Great piece, man! You definitely opened my eyes to how Black women in entertainment are treated when compared with others. I’ve personally seen that there are two categories Black women in entertainment usually fall into: the pristine beauty (ex. Lupita Nyong’o or Beyoncé) or the “ghetto” girl (ex. Tiffany Haddish or Nicki Minaj). There really isn’t any room for growth like a Miley Cyrus who, though flawed and went through a “ratchet” phase, was allowed to clean up her image.

With all that being said, how do you believe a culture can be created where Black women in entertainment are allowed to make mistakes and still be viewed without a hyper-critical eye? One thought is that the Black community has to learn how to make room for growth and cool it with the running jokes. I mean, how many Black comedians have made Whitney’s struggles the focal point of their sets? Also, something should be said for how opioid addiction is now seen as a chronic condition that can be helped through rehab and compassion. Can’t these same attitudes be applied to Whitney as well?

Thank you for this piece! I’m a huge Whitney supporter, so it was very much needed and appreciated.