Cultural Appropriation. A relatively new term that is being used more and more lately. Why? Cultural appropriation is an issue that plagues American society, specifically in the case of beauty. America's beauty standard, for a very long time has been very Euro Centric. Black characteristics and feature are ridicules and criticized because they don't resemble the European features that are deemed "beautiful". From the wide hips and big butts, to plump lips and pigmented skin, black characteristics have been the subject of countless racist jokes by culturally insensitive and ignorant people.
Cultural violators include mainstream music artists like Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus, who is said to be the worst of all because of black women in her videos as if they are props, and an instance when she called Snoop Dog her "mammie", a derogatory word for slaves who were wet nurses.
How does this Cultural Appropriation, or should I say cultural insensitivity, make black people feel? How confusing is it to be told black people are the most unattractive people in American society, but the same feature that are not seen as beautiful on them are worn by white people and seen as "trendy" or "edgy"? Is black beauty on a whole different spectrum than white beauty? What does the statement "You are pretty for a black girl" do to black girls? 
The song selections for this blog post are songs that were written to remind black people of their worth, that black features are beautiful, because through all of the negative messages black people receive about their appearance, it is uplifting to be reminded that "BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL!!"
I have never been one to bash races for the constant oppression placed on being an African American, but I will point out certain things. I love this post, because it points out specific examples of the racial inequality millions have protested against. Black culture is praised so heavily, yet also critiqued in so many negative ways. America in a sense looks backwards. The songs you posted are great representations of black artists using their voices to start a movement. Great post!
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