The quote used in the title, “She was workin’ like foreal,” is extracted from the conversation two of the participants was having. The young women were discussing a scene in the controversial music video, “Tip Drill,” by recording artist Nelly and how the video models in the video degrade the entire African American race of women. In the scene the girls explain one video model looked as if she was “hittin’ it from the back.” (Richardson 800) The term “hittin’” is a hip hop term replacing the act of having sex. While one of the participants feels the acts young ladies perform in clubs and in the music videos do not degrade the race of African American women I disagree. While I do agree that it is a personal choice to partake in such acts, because Black Women have been viewed as object of amusement for men, it does cast a negative shadow over the entire race of women. Because those women seen in the media gyrating and submitting to sexist acts such as allowing a credit card to be swiped down her behind to make assumption that her body could be bought society will view all black women as submissive to the discriminating and degrading picture that is painted by the lyrics and performances in the music videos. While I do view these negative portrayals as one reason for the sexism and racism Black women must endure, I do not believe the solution to ending the discrimination is being searched for. Until Black women unite and make a stand against everything that digress us as a people.
-Jasmine E. Williams
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