“I’m looking for a dime, that’s top of the line, cute face, slim waist, with a big behind.” Is that infamous lyric from the Ying Yang Twins and Mike Jones all we as black women have to offer now a days? Being thick or having a ‘big ol’ behind’ seems to be the current trend for women in the African-American community.
“I do feel that thickness is glorified by African-American men, therefore, many black women strive to be thick in order to get a man,” said Annalise Anise, a first-year doctor of pharmacy student from Mobile, Ala.
While walking to Set Friday last week, I couldn’t go five steps from my car without a man hollering, “Aye thick mama” and “What’s good long legs?” I may be comfortable in my skin, but those comments made me feel like the majority of black men just want a thick piece of tail. Black men seem to have lost the sense of wanting an educated, independent woman rather wanting a woman who has a big behind and knows how to strut down the sidewalk.
“I believe that you shouldn’t go out of your way to try to become thick to please somebody,” said Taylor Washington, a fourth-year business administration student from Largo, Md. “The first thing that attracts me physically to a woman is her curves, particularly on the bottom half, but confidence is the best thing you can possess.”
What reinforces the stigma are the music lyrics, videos and movies that objectify black women. When Smokey and Craig gawked over Ms. Parker in the movie “Friday,” those two weren’t looking at her lawn but her bodacious body. This ideology that black women need to be thick to get a man is superfluous.
Being thick is negatively affecting African-American women and our health. Recent data from the Food Research and Action Center shows 82.1 percent of black women are overweight or obese compared to 59.5 percent of white women. Extreme obesity has doubled within black women.
“I go for a face first and then a woman who is proportionate,” said Terron Bartley, a fourth-year business administration student from Jacksonville, Fla. “Yes, I prefer thick women, but what matters is that they’re healthy.”
Ladies, realize that your worth isn’t determined by the size of your body parts. Never justify the stigma of needing to be thick by the man trying to ‘holla’ out the side of his car. Maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle will attract Mr. Right. Loving the skin you’re in will also cause everything to fall into place.