VeroniiVault: An Unsolicited Analysis of Black Women and Pop Culture Over the Span of a Decade

Thanks to everyone who's stopped by Veroniiblog this first week. You guys rock. As a lot of you know (and therefore, tease me about) Veroniiblog isn't my first crack at writing on the web. It's just the latest in a string of Veronica-Marché blogs that have graced the interwebs since I first started blogging in 2003.

I've written about a lot of things over these past seven years -- life, relationships, dance, hair, some of my highly scandalous escapades that I should probably erase from the Internet but I can't because I don't remember passwords. And a lot of times, going through those vintage posts makes me smile -- or cringe, depending on how obvious my neurosis was at the time.

Anywhoo, remembering the old stuff is always fun. So on Fridays, I'm going to share some classic VeroniiPosts here on the blog. Granted, I may no longer agree with some of the stuff I wrote back in the day, but as long as it's entertaining... who cares, right? *veronicashrug* Enjoy.

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Friday, August 22, 2008

Veronica's Completely Unsolicited Analysis of Black Women and Pop Culture Over the Span of a Decade

You can learn a lot from pop culture past.

Thanks to The Mack, we know that pimps were the definition of cool back in the '70s.

Thanks to Michael Jackson, we know that red leather jackets and and sequins were all the rage in the '80s.

And thanks to Terry McMillan and scores of R&B girl group anthems, we know that a lot women in the '90s were, well... desperate.

*ducks*

You done throwing stuff? Okay, now follow me here.

Exhibit A: En Vogue. The hottest group on the scene when they came out. And yes, "Hold On" is a venerable classic. But let's take a closer at the little gems in their discography...

They told us you've got "sacrifice and show how much you care" to keep your dude around ("Hold On")...

They asked, "What must I do to make you stay?" ("Don't Go")...

And then there's the first verse of "Don't Let Go," (different song, they added the "Let") where they declare: "I live in misery when you're not around... and I won't be satisfied 'till we're taking those vows..."

Says Errin: "Did we miss something? Was this the stalker group? These chicks had a lot of issues with keeping a dude, didn't they?"

But I don't think it was just them. At work today, some of us took a well-earned break to reminisce with some music, and "He's Mine" came on.



"MoKenStef?!" I exclaimed. "Really?!" I hadn't heard the song in years.

Then she drops the opening line...

"He might be doing you but he's thinking about me...."

Whoa. Wait. This is problematic. Sweetie? We need to talk.

And the last example almost explains itself: Waiting to Exhale.

I've seen the movie a fair number of times, and every time, I could only be sympathetic to Bernadine (Angela Bassett) and Gloria (Loretta Divine). Robin (Lela Rochon) just didn't know what to do with herself. And Savannah (Whitney) was only eclipsed by her mom...

"He's a good man, Savannah. A good man."

A good... married... man....

Whatever.

Fast forward about a decade or so. Ain't nothing wrong with a little "Cater 2 U". But if dude is being less-than? "To the left, to the left," says Beyonce.

And Janet? (She gets counted here because she's ahead of her time.) She'll flirt with a cute guy and tell him what she'd do if she was his girl... but she's not... so she can't... and she won't.

So... sorry. *shrug*

And as hood as Keyshia Cole can be, "I Changed My Mind" fueled me through The Break-Up of 2006. Particularly the bridge:

"I'm so over you,
got no more to give
I gave it all to you
and you couldn't handle it
and I don't care
if you come back to me on your knees
I just don't love you no more
I changed my mind...."
Suffice it to say, I think I'm glad I came of age later, rather than sooner. Folks can dismiss music and culture all they want, but you gotta be honest... the messages they send are internalized. And we're influenced, to a degree, by what we see or hear.

In fact, I was influenced to write this post this morning, after hearing the Russ Parr Show play its '90s mix.

They spun SWV's "You're the One for Me"...

...followed by New Edition... "Sorry, You're Not My Kind Of Girl."

Ouch.

It only makes me love Beyonce's "Green Light" even more.

"You're holding up traffic, green means GO."
Seriously... you can go.

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