"black girl booty": supply and demand

here, you'll find an open letter penned to Nicki Minaj by Chuck Creekmur, owner of AllHipHop.com. in the letter, he expresses his concern for the influence that Nicki's "Anaconda" album art might have on his daughter. He dictates his fatherly concerns by calling Nicki's image "ratchet sh*t" and saying that he wasn't "shocked" by her album art, but, rather, "disappointed" in the image of her "booty in a thong."

he then goes on to say: "As a man, I can appreciate the virtues of your perfect posterior. The dad guy is not a happy camper, particularly now that his lil' girl is transitioning into a young lady. . . I'm trying to raise a young girl that will eventually grow into someone greater than the both of us. I know that this requires great parenting, great education, great luck and an assortment of great influences . . . As she gets older, it will be harder for me to limit her exposure to you, especially if you continue to do headline-grabbing moves like the 'Anaconda' cover. I don't want to EVER see her posted up one day emulating you . . . Believe it or not, I care. I think you are dope. You've bodied some of my favorite artists on songs like "Monster." Yet the possibility of you transcending this gnaws at me, because I know you don't have to succumb to bottom feeding . . . I [removed a previous photo from the website as requested] based on what I think is a glimpse of what you really desire, which is to be a more positive role model of some sort for young girls who are under siege out in these streets. Now, you take this squatting position on the cover of a song called “Anaconda,” which I am sure the radio will play until its played out. I’ll be on Spotify though and so will my daughter when she’s with me . . . P.S. You think you could follow me on Twitter again?"

well, this is my response to him. though, i doubt he'll ever read it:

dear Mr. Creekmur,

let's get right to it. you're obviously concerned with the impact that Nicki's image will have on your daughter, but you don't seem very concerned with the general sexism, misogyny, colorism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. that is present in the rap/hip-hop genre and what impact they might have on your daughter. i wonder if you've ever written any letters to some of your "favorite artists" that accompany Nicki on the "Monster" track that you seem to admire. where is your letter to Rick Ross condemning his description of/chuckling at date rape in "U.O.E.N.O."? what about your letters confronting some of your "favorites" in the music industry for their insistence on referring to women as bitches and hoes? how about writing some letters about the violent ways that sex gets talked about, i.e. "beat the pussy up" and "tear your ass in two"? have you written any open letters to Lil Wayne about his glorification of "long haired thick redbone[s]" and his apparent disdain for darker skinned black women, or the way that he and many others seem to desire women with a "black girl booty", but whose bodies otherwise align with white/Euro-centric standards of beauty (naturally or artificially)? yes, girls and women are indeed "under siege" out here. how do you think all of these things will affect your daughter, her self-image, her relationship with her body, her vision of/experience with men, her perspective on sex and relationships later in life? 

if you're wondering why Nicki Minaj poses for photos like this...

or why Rihanna and Beyonce' and others do this...

allow me to enlighten you. it's because the industry asks for it. demands it. it's because women who capitalize on their sexuality usually rise to fame quickly and gain visibility, while women who do not often fade into obscurity despite their talent. this isn't to say that these women don't have agency in choosing these poses. Beyonce’ has created a brand and a business, reaching a level of creative control and economic power that few women have, but it is difficult to ignore that she is in fact “playing the game”, often using her body and her sexuality as a selling point in an industry that is dominated by men. She has just as much selling power with men who fantasize about her as she does with women who adore her. Beyonce’ is undoubtedly one of the best entertainers of our time. She has undeniable musical talent which speaks for itself. She could, in fact, forego the overt sexual nature of her performances and music videos. She could abandon the leotards and high heels and long, flowing blond tresses (her natural light skin and European-like features are certainly something else to be discussed) and she would still be recognized as talented, but in an industry that so highly values sexual appeal, it is unlikely that she would have reached the level of stardom at which she now stands if she had not marketed herself as a sexy goddess. The wonderful thing about feminism is that it grants women (and everyone else) the opportunity to make these kinds of choices. She chooses to use her sex appeal, and that is her right, as it is the right of Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, and all other women.

i'm sure you've noticed that the most popular (and least popular) rappers and hip-hop artists write songs that glorify "the booty". Big Sean blew us away with the artfully crafted "Dance (A$$)" with ingenious lyrics like "i'm wondering if cupid gave you ass shots/ 'cause i'm in love with that ass" and "shake that ass, shake that ass, shake that ass/ shake that ass, shake that ass, shake that ass." 

Jason Derulo let us know how he feels about the booty with his unforgettable masterpiece, "Wiggle", in a collaboration with Snoop (Dogg? Lion?). "i got one question/how do you fit all that into them jeans?/you know what to do with that big fat butt/wiggle, wiggle, wiggle/ wiggle, wiggle, wiggle." 

i know you remember Bubba Sparxxx's "Miss New Booty", in which he and the Ying Yang Twins delivered the timeless refrain, "booty, booty, booty, booty rockin' everywhere/booty, booty, booty, booty rockin' everywhere/booty, booty, booty, booty rockin' everywhere."

back in '89, LL Cool J cited the booty as the reason for his infidelity in "Big Ole' Butt": "Brenda got a big ole butt/i know i told you i'd be true/ but Brenda got a big ole butt/so i'm leaving you." 

but rap and hip-hop artists aren't the only ones:

Spinal Tap "Big Bottom" (1984)

Trace Adkins "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" (2005)

Queen "Fat Bottomed Girls" (1978)

KC & the Sunshine Band "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" (1976)

Every country song about a booty in "painted on jeans" (since forever)

our culture is obsessed with the booty. we love the booty. it's why nearly every woman on an action movie poster is in that awkward half-turn pose. it's why booty pictures are flooding Instagram every day. it's why all the fitspo Tumblrs preach squat, squat, squat to get a nice, round bottom. it's why Moguldom Studios is releasing the (much needed) docutainment film Bottoms Up investigating our preoccupation with the booty and the lengths to which women will go in order to obtain the coveted apple bottom. 

so, when Nicki Minaj strikes a pose that accentuates and celebrates her "big ole booty", she is supplying what society has demanded from her, but she is also exercising her agency and taking ownership of her body. if you feel that it's necessary to write letters to public figures about the impact that they might have on their (young) audience, then by all means, do that. however, you should also consider a letter writing campaign critiquing the culture that fosters the behavior that you find so distasteful. otherwise, you just come off looking like one more person in a long line of people trying to police (black) women's booties with their sexist/misogynistic/racialized ideas about sexual expression and the politics of respectability, and based on what you "think [they] really desire" to be. 

P.S. feel free to follow me on twitter, i guess.