Bought a print I love, DH is worried it's racist

[NC4T]

Saw it on IG and loved it. Purchased it for the laundry room corridor, but it's arrived and DH is a little worried it might be racist. I can't see how. To me, it's a mum finding a few minutes of calm in the chaos and I love her babies little sleeping face.

We are white Jewish, for cultural context.

What do you think?

YY to the fetishising.

I can see why some posters like this, although it's not at all to my taste. BUT as a white person, I would not have something like this up in my house, given the histories of fetishising naked black bodies.

What it comes down to is a white artist and a white person who buys the print, both looking at this black woman's naked body. That is the very definition of the white gaze. Where is the black woman's gaze in all this? There is something quite voyeuristic about it all.

I don't think it's necessarily racist, but it's certainly "about" race. And the messages that it gives about race (black women as naked, childbearing, doing domestic work, unable to look back at the viewer) make me very uncomfortable.

Every few weeks along comes an "is this racist" post involving black women. So that a load of white women can pile in and say 'no it's not'.

If a black woman commebted and said 'yes it's racist' it would make your day to dismiss her.

I can see exactly what is problematic about this image and it's not only that she's naked. No point explaining that here.

I did idly wonder why you 'love' this picture OP. & why you've not been clear as to exactly why/what caused your husband to view it as racist.

& as a white Jewish woman would you be cool if black female friends came to your home and saw picture (if you have black friends, that is. Would it be fine if your husband had bought that picture?

I'm undecided as to whether this post is real, or part of the ongoing obsession on MN around race and black women. Something has to be observed and talked about regularly. Like an urge to win race points and a need to be noticed and validated. Weird.

Whats racist is you assuming she's not western and that she has no other clothes hmm

If thats directed at me, please read my posts and try to take in what I am saying. I shouldn't have to keep explaining myself.

My posts aren't that difficult to understand.

Bloody hell, mathanxiety, YES to the Pears soap thing.

@MistressDeeCee I agree that there are a lot of recent posts about racism but I optimistically hope that’s down to society as a whole becoming more reflective.

Stop putting the onus on the artist - you have the racist view that a black woman I see it as an african village woman reading the washing machine manual because she's never used one before.

Don't tell me what I think.
I put the onus on the artist because that is how i approach art.
"What is the artist trying to say?" Is my approach.

It's objectifying. Most of the comments here are shallow and miss the point spectacularly.

Black women have spent generations being placed in situations where they have little or no control over their bodies or how they are seen by society.

The black female body has been fetishised for centuries by white people and this painting is like stepping back in time.

Queen I fear the "artist" isn't trying to say anything and that's the problem here.

It's objectifying. Most of the comments here are shallow and miss the point spectacularly.

Black women have spent generations being placed in situations where they have little or no control over their bodies or how they are seen by society.

The black female body has been fetishised for centuries by white people and this painting is like stepping back in time.

A good post Ajas but you'll only get a load of posts saying the artist paints white nudes too.

I think her nakedness could be interpreted as slightly pornographic and we are invited as voyeurs to enjoy her nakedness while she is totally unaware of our 'presence' whilst reading her book...there is an air of bondage which is suggested in the cloth wrap that the baby has around it and the sock on the floor near the basket suggests she is lazy and would rather spend her time reading than picking up socks...could this indicate her desire to rebel ?.. seriously though a good artist will draw the observer in and by what they see a few will interpret in a different way and they will see a different story play out by looking at the image...I think that why art is so interesting and controversial at times....look at the artist who had an unmade bed on display in The Tate? Lol i liked at it and thought it's like the story The Emperors new clothes but some big,rich 'art' lover ( who obviously doesn't have kids) would have seen it as a one off unique exhibit.

@AjasLipstick you are right about black womens bodies being fetishised (for that matter black men’s also, but that’s another thread). In the context of the artists overall body of work though- the white women in those other pictures shared on this thread as examples, do you think it’s still a problematic image? I’m torn now because I do hear what you’re saying.

Cross post with @Queenoftheblitz . Yeah I brought up the white nudes, I promise I’m not looking to annoy anyone when I ask, why aren’t they relevant?

Queen White women's issues are very different and that's not what we're talking about here.

Cheeky if that painting was of a white woman I'd still have a problem with it but not as deep a problem. I'm a white woman and I'd think it was a shit subject but there isn't the weight of slavery behind me...I do have to deal with the weight of women's issues but not in nearly as full-on a fashion as black women do.

www.gal-dem.com/hyper-sexualisation-black-female-body/

This writer explains her experiences as a black woman well.

Yes, why is she naked?

And on that note, I've said enough as this isn't for me to speculate about. I KNOW it's wrong.

I would like it if some black women could come along and give their opinions.

Thanks @AjasLipstick , I will read that.

I'm still pondering this. I don't think it's racist, but I commented very early in the thread that I wondered if the OP's husband meant something closer to fetishization of a naked black woman.

The OP said not, which of course I accept. However, from a wider perspective and measuring this image against others that do fetishize BAME women, I can see that it's possible to draw parallels.

So racist? I think not, although I'm interested to hear the views that say yes. Racial fetishism? My internal jury is still out , but I'm following the debate with interest.

AjasLipstick you hit the point precisely.

& it's enough that you know it's wrong.

Whilst black women on MN may make 1 or 2 comments sometimes on posts like this, it tends not to go beyond because we know the attention seeking game now, and won't be drawn out so that some can get their rocks off telling black women what it isn't racist.

(but having just scrolled up and seen 'African village woman' my cringing is off the scale)

The OP hasn't got much to say. Shock horror.
🙄

At least most commenters 'get' the fetish thing tho

How on earth does your dh say this is racist OP?

A “laundry room corridor” is a marker of wealth.

The work does depict a poor woman, I agree with your DH there. I think it contains enough wry juxtaposition. Hanging it in a “laundry room corridor” sounds possibly crass.

I love it ...I just think it's a mother who is carrying her baby ..grabbing a few minutes to read her book while the washer finishes it's cycle...maybe she flung her Pjs in with the wash and thought, what the hell I will stand here naked until the quick wash cycle is finished .......

Can I just add...since when is doing laundry a marker of wealth.
There's an on going thread at the moment about inexpensive ways to treat yourself and the overwhelming consensus is to get into bed with freshly laundered bed linen.

Can I just add...since when is doing laundry a marker of wealth.

Do you mean my post? What I said was;

A “laundry room corridor” is a marker of wealth.

What percentage of U.K. homes do you think have “laundry room corridors”?

Or aren’t you talking about posters’ analysis of the image?

ARE^ you...