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Token Black Girl: A Memoir
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Memoir & Autobiography (2022)Racial identity, pop culture, and delusions of perfection collide in an eye-opening and refreshingly frank memoir by fashion and beauty insider Danielle Prescod. Danielle Prescod grew up Black in an elite and overwhelmingly white community, her identity made more invisible by the whitewashed movies, television, magazines, and books she and her classmates voraciously consumed. Danielle took her cue from the world around her and aspired to shrink her identity into that box, setting increasingly poisonous goals. She started painful and damaging chemical hair treatments in elementary school, began depriving herself of food when puberty hit, and tried to control her image through the most unimpeachable, impeccable fashion choices. Those obsessions led her to relentlessly pursue a career in beauty and fashion―the eye of the racist and sexist beauty standard storm. Assimilating was hard, but she was practiced. And she was an asset. Their “Token Black Girl.” Toxic, sure. But Danielle was striving to achieve social cache and working her way up the ladder of coveted media jobs, and she looked great, right? So what if she had to endure executives’ questions like “What was it like to drive to school from the ghetto?” Or coworkers’ eager curiosity to know if her parents were on welfare. But after decades of burying her emotions, resentment, and true self, Danielle turned a critical eye inward and confronted the factors that motivated her self-destructive behaviors. Sharp witted and bracingly candid, Token Black Girl unpacks the adverse effects of insidious white supremacy in the media―both unconscious and strategic―to tell a personal story about recovery from damaging concepts of perfection, celebrating identity, and demolishing social conditioning.
255 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2022
3289 people are currently reading
21084 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 732 reviews
July 2, 2022
Rounding up. This book isn’t for me. I understand the author has/is working through her own antiblackness but it’s still giving “I’m not like those other Black girls” energy.
September 12, 2022
A well written enough book with awful content.
Yet another memoir by someone under 50 who shouldn’t have written a memoirs.
No more books by Black ppl, especially Black women, who didn’t like being Black till the Obamas were in the White House!!!
Yet another memoir by someone under 50 who shouldn’t have written a memoirs.
No more books by Black ppl, especially Black women, who didn’t like being Black till the Obamas were in the White House!!!
October 3, 2022
Prior to purchasing this book, I’d never heard of the author. After reading this book, I’m 100% less likely to ever support her work again. With all the blame she spread for her experiences, I can’t understand how she, and her editors, allowed this book to be published without an exploration of her parents’ role in her experiences. While they can’t be blamed for other peoples’ actions, they are absolutely to blame for their failure to prepare her for the white world in which they had intentionally immersed her. I’m sure they thought they were doing the right things by giving her access to the best schools and experiences they could access. And they probably thought largely ignoring race would be “just fine”. But when this black child drew herself as a blue-eyed, blond child, they had an obligation to sit her down and explain to her that she was not white. It is absolutely mind-boggling that they let this happen without addressing it head on.
This book really reads like an opportunistically written, 2020-era “woah is me” racism tale. I 100% believe all of these racist acts and micro aggressions happened to her. At the same time, I feel like she thought this new “woke era” was a good time to drag people from her past. Too bad America stopped pretending to care about racism.
The gross lack of acknowledgement of her complicity and lack of accountability is maddening. She had no choice in her friend circles growing up. But then to go to college and enter post college life still choosing to place herself in nearly exclusively white friend circles is perplexing. Also, as a self-proclaimed “mean girl”, she did just as much harm to others as was done to her. You don’t get to complain about being bullied while also being a bully.
I freely admit that I could be projecting. I’ve known a hundred “Danielles”. They claim their blackness when advantageous or convenient. And when they’re with their white friends they speak about black people as “them”. They freely participate in the othering of non-white people. They not only choose an almost exclusively white friend circle but they maintain those friendships even after witnessing their friends exhibiting racist behaviors. But then when sh!t hits the fan, they want us all to rally around them and their cries of racism. Girl, bye!
This book really reads like an opportunistically written, 2020-era “woah is me” racism tale. I 100% believe all of these racist acts and micro aggressions happened to her. At the same time, I feel like she thought this new “woke era” was a good time to drag people from her past. Too bad America stopped pretending to care about racism.
The gross lack of acknowledgement of her complicity and lack of accountability is maddening. She had no choice in her friend circles growing up. But then to go to college and enter post college life still choosing to place herself in nearly exclusively white friend circles is perplexing. Also, as a self-proclaimed “mean girl”, she did just as much harm to others as was done to her. You don’t get to complain about being bullied while also being a bully.
I freely admit that I could be projecting. I’ve known a hundred “Danielles”. They claim their blackness when advantageous or convenient. And when they’re with their white friends they speak about black people as “them”. They freely participate in the othering of non-white people. They not only choose an almost exclusively white friend circle but they maintain those friendships even after witnessing their friends exhibiting racist behaviors. But then when sh!t hits the fan, they want us all to rally around them and their cries of racism. Girl, bye!
March 27, 2022
The honesty does not let up…. A memoir you won’t soon forget.
So happy to get my hand on Danielle Prescod’s memoir “TOKEN BLACK GIRL…”. While I have seen Prescod’s work on my newsfeed, I don’t think I was prepared for how real her memoir would be. I think she perfectly details what it is like being the only Black woman in certain spaces, especially in the fashion industry.
Danielle Prescod grew up Black in an overwhelming white community, a lot of her identity was shaped based on the media she had access to which was predominantly white. We see how the media she engaged with shaped how she saw the world and herself and I think it was very jarring at times to read. I particularly loved how she spoke about her hair journey and how her body stacked up against that of her white counterparts.
For a first-time memoir I felt this book was particularly honest, engaging and had a lot of teachable moments. An insightful read.
So happy to get my hand on Danielle Prescod’s memoir “TOKEN BLACK GIRL…”. While I have seen Prescod’s work on my newsfeed, I don’t think I was prepared for how real her memoir would be. I think she perfectly details what it is like being the only Black woman in certain spaces, especially in the fashion industry.
Danielle Prescod grew up Black in an overwhelming white community, a lot of her identity was shaped based on the media she had access to which was predominantly white. We see how the media she engaged with shaped how she saw the world and herself and I think it was very jarring at times to read. I particularly loved how she spoke about her hair journey and how her body stacked up against that of her white counterparts.
For a first-time memoir I felt this book was particularly honest, engaging and had a lot of teachable moments. An insightful read.
November 1, 2022
As a black girl who grew in Connecticut as a little ballerina with an eating disorder, this is the only time I have read or seen anything that mirrored my experience.
I’ve been seeing mixed reviews from black women, but for me (although I didn’t ~love~ the writing style) reading this was so incredibly validating :,)
I’ve been seeing mixed reviews from black women, but for me (although I didn’t ~love~ the writing style) reading this was so incredibly validating :,)
September 4, 2022
Danielle Prescod is a 15-year veteran of the beauty and fashion industry and a graduate of NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She was most recently the style director of BET.com and A lifelong fashion obsessive, she was most recently the style director of BET.com. Recently, Prescod joined forces with Chrissy Rutherford to start 2BG Consulting, which aids fashion and beauty brands and influencers on their anti-racism journeys.
With "Token Black Girl: A Memoir," Prescod shares her journey of growing up Black in an elite and overwhelmingly white community where she voraciously consumed and immersed herself in white culture, especially pop culture, and reduced her own actual identity from damaging chemical hair treatments in elementary school to food deprivation once puberty hit to a number of other choices. As she became more and more driven to move into the beauty and fashion industry, Prescod's lifelong experiences with self-denial and self-shaming translated into her ability to comfortably, or at least seemingly comfortably, embracing the role of an organization's "token Black girl." With "Token Black Girl," Prescod tells a story that is part memoir and part social justice exploration as she uncovers the unconscious and very conscious presence of white supremacy in the media. Finally, she begins to unpack her own social conditioning and begins to move toward recovering her ability to celebrate her identity and let go of toxic views of perfection.
An Amazon Prime First Read in September 2022, "Token Black Girl" is simultaneously a piercing and revelatory read and a maddening and frustrating one.
At first glance, I may not seem to be the ideal reader for Token Black Girl." I am not a Black man. I certainly didn't grow up in anything resembling an elite community. My sense of fashion basically consists of hoping my clothing passes the sniff test. I have never been overly concerned with pop culture and I've seldom found my worth in status, financial success, or any semblance of fame.
On the flip side, I was drawn to the book precisely because of my lifelong experiences in the Black community from growing up in a Black neighborhood to attending a Black college to now living in a community that is 95% Black. I would never describe myself as a token in my community, however, I have related to that sense of tokenism as an adult with a disability who has succeeded far beyond expectations and who has, more than once, looked and felt like the token disabled person in a work, non-profit, or other type of setting.
In other words, I was very intentional about wanting to read "Token Black Girl" and fully expected to embrace Prescod's storytelling.
However, time and again I found myself troubled by aspects of the storytelling that unfolded in "Token Black Girl." By the end of the book, I was fairly convinced that part of what bothered me in "Token Black Girl" had to do with its editing rather than Prescod's own voice in the book.
Early on in "Token Black Girl," it becomes readily apparent that Prescod's parents attempted to immerse her in Black culture while also wanting to provide her the best possible opportunities. While years later Prescod would begin to unpack the inconsistencies in this message, I longed for "Token Black Girl" to delve deeper into what really caused her to so consistently choose white culture over the Black culture that was offered to her over and over again. While "Token Black Girl" is labeled a memoir, it never actually feels like a memoir because she seldom paints a complete self-portrait other than that which supports her desired narrative. What was it about this family relationship that must have fractured? Did it fracture? Or did something else? While Prescod admirably owns her choices here, I kept hoping for a discussion that would dig deeper.
Perhaps because of my own disability, I found one particular story about Prescod's admittedly troubling encounter with a fellow white student with physical challenges to be disturbing. Throughout the storytelling, Prescod casts dispersions on this person as not nearly as disabled as they projected. However, she also acknowledges actually making threats toward this person in an incident that she felt reinforced institutionalized racism because she would, at least temporarily, be kicked out of the school for her threats while others around her had allegedly behaved similarly. These were abysmal leaps of logic, especially for someone who ultimately was returned to school when her parents hired a lawyer. Prescod notes that it should have been well known she never would have actually followed through on threats and seemed appalled (years later) that they entered her instant messages to uncover her language (which is a well-known and established right, but whatever). She projects concern that she was a good girl who was suddenly portrayed as someone who got drunk all the time - then, acknowledges that it was no more than a few times of actual underage drinking. Sigh. Weird. While this could have been a valuable story, she ends it by condescendingly referring to this woman dismissively as someone whom she believed to be still alive and a mother (like either of these is a bad thing?). The ableist language throughout this story is squirm-inducing and it's remarkable that an editor didn't reshape it. I understood what she was going for her - and I don't in anyway believe someone is innocent because of having a physical challenge or disability, but by the end of the story it's entirely Prescod who is portrayed badly here.
The same is true, in obviously different ways, in story after story Prescod shares as she'll often write her own experiences with remarkable precision but then turn around and portray how poorly she treated others. "Othering" is prevalent throughout "Token Black Girl" and it greatly dilutes the impact of her storytelling. By the end, it's difficult to have anything resembling empathy for Prescod because she's criticized nearly every peer, every employer (including BET.com), and every institution she's been a part of. One of my own rules I've learned when I feel persecuted is that if I have issues with everyone around me? I'm probably the issue.
In the end, "Token Black Girl" at times feels like the journey I can just tell Prescod wants it to be - her journey from rejecting her own identity to learning how to love herself. Unfortunately, its structure all too often gets in the way and "Token Black Girl" ends up portraying Prescod as negatively as the institutions and people around her. These would be valuable issues to explore, but "Token Black Girl" never goes there.
As "Token Black Girl" winds down, Prescod enters celebrity culture and begins to connect-the-dots toward its racism. A late jab at Blake Lively feel particularly desperate - Prescod observes having had to work with her at the same time she was marrying Ryan Reynolds at a plantation. This was a decision that attracted negative press attention. However, Prescod completely fails to mention that both celebs later apologized for this choice and were, in fact, very precise in their apology. Should they have made the choice? Of course not, but using it here as an example to support your narrative and not acknowledging the full truth feels invalidating. I would assume as someone in the beauty and fashion industry, there would be a myriad of better examples to use.
I enjoyed parts of "Token Black Girl" and I applaud Prescod's decision to reveal her journey and to have these difficult but important discussions. However, "Token Black Girl" ultimately falls short of its goals almost entirely because Prescod doesn't get out of her own way narratively and the editor who should have shaped this discussion failed to do so.
In the end, "Token Black Girl" only skims the surface of a discussion that needs and deserves to go so much deeper.
With "Token Black Girl: A Memoir," Prescod shares her journey of growing up Black in an elite and overwhelmingly white community where she voraciously consumed and immersed herself in white culture, especially pop culture, and reduced her own actual identity from damaging chemical hair treatments in elementary school to food deprivation once puberty hit to a number of other choices. As she became more and more driven to move into the beauty and fashion industry, Prescod's lifelong experiences with self-denial and self-shaming translated into her ability to comfortably, or at least seemingly comfortably, embracing the role of an organization's "token Black girl." With "Token Black Girl," Prescod tells a story that is part memoir and part social justice exploration as she uncovers the unconscious and very conscious presence of white supremacy in the media. Finally, she begins to unpack her own social conditioning and begins to move toward recovering her ability to celebrate her identity and let go of toxic views of perfection.
An Amazon Prime First Read in September 2022, "Token Black Girl" is simultaneously a piercing and revelatory read and a maddening and frustrating one.
At first glance, I may not seem to be the ideal reader for Token Black Girl." I am not a Black man. I certainly didn't grow up in anything resembling an elite community. My sense of fashion basically consists of hoping my clothing passes the sniff test. I have never been overly concerned with pop culture and I've seldom found my worth in status, financial success, or any semblance of fame.
On the flip side, I was drawn to the book precisely because of my lifelong experiences in the Black community from growing up in a Black neighborhood to attending a Black college to now living in a community that is 95% Black. I would never describe myself as a token in my community, however, I have related to that sense of tokenism as an adult with a disability who has succeeded far beyond expectations and who has, more than once, looked and felt like the token disabled person in a work, non-profit, or other type of setting.
In other words, I was very intentional about wanting to read "Token Black Girl" and fully expected to embrace Prescod's storytelling.
However, time and again I found myself troubled by aspects of the storytelling that unfolded in "Token Black Girl." By the end of the book, I was fairly convinced that part of what bothered me in "Token Black Girl" had to do with its editing rather than Prescod's own voice in the book.
Early on in "Token Black Girl," it becomes readily apparent that Prescod's parents attempted to immerse her in Black culture while also wanting to provide her the best possible opportunities. While years later Prescod would begin to unpack the inconsistencies in this message, I longed for "Token Black Girl" to delve deeper into what really caused her to so consistently choose white culture over the Black culture that was offered to her over and over again. While "Token Black Girl" is labeled a memoir, it never actually feels like a memoir because she seldom paints a complete self-portrait other than that which supports her desired narrative. What was it about this family relationship that must have fractured? Did it fracture? Or did something else? While Prescod admirably owns her choices here, I kept hoping for a discussion that would dig deeper.
Perhaps because of my own disability, I found one particular story about Prescod's admittedly troubling encounter with a fellow white student with physical challenges to be disturbing. Throughout the storytelling, Prescod casts dispersions on this person as not nearly as disabled as they projected. However, she also acknowledges actually making threats toward this person in an incident that she felt reinforced institutionalized racism because she would, at least temporarily, be kicked out of the school for her threats while others around her had allegedly behaved similarly. These were abysmal leaps of logic, especially for someone who ultimately was returned to school when her parents hired a lawyer. Prescod notes that it should have been well known she never would have actually followed through on threats and seemed appalled (years later) that they entered her instant messages to uncover her language (which is a well-known and established right, but whatever). She projects concern that she was a good girl who was suddenly portrayed as someone who got drunk all the time - then, acknowledges that it was no more than a few times of actual underage drinking. Sigh. Weird. While this could have been a valuable story, she ends it by condescendingly referring to this woman dismissively as someone whom she believed to be still alive and a mother (like either of these is a bad thing?). The ableist language throughout this story is squirm-inducing and it's remarkable that an editor didn't reshape it. I understood what she was going for her - and I don't in anyway believe someone is innocent because of having a physical challenge or disability, but by the end of the story it's entirely Prescod who is portrayed badly here.
The same is true, in obviously different ways, in story after story Prescod shares as she'll often write her own experiences with remarkable precision but then turn around and portray how poorly she treated others. "Othering" is prevalent throughout "Token Black Girl" and it greatly dilutes the impact of her storytelling. By the end, it's difficult to have anything resembling empathy for Prescod because she's criticized nearly every peer, every employer (including BET.com), and every institution she's been a part of. One of my own rules I've learned when I feel persecuted is that if I have issues with everyone around me? I'm probably the issue.
In the end, "Token Black Girl" at times feels like the journey I can just tell Prescod wants it to be - her journey from rejecting her own identity to learning how to love herself. Unfortunately, its structure all too often gets in the way and "Token Black Girl" ends up portraying Prescod as negatively as the institutions and people around her. These would be valuable issues to explore, but "Token Black Girl" never goes there.
As "Token Black Girl" winds down, Prescod enters celebrity culture and begins to connect-the-dots toward its racism. A late jab at Blake Lively feel particularly desperate - Prescod observes having had to work with her at the same time she was marrying Ryan Reynolds at a plantation. This was a decision that attracted negative press attention. However, Prescod completely fails to mention that both celebs later apologized for this choice and were, in fact, very precise in their apology. Should they have made the choice? Of course not, but using it here as an example to support your narrative and not acknowledging the full truth feels invalidating. I would assume as someone in the beauty and fashion industry, there would be a myriad of better examples to use.
I enjoyed parts of "Token Black Girl" and I applaud Prescod's decision to reveal her journey and to have these difficult but important discussions. However, "Token Black Girl" ultimately falls short of its goals almost entirely because Prescod doesn't get out of her own way narratively and the editor who should have shaped this discussion failed to do so.
In the end, "Token Black Girl" only skims the surface of a discussion that needs and deserves to go so much deeper.
February 19, 2023
I made the mistake of starting this book without reading the summary or reviews. I don't recommend. The author writes about her personal experiences that are deeply linked with internalized racism and anti-Blackness, which results in a story ABOUT a Black woman that is not written TO or FOR Black Women. I should've known when she referred to a chemical process to straighten her hair rather than calling it a perm or relaxer. SMH. I was hoping for a moment where the narrative changed and a deeper love of herself as a Black Women would come through - never got there, although it seems that the author thinks she did. As a Black Women it did nothing for me to read a story about a Black Women who doesn't see our beauty and strength.
I also did not love her discussion about her history with an eating disorder. While that's a very valid and real experience, she stated she would not go into detail to prevent from triggering someone else but then gave A LOT of detail and did exactly that. As a psychologist who has worked with adolescents with eating disorders, I would even more so recommend you NOT read this book if that would be at all trigger for you.
I noticed after the fact that many of the positive reviews are from white women (and honestly, this is another example of the need to listen to and believe Black women). But, if you are a white woman who has had a Black friend or two in your circle but never understood or considered how that may have had an impact on their identity development, this book may be worth a read...but please do so with a critical eye and diversify the information you receive from and about Black Women for a more holistic understanding.
I also did not love her discussion about her history with an eating disorder. While that's a very valid and real experience, she stated she would not go into detail to prevent from triggering someone else but then gave A LOT of detail and did exactly that. As a psychologist who has worked with adolescents with eating disorders, I would even more so recommend you NOT read this book if that would be at all trigger for you.
I noticed after the fact that many of the positive reviews are from white women (and honestly, this is another example of the need to listen to and believe Black women). But, if you are a white woman who has had a Black friend or two in your circle but never understood or considered how that may have had an impact on their identity development, this book may be worth a read...but please do so with a critical eye and diversify the information you receive from and about Black Women for a more holistic understanding.
November 17, 2022
I blame her parents more than the mainstream media
This book felt like an explanation of why the author didn’t know she was black, didn’t appreciate her blackness for a long time, and then the journey to be comfortable in her blackness.
There wasn’t much to enjoy, or even find inspirational for me. It just didn’t do anything for me.
This book felt like an explanation of why the author didn’t know she was black, didn’t appreciate her blackness for a long time, and then the journey to be comfortable in her blackness.
There wasn’t much to enjoy, or even find inspirational for me. It just didn’t do anything for me.
January 3, 2023
The reviews and descriptions were good so I expected a lot but the book itself ended up quite infuriating. Basically, it’s “I’m so rich and spoiled and the best at everything and super mean to everyone around me but it’s ok because racism made me mean”. There’s very little introspection, no examination of the role of the author’s parents/family in her experiences and no remorse for her actions. She describes an episode in which she threatened to kill a fellow high school student and was suspended but the only problem for her was the length of the suspension and how it would affect her college application (and her rich parents hire a lawyer to fight the suspension), not the fact that she freaking threatened to kill a classmate. Apparently, the classmate wasn’t nice so it was ok.
September 16, 2022
Spoiled rich girl, whining. I can’t take anymore. DNF
January 20, 2023
DNF I just couldn't. Perhaps it wasn't the media that wanted her to be white but her parents. My hometown was full of all colors. We embraced them all....and I grew up in the South.
I could go on and on but this girl is a mess.
I could go on and on but this girl is a mess.
January 29, 2022
In Token Black Girl, Danielle Prescod shares her experiences growing up in a predominantly white environment, as well as working in the white-dominated fashion world. Many of the experiences recounted will have looked like nothing to bystanders, but the author makes obvious to readers the racial implications behind seemingly innocent interactions.
For those of us who are or have been token black girls, Danielle's stories are relatable, letting us know we are not alone. Many times while reading, I felt I was reading my own words, with some of my own experiences being word-for-word, exact replicas of those recounted in the book.
For anyone who has not played this role, Token Black Girl is an education. Readers get an honest look through the eyes of the author, learning how tokenism affects not only the token but society as a whole when it comes to representation not just in fashion but in all media.
The structure of the book begins well, with the first half focusing on the author's childhood in relatively chronological order. The latter half of the book does jump around a bit, between the author's experiences working in fashion and media, and her struggle with disordered eating. While both topics were interesting, the flow between chapters leaves something to be desired. However, pushing forward through any jumps in time is certainly worth the content within.
Token Black Girl is a must-read for anyone who is or who has ever known a "token black girl".
For those of us who are or have been token black girls, Danielle's stories are relatable, letting us know we are not alone. Many times while reading, I felt I was reading my own words, with some of my own experiences being word-for-word, exact replicas of those recounted in the book.
For anyone who has not played this role, Token Black Girl is an education. Readers get an honest look through the eyes of the author, learning how tokenism affects not only the token but society as a whole when it comes to representation not just in fashion but in all media.
The structure of the book begins well, with the first half focusing on the author's childhood in relatively chronological order. The latter half of the book does jump around a bit, between the author's experiences working in fashion and media, and her struggle with disordered eating. While both topics were interesting, the flow between chapters leaves something to be desired. However, pushing forward through any jumps in time is certainly worth the content within.
Token Black Girl is a must-read for anyone who is or who has ever known a "token black girl".
March 16, 2023
“We are all a mess of contradictions, and we feel them crashing together as we move through the world. It is not enough to simply declare insecurities without trying to figure out their source because - I promise you - they will keep coming back up. We have to learn to live with them, and to make space for others to do the same.”
As Danielle Prescod writes, she was the only woman of girl at school, growing up in the wealthy suburbs of New York City. She writes how intimidating it was to grow up within white culture and conform to their biased sense of beauty and respect. The same systemic and personal racism was encountered in college and during her time working in the high echelons of the fashion industry, when the Black beauty movement had not yet developed. In order to fit in, she obsessed over fashion and body weight, and was subtly and also overtly influenced to assimilate such stereotypes into her own worldview. She suffered with an eating disorder, and was praised by all around her for her discipline and persistence.
Prescod admits that she bullied a girl in high school and coworkers during her fashion career regarding clothes and weight. At first, I was offended by this behavior of hers, but came to appreciate how beautifully honest she was about such incidents.
Her writing style flows so nicely, managing to switch between insight and insecurity. I have always disliked the fashion industry, because, being biracial (Hispanic and White) I did not fit the stereotype of femininity. Heroin chic was the dominant stereotype while I was in high school and college, and I hated the thought that to look attractive, I had to starve myself. Prescod brilliantly blends contemporary fashion trends like this and describes her success in fooling friends and coworkers that such trends that encouraged starvation was something she embraced as well. But deep inside, she was trying so hard to be accepted and she became so angry about having to absorb the stereotypes of beauty and never express her opinion that such stereotypes could not naturally be achieved by Black women with curves and ebony skin …
I think this book reflected the cultural demands of beauty as experienced by women of color frankly and intelligently. I realize that fashion is currently trying to encourage acknowledgement of cultural stereotypes of beauty that accept diversity of body types and skin color. But as I browse the Internet and watch TV, I question the validity of the efforts expended by the fashion industry, and wonder if this is just a temporary trend that will blaze out … it feels like this trend is too little too late…
As Danielle Prescod writes, she was the only woman of girl at school, growing up in the wealthy suburbs of New York City. She writes how intimidating it was to grow up within white culture and conform to their biased sense of beauty and respect. The same systemic and personal racism was encountered in college and during her time working in the high echelons of the fashion industry, when the Black beauty movement had not yet developed. In order to fit in, she obsessed over fashion and body weight, and was subtly and also overtly influenced to assimilate such stereotypes into her own worldview. She suffered with an eating disorder, and was praised by all around her for her discipline and persistence.
Prescod admits that she bullied a girl in high school and coworkers during her fashion career regarding clothes and weight. At first, I was offended by this behavior of hers, but came to appreciate how beautifully honest she was about such incidents.
Her writing style flows so nicely, managing to switch between insight and insecurity. I have always disliked the fashion industry, because, being biracial (Hispanic and White) I did not fit the stereotype of femininity. Heroin chic was the dominant stereotype while I was in high school and college, and I hated the thought that to look attractive, I had to starve myself. Prescod brilliantly blends contemporary fashion trends like this and describes her success in fooling friends and coworkers that such trends that encouraged starvation was something she embraced as well. But deep inside, she was trying so hard to be accepted and she became so angry about having to absorb the stereotypes of beauty and never express her opinion that such stereotypes could not naturally be achieved by Black women with curves and ebony skin …
I think this book reflected the cultural demands of beauty as experienced by women of color frankly and intelligently. I realize that fashion is currently trying to encourage acknowledgement of cultural stereotypes of beauty that accept diversity of body types and skin color. But as I browse the Internet and watch TV, I question the validity of the efforts expended by the fashion industry, and wonder if this is just a temporary trend that will blaze out … it feels like this trend is too little too late…
November 14, 2022
Token Black Girl is a fascinating memoir by Danielle Prescod, the Style Director of BET and co-founder of 2BG Consulting, which aims to shed light on the role of white supremacy in the fashion industry. Prescod's memoir begins in her childhood and discusses her role as the token Black girl in her friendships at a primarily white, elite school. She then follows her trajectory into college and then her career in the fashion industry, talking openly about her struggles with eating disorders and the pressure in fashion settings to be, ideally, white, and, at least, thin. A fascinating look at race and size in fashion. I deeply appreciated Prescod's candor and vulnerability and enjoyed her memoir a lot!
** Thanks so much to NetGalley, Danielle Prescod, and Little A for this ARC! Token Black Girl is available now (and it's on Kindle Unlimited!) **
** Thanks so much to NetGalley, Danielle Prescod, and Little A for this ARC! Token Black Girl is available now (and it's on Kindle Unlimited!) **
March 2, 2023
I now know why something kept telling me to pass this book by for so long. It's literally a self-shaming, feel bad for me and let me see if I can get more likes with a book published. I just kept waiting for her narrative to change from whiney pity party to...something that would give me a reason to give this book some kind of praise.
I think I was actually done when her parents did not address the facts: she drew herself as a white child and when asked she literally out of her mouth told her mother this is how she saw herself. At that point THERE WAS A PROBLEM!!
Look I related to her a several of her experiences: being the only black person in a class, going to a mostly white school, having a way different body type than my friends, and I have many white friends in my very diverse friend /associate circle. But NONE of my circle are ever uncomfortable speaking of race and or standing up for me if the situation deemed it, because if they were uncomfortable with either there would be an issue which would be solved by the end of that relationship.
I just feel this book could have been worked on and edited a lot more after she had much more growth and healing because at this point it just reads like a pity-party, WOAH is me, I need a check publication.
I think I was actually done when her parents did not address the facts: she drew herself as a white child and when asked she literally out of her mouth told her mother this is how she saw herself. At that point THERE WAS A PROBLEM!!
Look I related to her a several of her experiences: being the only black person in a class, going to a mostly white school, having a way different body type than my friends, and I have many white friends in my very diverse friend /associate circle. But NONE of my circle are ever uncomfortable speaking of race and or standing up for me if the situation deemed it, because if they were uncomfortable with either there would be an issue which would be solved by the end of that relationship.
I just feel this book could have been worked on and edited a lot more after she had much more growth and healing because at this point it just reads like a pity-party, WOAH is me, I need a check publication.
September 24, 2022
Who taught you to hate the texture of your hair? Who taught you to hate the color of your skin?... Who taught you to hate the shape of your nose and the shape of your lips? Who taught you to to hate the race that you belong to? You should ask yourself who taught you to hate being what God made you~ Malcolm X .
I stumbled across this book on my Kindle and was desperate to read it. It was free at the time to be to all Prime members so this was a win win situation. Although I heard about this book in the media, I never explored what the theme was other than about race issues. I will say that this was a light read about racism, anti racism and the author finally being appreciative of her skin color. Prescod talked about her experience being raised in a rich neighborhood and her always hiding her race until she learned to accept being black. I really enjoyed reading about her story and how she came to appreciate the skin that she was in. It was not as groundbreaking as I initially thought but that does not take away the beauty of this novel.
To be young, gifted and BLACK..what a world to live in!
I stumbled across this book on my Kindle and was desperate to read it. It was free at the time to be to all Prime members so this was a win win situation. Although I heard about this book in the media, I never explored what the theme was other than about race issues. I will say that this was a light read about racism, anti racism and the author finally being appreciative of her skin color. Prescod talked about her experience being raised in a rich neighborhood and her always hiding her race until she learned to accept being black. I really enjoyed reading about her story and how she came to appreciate the skin that she was in. It was not as groundbreaking as I initially thought but that does not take away the beauty of this novel.
To be young, gifted and BLACK..what a world to live in!
February 9, 2023
Thank you to #NetGalley and #LITTLEa for sending me Token Black Girl: A Memoir for review. This book just did not hit for me. The author made too many generalizations. She did however made me feel grateful to be from a predominantly black area, her not wanting to be a black girl was so cringe. If you are a black girl that lives in a white bubble maybe it will be able to relate. I got mad reading and I felt like she put all of us (black girls) in a box.
February 16, 2023
Ugh. Was excited for this but SUCH mean girl energy, it just made me sad. Cannot stop thinking about the story that got her suspended and the way she framed it. Came across so ableist without an ounce of self reflection and it disgusted me. Read every description she gave of every other person completely differently after that. Book is an example of ‘hurt people hurt people’
November 18, 2022
I was a Token Black Girl (just not a rich one).
I was one of maybe two or three black kids in the school for most of my high school years. I was also the only black kid in my immediate neighborhood (besides my siblings), the only black person in my friend group, and the only black student in my honors and gifted classes.
I endured countless culturally insensitive assumptions and proddings (please stop touching my hair). I was expected to answer a barrage of "Why do or don't Black people...." questions for the entire race. And a boy wrote in my yearbook, "To the nicest colored person I ever met."
One vivid memory is that a week or two after being placed into Advanced History, the teacher decided there had to be a slave auction, but I was not to worry because she would make sure I was "an owner." (Yes, you read that correctly).
White influences inundated me - I didn't want to be blonde, but long hair would make me pretty! I knew just about every video that played on MTV, from Fleetwood Mac (whose music I still love to this day) to Motley Crue. But had little exposure to black artists until they were on MTV too.
So, in some ways, I could relate to Danielle's story.
Unlike the author, however, I never hated my blackness; I hated what others projected onto me because of my blackness.
I have often wondered if that difference in mindset had to do with being West Indian vs. American.
As for this memoir, it's repetitive, but the words ring true.
The takeaway: All the money in the world will not make you non-Black, and it won't make people perceive you as non-Black, nor, however, will it diminish the experiences of being Black.
And Black is Beautiful even if the world tries to make you think otherwise.
I was one of maybe two or three black kids in the school for most of my high school years. I was also the only black kid in my immediate neighborhood (besides my siblings), the only black person in my friend group, and the only black student in my honors and gifted classes.
I endured countless culturally insensitive assumptions and proddings (please stop touching my hair). I was expected to answer a barrage of "Why do or don't Black people...." questions for the entire race. And a boy wrote in my yearbook, "To the nicest colored person I ever met."
One vivid memory is that a week or two after being placed into Advanced History, the teacher decided there had to be a slave auction, but I was not to worry because she would make sure I was "an owner." (Yes, you read that correctly).
White influences inundated me - I didn't want to be blonde, but long hair would make me pretty! I knew just about every video that played on MTV, from Fleetwood Mac (whose music I still love to this day) to Motley Crue. But had little exposure to black artists until they were on MTV too.
So, in some ways, I could relate to Danielle's story.
Unlike the author, however, I never hated my blackness; I hated what others projected onto me because of my blackness.
I have often wondered if that difference in mindset had to do with being West Indian vs. American.
As for this memoir, it's repetitive, but the words ring true.
The takeaway: All the money in the world will not make you non-Black, and it won't make people perceive you as non-Black, nor, however, will it diminish the experiences of being Black.
And Black is Beautiful even if the world tries to make you think otherwise.
January 7, 2023
I had followed Danielle on Instagram for a few years so was excited to read her book when I saw It on Amazon, but it was incredibly disappointing. She has a great writing style, but this book is a perfect example of “hurt people hurt people.” I’m not discounting any of her experiences with racism, especially the ones in the fashion industry, but the fact that she justifies treating others like garbage because she had to face racism is a little strange to me.
She also lost me when she admitted to threatening to kill a disabled classmate and her only concerns were that she was unfairly punished (I personally wouldn’t consider a suspension from school an unfair punishment for that) and that it would look bad on college applications.
She also lost me when she admitted to threatening to kill a disabled classmate and her only concerns were that she was unfairly punished (I personally wouldn’t consider a suspension from school an unfair punishment for that) and that it would look bad on college applications.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2024
Once in a while, a book will draw me out of my bubble of romance and YA fantasy, delivering me into a space where I can safely see the world from another person's perspective. However, Danielle Prescod's TOKEN BLACK GIRL: A MEMOIR, holds a mirror to a familiar place. In honest and clear, and sometimes devastating prose, Prescod describes her childhood as one of the few Black girls in a predominantly white community and the isolation and loneliness that can create. She reflects on the pressure to conform and the dangerous, self-harming choices she made and later inflicted on others on her path to self-love and acceptance. While this memoir candidly confronts toxic beauty standards and racism, it provides hope that things can improve and challenges us all to do better.
September 2, 2022
I’ve followed Danielle for years on Twitter and was so excited to learn more about her. This memoir started off strong, but unfortunately fell a little flat as it progressed. Prescod has a strong voice and the theme of being the “Token Black Girl” is thoroughly thought out and well executed chapter after chapter. The mix of essay style and social commentary with personal anecdotes was unique from other memoirs I’ve read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for the advanced copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for the advanced copy.
October 5, 2022
This is an important generational book on the millennial focus on white supremacy and thinness. The disordered eating portrayed I related to with my whole being. The racism doesn’t need my commentary except PLEASE read this book. It’s an honest and shocking debut that should be discussed.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 25, 2023
My actual rating is 2.25 stars. I didn't hate this book, but I was bored a lot of the time and wanted it to end. I didn't connect with the author's background. I've been the token Black girl more recently in my life, which I think stopped me from relating to the author's plights. She just read like a mean bully who hated herself. I didn't find much growth in her stories throughout her life either.
Honestly, I only picked this book to read because it fit two objectives for the New Year Kindle challenge. It has served its purpose, but I won't be recommending this to others.
Honestly, I only picked this book to read because it fit two objectives for the New Year Kindle challenge. It has served its purpose, but I won't be recommending this to others.
March 9, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ this was very good in the beginning, i related a lot to what she went through having grown up in a predominately white area. i’m not that into fashion, which is basically the entire second half of the book. had i not already gotten so far into it (and had it not been an audiobook) i probably would’ve dnf’ed. this was the first audiobook i listened to all the way through, she’s a very good narrator. all in all it was interesting but i’ll probably forget about most of it in a week.
massive, massive TW for ED though if anyone is thinking about it.
massive, massive TW for ED though if anyone is thinking about it.
February 18, 2023
DNFd at 67%. At one point the author relates how she was suspended from school for threatening to kill a disabled classmate whom she hated. She refers to this incident as "my villain origin story" without any realization that if you are threatening to kill a disabled person because they were too friendly, you are already a villain.
There is an interesting blend of honesty and self delusion in this memoir, as the author delves deeply into her thoughts and feelings, but utterly fails to take any accountability for the cruelty she inflicted on others. She admits multiple times that she specifically targeted anyone more vulnerable than her and justifies her behavior as excusable because she's a victim of white supremacy. She is a victim of white supremacy, but she's also a major asshole, and it's difficult to read a book by an asshole essentially trying to justify being an asshole.
I am in no way arguing that the author didn't experience horrific racist micro and macro aggressions, but the entire book reminded me of the quote from The Social Network "you're going to go through life thinking that girls don't like you because you're a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won't be true. It'll be because you're an asshole." The reason why "when I met Black boys later on, they expressed their displeasure for my personality, not looks, by and large telling me I was a spoiled princess" is because you are indeed a spoiled princess. And my goodness, reading a memoir by a spoiled princess who blames everyone and everything else for her own miserable personality without any real acknowledgement of the immense privileges she had over 99% of other people (including white ones) was a highly off-putting experience.
There is an interesting blend of honesty and self delusion in this memoir, as the author delves deeply into her thoughts and feelings, but utterly fails to take any accountability for the cruelty she inflicted on others. She admits multiple times that she specifically targeted anyone more vulnerable than her and justifies her behavior as excusable because she's a victim of white supremacy. She is a victim of white supremacy, but she's also a major asshole, and it's difficult to read a book by an asshole essentially trying to justify being an asshole.
I am in no way arguing that the author didn't experience horrific racist micro and macro aggressions, but the entire book reminded me of the quote from The Social Network "you're going to go through life thinking that girls don't like you because you're a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won't be true. It'll be because you're an asshole." The reason why "when I met Black boys later on, they expressed their displeasure for my personality, not looks, by and large telling me I was a spoiled princess" is because you are indeed a spoiled princess. And my goodness, reading a memoir by a spoiled princess who blames everyone and everything else for her own miserable personality without any real acknowledgement of the immense privileges she had over 99% of other people (including white ones) was a highly off-putting experience.
January 10, 2023
I have no idea who this person is, if she's famous, what she does, or what, apparently, she's someone big in the fashion world, but I don't know who since I know zero about fashion. However, when I saw the title, I was intrigued. With my reading and learning, I'm always trying to read and open my mind up to people of all backgrounds and color, to be open to learning.
It's pretty obvious to me, from the opening chapter, that her parents could have done so much more to help her with her identity. The first half of the book was a montage of books and pop culture icons that she compared herself to. She seems about my age, so we grew up watching and reading the same stuff. She talks about vc Andrews which is a whole bunch of books of stupid (the ghost writer is a man who has no idea what is inside a woman's mind, trying to write like a woman about women..imagine Rain, a POC woman) she talks about sweet valley high which I think even most white women can't relate to much. The point is she spent so much time comparing herself to pop culture and there wasn't any mention of her parents sitting her down to talk to her aside from her mother telling her not to call someone a thug, she herself said her mother didn't talk about details about that and why. Her upbringing and writing and how she describes her life screamed to me privilege, she may be a POC but she had more opportunities than most people do. I grew up in a city that was lower/mid income and the POC I grew up with probably couldn't relate to her at all. I couldn't relate to anyone, her friends and rich lifestyle, tennis and all-girls school.
I stopped reading when she started talking about the handicapped girl. It was very ableist. Maybe if I keep reading, she would talk about more in depths of the situation, as far as learning from it, but as a handicap person with a similar incident in my middle school years, similarly being scared of my future, the ableist talk was so strong with this, she says "this is not to discredit anyone with an illness, but I do need to say that this girl often overemphasized her limitations, even saying at one point that she might not apply to college because she wasn’t sure if she was going to live that long." So, she discredits her illness while saying that she's not discrediting anyone's illnesses. The author appears to be trying to get sympathy for her background and the way she was raised while talking down about a handicapped white woman for gaining sympathy about her handicap. The author wishes her to be killed and dead but is allowed back to school. Meanwhile, underprivileged black kids who would say or do that are expelled without a moment hesitation. She mocks her for "being scared of me" wellllll..yeah, she wanted her to die, a lot of normal people would be scared of someone who said "Isabelle is so annoying I could kill her. I wish she was dead."
And that's when I stopped reading.
It's pretty obvious to me, from the opening chapter, that her parents could have done so much more to help her with her identity. The first half of the book was a montage of books and pop culture icons that she compared herself to. She seems about my age, so we grew up watching and reading the same stuff. She talks about vc Andrews which is a whole bunch of books of stupid (the ghost writer is a man who has no idea what is inside a woman's mind, trying to write like a woman about women..imagine Rain, a POC woman) she talks about sweet valley high which I think even most white women can't relate to much. The point is she spent so much time comparing herself to pop culture and there wasn't any mention of her parents sitting her down to talk to her aside from her mother telling her not to call someone a thug, she herself said her mother didn't talk about details about that and why. Her upbringing and writing and how she describes her life screamed to me privilege, she may be a POC but she had more opportunities than most people do. I grew up in a city that was lower/mid income and the POC I grew up with probably couldn't relate to her at all. I couldn't relate to anyone, her friends and rich lifestyle, tennis and all-girls school.
I stopped reading when she started talking about the handicapped girl. It was very ableist. Maybe if I keep reading, she would talk about more in depths of the situation, as far as learning from it, but as a handicap person with a similar incident in my middle school years, similarly being scared of my future, the ableist talk was so strong with this, she says "this is not to discredit anyone with an illness, but I do need to say that this girl often overemphasized her limitations, even saying at one point that she might not apply to college because she wasn’t sure if she was going to live that long." So, she discredits her illness while saying that she's not discrediting anyone's illnesses. The author appears to be trying to get sympathy for her background and the way she was raised while talking down about a handicapped white woman for gaining sympathy about her handicap. The author wishes her to be killed and dead but is allowed back to school. Meanwhile, underprivileged black kids who would say or do that are expelled without a moment hesitation. She mocks her for "being scared of me" wellllll..yeah, she wanted her to die, a lot of normal people would be scared of someone who said "Isabelle is so annoying I could kill her. I wish she was dead."
And that's when I stopped reading.
January 9, 2023
I struggled to get this book a three star. It is well-written and when listened to, it’s easily digestible while still giving the reader/listener space to be introspective. The real reason that I did give it a 3 star is because I can understand the bravery behind Prescod sharing her story especially one such as this. To be completely honest about one’s own perception of themselves as it relates to race—especially when they represent a very different Black perspective then what is normally available.
Danielle Prescod attempts to make connections with her own self hatred to white supremacy. She does this by talking about her relationships with other people, largely those she is attempting to assimilate to—yt folks. Danielle talks about how she viewed race and how she felt she has to fit in to the community in which she grew up by being as close to yt as possible.
I think that I found it hard to reconcile how Danielle could have so much hatred for herself and, in extension, to the wider black community. The anti-blackness hit hard, and it took a long time for her to start viewing being Black as beautiful. When first reading this I had assumed that Danielle was mixed-race to have all of these feelings of self hatred, and in identifying more closely with her white peers, especially when she insists she’s white for the longest time. While she goes out of her way to talk about how her own family attempted to show pride, I find it easy to assume that they didn’t do enough—either to share pride or stop her from being a bully. I understand that she grew up in a largely white community, and was the only black person within her grade in what seems to be an expensive and exclusive private school. I could see why she would have feelings of shame and where her disordered eating came from, but I found it really difficult to listen and read how she was so mean to everyone. She puts a lot of this on white supremacy, and while making those connections is important, I’m not sure that I find her explanations solely white supremacy‘s fault—not just in school but also in tge fashion industry. I also found it difficult to jump from this introspective look at how white supremacy has impacted Danielle’s own life, along with her work in the fashion industry, and the connections made to her own disordered eating.
I do think that it’s important that we see more stories like this, but for me, Token Black Girl just did not work.
Danielle Prescod attempts to make connections with her own self hatred to white supremacy. She does this by talking about her relationships with other people, largely those she is attempting to assimilate to—yt folks. Danielle talks about how she viewed race and how she felt she has to fit in to the community in which she grew up by being as close to yt as possible.
I think that I found it hard to reconcile how Danielle could have so much hatred for herself and, in extension, to the wider black community. The anti-blackness hit hard, and it took a long time for her to start viewing being Black as beautiful. When first reading this I had assumed that Danielle was mixed-race to have all of these feelings of self hatred, and in identifying more closely with her white peers, especially when she insists she’s white for the longest time. While she goes out of her way to talk about how her own family attempted to show pride, I find it easy to assume that they didn’t do enough—either to share pride or stop her from being a bully. I understand that she grew up in a largely white community, and was the only black person within her grade in what seems to be an expensive and exclusive private school. I could see why she would have feelings of shame and where her disordered eating came from, but I found it really difficult to listen and read how she was so mean to everyone. She puts a lot of this on white supremacy, and while making those connections is important, I’m not sure that I find her explanations solely white supremacy‘s fault—not just in school but also in tge fashion industry. I also found it difficult to jump from this introspective look at how white supremacy has impacted Danielle’s own life, along with her work in the fashion industry, and the connections made to her own disordered eating.
I do think that it’s important that we see more stories like this, but for me, Token Black Girl just did not work.
September 13, 2022
Who taught you to hate the
texture of your hair? Who
taught you to hate the color
of your skin? ... Who taught
you to hate the shape of your
nose and the shape of your
lips? ... Who taught you to
hate the race that you belong
to?. You should ask your-
self who taught you to hate
being what God made you.
- Malcolm X, 1962
This was an insightful, powerful, and searing memoir about a Black woman’s life within the confines of racism and white privilege, especially powerful during her tenure in the world of fashion. Her identity was shaped by the ideals of perfection, the size of her body, the color of her skin, and how she wore her hair, leading her to self-hate and resentment without the ability to establish an appropriate black identity. Reading this book was very moving to see how Blacks continue to be marginalized and relegated to a second class place, that inroads still need to be made, while the white population is glorified. I did not grow up in racially mixed environment, and I was not aware of the depth of racism that permeates black lives even today. It would be wonderful to have book such as this as required reading in high school and college as to stimulate further ongoing dialogue and make us all aware of the racism that exists and is perpetuated. I appreciate the book having raised my consciousness in this matter so I can be more sensitive and supportive to improved inclusion for all.
texture of your hair? Who
taught you to hate the color
of your skin? ... Who taught
you to hate the shape of your
nose and the shape of your
lips? ... Who taught you to
hate the race that you belong
to?. You should ask your-
self who taught you to hate
being what God made you.
- Malcolm X, 1962
This was an insightful, powerful, and searing memoir about a Black woman’s life within the confines of racism and white privilege, especially powerful during her tenure in the world of fashion. Her identity was shaped by the ideals of perfection, the size of her body, the color of her skin, and how she wore her hair, leading her to self-hate and resentment without the ability to establish an appropriate black identity. Reading this book was very moving to see how Blacks continue to be marginalized and relegated to a second class place, that inroads still need to be made, while the white population is glorified. I did not grow up in racially mixed environment, and I was not aware of the depth of racism that permeates black lives even today. It would be wonderful to have book such as this as required reading in high school and college as to stimulate further ongoing dialogue and make us all aware of the racism that exists and is perpetuated. I appreciate the book having raised my consciousness in this matter so I can be more sensitive and supportive to improved inclusion for all.
February 9, 2023
There was a lot to unpack with this, and I suggest a lot of people read it, especially if you ever felt like or truly were the "token black girl" and I would love it if wyt women with black friends also read it. You could learn alot about how difficult it is for your poc friends to constantly be in wyt spaces with you.
What really resonated the most was just how damaging it was for Danielle to grow up in predominantly wyt spaces - the level of passive aggressive self hate Danielle developed as a result of this was so heart breaking to read - a self hate I don't think she would've developed had she been around a more diverse group of people.
Reading this Memoir made me feel very grateful for the childhood that I had - I didn't truly encounter a bunch of wyt people until I attended college, and because of that I didn't grow up hating my blackness or wishing I was wyt. Did I subscribe to the bullshit that is respectability politics ? Yes. Because wyt supremacy is subversive AF, but I eventually got over that. But again, my self worth and image was not dependent on the approval of the wyt gaze. I have never in my life given a f*** what a non black person as thought of me.
I wish that Danielle had grown up with that kind of freedom. I wish it had not taken so much pain and so much self harm for her to realize what a scam wyt supremacy is.
Despite how upsetting some of this book was, I don't regret reading it. Like I said at the start, I think a few certain groups should absolutely give this a go.
What really resonated the most was just how damaging it was for Danielle to grow up in predominantly wyt spaces - the level of passive aggressive self hate Danielle developed as a result of this was so heart breaking to read - a self hate I don't think she would've developed had she been around a more diverse group of people.
Reading this Memoir made me feel very grateful for the childhood that I had - I didn't truly encounter a bunch of wyt people until I attended college, and because of that I didn't grow up hating my blackness or wishing I was wyt. Did I subscribe to the bullshit that is respectability politics ? Yes. Because wyt supremacy is subversive AF, but I eventually got over that. But again, my self worth and image was not dependent on the approval of the wyt gaze. I have never in my life given a f*** what a non black person as thought of me.
I wish that Danielle had grown up with that kind of freedom. I wish it had not taken so much pain and so much self harm for her to realize what a scam wyt supremacy is.
Despite how upsetting some of this book was, I don't regret reading it. Like I said at the start, I think a few certain groups should absolutely give this a go.
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