Feeling in need of a debrief after “Bonnet Gate?”
In our latest episode of Opinionated, theGrio‘s Danielle Young breaks down Mo’Nique‘s controversial comments on wearing bonnets in public.
As theGrio previously reported, actress and comedian Mo’Nique found herself under significant backlash from fans after expressing her opinions on Black women wearing hair bonnets and scarves in public.
In an Instagram video shared earlier this month, she states, “I’ve been seeing it not just at the airport. I’ve been seeing it at the store, at the mall… When did we lose our pride in representing ourselves? When did we slip away of let me make sure I’m presentable when I leave my home?”
Fellow comedian Tiffany Haddish even agreed with the comments, stating that bonnet wearing should have “respectable limits.”
In the episode, Young breaks down the controversial remarks, stating that “bonnets do not devalue Black women in public.”
Young shares in the video, “Respectability politics have always been stale and late. Black folks no longer have to be presentable (a.k.a. assimilate) to whiteness in order to be considered human or worthy. We’ve made progress in that way in the very least.”
“Bonnets do not devalue Black women in public. Can Black women be in comfort in peace, please?” she continues. “Telling Black women to comb our hair is like telling Black men to pull up their pants. Sure, it would be nice, but it shouldn’t make that Black person any less worthy or an embarrassment to their entire race.”
Check out Young’s full breakdown of ‘Bonnet Gate’ below:
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