A couple weekends ago, I binge watched season 2 of Marvel’s Luke Cage. It was captivating once again. The storyline of Black Mariah was introduced and played by the amazing, Alfred Woodard. We all know how talented this black woman is and how she encompasses any character she portrays, right?
Well, you can imagine my chagrin when I noticed a few negative comments about how odd it seemed fir Woodard to be playing the role as a “sex symbol”. People kept stating that they just can’t see Woodard as sexy. That the scenes made them cringe, etc.
RELATED VIDEO: WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH ALFRE WOODARD
Why? Because for many people, older women are not sexy. Age-ism is real and it affects women tremendously in general. Add race to that, and you can see why it was so disappointing to hear this type of rhetoric. I’m a woman. A black woman. A black woman that is growing older (God willing) and I don’t think my sexiness has dissipated at all. If anything, it has grown to tremendous heights.
An elder woman has under her belt experience, confidence, and nine times out of ten, she doesn’t give a fuck what others think anyway! And that my friends, is the epitome of sexiness. As a woman, we have got to make sure that we are not subscribing to the narrow, patriarchal idea of what sexy is. Sexiness comes in so many forms. And ladies, we’ve got to start controlling the narrative of sexiness for our damn selves!
What say you? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Have you seen the new season of Luke Cage? What were your thoughts on Alfre Woodard as Black Mariah? Leave me a comment below and don’t forget to keep the conversation going on our Facebook Fan Page HERE.
