Carefree Black Girls is a cultural concept and movement that aims to increase the breadth of "alternative" representations of black women. The origins of this expression can be traced to both

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

and

Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...

Zeba Blay Zeba Blay is a Ghanaian-American writer and culture critic and former senior culture writer for ''The Huffington Post''. She coined the hashtag #Carefree BlackGirl in 2013 and published her accompanying debut ''Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration ...

was reportedly the first person to use the expression as a hashtag on

in May 2013. Danielle Hawkins soon launched a blog on Tumblr by the same name. In her article for ''

The Root "The Root" is a song by American recording artist D'Angelo. It is the eighth track on his second studio album, ''Voodoo'', which was released on January 25, 2000, by Virgin Records. "The Root" was recorded and produced by D'Angelo at New York's ...

'', Diamond Sharp describes "carefree black girls" as an idea that, "

lack women Lack may refer to: Places * Lack, County Fermanagh, a townland in Northern Ireland * Lack, Poland * Łąck, Poland * Lack Township, Juniata County, Pennsylvania, US Other uses * Lack (surname) * Lack (manque), a term in Lacan's psychoanalyti ...

have used to anchor expressions of individuality and whimsy in the face of the heavy

stereotypes In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...

and painful realities that too often color discussions of their demographic." At ''

Refinery29 Refinery29 (R29) is an American multinational digital media and entertainment website focused on young women. It is owned by Vice Media. History Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and Christene Barberich co-founded Refinery29 i ...

'', Jamala Johns said it was "a way to celebrate all things joyous and eclectic among brown ladies. Cultivated online and driven by social media, it's one telling piece of a much wider development of inspiration assembled by and for black women." Hillary Crosley Coker, a reporter for ''

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

'' provides specific examples of notable black women embodying the concept. She claims that, "ladies like Chiara de Blasio (with her hippie flower headband), Solange nowlesand her eclectic style and

Janelle Monae Janelle may refer to: * Janelle (given names) * Janelle (surnames) * 20673 Janelle, asteroid Fictional characters: * Janelle, a.k.a. Janae Timmins * Janelle Duco, in episode " From a Whisper to a Scream" of television series ''Grey's Anatomy'' S ...

futurism Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such ...

are their patron saints".

Reception

The "carefree black girl" movement has prompted the development of related concepts and efforts such as "carefree black boys," a term also dubbed by Blay. Another concept that emerged was "carefree black kids" via the hashtag from '' Another Round'' host and '' Late Night with Stephen Colbert'' writer

Heben Nigatu Heben Nigatu is an Ethiopian-American writer and the former co-host of BuzzFeed podcast ''Another Round (Podcast), Another Round'' which stopped broadcasting in 2017. She previously wrote for ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' and is current ...

(#carefreeblackkids2k16). In July 2016, ''

Blavity Blavity is an American Internet media company and website based in Los Angeles, created by and for black millennials. Their mission is to "economically and creatively support Black millennials across the African scape, so they can pursue the work ...

'' called the photos and videos posted with Nigatu's hashtag "the bright light we needed after this troubling week," which was marked by the state-sponsored killings of

Alton Sterling On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot and killed by two Baton Rouge Police Department officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The officers, who were attempting to control Sterling's arms, shot Sterling while Sterling al ...

and Philandro Castile.

Criticism

As the "carefree black girl" concept gained favorable recognition, it has also faced criticism. Shamira Ibrahim, reporter for ''The Root'' compares the emergence of the "carefree black girl" concept to "black girl magic," critiquing the term's usage as "a catch-all term that seems to run counter to the reality of being a black woman not just in America but in much of the world."

References

External links

Carefreeblackgirls.tumblr.com
English phrases Cultural concepts 2010s neologisms Internet culture Women in society Black studies African-American culture Black feminism {{AfricanAmerican-stub

Reception

Criticism

See also

References

External links