(ThySistas.com) Though the media loves to portray black women not only as vessels of drama, and spectators, there are many of us that nothing to do with such. We don’t deal with it in life, nor do we engage in it for entertainment purposes. It is important for us not to feel that we are less than because we don’t fit into some box of what black women do, read or watch. There are many of us that decide everyday to defy the box and stereotype. While sitting amongst a group of women from different backgrounds I realized there seems to an assumption that we all watch drama reality TV, and Tyler Perry movies.
However, when it was discussed that some of use do not partake of such there seemed to be a disbelief in the room. The kind of confusion lingered in there like the kinds that is present when someone is told not all black people listen to hip-hop. Sometimes various TV genres are watched out of genuine interest, and some are forged over time by the need to not give ratings to shows that should our women in a manner that is degrading to them.
I remember explaining to a fellow sistah, when asked, that I don’t watch reality TV drama shows at all. I’m a firm believer that watching that kind of foolishness invites said energy. There are those that would disagree, but when asked what do I enjoy watching I remember feeling as though we traded movement for bad TV. Some sistahs are big into crime investigation shows, and some feel it teaches them what to look for if a crime were to occur involving them, or someone they know. Others are big into cooking and design shows. It gives them ideas when working on projects in the kitchen or just around the house in general. I know personally that some of us are apart of the Blerd crowd. I don’t watch anything on TV more than anime, and there are many sistahs like me. Countless hours are spent indulging in different anime shows and movies.
Depending on what types on anime one watches there can be many life lessons, and different kinds of thinking that can help us get through various challenges we face in life. Some of us are nostalgic choosing to indulge in old shows from their youth. It takes them back to a time when life may have been a bit simpler and offered valuable wisdom.
Many of us watch TV for various reasons, but it’s not always to catch up on our latest reality TV drama which would involve several shouting matches, and possibly some physical drama that, if it weren’t scripted, would put them in jail. There are so many other things to indulge in, and this leads back to the point that black people, nor black women are a monolith. We are very different in many ways, and that should be expected as we work to break down barriers and stereotypes. Because we engage in so many different forms of screen time how we engage at home, at work, and outside of such can vary drastically. If you aren’t down to watch the next round of black women fight, and degrade each other it’s okay to try something new, or boldly continue watching the things that make you different, but just as much a black woman as the next.
Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James
May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.