Scary factor: Sasha Obama and black boys with locks
Scary factor: Sasha Obama and black boys with locks

Internalizing the intimidation factor hurts dark-skinned black men forever

Photo credit: Romina Farías/Unsplash

The first time I ever heard someone describe dreadlocks as “disgusting” and “dirty” was from a biracial man of Jamaican ancestry. I was dumbfounded and wondered how many of his relatives he’d just shot a verbal machine gun at all at once. I thought about that while scrolling through Twitter yesterday after an attractive photo and TikTok video of Sasha Obama popped up online.

I knew conservatives were going to say painfully idiotic statements about her photo and the video of Sasha Obama using the word “bitch” almost as much as they came for the “WAP” video. That’s to be expected from those who claim they aren’t racist but always find a way to be irritated by any black woman showing off her biceps (i.e. First Lady Michelle Obama), her stomach (i.e. Sasha Obama) or her shape (any black woman with a body-ody-ody-ody-ody) — all while smooth ignoring that Melania Trump is the only First Lady ever who has posed nude for the public on multiple occasions.

But before I could step one foot onto my soapbox to tell folks to let Sasha Obama bring out her inner Aaliyah — who is fully covering up her T&A and only has her stomach out, as is seen by any human being during summer months or one who has visited a beach in his/her entire life — I kept seeing insults describing the dark-skinned, young, black man in the background. And that is wearing me out more because it’s coming from black and white people.

Via Twitter

He’s been described as “scary,” a “zombie” and “sketchy AF” for simply existing in the background of a photo. And all I can do is shake my head. First off, there is a reason that digital cameras (remember those) and smartphone cameras have a red eye filter on them. It happens to humans — and definitely happens to pets. I cannot even count the number of photos I’ve had to delete of my dogs specifically, who are constantly victims of red eye at night. Any living being with eyes cannot always help when the camera flash is reflected from the retina. When the light is reflected (and often at night), it highlights the blood supply of the connective tissue at the back of the eye and produces the red color you see in pictures. If you’ve somehow become so superhuman that this has never happened to you, you are a robot.

Second, Sasha Obama had zero problems posing in this photo with her back to him and her purse nearby. You know what women don’t do when they feel someone is “sketchy,” “scary” or a “zombie”? Sit on chairs with their backs turned away from a guy behind her. The fact that she stopped to pose for this pic clearly means she is not worried about this brotha in the background.

Third, and most importantly, young black men — specifically dark-skinned men — are constantly made to feel like they are scary from birth. This brotha minding his business and involuntarily being in the background of this photo is just living his life. And my guess is if a younger version of one of these guys was standing behind Sasha Obama with his hands in his pocket, most of these photo critics would be church mouse quiet.
['Shamontiel L. Vaughn']
['Locks', 'Sasha Obama', 'Dreadlocks', 'Dark Skin', 'Colorism']