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Iris Marion Young and Gender Exploitation 

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Iris Marion Young and Gender Exploitation 

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Iris Marion Young defines gender exploitation as the energies that women expend, usually to benefit men in ways of enhancing their status or providing sexual and emotional service. This is a form of labor exploited by women that often goes unnoticed and under-compensated.

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In this Tiktok provided, the phrase “To be a woman is to perform" reveals a devastating truth in which a woman’s existence in society necessitates an exchange of services. Simply by standing there, the statue becomes a performer, her identity being that of catering to a male gaze and being reduced to an object of desire.

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Physical and Emotional Labor of Enslaved Women 

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Physical and Emotional Labor of Enslaved Women 

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For black women, having intersecting identities requires a higher toll of physical and emotional labor. In Chapter 1 of Angela Davis’s Women, Race, and Class, enslaved women were viewed as profitable labor units, being exploited for their physical labor on the field and sexual labor for "breeding.”. When it was profitable to exploit black women for physical labor, they were treated as genderless, but when there was a chance that they would be exploited or punished for being a woman, they were treated exclusively as women. But even when they were expected to be "breeders," they still needed to perform.

A modern example of such would be Megan Thee Stallion. As a victim of an act of violence by a man, she was met with skepticism and judgment. The author of this New York Times article pointed out that violence against women is not always the result of being in a relationship but rather of women performing as objects in the eyes of men, which justifies this violence.

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I'm not afraid of criticism, and "Protect Black women" should not be controversial.

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Megan Thee Stallion is an entertainer, philanthropist and entrepreneur.

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Megan Thee Stallion: Why I Speak Up for Black Women

I'm not afraid of criticism, and "Protect Black women" should not be controversial.

What does it mean to be a woman of color? [INTERPOSING VOICES] She's got to be strong, because that's just the expectation. Loving herself, but not too much, because then she's conceited. Being his lady in the street, but his freak in the sheets. Inheriting her grandmother's love, but always loving the wrong one. Twerking for her man, but not with her friends? Being constantly told she's too much or not enough. "The most disrespected person is the black woman." Constantly having to prove she's a victim, because society sides with a man. Not being able to express her traumas, because she can't show no weakness. Is constantly told that she's too dark, too thin, too thick, too much of a bitch. Being murdered, beaten, abused, then questioned if she evoked all of it. Is left out on the street, but becomes the flower that grows from the concrete. "Who taught you to hate yourself from the top of your head to the soles of your feet?" She marches for everyone else, riots for everyone else, dies for everyone else. She loves for everyone else, lives for everyone else, but when it comes down to her, it ain't a [BLEEP] in sight. "The system as a whole has failed her. You've never been shot. You don't know her panic. Say her name. 18. Women of color."

I'm not afraid of criticism, and "Protect Black women" should not be controversial. Credit Credit... The New York Times

In the weeks leading up to the election, Black women are expected once again to deliver victory for Democratic candidates. We have gone from being unable to vote legally to a highly courted voting bloc - all in little more than a century.

Despite this and despite the way so many have embraced messages about racial justice this year, Black women are still constantly disrespected and disregarded in so many areas of life.

I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place.

My initial silence about what happened was out of fear for myself and my friends. Even as a victim, I have been met with skepticism and judgment. The way people have publicly questioned and debated whether I played a role in my own violent assault proves that my fears about discussing what happened were, unfortunately, warranted.

After a lot of self-reflection on that incident, I've realized that violence against women is not always connected to being in a relationship. Instead, it happens because too many men treat all women as objects, which helps them to justify inflicting abuse against us when we choose to exercise our own free will.

From the moment we begin to navigate the intricacies of adolescence, we feel the weight of this threat, and the weight of contradictory expectations and misguided preconceptions. Many of us begin to put too much value to how we are seen by others. That's if we are seen at all.

The issue is even more intense for Black women, who struggle against stereotypes and are seen as angry or threatening when we try to stand up for ourselves and our sisters. There's not much room for passionate advocacy if you are a Black woman.

I recently used the stage at "Saturday Night Live" to harshly rebuke Kentucky's attorney general, Daniel Cameron, for his appalling conduct in denying Breonna Taylor and her family justice. I anticipated some backlash: Anyone who follows the lead of Congressman John Lewis, the late civil rights giant, and makes "good trouble, necessary trouble," runs the risk of being attacked by those comfortable with the status quo.

But you know what? I'm not afraid of criticism. We live in a country where we have the freedom to criticize elected officials. And it's ridiculous that some people think the simple phrase "Protect Black women" is controversial. We deserve to be protected as human beings. And we are entitled to our anger about a laundry list of mistreatment and neglect that we suffer.

Maternal mortality rates for Black mothers are about three times higher than those for white mothers, an obvious sign of racial bias in health care. In 2019, an astronomical 91 percent of the transgender or gender-nonconforming people who were fatally shot were Black, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Beyond threats to our health and lives, we confront so much judgment and so many conflicting messages on a daily basis.

If we dress in fitted clothing, our curves become a topic of conversation not only on social media, but also in the workplace. The fact that Serena Williams, the greatest athlete in any sport ever, had to defend herself for wearing a bodysuit at the 2018 French Open is proof positive of how misguided the obsession with Black women's bodies is.

I would know. I've received quite a bit of attention for appearance as well as my talent. I choose my own clothing. Let me repeat: I choose what I wear, not because I am trying to appeal to men, but because I am showing pride in my appearance, and a positive body image is central to who I am as a woman and a performer. I value compliments from women far more than from men. But the remarks about how I choose to present myself have often been judgmental and cruel, with many assuming that I'm dressing and performing for the male gaze. When women choose to capitalize on our sexuality, to reclaim our own power, like I have, we are vilified and disrespected.

In every industry, women are pitted against one another, but especially in hip-hop, where it seems as if the male-dominated ecosystem can handle only one female rapper at a time.Countless times, people have tried to pit me against Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, two incredible entertainers and strong women. I'm not "the new" anyone; we are all unique in our own ways.

Wouldn't it be nice if Black girls weren't inundated with negative, sexist comments about Black women? If they were told instead of the many important things that we've achieved? It took a major motion picture, "Hidden Figures," to introduce the world to the NASA research mathematician Katherine Johnson. I wish I'd learned in school about this story as well as more earthly achievements: that Alice H. Parker filed the patent for the first home furnace, or that Marie Van Brittan Brown created the first home security system. Or that Black women, too often in the shadows of such accomplishments, actually powered the civil rights movement. It's important to note that six of the Little Rock Nine students whose bravery in 1957 led to school integration were Black girls. And that Rosa Parks showed incredible bravery when she refused to move to the "colored section." I wish that every little Black girl was taught that Black Lives Matter was co-founded by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi.

Walking the path paved by such legends as Shirley Chisholm, Loretta Lynch, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters and the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate, Carol Moseley Braun, my hope is that Kamala Harris's candidacy for vice president will usher in an era where Black women in 2020 are no longer "making history" for achieving things that should have been accomplished decades ago.

But that will take time, and Black women are not naïve. We know that after the last ballot is cast and the vote is tallied, we are likely to go back to fighting for ourselves. Because at least for now, that's all we have.

Megan Thee Stallion (@TheeStallion) is an entertainer, philanthropist and entrepreneur.
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Opinion | Megan Thee Stallion: Why I Speak Up for Black Women

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I'm not afraid of criticism, and "Protect Black women" should not be controversial. By Megan Thee Stallion is an entertainer, philanthropist and entrepreneur. In the weeks leading up to the election, Black women are expected once again to deliver victory for Democratic candidates.

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Megan Thee Stallion is not afraid to express her sexuality in her songs. But in the top comment of the NYT post, the person questions how Megan Thee Stallion is angry about Black women being the most disrespected, despite her being sexual on stage. When Black women decide to reclaim their femininity and choose how to express their sexuality, they are met with disdain and violence. And when Megan Thee Stallion chooses to capitalize on her sexuality for her profit, all of a sudden, she is vilified and disrespected. Along the lines of Davis, the idea of profiting off of Black women negatively shifts when the power does not lie in the hands of the outsider but the woman herself.

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Both Gloria Anzaldua and the Combahee River Collective emphasize the power of language and writing in resistance and solidarity. Anzaldua writes to fight, using the pen as a weapon to remind and validate her own experience as a WOC. Writing is part of the reclaiming of Black women’s identities. The Combahee River Collective mentions how, in contemporary society, the style of talking in the Black language has both a cultural and political impact.

Controversial as it is, the song WAP by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion generated a lot of backlash with its explicit sexual lyrics, especially with men. But it is not uncommon for male artists to do the same. Megan explained that “some people just don’t know what to do when a woman is in control and taking ownership of her own body,” Megan told GQ. “I feel like for a long time men felt like they owned sex and now women are saying, ‘Hey, this is for me. I want pleasure. This is how I want it or don’t want it.’ It freaks men the hell out.” Given that a woman's body is seen as political, this song represents women reclaiming their right to talk about their bodies and sex in any way they see fit.