Envy

One of the stereotypes of black women, particularly dark skinned black women is that they are envious of women from other races. This is presumably because women from other races receive more male attention than black women. As with a lot of stereotypes directed towards black women, people have taken the actions of a minority and attributed it to the majority. Yes, there are black women who are envious but that doesn't mean that the majority of black women are filled with envy. As with everything, the loud minority receive more attention than the quiet majority. Take Islamic terrorism for example, the media often pays more attention to the terrorists than they do to normal law abiding muslims stirring up a fear and distrust of all muslims. Likewise, black women with negative character traits are often given a spotlight leading uninformed people to believe that the majority of black women behave negatively.

When it comes to envy, women of all races are affected by this negative character trait. Back in 2003 I did some temp work at an office and one of the ladies who I was assigned to work with had attended the same primary school as me. She was a white lady who only dated black men and she had a thing for Marlon Wayans. She was extremely chatty and found it easy to open up to me about her life. One day she began discussing Beyonce's Crazy in Love video and she indicated that seeing Beyonce in "those shorts" made her feel inadequate about the way she looked. I couldn't relate to what she was feeling. I didn't understand why Beyonce's attractiveness affected her life.

Envy is such a negative emotion because it can lead people to do terrible things if left unchecked. Cain killed Able because of envy and since then numerous people have harmed others because of envy. Granted, most women aren't running around killing people that they are envious of but they often do other things such as assassinating the person's character, excluding them or treating them badly. I once read a statement which says "comparison is the thief of joy" and I totally agree. Instead of worrying about someone else, focus on being the best that you can be. Develop your inner beauty and it will shine from within.