Ghetto Fabulous
By: Tosin Sanusi
Tags: Editors Pick, Black Women, Hair, Race, Feminism

‘Ghetto’ as an attack on black women

The word ‘ghetto’ is tied to poverty. NPR’s Code Switch discusses the cultural transformation of the word’s usage. In the 16th and 17th centuries, some European cities forcibly segregated their Jewish populations into ghettos. In the 19th century, Nazi Germany used this forced segregation as a tool for genocide. Today, the word lives on, redefined as a poor, black community.

As the article highlights, life in ‘the ghetto’ is marked by a lack of choice. This study discusses the historical forces that contributed to black people’s isolation into struggling areas. This mass separation wasn’t just because of economic disadvantage, crowd, or homogeneity but rather systematic race-based segregation. Black people occupied certain areas because of their race, not their wealth or other attributes like education level. Strict social boundaries enforced by violence and the law (i.e red-lining) corroded the economic opportunities available to black families. Repercussions of this purposeful oppression remain today.

Many cultural revolutions actually emerged from the ‘ghetto’ like the resistance fighters of the Warsaw ghettos or the Harlem Renaissance. When ‘ghetto’ is used as an insult, the strength and accomplishments of oppressed people are shamefully disregarded.

“Ghetto, in its most unironic usage, is a word for people you don’t know. It’s word that allows you to erase individuals and create boxes.” — Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic

Without discounting the hardship that still plagues many black communities, we must acknowledge what our resilient people have managed to create from our centuries-long struggle — a wealth of game-changing inventions, enlightening contributions to the intellectual world, and revolutionary additions to arts and culture.

Our style is just one part of our rich culture that is grossly disrespected on one hand and revered on the other. ‘Ghetto’ when donned by the very group of people who created and popularized it — black women, the same style is praised as sexy or funky when a white woman wears it. Guess who makes a killing from our creations without contributing needed funds into the black community? Overwhelmingly white individuals and companies. It sounds painfully familiar, doesn’t it? Fortunes made off the backs of black people…?

Many argue that cultural appropriation is actually just cultural appreciation and that black people should be glad that others want to imitate our fashions. Those of us who actually live the black experience know that appropriation doesn’t benefit us one bit.

The fashion industry’s fascination with braided hairstyles didn’t make my braids more acceptable to peers despite white classmates receiving praise for their tropical vacation cornrows. As makeup icon and advocate Jackie Aina mentions in her video titled “Things Black Culture Popularized”, it seems every black girl has a story about being teased for their full lips while thousands of women rush to aestheticians for fillers today. I sucked my lips in at school after being told they looked swollen then watched bitterly as Kylie Jenner made millions off her fake ones.

Cultural appropriation sends the evil message that our culture is for everyone but us. This is a problem both on an individual level and a community level. Being made to feel too ashamed to express ourselves freely is poisonous for our self-worth. Furthermore, this stifled expression coupled with the economic disadvantage that comes with deliberate efforts to keep black people poor can discourage the pursuit of entrepreneurship in our communities.

Entrepreneurship is a valuable tool for empowerment and authentic representation, keeping black dollars in black pockets. The disparity of opportunities in this arena is one of the main reasons others can swoop in and profit from our culture while the original innovators are tossed aside, painted as ‘ghetto’ which many automatically associate with being poor, dirty, and obnoxious.

In my opinion, the solution to this complex, inter-generational problem is not just law reform (which moves at a glacial pace) but rather empowerment that begins at an individual level and gradually begins to impact the community at large for the better. Supporting black-owned businesses is a great starting point for that.

Ghetto’ as identity and empowerment

It’s up to all of us to decide what offends us and what doesn’t so, please know that the following is a matter of opinion.

I’ve decided that ‘ghetto’ will no longer offend me even when it’s said with the intention of oppressing me. To me, ghetto has come to represent young black women expressing themselves unapologetically through a style that has never been given the credit it deserves for shaping the world of fashion, music, and art. It represents a new generation of entrepreneurs who use their creativity to do nails, make wigs, and design unique pieces of clothing.

I think the ‘ghetto’ or ‘ratchet’ aesthetic can teach everyone, especially women, a lesson on perseverance and resistance. Multiple forces seek to control the way we express ourselves starting early with sexist and racist school dress codes that continue into the workplace.

Wearing those so-called ‘gaudy’ colors for no other reason apart from really liking them or rocking a big beautiful wig because you feel like it is a difficult thing to do with all the ideas floating around about what’s tasteful and acceptable. However, acknowledging that many fashion norms are fraught with race-based double standards makes it much easier to ignore the status quo and wear whatever makes you happy. At least that’s what I’ve found.

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