Invisible Women: Black Britons Struggle to be Heard

LaShonda Williams
October 18, 2011
12:17 am
Blog #7

This article reveals the hardships that black British women face living in London. They are forced to conform to the stereotype of “acting white” to be accepted in society. Many of the women say they have to act that way just to make the majority feel comfortable. Many of them feel as if they are wearing a mask to cover who they truly are because they are not accepted. The British stereotype is black women are loud and overly sexualized and eroticized. These women don’t want to be seen that way so they have the tendency to blend in and never stand out. Many of these women blame the media for them having to mold to this Eurocentric role because they don’t have many positive black leaders to look up to in their country. Bresi- Ando created the “I’m Possible” group in 2009 as way to push British women of color to actively voice their opinions and show who black women really are. Their opinions could entice people to step away from those preconceived notions black British women.
I feel that these women should not have to wear a mask in order to be accepted in society. No one should be forced to live a life that is uncomfortable to them. Having the feeling of not being good enough has to be affecting the way young girls are growing up. These women have to constantly watch what they say and how they act of fear of not being accepted by British society. I feel that one way British women can change the way they are looked at now is to speak out more and show the British society that they are more then what they are portraying them to be. I’m sure these women are just as intelligent as all other British women so there is no reason why they should be looked at as unintelligent sex figures. Standing out instead of trying to fit in will prove their powerful presence in society. It only takes one group of powerful women to stand up and show this society how great a black British woman can be.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/14/world/europe/black-british-women/index.html?iref=allsearch