"A Trendsetta: Aaliyah"
This is dedicated to my Aunty Freda whom I love and adore. God knows what I am praying for when I think of you.
When I think of Aaliyah or even TLC, I think of my Aunty Freda. When we were younger, I remember hearing Aaliyah’s voice more than twice everyday. Aaliyah would sing us to sleep, she would help us quickly clean the house, and she would help us feel good. Me, my aunty, and Aaliyah could never go wrong as we danced and nodded our heads to songs like “If your Girl Only Knew”, “4 Page Letter”, “Try Again”, and “Rock the Boat”.
Who was really rockin’ the left side bang that covered your whole entire left eye before Aaliyah came on the scene?
Who was really succeeding at the angelic “tomboy-ish” look before Aaliyah came on the scene?
I know she made these things popular for my Aunty Freda. My aunty would rock a right side bang all-of-the-time. I think of my Aunty Freda like the young Black singers of almost two decades ago: so precious, so unique, and the life of the party! In some ways, my aunty is similar to Aaliyah. She is a very light- skinned, petite, precious, hazel-eyed (sometimes they change colors), humorous, and loving person. Not only that, but she has a very angelic presence, which lights up the room any, and every time she steps into it.
If I could talk to my aunty Freda (I will probably post about why I am not able to talk to her face to face later), she would say that hearing and seeing people like Aaliyah helped her feel visible. Feeling invisible is nothing new to Black women. This invisibility is shown in this simple statement, “All the women are White, All the Blacks are men"; discrimination and hatred only occurs when Black men are involved while femininity and protection is only granted to White women. Black women are given very simple stories: the mammy who loves the white child she is taking care of, the whore who is on crack, the revolutionary Nubian Queen that does nothing wrong, the mom who is on welfare and her sons find family in the streets, and the angry Black woman who is mad at everything under the sun. These stories are very simple.
However, most of us understand that we are complex beings, and our stories are not monolithic. The complexity, vulnerability, and resilience are what make us human. Yet, the audience would not get that with the very simple story lines listed above. People believed Aaliyah loved this boy she was writing love letters to, even though her style was versatile. She showcased a loving, kind, beautiful, tough, and feminine black woman. Aaliyah took over and succeeded in whatever she did; therefore, like my aunty did, you cannot help but to love and appreciate her.
As many Black people will say: Representation matters.
That is why most of us are upset that the Oscars continuously demean the value we have as Black actresses and actors. That is why most of us are questioning whether or not Macklemore’s, “White Privilege” song is good for Hip-Hop or just another White privilege move. That is why most Black students are questioning why non-Black professors are teaching Black history/classes. Complex and correct representation matters because we no longer want to apologize when we don’t fit the mold or even when we do.
Aaliyah never apologized. She just was who she was, and that is what makes her one of the many trendsettas, darling!