Blackness and Beauty

• #wakandaforever. I am first and foremost, an artist who centres my own liberation from the binding chains of race, gender, class and sexuality. That means that I am often not ‘liked’ because I refuse to play ‘to please.’ The way in which the status quo is ‘offended’ by my insistence to take up space as an African-identified womxn who embodies the fluidity of gender & sexuality is always surprising and very telling of the unlearning that still needs to be done. This is of course tied to centuries of socially conditioned racism, mysogyny, homophobia and classism. Women’s nudity is deemed acceptable when being used to forward a capitalist male agenda seen through the heteronormative gaze, to sell their products by selling images of womxn’s bodies. Not to mention that black womxn’s actual bodies were sold for centuries. Our interpretation of sexuality, sexiness & beauty is also often seen through a myopic Eurocentric lens. As an African womxn I have had to work diligently to re-train my brain & my eyes to innerstand my herstory, my legacy & my beauty that embodies my spirit in & out. This is only one of the reasons why watching the #blackwomen in #blackpantherwas such a spiritual cleansing. I can see the world is changing. And it always has been changing because change is inevitable. In 20 years so much has changed and of course there will be those who resist change. So much more work needs to be done & we are doing it. Chaos & conflict are a part of life. I offer you this image taken in South Africa as the cover image to my album 333 (dbi333.bandcamp.com) as part of my ongoing contribution to change. ‘Who don’t like it, bite it.’ Lol... #growth #change#blackexcellence #gender #sexuality #race#class #artists #art #blackarts #blackartists#black #revolution #333 #change #unicorn#spolrusie #anitafrikamethod #dbiyoung#dbiyounganitafrika #celebrateblackwomen#blackbeauty #blackwomen