Yo this lustful obsession with beauty and selling sex in America is absolutely unbelievable. I can’t turn my head in a grocery store or book store without seeing a woman damn near butt naked on magazines, DVD jackets, CD jewel boxes, waffle cartons, strawberry crates and yogurt cups. Even the sticker on the Valencia oranges has been replaced with a semi-nude model named Valencia. Okay, well maybe I exaggerated about that last one… and maybe a few others, but you get the point. We’re in a world where the women in music videos get more attention than the actual artists and creativity song, often leading to a grave neglect of the original intent of the video in favor of gratuitous nudity. Reality shows have just become a launching pad for any and everybody interesting in being a “model” or “actress”.

I was thinking about this because last week I was in Border’s book and I went to pick up some magazines and almost every black magazine had a woman on the cover with an enormous posterior standing back to front and bent over with a smile while the caption above her read something to the effect of “The Sex Issue”. I just don’t get it. We have so much to offer the world, yet we don’t do better. Are we merely mindless sex addicts that only shine when it comes to enticing lust? Can someone explain it to me??

If you’re wondering, hecks nah I’m not gay by any means, but traveling to different parts of the world and just simply having friends from other races opens my eyes to the perception of Black America by others. Many people are quick to argue that it’s the media’s fault because of the way they portray us, but I would like to offer that they couldn’t do it if we weren’t willing. I’m not trying to make this about women or “video chicks” but I just wanted to site this issue as one of the many ways we continue to do ourselves and our reputation a dis-service in the eyes of the world and in our own communities. What’s worst is that were setting a terrible example for our children and I’m sure this creates a ripple effect for the future.

We simply have to do better. Check out Goodie Mob’s “Beautiful Black Skin”…