Discussion Assignment -

When Lemonade was released last year, everyone was talking about Beyonce and the issue of Jay-z cheating on her with "Becky with the good hair".

This brings us to one of the ways in which various social categories intersect: race and gender. Part of what it means to be a straight woman is to be attractive to men and what it is to be attractive is determined by one's culture. This week, here are a few video clips to get the discussion going.

The first is a clip from the Young Turks discussing Lil Kim's new look after a lot of plastic surgery and skin bleaching. She is almost unrecognizable and explains that men have cheated on her with women who had "more European features".... (ie. "Beckys" with good hair). Then there are some clips on Rachel Dolezal, the last of which is Dolezal on Real Daytime where you can hear hurt in the voices of some of the women who interview her.

There are many questions that arise here. And hair is an interesting theme...especially when you look at the couch of the Real Daytime...

This week we are reading Jill Nelson's "Who is the fairest of them all?" which is relevant to this discussion

What are your thoughts on what it means to be black? On what it means to be a black woman? Is Rachel Dolezal's existence insulting to women who were 'born black' or is that distinction irrelevant? Could Lil' Kim's transformation be viewed as self-expression, or can it only be understood as self-hatred? Is Rachel Dolezal's appropriation of a black identity an exploitation of black culture or a celebration of it? Can we fully understand the social significance (or lack thereof) of these women's choices concerning their appearance separate from their social and historical contexts?

Attachment:- Assignment File.rar