Baby Got Back: Black Feminist Anthem??

This song is a celebration of the Black woman's body.

Now, before you get into the corniness of the song, the fact that the video features a huge paper mache buttox and the barage of sexual-looking fruits and veggies posing as various body parts, let's get to tthe bigger issue. Yeah, this is a horny song.

However, Sir Mix-A-Lot became one of the first rappers to understand how Black women feel when presented with media images of thin, blonde, White women. The infamous opening, with the Valley Girls airing their disgust with the Black woman's body.

Oh my god, Becky, look at her butt
It is so big
She looks like one of those rap guys girlfriends
Who understands those rap guys
They only talk to her because she looks like a total prostitute, ok?
I mean her butt
It's just so bigI can't believe it's so round
It's just out thereI mean, it's gross
Look, she's just so black

We all laugh at this, but this statement is so relevant nowadays. So many people adopt the idea that women in videos, or women who are extremely curvacious are "prostitutes" just because they look sexy. It's not just about their asses, its the culture that they are speaking on.

Though Sir-Mix-A-Lot can be rather aggressive in the song, he states explicity that he wants the Black woman to know she can be sexy, yet respected:

"A lot of pimps won't like this song/ Cuz them punks like to hit it and quit it/ But I'd rather stay and play"

He also understands that all women fall under the pressure of magazines that say thin is in:

So Cosmo says you're fat
Well I ain't down with that
Cuz your waste is small and your curves are kickin'
And I'm thinkin' bout stickin'
To the beanpole dames in the magazines
You ain't it Miss Thang
Give me a sista I can't resist her
Red beans and rice didn't miss her

I heard this song in the gym yesterday, and I had to admit...it was gives me an extra pep in my step and a boost of confidence when I hear it. Sure, I'm not carrying around a load like Buffie the Body, but it's nice to know that not all rappers just see sexy women as slabs of booty meat. Black women shouldn't be ashamed of their thick figures, and feel inferior to the boney White chicks that dominate the media.

Though music videos can be over the top, I appreciate the fact that Black men appreciate the Black woman's body...and PREFER it in a time where so many women of other ethnicities are acquiring silicone booties.

Thank you, Sir Mix-A-Lot, for appreciating the Black woman's body. The funny thing about this song is that, it was a huge mainstream hit and was played on MTV constantly. This was hands down Sir Mix-A-Lot's biggest hit, and can often be heard in White bars and clubs on the regular. Maybe all of Anerica has a secret crush on the Black woman's ass.