My recent post on self-love was viewed by hundreds of people. A bunch of folks commented or wrote me personally to tell me they appreciated what I shared.
As I read their engaging, thoughtful and supportive comments, a curious pattern emerged:
They are all white men.
They are straight. They are gay. They are old. They are young. They are European. They are American. They are musicians. They are artists. They are writers. They are academics. They are white. They are male.
Every last one of them.
How–and why–could this be?
This is all the more peculiar as the post mostly delves into beauty and body image. I mean, I’m giving out tips for styling natural hair and *white men* are my number one co-signers?!
I’ve thought of various sociological explanations: the politics of white male privilege, the topics I explore in this space, the fact that my audience is still building (and probably predominately white). In all likelihood, my sample size is too small to draw any conclusions. Perhaps it’s just the luck of the draw. But I doubt it. The white men I’ve interacted with through this blog have consistently engaged in a such a high level of spiritual, intellectual and emotional exchange that it begs the question: Do my musings only resonate with this demographic? And if so, how did I get to this place in my life?
People of color do sometimes reach out to me about the blog–but almost always in private. They call. They write. And while they have expressed appreciation, their enthusiasm never reaches the passionate heights of White Male Appreciation. I suppose there are worse problems a black woman can face than being shown love by white men, but something about the lack of colored voices here troubles me.
Thoughts?
Aware of Awareness 