Badu Booty Swimsuit – Hype Hair

Written by: Ciara Celeste| Reporter

Gracing the stage in a nude-colored bodysuit, black head wrap, and an exaggerated backside space was the icon herself—Erykah Badu.

The viewers had combined reactions: some interpreted the outfit as a playful jab at BBL tradition, whereas others—like TikToker and vogue historian Shelby Ivey Christie—believed it was a daring assertion on how society continues to police Black girls’s our bodies. Let’s dissect this.

On March twenty ninth, Erykah Badu accepted the Icon Award on the Ladies in Music Award Ceremony. She wore what Advanced known as a “thought-provoking bodysuit,” created by designer Myah Hasbany. The now-viral “Booty Swimsuit” sparked widespread dialogue throughout social media, with many assuming Badu was poking enjoyable at BBL tradition. For context, a BBL, or Brazilian Butt Raise, is a beauty surgical procedure process that enhances the dimensions and form of the buttocks.

However some spectators, particularly on TikTok, noticed one thing deeper. Shelby Ivey Christie shared a compelling suppose piece, proposing that Badu’s look wasn’t mocking—it was mirroring. A mirrored image of how society constantly scrutinizes and controls the looks of Black girls.

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This situation isn’t new. It dates again to the seventeenth and 18th centuries, with the tragic story of Sarah Baartman, a South African girl who was publicly displayed and exploited in Europe due to her naturally massive backside. After her demise, her physique remained on show till it was lastly returned to her homeland in 2002—centuries too late.

Shelby additionally referenced the Tignon Legal guidelines enacted in 1786 by the Governor of New Orleans, which compelled Black girls to cowl their hair with headscarves. This legislation aimed to suppress self-expression and management the visibility of Black magnificence, as pure hair was seen as “too alluring” or threatening. However even below these restrictions, Black girls discovered methods to reclaim their dignity—adorning their tignons with vibrant patterns and cultural pleasure.

Quick ahead to right now, and the story continues.

In 2018, Serena Williams spoke out about how her curvy, highly effective physique was policed on the tennis courtroom. She started designing customized bodysuits and athletic gear to assist her kind—solely to have her catsuit banned by the U.S. Open.

After which there’s Megan Thee Stallion, whose curvaceous determine grew to become a cultural speaking level. The violence she endured was publicly downplayed by many—her physique hypersexualized, her trauma minimized.

So sure, Badu’s outfit might have been a nod to BBL tradition. However the larger image? It’s a mirror reflecting the continued stress Black girls face to evolve, contort, and conceal their our bodies. The identical options we’re born with—our lips, our hips, our hair, our nails—are deemed “ghetto” on us, however “edgy” or “fashion-forward” on others.

Black girls aren’t the development. We’re the blueprint.

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And the earlier society accepts that reality, the higher.