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JILL SCOTT BLASTS PORTRAYAL OF BLACK WOMEN IN MUSIC: Singer: ‘It is dirty, inappropriate, inadequate, unhealthy and polluted.’
*Jill Scott unleashed her frustration over the portrayal of black women in popular music and videos during a panel Monday at the Essence Music Festival’s empowerment seminar, held as part of the magazine’s Take Back the Music campaign.
"It is dirty, inappropriate, inadequate, unhealthy and polluted," Scott told the audience. "We can demand more."
Actor Shemar Moore, rapper Common and former video dancer, Karrine Steffans, who penned the tell-all "Confessions of a Video Vixen," were also part of the panel that discussed the negative impact such images have on young black girls.
Education and the fostering of self-esteem were among the possible solutions discussed to address the problem. Scott also suggested that folks who are offended by the images stop buying the music and encourage like-minded individuals to do the same.
"This is about choosing what we will allow in our lives," she said. "We can force things. We can change things. Challenge the music industry with your purchasing power."
Steffans said a lack of self-esteem allowed her to degrade herself in videos for virtually all the big names in hip hop.
"I was always told I was ugly," she said. "I didn't realize my own power and my own worth."
