The Absence Of Colour
MIMI Features
Written By: Annameka Porter-Sinclair
Photo Credits: None
Caption: None
.
As a Jamaican born black woman brought up in a muli-cultural environment in the UK that is now it’s own entity as a conglomeration
of cultures, identity has always been an issue of interest. In a country that fundamentally attained it’s supremacy through exploration
and discovery of new land and civilisations, where it’s economic development and technological geometry is structured and built by
many cultures, how does one find one's self by looking back, at the trail of hurt and injustice that brought my ancestry to the
Caribbean, or looking out to today’s news at the black on black violence in the UK, where second generation Caribbean youth and
African youth are in conflict?
.
With hurt behind you and conflict in the present, I long for a distraction as do many. So how does the twenty something black British
women define herself outside from her career or loved ones? A great aspect of being a woman is our innate desire to focus on
beauty, the physical self. I can only speak of what I have observed; I see a lot of black British seeking for a sense of self, clinging to
their culture, in a media drenched environment that caters for the white British demographic.
.
Media representation of the black woman is limited in the UK, there are few and far between main stream magazines that feature
black female issues or even commercials that cater for ethnic female cosmetics and beauty products, let's be honest, Pantene isn’t
for afro hair. The physical definition of beauty of the black woman is silenced in the media only showing black females with
European features or build, ask Naomi Campbell how much work she gets, and how much more work she would get if she took out
the European hair extensions and contact lenses and kept the afro, don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with women
experimenting with beauty, because that’s what we do, it’s the lack of physical definition of real solid black beautiful women in a
media rich consumer marketing society that I take issue with.
MIMI Features
Written By: Annameka Porter-Sinclair
Photo Credits: None
Caption: None
.
As a Jamaican born black woman brought up in a muli-cultural environment in the UK that is now it’s own entity as a conglomeration
of cultures, identity has always been an issue of interest. In a country that fundamentally attained it’s supremacy through exploration
and discovery of new land and civilisations, where it’s economic development and technological geometry is structured and built by
many cultures, how does one find one's self by looking back, at the trail of hurt and injustice that brought my ancestry to the
Caribbean, or looking out to today’s news at the black on black violence in the UK, where second generation Caribbean youth and
African youth are in conflict?
.
With hurt behind you and conflict in the present, I long for a distraction as do many. So how does the twenty something black British
women define herself outside from her career or loved ones? A great aspect of being a woman is our innate desire to focus on
beauty, the physical self. I can only speak of what I have observed; I see a lot of black British seeking for a sense of self, clinging to
their culture, in a media drenched environment that caters for the white British demographic.
.
Media representation of the black woman is limited in the UK, there are few and far between main stream magazines that feature
black female issues or even commercials that cater for ethnic female cosmetics and beauty products, let's be honest, Pantene isn’t
for afro hair. The physical definition of beauty of the black woman is silenced in the media only showing black females with
European features or build, ask Naomi Campbell how much work she gets, and how much more work she would get if she took out
the European hair extensions and contact lenses and kept the afro, don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with women
experimenting with beauty, because that’s what we do, it’s the lack of physical definition of real solid black beautiful women in a
media rich consumer marketing society that I take issue with.
