterhood? How are you shaping the definition of womanhood? Are you forcing a make-up bag and dress into the arms of your friend, sister, or daughter?
Whether we are masculine by choice or natural design, there should be a space for our reflections to be beautiful amongst other women. This is not about male acceptance; this is an intrinsic conversation amongst all of us who share this wonderful, yet challenging, experience of being a woman. While beauty starts from within, self-confidence can be propelled through the strong support of sisterhood. Remember the women who uplifted you when you doubted yourself. It is no different here.
The next time you see a masculine woman, tell her that she is beautiful. She’s not pretending to be something she is not. She simply is expressing herself without barriers, pretenses, or femininity.
80 Comments – Add Yours
Latest Articles
Most Popular This Week
Recent Comments
-
H on
On Plate Fixing and Other Wifely Duties
When you're with a good guy and he's appreciative, it's fine. When a person expects you to do things simply because you're a woman and...
-
Andrea on
When You’re A White Straight Comic, Bigotry’s All About the Joke
My thoughts as well.
-
Crystal on
#PayYourBillsDiddy? Photographer Takes to Twitter to Get Diddy to Pay Up
I know a few people who have worked for Diddy and they did not get paid, or they got paid late. He is notorious for this. Some people,...
-
Elle Michelle on
Meagan Good Tells Life & Style She & Her Fiancée Are Waiting For Their Wedding Night
@Yulez: Preach!
I agree Amanda, just exclude Skechers, and form-fitting jeans from your list, lol.
The real issue here is how Black women & girls have been ROBBED of their femininity to appease and soothe the egos of a certain group of weak, fragile individuals, and then those same sorry individuals want to go and whine about Black females supposed “Lacking” femininity. What a joke.
Sistahs need to re-claim their femininity and forget those weaklings.
Nothing cute about a woman who doesn’t embrace her femininity. The ends of time are near when we can’t tell the difference between men and woman. That person in the picture is not attractive. There is no way around it. I like masculine men and feminine women. I am not trying to embrace anything to the contrary. And that’s OK.
Thank you for writing this article on this website. I identify as a lesbian and I love women in all of their forms, super femme all the way to super masculine. The article you wrote was an awesome introduction to gender theory and an excellent conversation starter. Our gender binary does way more harm than good to women and men. when it is unacceptable by society to be who you are because its not “feminine enough” or something that “boys don’t do” it leads to all sorts of issues with the psyche. That’s why eatting disorders are rampant and sometimes these issues can lead to more such as self mutilation and suicide attempts. Why do we, as a society, cling to something that is so very harmful to us? Especially when it’s completely and utterly socially constructed, meaning all it takes is an agreement to collectively change our minds about what it means to be a woman or a man. Bravo for your piece, I appreciate it and I know there are plenty of others who do as well.
P.S. while reading some of the comments I was reminded of why my entire network of friends embraces all the body types and gender representations that people come up with. Some of these comments represented the general hostility that many have toward people who “rock the boat” so to speak when it comes to gender. It’s only a couple small steps forward to bashing which can be verbal/physical/mental abuse and even more. So please everyone who reads this think about how your thoughts/actions may be in fact perpetuating violence.
totally agree.
cosign!
female masculinity is NOT an oxymoron, it’s a reality. just because, as usual, some people are unfamiliar with or uneducated about the subject, does not mean it doesn’t exist. i’ve always personally believed that masculinity and femininity were ways of being that didn’t belong to any particular sex and that a man, woman, or intersexed person can express any kind of femininity,masculinity, androgyny, or any gender presentation/identity they choose. i do believe that masculine women are beautiful and are real women and i believe that transgendered and transsexual women are real women as well. caster semenya is biologically of an indeterminate sex, but she identifies as a woman and no one has the right to contradict that. serena williams is muscular because of her body structure and athleticism but that doesn’t make her any less of a woman than someone who is more petite. and whether janelle monae was petite or not i still wouldn’t question her sexuality solely based on the way she dressed. a woman’s sexual orientation shouldn’t be the subject of speculation just because she likes to wear pants or is HORROR OF HORRORS not overtly sexualized. maybe she wants people to concentrate more on her lyrics then her body. anyway, i agree with others that the gender binary needs to be discarded and people need to be allowed to freely express their gender indentities in a way that is comfortable for them.
sloane say: serena williams is muscular because of her body structure and athleticism but that doesn’t make her any less of a woman than someone who is more petite
This is what I meant by oxymoron. Whether a woman has a muscular build or whether she perfers gym attire over dresses does not make her any more or less a WOMAN. We come in many different forms yet we are all women!
Masculine does not equal muscular.
@sloane I felt the need to send you some love directly. I always enjoy reading your comments (and half the time I’m on the floor rolling over in laughter). You’re hilarious but also poignant and insightful. There is so much to discuss within the realm of gender & sexuality. Thank you so much for your support!
(and thank you to everyone for your comments, @sloane was one of my frequently active commenters from last week, so I wanted to send him some love)
@arielle- thanks for the love! right back at you! your articles are seriously some of the most insightful, astute, thought-provoking, and EDUCATIONAL articles i’ve read on this website. you adamantly encourage people to really examine their thoughts and biases about sexual orientation and gender-identity on a black oriented website (which is no easy feat) and i will always appreciate you for that.
btw: i’m a woman and i’m a lesbian. ;- )
@ beef bacon- i may have misunderstood your intent.
my fault sis! I swore that I read you were a dude in my last piece. I’m tired this morning lol I’m likely hallucinating.
much love regardless lol thanks for following :-)
it’s cool. i don’t mind. ;- )
“Redefine” this, “redefine” that, nix XYZ tradition, get rid of the thing over there, give up your faith beliefs, and even if an individual looks like a baboon’s butt ‘include’ them, lie and say they’re beautiful anyway…blah blah blah.
*side eye* …yep!
An individual is free to “redefine” whatever they choose but they should never expect others to wholesale agree, follow along or even consider the conversation “necessary” or important in the least!
I get hit on by females often though I’m not checkin’ for no chick but I’ve seen ‘masculine’ chicks (lesbians) who were physically/facially attractive (which had nothing to do with makeup, dresses or pumps) and many who were not. That’s just the way it is flat out and, as far as I can tell, they are free to express themselves how they choose and no one is stopping them. So what’s the problem?
Won’t change people’s ideas on what they personally consider/find beautiful or attractive and that’s the bottom line.
Has it been confirmed that Caster is “intersexed”? Everything I read about her said that she was eligible to compete. I think that a pretty big leap to make if it hasn’t been confirmed.
Yes, it has. she has a pair of active internal testes, which gives her the unfair disadvantage in women’s sports of a woman who is taking high-quality steroids. It’s also why she looks so masculine, and not just muscular.
intersexed doesn’t need quotation marks. it’s a medical term. and yes it’s been proven that she’s intersexed.
@emlyne-are you sure that her internal testes gurantee her an unfair advantage?
I’ve heard mews reports that she was, but it really hasn’t been confirmed either way tbh.
I am not going to be so politically correct to act like Caster looks like anything other than a man. Beauty don’t live there and never will. I do think Serena is very sexy and attractive. I know we all want to make everybody feel good about themselves but it is what it damn is. I’m not going to pretend everything and everyone is attractive .They are not. And “female masculinity” is just another gay rights phrase like “heteronormality”. Spare me.
it’s heteronormative. and how is female masculinity a gay rights phrase
@Sloane: I was just thinking the same thing. A masculine looking or acting woman can be just as straight as a prim, proper, lipstick and skirt wearing woman can be gay. As for intersexed people, how can the possibly be labeled as either? This has nothing to do with being gay unless the woman in question were actually a homosexual. You are entitled to your opinion and I agree that I do not find Caster (or Venus and Serena, for that matter) beautiful, but it’s a matter of personal aesthetics/preference. Just because someone finds someone attractive doesn’t mean that everyone will or should and in the same respect, you or I deeming someone unattractive doesn’t mean the world needs to hold to that as gospel.
first of all, the term is heteronormative. second, how is female masculinity a gay rights phrase WHEN THERE ARE PLENTY OF STRAIGHT WOMEN WHO ARE MASCULINE? what this article is trying to point out to you, and others who don’t think “this conversation is important” is that gender presentation and even biological sex is not so black and white, and that beauty can be found in everyone. should masculine women go unacknowledged or be thought of as unattractive because you can’t see beyond what you’ve been taught was beautiful? i don’t think so.
@Sloane: My last comment was directed at Jason and I was in total agreement with you, so why the rant?
@ Jason – “…I am not going to be so politically correct to act like Caster looks like anything other than a man. Beauty don’t live there and never will.”
Sorry had to laugh at that.
Interesting article, but a certainly a mind field, especially in a society that is SO wrapped up in how people look.
I have to agree with Jason (partly), I cannot look at Caster and say she’s beautiful. But I think Serena is pretty and Laila Ali is gorgeous. I’ve seen women who have the carriage of a tomboy that are gorgeous. People criticize Ciara because she’s muscular. I think she’s gorgeous.
But at the end of the day, it’s all subjective.
I think the bottom line is that our definition of femininity needs to evolve.
emelyne- my commentary was directed towards jason.
Provocative piece as usual. Still in the processing phase. I read it yesterday and again today in an effort to think about what I thought… still processing in fact but here goes anyway…
Is womanhood synonymous with femininity or beauty? I think the umbrella of womanhood is large enough and does allow for all women (by most people), it’s when the subcategories of femininity and beautiful are thrown out that it becomes less inclusive… as they are subject to subjectivity, socialization, and are not mutually exclusive. I think that’s one of the issues the author is highlighting… for a woman to be regarded as beautiful she shouldn’t have to be feminine. That I agree with, and there are many “masculine” women that I think are beautiful, and feminine women who I probably wouldn’t. With respect to self identified women who are transgender or hermaphrodites, I guess the “label” of womanhood is further distorted because biology is debatable.
At present, we as a collective attribute certain traits and aesthetic value to the word beautiful. This is impacted by messages received in our respective cultures. Femininity and masculinity- like all words, represent concepts… are also symbolic of things. They are in essence what we say they are. So, with that reasoning they all can be typified by whatever society chooses to place under each word category. Should we as a whole change? That can be argued of course, and I think it is being argued. Though it isn’t a quick or easy task, society is forever changing, so it’s possible.
This issue is similar to our formations regarding Anglo ideals of beauty. I tell some of my boys who are vocal about their physical preferences, that the reason they find women with light complexions and long straight hair attractive, is they’re socialized in a society that exalts European beauty. They argue, “That’s just my preference… what I like.” And they aren’t lying, it is their preference. But it is also true that they are clueless as to how much what we prefer is influenced by the culture in which we live.
That being said, I’m not much better. I’m a product of all this crap. Let he without sin right… Although I think women considered masculine can be beautiful in the aesthetic and the essence of a person sense, and I’ve witnessed many, I’m no different from my boys. I tend to find feminine women more attractive. The difference is that I’m aware society has done a number on me. Will I do the internal work to change it? Usually we individually change what we deem necessary to change. If I were to meet an amazing woman who wasn’t the archetype of femininity, then I may be forced to contend with it… I guess I might have to do that work prior in order to be open to this amazing women if I happen across her.
Since beauty is socially constructed and about the subjective viewer, then all we really can do is assert that masculine females are beautiful too (I certainly think so about the woman in the picture), whether every subjective individual agrees or not. Same holds true with feminine men, short men, tall women, dark, light, or overweight people… the list is never ending. I think what’s most necessary is their acceptance of themselves and recognizing their own beauty in a society that tries to make it something debatable. Society does need a renovation, and since WE are society, then we all, them included, gotta go inward first.
Awesome comment! and I definitely appreciate you for “processing” and re-reading. I love how you addressed “preferences” being products of socialization. That’s powerful for me and definitely something that’s relatable to some black men (young and old) and their “preferences” for more “anglo-looking” (read: lighter skin, straight hair) black women. Funny enough, my younger sister said something truly interesting to me last week about her friends telling her that she was “real dark,” she then pointed to a caramel brown woman in a magazine and asked me if they had the same complexion. I replied yes but then proceeded to question her on why it mattered. She couldn’t answer me and when I pushed and pushed, it finally came out that she preferred to be seen as “lighter” and not “dark.” hmmm wonder where she got that from???? Of course, we’re socialized and regardless of how much internal “work” we do on ourselves, it does matter what society feeds us because it impacts us on a larger scale.
Getting back to the issue of female masculinity, I’m encouraging women in this article to uplift each other. To all the brothas who commented saying Caster wasn’t attractive and looked like a dude, this article really wasn’t for you (even though I appreciate you reading). I specifically said “this isn’t about male acceptance.” What I’m proposing is that in addition to self-acceptance is that women also accept, uplift, and proclaim the diversity of our beauty. That to me would be a powerful step (and one that many women have already taken). There’s only so much work that you can do by yourself :-)
Thank you Fallible Sage for commenting, I know you hit me up on Twitter earlier saying that you were processing, I appreciate you coming back and dropping thoughts :-)
@ fallible sage-i really appreciate your open-minded and prolific commentary.
@Fallible Sage
Well said and I appreciate your commentary. I think you are absolutely right that the whole conversation gets muddled when “beauty” or “femininity” gets added to the mix.
So many who want Black women to be men. Self-explanatory.
I get and enjoyed this article. However, the face you used (your article picture of Caster Semenya) was the last one you should have picked. this women is biologically a hermaphrodite, who has a pair of internal testes, which are active and produce testosterone. Biologically, sincce she has a vagina, but no uterus or other female organs, she is more man than woman. her physique is the result of much more than athleticism. This was discovered when judges demanded a steroid test on her about a year back and she was given a full gynocelogical exam. Venus, Serena, and any other female athlete would have made a better poster child.
please don’t refer to her as a hermaphrodite. the correct term is intersexed. many intersexed people see hermaphrodite as a perjorative term.
My bad. I hadn’t even heard the term intersexed until this post. Ignorance sure is a quick way to unintentionally insult people.
Apologies to any intersexed individuals who may have read my comment…
I understand why some would be against the term hermaphrodite, but I use it rather than intersexed in this case simply because Caster has no hormone producing female internal organs, just female parts (a vagina). And her internal testes are active, unlike that of some intersexed people, so she is getting a steady stream of testosterone, like a man, or a woman using high quality anabolic steroids. It is s an unfair advantage; it’s just that in her case, this isn’t cheating, it’s biological.
@Sloane: I do apologize if my use of the term hermaphrodite was offensive; I did not mean for it to come off as such.
Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes & shades.
LOVE this article! As a 42 year old female competition powerlifter, I get lots and lots of attention in the gym. I’m the only woman on my powerlifting team right now, and I can out-lift some of the men in the gym. A lot of the men in the gym think that’s daggoned sexy, although there are a few who don’t. But I get plenty of attention, too, because I’m a curvy, sexy, well-dressed, vivacious, happy, and woman who wears her confidence like the badge of honor that it is. Those same men in the gym are just as quick with the compliments when they see me strut in with my work clothes on as they are when they see me deadlift 280 lbs – multiple times with the ugly face and noise required – with the boys. Some men have been put off by my little hobby (I also salsa, ride horses, and do a whole slew of other things that I enjoy) and think it’s not ladylike. That’s fine – they’re not the kind of men I want in my life anyway. I firmly believe that the measure of a lady is not in the kinds of things she does, but the way in which she carries herself when she does them. And I pull it all off quite well.
@ sloane
When I say they are gay rights phrase I mean it is part of the language of engagement used on sites when pushing a gay rights agenda. Another one of their absurd phrases is “cis gendered female”. What is a “cis gendered female” ? A woman–who identifies herself as a woman. So if you are a female who considers herself a female don’t call yourself a woman–that’s hetronarmative bigotry–call yourself a cis gendered woman. Do it for your transvestite sisters.self esteem. But be sure not to call the whole thing ‘lame’ as that is “ableist” language! I reject all this PC nonsense.
I know I misspelled ‘heteronormative’
And let me say this, I am not opposed to any group seeking their constitutional rights regardless who is opposed or not, and I don’t think rights should be voted on and I think we have a democracy not a theocracy. What I resent is when tolerance is not a two way street and when others feel they have a right to impose their ‘truths’ on everyone else.
i know you misspelled it. did you do it purposely? i still don’t think the concept of female masculinity should be thought of as “gay rights phrase” when there are plenty of straight women, here and otherwise, who in plain english have asserted that their womanhood does not easily correlate with traditional concepts of femininity and that they are in fact masculine? and yes, in certain circles i do refer to myself as cisgender woman out of respect for my transGENDERED brethren, because it is a privilege to be cisgendered. and i also try to be cognizant of using ableist language. i think its just a part of being a social concious and open-minded person, and being aware that because of certain circumstances beyond a person’s control (like their gender identity, sex, or physical abilities) you are in a privileged position in society, and the least you can do is use language that recognizes that.
But, Jason, don’t you get it?
If you don’t agree or wholesale swallow the rhetoric you’re not a deep thinker, able to think out-of-the-box, or courageous enough to challenge your opinions and beliefs. *snick*
Yes, that was sarcasm as I agree with you wholeheartedly. Things are getting out of hand with folks trying to force others to allow dudes to go to class wearing pumps, dictate which words others can use, decide which faith beliefs one can/should hold etc. I’m neither Democrat nor Republican and, more and more, I’m noticing a lot of progressive liberals also turning off to the demands and whining of the puny PC police and are not having it!
I understand why you viewed both terms as “gay rights phrases”. “Heternormative” was coined by a gay male named Warner back in the 90’s; “female masculinity” by Judith Halberstam (transgender who now goes by the name Jack Halberstam) in a book of the same name where she/he basically attempted to refute the idea that butch lesbians are broke-down imitations of real men.
As to Caster? I also agree with you that she looks like a man (or hermaphrodite). Even with the term “intersex” there are those offended by/opposed to it and prefer DSD (disorders of sex development) so, obviously, there is no consensus (or winning) and a zero gain in bowing down to PC-ness.
Good information that even further the politics behind those words. It’s not enough to live and let live, it’s live and think according to approved mindstate.
Correction: “progressive Democrats”
[...] Female Masculinity: Disrupting Standards of Beauty and Redefining Womanhood (clutchmagonline.com) [...]
I have the utmost sympathy for Caster for what she had to endure and Serena is a straight diva muscles and all, but Janelle is just tragic despite her doe eyes and petite frame. We are different and no amount of male clothes is going to change the fact that we ovulate, bear children, and are more likely to cry than the average man. And I’m sorry but black women in America really need to reclaim femininity. I’m tired of us being the bottom of the woman food chain. Of course stereotypes and cultural norms play into it, but some of the post-puberty style choices/mannerisms don’t help either. Just be feminine — gay or straight, Caster Semenya or Gabrielle Union, young or old — it’s not that hard.
[...] the rest on Carnal Nation and Clutch Magazine Tags: Carnal Nation, Clutch Magazine, Female Masculinity, [...]
of course some folks with trite definitions of gender presentation would be simple enough to think that butch women are just a poor imitation of men ::rolling my eyes::
anyway, there is nothing wrong with expanding your horizons and being cognizant of concepts outside of what is “mainstream”. it makes you a well rounded person. and since when is a man wearing pumps actually hurt anybody (except the man wearing the pumps depending on what shoes they’re wearing). traditional concepts of masculinity and femininity have hurt actually hurt people, such as the gay, straight, bi, intersexed, and transgendered who don’t fit into them. and just because a term is coined by a gay person, doesn’t mean it’s not universal. it’s utterly ridiculous that because jack halberstam may have created the term that it isn’t a reality some straight women are living.
* i meant- traditional concepts of masculinity and femininity have actually hurt people
and i aso want to add that while there is currently dissension amongst intersexed folks about what terminology they want to use, hermaphrodite is a word that pretty universally agreed upon as an insulting word. and if you are referring to a community or group of folks, the least you can try to do is be (or try to be) cognizant of nomenclature that is respectful and affirming to them.
******************************************************************************************************************
Jason wrote: “What I resent is when tolerance is not a two way street and when others feel they have a right to impose their ‘truths’ on everyone else. …It’s not enough to live and let live, it’s live and think according to approved mindstate.”
******************************************************************************************************************
You’ve hit the nail on the head!
The conflict arises when those within the gay/lesbian community behave as if the issue is a one-way street and only one side (certainly not theirs) has to bend or give a little — which is not.happening!!
It’s hilarious how some of them fancy themselves so ‘well-rounded’, ‘open-minded’ and having ‘expanded horizons’ — when those characteristics are the exact opposite of what they show regarding religion and people’s faith beliefs. Also, I fail to see ‘open-mindedness’ when a minority insists the majority twists and bends to their will and change things i.e.:
- redefine the “binary” for “masculine”
- change the “binary” for “feminine” because it’s too rigid
- use “intersexed” and don’t say “hermaphrodite”
- employ the term “intersexed” and totally disregard the fact that many despise it and prefer DSD
- refer to X as “cisgendered” (feels they were born the correct gender) to appease the sensibilities of the “transgendered” (feels they were not born the correct gender)
- rethink using “he/she” in place of “transgendered”
- disavow all faith beliefs and replace them with those of the LGBT community
- on and on and on about this and demanding that
Those who view things differently and are not intimidated or prone to bow down and obey all orders are, of course, “ableists” but these are not ‘demands’ most are going to go for – especially when delivered with vinegar!!
I agree that “live and let live” in addition to supporting equal rights and protection under the law (with one’s voice and vote) is important and may be all that another has the right to ask of others. IMO a lot of the other stuff is a bit arrogant, nit-picky, silly and a waste of time (oil spill in the gulf, civil wars around the world, health crises, unemployment etc. beckons) — and I’m not playing anyone’s PC game and will use whatever words I d@mn well please, including hermaphrodite.
******************************************************************************************************************
Madame B. wrote: “I have the utmost sympathy for Caster for what she had to endure and Serena is a straight diva muscles and all, but Janelle is just tragic despite her doe eyes and petite frame.”
******************************************************************************************************************
It’s unfortunate that others have probably said hurtful things, questioned and called Caster a boy/male to her face, openly ridiculed within earshot and stared most of her life. Her physical appearance is obviously visible to observers and no amount of wishful-thinking or PC platitudes are going to make others not notice these things or force them to find X, Y or Z beautiful/attractive when they simply don’t.
The only area where this whole Kumbaya inclusion pitch/ article could possibly be truly practical or helpful is as a reminder to be mindful of another’s struggles, careful with their hearts, gentle with their feelings and nix the staring, name-calling in their faces and being flat out thoughtless and mean — no different than the things most of our parents taught us from the time we began to talk.
I don’t find Janelle “tragic” in the least. I think her hairstyle is unattractive, hideous-looking, over-the top and too much (because she is petite) but she is drop-dead gorgeous with beautiful facial features and skin-tone. I’m cool with women like Beyoncé tastefully showing off their sexy bodies but I can also dig Janelle’s choice to go a different route, cover in pants and long sleeves, and place the primary focus on her art.
I’m a huge fan of Serena’s. She’s a pretty smile, her body is sick, and I dig other athletes and others who are healthy, take care of themselves and keep their bodies tight. I wouldn’t label Serena ugly but the fake hair doesn’t help and she’s a bit manly-looking in the face and sort of a ‘buttaface’.