Posts by Akilah S. Richards
4 Reasons Never to Tell Your Daughters to Be ‘Ladylike’
Terms like “ladylike” are in line with equally absurd terms like “acting Black” that lump behavior onto a particular group of people in an effort to reinforce dominant society’s assertion of what is considered desirable and acceptable social protocol. So here are my four top reasons for steering clear of labels and social graces when it comes to my daughters.
Read MoreHow Blackgirl Natural Hair Is Shamed from Infancy to Adulthood
As Black women in America, we’ve been taught that aspects of our physical self are unacceptable in their natural forms. As such, they should be relegated to the privacy of our bathrooms — or better yet, transformed into tamed, relaxed, and otherwise invisible alternatives. And our transition to invisibility for the sake of appropriateness spans a lifetime.
Read More4 Ways to Help Your Pre-Teen Daughter Navigate New Attention to Her Body
I look at my oldest girl and I see what she is experiencing. Her body is transitioning, and she’s particularly concerned and curious about her new bouncy parts that garner attention from a variety of eyes. And as I watch my daughter navigate her new body, I’ve identified some methods to creating support and raising confident, mindful, fully expressed women.
Read More3 Ways to Honor Self-Expression On and Offline
Watch as Akilah S. Richards offers three methods to a proactive self-expression and explains how and why each is relevant.
Read MoreNurturing Self-Expression in Elementary School-Aged Girls
No matter where we are in the world, people who risk expression will always be perceived as threats to people who look to preserve a sense of normalcy based on what makes them comfortable. All I know is that I will continue to express myself, and I will continue to prioritize the nurturing of children willing to confidently express themselves, too.
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