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?

Namechangedname Sat 02-Jun-18 14:18:40
We've had:
fetishized
impoverished
sexualised
carer
maid
exotic

So, are these words attributed to her colour, or is it the picture, as a whole?

Wrt the fact that the woman is black and African in culture, the problem is the privileged white gaze. It's about how white society views black women - the baby on the back refers to the stereotype of National Geographic photos, The nakedness refers to the projection of stronger sexuality onto black women, doing a domestic task refers to the historical context of white society's exploitation of black women.
Overall, the problem is white society's view of black women.

Wrt the fact that the woman is naked and may be enjoying a private moment she might not care to share with the world at large, it's about the privileged invisibility of the viewer. The concept of privilege also involves racial privilege. You can intrude on a private moment if your status is higher than that of the subject.

In the old days in movies and ads, etc., black people were portrayed without their surnames; they were foils for the lives of the white people, props who moved the action along. Sometimes their expressed thoughts or accents provided a bit of comic value. They were often bewildered by the complexity of the predicaments of the white people, and they certainly knew their place. They were domestic servants, railway employees, farm hands, janitors, etc. Now even though this woman clearly has her own thing going on (she is reading and this moment of her life takes place without reference to the life of a white person) the white owners of the print and their guests can intrude on her private moment. The artist has sold the private moment, in fact, so it has profited her.

In Africa women carry babies on their backs and it is normal.
What I'm finding strange is why people on here think this picture shows a black woman doing laundry for a White boss.
Black people CAN have washing machines you know. Yes, in Africa too.
So she could be doing chores for herself. It's possible.

There is absolutely nothing racist about that picture.

Not racist but possibly a bit sexist.

Why isn't it a naked bloke bent over the washing machine.

Because the woman who drew it is a woman? She is about body positivity and this is in the section for baby wearing? Why does she have to draw a man in such a pose?

You can't dismiss the salient components of this image as meaningless or ordinary/nothing to talk about here/the Danes walk around naked all the time. All of the elements have a message

Can't I?

What is so wrong with a woman washing some clothes and looking after a young baby? I’m proud to be a woman whose body carried a baby and I also wash my own clothes. My partner does too, but sometimes I do the washing. Is that ok? Should we never draw women in stereotypical roles and only draw men in them? What will that achieve?

Good to see the virtue signallers out in force.
*
A friend visited earlier this morning and I had been reading this thread before she arrived. I was interested to know what she thought about the painting. Her response was 'meh - really boring'. Not sure if her being black adds any weight to her insightful comment* 

Speaking of 'virtue signalling'...

Ezscuse me for not being an art expert. All I see is a naked woman bent over a washing machine, perhaps you can confirm the relevance of the washing machine since you know it all?

Also you don't need the first two question marks in your response.

*Wrt the fact that the woman is naked and may be enjoying a private moment she might not care to share with the world at large, it's about the privileged invisibility of the viewer. The concept of privilege also involves racial privilege. You can intrude on a private moment if your status is higher than that of the subject.

In the old days in movies and ads, etc., black people were portrayed without their surnames; they were foils for the lives of the white people, props who moved the action along. Sometimes their expressed thoughts or accents provided a bit of comic value. They were often bewildered by the complexity of the predicaments of the white people, and they certainly knew their place. They were domestic servants, railway employees, farm hands, janitors, etc. Now even though this woman clearly has her own thing going on (she is reading and this moment of her life takes place without reference to the life of a white person) the white owners of the print and their guests can intrude on her private moment. The artist has sold the private moment, in fact, so it has profited her.*

You've definitely given me something to think about. Interesting. This had never occured to me.

You could, as an individual, approach this any way you feel, Namechanegedname, but I think the OP's DH has qualms about the composition that are based on pertinent questions about the elements both in juxtaposition and on their own.

I find it interesting that if you don't like this image, as many of us don't, and see something in it uou find discomfiting, as many of us do, be it sexism, racism, gender stereotyping, whatever, some posters are attacking you for it, angrily attacking, swearing, aggression.

Then going to extreme lengths to justify it. Witness the poster telling us rhe bizzare convuluted story about her being sicked up on all over, changing slings, in a desperate attempt to justify why this woman is naked and bent over her washing machine. All sorts of stories emerging to justify why she is Stark naked. She's breastfeeding, the babies very sick, all her clothes are in the washing machine, she's a tired new mum.

I don't understand why the extremes though. Why the need to defend this image to such a level these posters, feel extreme anger that someone could think it sexist or racist or whatever.

Why does that bother them so much?

mathanxiety, aha.

I guess because I saw her in me - young baby, sh*t to do; I never associated any negative connotations.

Because I have a higher (ethnic) self-esteem than in years gone by; I (wrongly?) conveyed that this pic could be nothing but positive, because it was through my eyes and not the world's eyes.

Regardless, if I bought this picture, I'd still be buying it with my first impression in mind..young baby, sh*t to do

I have a gut feeling that you buying it and displaying it would be different from a white person buying it and displaying it.

If I were to buy it and display it, I feel I would be saying something about myself as a white person in my relationship with black people. I feel I would be participating in exploitativeness and in power relations from the perspective of the group on top.

mathanxiety, genuine question. So, should no white person put it up?

mathanxiety, I find it hilarious, if rather concerning that you as a white woman are explaining to a black woman about white privileged gazing.

As a different white woman, I stick by what I said before, it’s a lovely picture of a woman and her baby. I’d have it in my home, because I like it, and not think twice about a power dynamic, because I also do my own laundry and I don’t assume I’m superior to a black woman.

I’d feel that saying I wouldn’t put a picture of a mum and baby on my wall because of the colour of the mum and babies skin would be racist.

Bluntness100 Why does anything matter? Why does your opinion matter but not someone else’s? With regards to the swearing, that’s just something I tend to do. Both in person and in writing. I didn’t see racism or sexism in the print and I’m entitled to argue that, surely?

Namedchanged, if you came to mine for a coffee and saw the picture on my kitchen wall (sadly no laundry room corridor for me) would you think I was a great big racist?

Notevilstepmother I agree. It seems racist to dislike the picture and to not put it up (if you liked it) purely because of the colour of the woman’s skin.

I find it sad that some white people who are NOT racists have to suffer with the guilt that comes as a result of crimes committed against black people by racists.

Notevilstepmother, of course not.

I bought an African print of women with water on their heads and gave it to my (white, if that matters) bestie.

She still has it on her wall, to this day. But it never occured to me that she might not like it or think that there was some kinda message in it

That said, Mathanxiety gave me a different way of looking at things. I appreciate that.

DuchessofSuccess I have to admit, as a white person it does annoy me slightly. I remember being at school when younger and being told (during black history month) that I and other white girls had to apologise to those who were black for what they went through. Well, they didn’t go through it possibly some ancestors did though. Point is, I’ve never been racist and was made to feel so guilty that day. And here, I’m feeling the same anger because I’m being told I should see racism or sexism in this picture, when I really don’t.

I do wonder how much of the discomfort around this picture comes from the nudity rather than the skin colour. I was brought up not to worry about my body, I saw my female relatives naked when getting changed, I wander round the house naked in warm weather, and it is normal to me. It does seem to me that those with a more private upbringing wrt nudity might find it uncomfortable.

You're not being told you need to see sexism or racism. Don't be so ridiculous. You're being told you need to accept others do and not attack them for it. That's a very different thing and I suspect you know it.

Oh look, all the variable responses mean that the image in itself isn't racist - it's how people contextualise it. Some find it lovely ; others don't. It depends where they're situated.

Given that the OP is Jewish it might be that her ancestors didn’t have a lovely time of it either.

I think it’s vital we remember the past and try to avoid repeating certain aspects of it but we should also remember we aren’t in the past.