Mo’Nique is addressing her ‘sweet babies’ once again about her criticism over bonnets, but unlike most celebrities she isn’t backing down due to the backlash; instead she is sticking beside what she initially said.
Over the weekend, the comedian-actress sparked a debate among the Black community after sharing a message about how Black women are presenting themselves in public. In the five-minute video, she told a quick story about how she went to the airport and “saw so many of our young sisters in head bonnets, scarves, slippers, pajamas, blankets wrapped around them.”
She later encouraged her “sisters” to “represent you with pride.” While many fans agreed with her, others felt this was another complaint being made on Black women. Many argued that the message was another way to police and judge Black women for being comfortable in public, including at a time when there is very little opportunity for not only Black women, but Black people, in general, to be comfortable in today’s society.
Mo’Nique’s comments were discussed and debated across social media platforms for two days, and by the third, the “Soul Plane” actress had a rebuttal for her critics. She started the four-minute video by sharing how she, too, received some tough love that she could’ve taken the wrong way from Patti LaBelle and Margaret Avery. And instead of getting upset by their message, she “took the attitude of appreciation.”
Now addressing the fans that she upset Mo’Nique said, “So for you babies that have taken offense to what I said, I’m okay with that. I’m okay with yall being in your feelings about it. I’m okay with that because when you love somebody for real, I know yall will get over that. And when y’all say, ‘We will cancel yo ass’, well, they’ve tried that, and I’m still here to let y’all know I love you and ain’t nothing you can do about that. I love our community and ain’t nothing you can do about that.
The 53-year-old continued, “So if you’re offended because I’ve said to you, ‘You’re a queen and you’re beautiful and when you wear that damn bonnet and your pajama pants and your slippers anywhere you go don’t you know you block your beauty’? Let your beauty be seen and be shown. See remember the time we were raising hell because they didn’t want us to wear our natural hair, They didn’t want us to do the things we wanted to do with our natural beauty? Now why ever would you block it?”
She added, “So I am unapologetic about what I said because I said it with nothing but love and I said it with no judgment. For the sisters that got it, I’m glad. For the ones that didn’t, I’ll wait.”
Fans reflected further on the conversation, with one person saying, “It’s a generational thing. ‘Respectability politics’ Our parents’ and grandparents’ generation have bought into the idea that you have to look a certain way to deserve respect while our generation (millennials) believe we deserve respect at all times regardless of how we look.”
Social media users also shared perspectives of agreement and others disagreeing with her. “Imma still go out wit my bonnet ..,” said one person who opposed her message. Another person who defended it wrote, “She speaking facts stop wearing those damn bonnets in public it’s for bed time 🤣🙄🙄🙄🤦🏽♀️.”
