A Woman's Worth

I saw a video the other day about a woman named Sara (her real name was Saartje) Baartman. Earlier this week, I had finished reading a book entitled: "Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present" by Harriet Washington which talks the usage of Africans and African American bodies for non-therapeutic, "scientific" studies. Washington also talked about Sara and the terrible life she lived as a "caged subject" – showing off her body to Europeans who had never seen an African woman before.

If you are not aware of the history behind her life -- she was a woman from South Africa who was kidnapped from her home (the video clip said she went to Europe ... but other researchers said that she was taken not of her own free will) only to be but up on the stage to be clamored and laughed at because of how anatomical different she was from the white woman. They came up with a scientific name for her large butt, steatopygia and another scientific name for her what they considered to be an elongated labia, sinus pudoris. They believed that her large breast and elongated labia justified their reasoning that the black woman is oversexed and hypersexual. They called her Hottentot Venus and she was put on display for many many years until she died of disease. The woman narrating the video states that some people call Sara Barrtman the first video vixen...but she didn't willingly choose that profession. Sara Baartman and her story has become the icon of racial inferiority and black female sexuality for many years.

Youtube Clip Narrator: Where is black America? We are on the sidelines cheering because baby girl is no longer a resident of the ghetto. She's riding in Bentleys and Benz draped in furs and diamond and the record label just brought her a phat house. But have we forgotten, massa always kept his main ho in the big house or house of her own as long, as she opened the door when he came knocking. And he will be coming back. It's so sad. Back then we were forced to degrade ourselves to level of being some man's whore. Today we willingly degrade ourselves. We have forgotten our grandmothers pain? Her struggles to carry the burdens so we wouldn't have to? Do you hear the ancestors crying out: 'is this what we died for'!?

I write this blog because there are too many women who do not respect their bodies or know their worth. Long disrespected and un-admired by society at large, black women were not known as possessing ideal Western standards of beauty. Years ago, we were plagued by self-doubt, emotional inferiority, suffering internal conflicts about their sexuality and womanhood. By respecting and loving yourselves, you can let go of the issues, obstacles, negative people, fears, and phobias to bring the love and sensuality you desire into your life. Never permit anybody to limit or restrict you in any way. Black women now have the knowledge and vision to honor their female sexuality, while never taking sensuality and pleasure lightly. Pleasure is a gift and a blessing. It is something that should be cultivated, honored, and respected by a loving and attentive mate. Your body is a temple and you need to be extremely careful about who you allow to commune inside of it.

Homemade Hair Recipes

So I've been on this natural kick - well more so really reading the labels of hair products. And some of the stuff that we put in our heads is just down right grotesque (same thing can be applied to foods - but I'm a fat kid so I won't go there - lol!). But anyway, here is a list of some of the things I make and use for my hair. There's no way I can tell you if it works; they work for me - it might not work for you. Just experiment! Let me know how it works out ...

Egg & Honey
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of plain yogurt
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon of almond oil

mix ingredients and apply to hair. let it sit for 30 minutes (i would recommend using a plastic cap, not a heating cap)

got dry hair? don't waste your money on hot oil treatments that you can make yourself!
Olive Oil Treatment
1/4 to 1/2 cup of Olive Oil (depending on the length of your hair)
plastic cap or plastic grocery bag (it's country/hood, but it works!)

warm the oil in the microwave (be careful not to make it too hot). i recommend putting it in a spray bottle and spritzing it on the hair but you can use your fingers if you like. once you have applied the oil put on your cap or plastic bag. i'm not a big fan of a heating cap - but if it works for you, then by all means use. let the oil sit in your hair for at least 30 minutes but no longer than an hour.

some people do the hot oil treatment after they shampoo their hair, and some people do it before. if you choose to do it before: before you rinse the oil out, apply the shampoo directly to your hair and slowly add water as you lather. if you choose to use the oil after you've already shampoo make sure you completely rinse all of the oil out.

Hair Clarifier
2 cups of warm water
1/2 cup of lemon juice

mix and pour over head. let it sit for 10 minutes. rinse and then condition/style as usual. this recipe is good if you are trying to "refresh" your hair - however if you have used heavy products/oil - shampoo your hair instead.

Mayo Conditioner - i know what you're thinking, "that stinks" but ... trust me follow these steps:

after you've shampoo'd and rinsed, apply 1/2 cup of mayo to your hair. let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. rinse and shampoo lightly and rinse with an apple cider vinegar and water solution (1 oz of apple cider vinegar and 1 quart of water) OR you can add a half peeled and mashed avocado to the mayo - mix it with your hands until it's a consistent green color and smooth onto your hair and follow the same steps as mentioned.

Tropical Conditioner
1 peeled and mashed avocado
1 cup of coconut milk

combine mashed avocado with coconut milk in a small bowl. Heat in microwave for 30-45 seconds. stir and massage mixture into hair. cover hair with plastic cap for 15 minutes. shampoo & rinse out.