This HelloGiggles piece is about how I started to disregard all the societal policing of what it means to be Black.
If there’s one thing society can agree on, it’s dictating what Black people are allowed to be, whether it’s in real life or on the big screen. I’ve lost track of all the times someone’s imposed their expectations on me—how I should talk, what I can like or wear, who I can hang out with. As a result, I’ve never felt entirely comfortable with myself.
I’ve experienced guilt for being attracted to white men, shame for liking pop punk and alternative rock, and isolation because I painted my nails black. I grew up seeing myself as less than because so many people—from classmates to friends to my own family—implied I wasn’t a genuine Black person. After all, Black culture is monolithic; there’s no room for outliers.
I’ve spent the better part of three decades having this message burned into my brain; Pavlov’s dogs had less conditioning than me. And I’m still struggling to unlearn the misconceptions of “true Blackness.” But something that’s helped me is connecting with Black characters I see on the screen through the pop culture I consume. While I shouldn’t be surprised, considering how much TV I consume, I truly never thought it could have such a profound effect on me—that was until I started watching This Is Us.
Read it here
Photo by Autumn Goodman on Unsplash
