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A review by kiarainthestacks
Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Pop Culture by Zeba Blay
5.0
A hell of a collection that truly spoke to my soul as a Black girl who’s never felt carefree but would like to in whatever form I can grasp.
Every single essay in this collection was phenomenal! Blay managed to convey her love for pop culture while also not being shy about calling it out. She touches on cancel culture, racism, colorism, representation, and what makes something/someone problematic, but she doesn't just preach about them. She provides suggestions on how we can engage with problematic things and how we need to allow people the grace to change and grow. Blay doesn't have all the answers, and she doesn't pretend to, and we see her working through some of the setbacks of popular culture and how they've made a mark on her personal life. She's not afraid of critiquing her faves, and that's something that we all need to be comfortable doing, with nuance.
I love how Black women were the focal point of every essay. Black women's contributions to pop culture are anything but small, and Blay makes sure to highlight that while also critiquing the many ways in which Black women have been failed by popular culture.
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, and Zeba Blay is definitely on my radar now!
Every single essay in this collection was phenomenal! Blay managed to convey her love for pop culture while also not being shy about calling it out. She touches on cancel culture, racism, colorism, representation, and what makes something/someone problematic, but she doesn't just preach about them. She provides suggestions on how we can engage with problematic things and how we need to allow people the grace to change and grow. Blay doesn't have all the answers, and she doesn't pretend to, and we see her working through some of the setbacks of popular culture and how they've made a mark on her personal life. She's not afraid of critiquing her faves, and that's something that we all need to be comfortable doing, with nuance.
I love how Black women were the focal point of every essay. Black women's contributions to pop culture are anything but small, and Blay makes sure to highlight that while also critiquing the many ways in which Black women have been failed by popular culture.
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, and Zeba Blay is definitely on my radar now!