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November 24, 2008

It’s Nice To See A Brown Girl Get Some Attention

By Michael Shaw

The Meaning Of Michelle.jpg

In a cover story by Allison Samuels that includes the following very meaningful passage…

As my brunch friends and I continued talking about Michelle, our conversation wandered into one area we seldom discuss, even among our families and closest confidantes. Michelle is not only African-American, but brown. Real brown. In an era when beauty is often defined on television, in magazines and in movies as fair or white skin, long straight hair and keen features, Michelle looks nothing like the supermodels who rule the catwalks or the porcelain-faced actresses who hawk must-have cosmetics. Yet now she’s going to grace the March cover of Vogue magazine—the ultimate affirmation of beauty.

Who and what is beautiful has long been a source of pain, anger and frustration in the African-American community. In too many cases, beauty for black women (and even black men) has meant fair skin, “good hair” and dainty facial features. Over the years, African-American icons like Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, Halle Berry and Beyoncé—while beautiful and talented—haven’t exactly represented the diversity of complexions and features of most black women in this country.

That limited scope has had a profound effect on the self-esteem of many African-American women, including me. “When I see Michelle Obama on the cover of magazines and on TV shows, I think, Wow, look at her and her brown skin,” said Charisse Hollands, a 30-year-old mail carrier from Inglewood, Calif., with flawless ebony skin. “And I don’t mean any disrespect to my sisters who aren’t dark brown, but gee, it’s nice to see a brown girl get some attention and be called beautiful by the world. That just doesn’t happen a lot, and our little girls need to see that—my little girl needs to see it.”

… I thought it was quite contradictory — and a lost opportunity — that this cover was black-and-white … and Michelle is so (bathed in) light.

Related:

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(image: still researching)

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  • http://awesomeometer.blogspot.com/ nffcnnr

    Thanks for pointing out this eye-opening article. As for the cover, i think the people at Newsweek were trying to accentuate the Jackie-O vibe i get from that pic: The hair flip, the simplicity of the dress. Also it helps the contrasty title type.

  • the Company’s chief accountant

    ‘it is extremely difficult to guard against errors in this climate. When one has got to make correct entries, one comes to hate–to the death.’

  • krimpet

    I haven’t had the opportunity to read the full piece, but the cover layout seems very focused in its statement that black and white are giving way to shades of gray. I especially like the headline treatment that has the fugitive blackness of Michelle’s hair emerging into the light as a pearly gray. But what is more interesting about the cover is the choice of photo. It seems odd to pick such a candid and unflattering shot and odder still to choose one that draws the eye backwards toward the fold of the magazine in opposition to the type leading to the opening edge. It all seems determined to strip away her natural glamour and portray her in a documentary light. I suppose it’s meant to serve the editorial message of getting through to the true “meaning” of Michelle Obama.

  • Karen

    Interesting. Europe seems to a be little ahead in recognition of black beauty. These two women women have been successful models for some time. On the left is 24 year old Kenyan Ajuma Nasenyana; on the right 31 year old Sudanese model Alek Wek.
    Photobucket

  • vcInCA

    i second the jackie o evocation. but maybe they (newsweek) also thought that they didn’t need to show a color shot b/c everyone knows what she looks like now–its not like someone can really be in doubt, given all the media attention, so perhaps they felt, ‘OK, that’s a given, what else can we show through this cover shot?’ and went for the jackie o thing.
    as for the recognition of black beauty by karen, i agree that its more of a presence in europe (of course, there are also a lot more direct-from-africa african immigrants and refugees in europe than here, so it may simply be a marketing ploy to tap those potential customer bases), but its not totally absent here–think of all the benetton ads which have contrasted super pale scandinavian looks with super dark black men & women as part of their ‘united colors’ theme. tho, having just checked out their webpage , i see that while they do have non-white models, the majority are white. so maybe that shouldn’t count for much.

  • http://www.modernmediajapan.com Terri in Tokyo

    wow, thanks for the heads up on this. I actually like this cover: I don’t think it’s unflattering, it’s a statement about the beauty of real, something that, unlike Europe, has largely been missing from traditional US media. In this photo, Michelle is focused, together, communicating, aware, well-cared for, soft skin tones allied with strong bones…
    speaking as a dark brown woman myself, I revel in the positive attention given to our First Lady-elect.

  • Michael

    And she is alert, responding. She’s got something to say. She’s letting us know what’s going on. She’s not only good to look at, but good to listen to as well. So if the graphics have a message, it’s that we’d better listen, and the B&W says that loud and clear.

  • Progressive Mom

    Without reading Bag’s comments, I looked at the shot and saw something I haven’t seen on a magazine cover in … well … maybe never: a woman in our political life whose hair is not glued in place, without expensive pearls or costly earrings, with a bare shoulder and bare neckline, who is speaking, not listening adoringly — in other words, someone who looks like many American women at home and in the workplace.
    It is a beautifully refreshing shot of a beautifully refreshing political woman. Try to imagine Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, or any other first lady, including Jackie Kennedy, on a magazine cover like this. Wouldn’t happen.
    I like the irony of the B&W shot highlighting an essay on skin color, but I also think a B&W shot attracts more attention on the newsstand against the sea of color….(the marketer in me…!)

  • http://bazungubucks.blogspot.com John Powers

    Around the time of the Dukakis–Bush election I assigned some 5th graders to write about the quesition of whether or not there should be a woman president. One boy wrote that no there shouldn’t be because then we wouldn’t have any freedom. Peculiarly American is how women are the moral authority in the home.
    I know the question is about Michelle Obama’s look, but I find it hard to separate out the role of the moral authority in the family. Also she’s a professional woman and there’s a related earnestness that comes through on that level.
    nffcnnr makes a canny observation about the allusions to Mrs. Kennedy. But Michelle Obama reminds me of Lady Bird Johnson more than any other First Lady in my memory. Steel Magnolia doesn’t necessarily mean white.

  • T.

    A friend, riffing off a popular hip-hop song I think, said to me about his girl, “I love my car, I love my bike, I love my money and things, but most of all I love my black chick…” Finally, black women gettin’ some r-e-s-p-e-c-t! Gotta love it.
    T.

  • T.

    At this year’s NAACP, PE Obama, in his speech, reminded parents that they should teach their daughters that they are beautiful too and not look to TV to define their beauty…What a concept, eh? Finally, a real dark-skinned sister gettin’ some loooooove. Yeah!
    T.

  • T.

    DId I break rule or something with my follow up comment(which I cut out of my 1st post accidentally; I couldn’t figure out how to edit) about Obama’s comments(paraphrased) at NAACP(which I am totally unrelated to)? It has disappeared. How mysterious!
    T.

  • mommybrain

    Michelle Obama is beautiful, no matter what standard one uses. I agree, it seems they were going for the Jackie-O feel here, but the rather messy hair and the fact that she is in mid-speech and focused make her seem more normal, more every day than Jackie ever did.
    Michelle is going to be my favorite part of this presidency. My mom gave me a Madame Alexander Jackie doll, complete with yellow Chanel suit and pillbox hat (worn to the inaguration) in addition to the white satin, sequined ball gown. I was never a girly girl but I loved my Jackie doll. My niece will get a Michelle.

  • http://profile.typekey.com/vcInCA/ vcInCA

    maybe its a funny color/contrast thing, but it seems, when looking at the cover, that ‘michelle’ is a bit higher than ‘the meaning of’–what does that mean? i mean, they must have make some other people look at covers before they go to print, to make sure there isn’t something egregious in the lay-person reading that wasn’t apparent to the editors. so either they saw it, and liked it, or they didn’t see it. am i the only one who sees this?
    as for what it could mean, it does imply some sort of loftiness, in terms of her new lofty position, or in terms of some closer connection to truth/god/whatever. a closer connection, a different connection, is the main point that i can see this as. i pasted it in paint, and it looks like it is actually level, but regardless, visually, it doesn’t quite appear that way.

  • de Selby

    I guess maybe this goes without saying, but this candid shot, in black and white, is obviously meant to evoke memories of news photos from the days of the Civil Rights movement.
    Here’s another young black woman bathed in light.

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State yesterday gone

    there have been a few print ads the campaign itself has put out of barack in black & white. it had a 50s era retro feel to it, with even the suggestion of conservatism. there is something about black and white photography that suggests traditional values.
    I thought it was quite contradictory — and a lost opportunity — that this cover was black-and-white … and Michelle is so (bathed in) light.
    i, too, liked the cover. people know michelle is black. a black and white photo doesn’t negate that fact. plus you’ve previously criticized a cover that had barack surrounded by darkness. you suggested this made him look menacing.
    http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2008/08/one-verge-of-no.html

  • http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2008/08/one-verge-of-no.html yesterday gone

    deselby, can you repost that? your link doesn’t pull up.

  • http://www.modernmediajapan.com Terri in Tokyo

    musing further (funny how this photo percolates within): it wasn’t that my Mom and Dad thought me anything other than incandescently beautiful: they taught me that I hung the moon. They weren’t the problem: the society they had to send their little brown girl out into was the problem.
    I look forward, breathlessly, to the visual journey of that society pulling itself into the future, step by step.

  • http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2008/08/one-verge-of-no.html yesterday gone

    it wasn’t that my Mom and Dad thought me anything other than incandescently beautiful: they taught me that I hung the moon.
    gorgeous, terri!
    incandescent describes michelle as well.

  • http://justbetweenstrangers.blogspot.com/ acm

    yeah, I’d love deSelby’s link — had that same thought though. I can see a little of Jackie Kennedy, but my first thought was the ultra-clean-cut and oh-so-50s look of the kids (and adults) who integrated segregated schools and lunch counters during the Civil Rights era. the black and white highlights that (historic/documentary) linkage for me, and it’s hard to believe that the editors didn’t intend it.
    @vcInCA — I’m pretty sure your eyes are playing tricks, and that the type is perfectly aligned at its bottom edge.

  • de Selby

    I’m so sorry.
    Here is the link I meant to post:
    http://todayspictures.slate.com/20070517/
    I’m sure that with a little effort, I could have found something that was a more striking echo of the Newsweek cover, but that one gets the point across sufficiently well, I think.

  • http://profile.typekey.com/bagnews/ Michael Shaw

    Another instance in which, looking back from here, I’m happy to have set sail to the subject matter given the resulting thought, context and consensus of the readership.

  • http://www.onebrowngirl.com Tracey

    Brown is absolutely beautiful. Always has been; always will be.

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