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Hello everyone.
Today I’m going to talk about “Freeing my mind from images of a younger body”.
People my age and older have learned to be “body ashamed”.
A lot of people my age and up remember hearing: this color doesn’t match your skin tone, your feet are too big to wear flip flops, cover your arms, your lips are too big for red lipstick, you’re showing too much cleavage, it’s time for you to get a touch up, that dress is a bit too tight, where’s your sheath, etc. Again and again, never, never enough!
After being belittled, by society, because of our race and the constant niggling at home and in the community, it’s a blessing that we (especially black women) have enough self-esteem to leave. the House.
But we left home and were proud of how we looked and behaved.
Let’s move on to today.
In the day/decades ago, Lizzio and other “fat girls” and/or “big girls” would have been “bodily shamed” endlessly.
During my teens and early adulthood, I was not overweight; it’s a weight that I didn’t have to drag.
Janet Jackson is featured in Allure magazine declaring that she is finally comfortable in her body.
I too have started 2022 with a new outlook on life.
I’m not saying that being overweight should be taken lightly, because of possible health issues, but in the meantime, don’t let your weight or your “imperfect body” control your life.
I remember when, after 55 years, I dared to show my arms (go back to the second paragraph). And I still can’t wear a dress without panties. Recently I was discussing the problem with a friend and she told me that she only knew of one place nearby that sold leaflets. Where is the world going?
My son has been telling me for years that I’m still caught up in the 50s and 60s and old people now wear whatever they want (cropped/skinny clothes, heels, plunging necklines, bikinis, etc.). On Christmas Day, I finally took his advice. I put on a pair of leggings, a short denim dress with very short sleeves and flip flops. I felt liberated, although I didn’t come out. To my amazement, the other guest didn’t seem to even notice.
Finally, I started to think like Janet Jackson: I’m comfortable in my body – all the extra pounds, the blemishes, the lipstick, the colorful, low-cut clothes, the flip-flops, the light support and the 70s and up.
“Somebody Somewhere” premiered on HBO. It features a middle-aged woman who has finally found her place in life.
Isn’t it strange that when you finally understand the mechanics of life, your gears start to rust (arthritis, glaucoma, hearing loss, knee replacement, colon issues, acid reflux, fatigue, back pain, etc.) ).
Now let’s move on to another everyday problem.
PBS/WHUT television aired documentaries on the banned subject: racism.
Racism is a very, very complex subject and no one seems to know or agree on how to solve it.
All races have been labeled with stereotypes for centuries.
For the sake of space, I’ll list some common century-old stereotypes for black, Latino (brown) and white races.
Here we are!
“Blacks and Latinos drained the system by abusing public assistance.”
“White people have gutted the system through ‘white privilege’.”
“A black or Latino is not educated/intelligent enough to do the job of a white man (remember black people weren’t allowed to read and write for centuries, but they overcame) .”
“A white male, who is just out of high school, can become a manager in his job in a year while the male classmate with identical grades, high school diploma and identical job evaluations should work the same job for 10, 20 years before becoming an administrator.”
Also, don’t forget the current protest in Texas to ban certain books featuring minorities. And what about the nonsense about President Biden’s promise to appoint a black woman to the Supreme Court. Since 1967, there have been only two blacks (Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, 1991), out of 115 Supreme Court justices, appointed to the Supreme Court. For more than a century, a black woman has never been appointed to the Supreme Court, but there have been white female justices and a Latina justice.
You mean the public is supposed to listen (not believe) the ‘straw poll’ where 75% suggest President Biden should consider all nationalities and not use ‘affirmative action’ to appoint a judge to the Supreme Court.
wow! You don’t even have to be a lawyer to hold a seat on the Supreme Court.
And you mean that in 2022, there is not a single black woman capable of occupying this seat!
You know what > I refuse to write/focus more on stereotypes.
Racism, for me, is vulgar; it’s a bunch of lies meant to break up a race to the point where they feel and are viewed, by like-minded people, as naturally incapable of “behaving acceptably” in society.
Do not mistake yourself. I understand why black people believed/believed some or all of the stereotypes because that was/is how it always appears.
Because of this fact, I have to use another stereotype to get my message across: “Black Christians believe the Lord is supreme and follow/believe His words in the King James Version, New International Version (NIV), English Standard (ESV), etc., where God declares that He is not biased.
“Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation whoever fears him and does what is right is pleasing to him” – Acts 10:34-35 ESV
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 KJV.
The stereotype black people have of the white race and bias is: “The white race has its own Bible and thinks black people and other minorities were created to serve them (not created as an equal).”
Again, it is understandable why so many minorities hold this view. What do you think? Now keep in mind the history, not the theory, of America and its treatment of minorities from the Jim Crow Emancipation Proclamation to the George Floyd/Emmitt Till/ Homer Plessy/1965 and so on.
I don’t know why America’s past isn’t considered “history” and more like “critical thought theory”. This is not a theory! I’ve heard that one of the reasons for calling our history “theory critical thinking” is to not make a certain race feel uneasy about the actions/beliefs of their ancestors. Well, think about this: how do you think the oppressed felt/believed/existed centuries ago and think about how their oppressed parents still feel/believe/exist?
Finally, does it sound racist that only a certain race continues to bear the brunt of an unjust society, shut up and seem to “like” it? If you don’t think that train of thought is racist, what do you call it?
Here are some memorable Bible verses and quotes that relate to humanity today:
“A good man derives good things from the good accumulated in his heart, and an evil man extracts bad things from the evil accumulated in his heart.
For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
Luke 6:45
“So do not be afraid, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV
“Only a fool fights by the ground rules his enemy has laid down for him.” Malcolm X
“Those who can make people believe nonsense can cause atrocities to be committed.” Voltaire
“It’s during our darkest moments that we have to focus to see the light.” Aristotle
“He who is happy will make others happy.” Anne Frank
On January 21 and 22, Carl Bernstein, an author, said on The View that there is little shame in lying these days.
Has “telling lies” just started recently? I wish our ancestors could answer this question
Wesley Chapel AME Zion Church continues to accept donations of tin cans and new or lightly used socks and shoes.
Cans should be distributed to organizations that primarily provide free meals to the needy.
Shoes and socks should be donated to the needy in South Africa.
Reverend Keithon Terry is the pastor of Wesley Chapel AME Zion Church.
The church is located at 1426 Cive Access Rd., Talladega, AL 35160
The church phone number is: 256-362-0159
In closing, I ask with all my being that we reflect on our blessings, give thanks to the Lord, and have empathy for those less fortunate.
Enjoy your day !
Maxine Beck is a columnist for The Daily Home. She writes about the African American community in and around Talladega.
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