Written by: Siara Celeste | Reporter
The icon itself was Irika Badu to grading the stage in a naked colored bodies, black head rap and an exaggerated lower area.
Mixed reactions from the audience were: some interpreted the outfit as a playful jab in BBL culture, while others – as Ticketkokar and fashion historian Shelby Ewey Christie – was said that it was a bold statement of how the society continues the body of police black women. Let’s dissect it.
On 29 March, Erica Budu accepted the Icon Award at the Women’s Award at the Music Awards ceremony. He wore a complex called the “thought-easement bodysuit” created by designer Myh Hasbani. Now-wire “Booty Suit” held a wide discussion on social media, in which many people believe that Budu was joking in BBL culture. For reference, a BBL, or Brazilian butt lift, is a cosmetic surgery process that increases the shape and size of the buttocks.
But some spectators, especially on Tikok, looked deep. Shelby Ivey Christie shared a compelling think piece, proposed that Budu’s look was not joking – it was Mirring. How society constantly examines and controls the presence of black women, a reflection of it.
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This issue is not new. It comes back in the 17th and 18th centuries, with a sad story of a South African woman, Sarah Bartman, which was publicly displayed and exploited in Europe due to her naturally large floor. After her death, her body remained on performance until she returned to her homeland in 2002 – the centiies were too late.
Shelby also referred to the Tigan laws enacted by the Governor of New Orleans in 1786, which forced black women to cover their hair with headscarws. The purpose of this law was to suppress self-expression and control the visibility of black beauty, as the natural hair was seen as “very attractive” or threatening. But even under these restrictions, black women discovered ways to recover their dignity – to handle their tigon with vibrant patterns and cultural pride.
Fast for today, and the story continues.
In 2018, Serena Williams described how her curvy, powerful body was polished on the tennis court. He began to design custom bodiesuts and athletic gear to support his form – only to ban his catsuit by US Open.
And then Megan was Stallian, whose curvature figure became a cultural talk point. The violence he tolerated was publicly demolished by many – his body’s hypersexual, his trauma was minimal.
So yes, Badu’s dress can be an indication for BBL culture. But big picture? It is a mirror that indicates continuous pressure that black women face to confer, contrart and hide their bodies. The same features with which we are born-our lips, our hips, our hair, our nail-we “Jewish settlement”, but others are considered “pointed” or “fashion-forward”.
Black women are not a tendency. We are blueprints.
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And soon society accepts that truth, better.
