Femininity Coaching and Aestheticizing Racism

Tik-Tok coaches are selling dreams of old money marriages, delicate whiteness, and divine femininity. Where does Black and Brown culture fit into this?

It’s been an intense summer of girldom. With the success of Barbie and the proliferation of what Madisyn Brown recently called “girl language,” (that’s a video on my soon-to-watch list!) society is turning over and waking up to that expressive demographic: The Marketable Feminine.

What does it mean to be feminine, sophisticated, and elegant in our new age?

Turns out, it’s not all that different from historical (see also: anti-black) imaginings. Self-proclaimed femininity coaches and elegance experts on Tik-Tok are producing content and selling courses that teach you what to wear, do, and say to become a divinely feminine woman. Some creators warn against using “memes and teenager slang” such as “it’s giving,” “period,” and “slay” (more accurately known as AAVE and Ballroom dialect), while other creators are more thorough.

First thing on the chopping block: anything too visibly Black (or Brown). That being bonnets, swooped baby hairs, long decorative acrylic nails, and the iconic bamboo/hoop earrings. (Though not all invented by Black and Brown people, these staples have been embraced by women and feminine people of color for decades, often leading to them being called “ghetto” or “ratchet.” In recent years, these items have been readopted by the white mainstream, allowing their rich history in Black and Brown cultures to be effectively erased.)

For more context on what kind of Tik-Toks I’ll be referencing in the video, please watch the ones linked here and here.

What do you think about the rise of Marketable Femininity and its link to whiteness? What does elegance and femininity mean to you? And what are the implications of selling this sort of content to hundreds of thousands of viewers?

For a chance to have your submission included in the upcoming video, please email your thoughts to tragedyoferrors@shanspeare.com

Keep in mind that submissions are automatically classified as “anonymous” unless you explicitly state permission for your name to be read out loud! Video submissions and audio submissions are more than welcome.

I can’t wait to hear from you!

Shanspeare <3