Friday 23 February 2018

The Hidden Pin Up #16 - Date me, I love jerk chicken!


 Most recent 'feather' stitched with a real example of racial fetishisation which will be added to the hessian burlesque fans for The Hidden Pin Up art piece

I recently decided to take a stroll around some online forums to see what I could find in way of research for the Hidden Pin Up project. As I naively typed the line 'black women forum' into the search engine it soon became apparent that such a simple request can open up a deep rabbit hole of casual racism, historic stigma and male entitlement that made for some really uncomfortable reading.
 
It's quite an odd feeling reading threads from past conversations, like you are eavesdropping on someone's private chatter, and just like overhearing a bit of juicy gossip, these online discussions had some eyeopening (for me at least) moments.

I clicked on a forum link for male body builders as it had a thread titled, 'Are you comfortable dating outside your race?' Among the expected laddish banter lots of casual racism began to seep through and it didn't take long for the conversation to begin rating women sexually based on their ethnicity; 

Latin women are 'so eager to please', 
'White women do what ever you tell them',
'Blacks are aggressive in bed' 

It felt like I'd stumbled into one of Donald Trump's 'harmless' locker room chats, and it incensed me. Women are always judged on their fuckability and in this case race boiled down to something to add 'spice' to the overall experience with no interest in individuals or individual culture.

Granted, the men posting on this forum came under my own presumptive stereotypes of machismo, competitive morons but now and then someone would ask, 'does the colour of her skin really change what she's like at sex?', or say 'I'm dating a black women and I have no regrets'. This didn't change anything though as the conversation stayed mostly on the side of racial fetish and stereotype.


Another link I tried was an everyday chat site with a thread titled, 'Would you date a black woman?' (what is with these questions?) Answers, mostly from men, came under three categories: Looks, pros and cons of black features, big butts, big lips etc. Black culture, or the lack of knowledge about it, one guy literally wrote, 'Date me, I love jerk chicken!' and yet again, sexual value, well we've already explored some of that and this forum wasn't any better than the last.

What was interesting though was when women of colour got in on the conversation. 'Why you all fetishising black women?' one woman asked and literally stated that the ideas that were being thrown around were based on centuries of white privilege and the 'Jezebel stereotype' about black women. Another woman agreed and very calmly asked for more understanding about fetish verses preference. This provoked some discussion between the women, one dated a white man and they loved one another very much. However a previous contributor got angry with their chatting. 'Whats wrong with fetishising black women, I'm just saying what I like about them, if you don't like it then get off this forum!' 

I got enough of a taste to know that discussions of race (any race) will always be divisive even if the intentions aren't always meant to cause offense. I also understand that these few examples do not represent all men's views on race or gender, and that of course it isn't just women who get fetishised, yet it was dismaying to see the same old stereotypes being bandied around about women of colour (and women in general in some cases). The same ignorant views that have plagued every era and subject I have explored since beginning this project.

Also for the record, I don't recommend searching out forums about things that just anger you,unless it's for research, as you'll spend a great deal of time shouting at your screen and slapping your palm to your forehead. I know, I have the red forehead to prove it!

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The Hidden Pin Up is an art piece exploring the history of the black Pin Up and the racial fetishes and stereotypes towards women of colour that exist to this day. To find out more about this project read The Hidden Pin Up posts on this blog and follow me on Instagram @gemma_parker_artist

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