By David Jordan Jr
The beauty of blackness has long been chastised, scrutinized and under appreciated in American society. From the use of black face, to the negative connotations associated with physical features of black people (black women in particular) the appreciation for the uniqueness and indescribable beauty of black women has not always received its proper acknowledgement. In 2016 you have women from all other races and nationalities that are celebrated continuously for the bodily features, which in many cases have been bought or created with the aid of some unnatural product; the same features that black women have had naturally since the beginning. There have been many black women that have been celebrated and have become famous through careers in the entertainment industry, sports, modeling, activism and many other forefronts; at the same rate there have been many that may have been forgotten by some but are to be celebrated just as much for the ground breaking moves to eliminate barriers and inspire women of color in America. During the time period of the 1940s and extending to the 1970s there were many beautiful black women that were models for many different publications in circulation at that time. One of the reasons they did not get the notoriety of their white counterparts was due to the racial climate which existed in the United States Of America at that time. Everything black was essentially associated with being ugly, not likable and second class; but thank you for publications such as Bronze Thrills, TAN, JIVE, HUE, Ebony, Jet and Sephia. These publications created an avenue for the celebration of the beauty of black women and left us with gems on film that will remain forever. Enjoy the “Black Diamonds” which are forever.
