When I first saw the ad for "Black-ish" pass me on the side of a bus, I knew. I knew that the show would have a hard time proving itself to people like me; people who, first of all, are critical off all TV, (especially sitcoms that presented themselves to "keep it real" for Blacks.); folks who are products of families who defied racial boundaries, but never EVER had to question our "blackness"; but more importantly, people who are well versed in the discourse of African American reality. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, get caught up.
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Today's Prompt is I Thought About It! And don't laugh, but I really have painted an entire scenario of what my life would be like if I was a man for one day! I have thought about it and here's why. One day, after watching a rerun of Scandal I made a declaration, "Oh, if I had a penis for a day." As I watched Olivia Pope secure Fitz professional career after she had a complicated meeting with him, it became clear; Men live by completely different standards than women. Men have a completely different experience. As I do with many matters, I went to my mom, Mama Daisy. We both decided we would only need 24 hours of the experience. So here's how my day would look.
7 am- Wake up and scratch my balls. (I would probably marvel at myself for a while, honestly.) My mother laughingly said she would put her leg on a chair just to boast about herself. HA! This is a little inappropriate, but did you really expect me to leave this out?! 8 am- Shower and leave the house! I would have to get my day started early. I've only got 16 more hours of manhood. 9 am-12 pm- I would get breakfast up North in a very Caucasian restaurant, flirt with the waitress and experience what it is like to be a menace just because I am Black and a Man. I would find some woman to woo during this period too. 1 pm- I would drive around for an hour waiting to be pulled over. If I am left alone, I would gain more hope for my community. If, as expected, I am pulled over for a "rolling stop," I wouldn't be phased. I am, after all, a Black man. *I would wear a sweatshirt and sag for the first half of my day. I would like to know what it is like to be educated and Christian and be stereotyped as a thug.* 2 pm- I would change into much more appropriate clothes for an educated man, like a suit or a fitted slacks. I would then go to the Southside of Chicago and stand on the corner. I would avoid the areas where Black men dressed in slacks at all cost. 3-7 pm- I would spend my evening confounding the stereotypes of Black men, the ones we put on ourselves. I would also find a woman to woo during this period too. 8 pm- Now, I'm sure that most folks would expect me to find a bar or a club. BUT, I would go to a church. I would find out how many thots frequent the Lord's house. I would also fight off these fiendish women with the proclamation that I am abstinent. I would see how many church hoes would try to change that. 10 pm-12 am- I would spend my last hours as a man writing a book about all the times I was accused, accosted, and stereotyped. I would also talk about the many women I wooed during this period too. The next day I would chronicle my day as a woman and compare the difference between my male perspective and my female perspective. I mean, I was just thinking! Haha What would you do as a man? Today’s prompt is called Write It Without Editing
I chose to write about The Long Hair Dilemma for this prompt. Recognize that I am not editing this soooooo, don’t judge me lol. I am continually struggling with my hair and what I want to do versus what I should do. I know that I should be out here with a normal feminine do. I know that in corporate America, being bald, loud and black is a sure fire way to have a hard time. I know that my future husband may want the more feminine, submissive version of Markeyla who has succumb to the norms of the world and to be honest EVERY DAY I struggle to decide if that is who I want to be. I have always been a rebel with my tresses. At 13, I died it a reddish black. At 16, I came home with a tapered blond style. At 19, I cut it off. At 20 I got dreads. At 22 it was gone all over again. My parents have begged me to let it grow; to stop defying the norm. I have looked in the mirror in those rare moments of doubt, thinking maybe just maybe what I was doing was too extreme. Too unnecessarily different. When I got saved I said that I would deny myself the urge to augment my hair. I said that I would leave my hair to grow for two years. That commitment is set to end next August but to be honest I’m stuck in a dilemma. Do I really want hair? Am I really someone who wants to be able to pull my hair into a topknot. Or am I just smiling at the pictures of buns and ponytails because I know it will please my friends and family if I just surrender to one of their requirements of ordinariness. The answer to the question is differnet depending on when you catch me. Some days I’m so content with the concept of typicality that I say I can definitely wait until August. Other days, I’m five minutes from walking to the closest shop and telling the barber to make it rain coarse, black all over the barber floor. Then the logical 23 year-old business woman awakens inside of me and tells me to live like I DON’T WANT to until I can make enough money not to care how people perceive what’s atop my head. So until I am established I’ll work toward normality’s home plate. The second I clear it though! The second that I have done what my hands have toiled to do I’ll celebrate with a foolish hair choice. LOLBS So when you see my hair looking uniquely uncommon and shocking, just know in my mind, I’ve made it lol. Check out my old hairstyles here. What do you think about this dilemma? Should I get over it or should I shave my head? |
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More About MkMk is 23 year old Chicagoan. She attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., studying English. Now back in Chicago, Mk has focused on writing her truths. Outside of ATS, she also writes on Youth Alert, a blog for young Christian believers. Mk is also a stylist at Akira Hyde Park. When she isn't working on the Mag, Youth Alert, or at Akira, Mk is with her family, she spends her time with a good book or cooking.
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