Side-eyes and Scandal: 10 black girl wins

There is no more depressing time for a black female in the United States than during the months of February and March. The intersectionality of our race and gender smack us in the face for the 28 days of Black History Month as we reminisce on the hardships of being black, followed by the 31 days of reflecting on the struggles faced by women in this country.

There is much more to these months than harping on the dark past, however, so instead of focusing on black girl problems, here are ten black girl “wins” to prove that we don’t have to spend the next couple of weeks hating everyone who can’t relate to us:

1. Finding matching foundation.

There is a special place our hearts for cosmetic companies that acknowledge the fact that black females come in more shades than just “medium” and “deep.” Discovering a foundation that matches our skin tones exactly can take months – even years – so when it happens, we can literally hear angels sing.

Forget drugs; there’s no better high than shimmying into a pair of jeans that fits without that awkward gap at the back of the waistline, or showing everyone that you took advantage of the latest underwear sale at Victoria’s Secret.

“Snap” – it’s the scariest sound to a black girl as she’s doing her hair. Hearing this typically means that yet another hair tie/bobby pin/comb/brush has been sacrificed as tribute during the Hunger Games-like battle of taming our tresses. Every hairstyle completed without a funeral for a hair tool is worthy of a gold medal.

The second makeup lesson that black girls learn (after the elusiveness of matching foundation, of course) is that certain shades of lipstick applied to lips of certain shapes result in the illusion of a Botox job gone horribly wrong.  Using the right shade can take you from looking like Bozo to rivaling Beyoncé.

She’s the First Lady of the United States, she has degrees from Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and her hair is always laid; Barack wasn’t the only person who won when he was elected President - Michelle won, and black females across the country won, too.

This show wins because of how groundbreaking it is, what with it being written by Shonda Rhimes and featuring Kerry Washington as the first black female lead in a network drama since 1974. Also, I’m pretty sure Olivia Pope’s ability to pull off forearm-length gloves will find its way into history textbooks sometime soon.

7. Maintaining a hairstyle for more than one day.

Fact: Beyoncé wrote the lyric “I woke up like this” after waking up with her head scarf still intact. Master second and third day hair and you’ll feel flawless, too.

It’s no accident that the majority of these wins have to do with hair, since it’s the source of many a black girl problem. Having friends who are going through the same thing helps, though, especially if they share that 32 ounce jar of Eco Styler gel, or let you try out their new Oyin pomade.

It can be rough growing up in a society that values Eurocentric standards of beauty (or going to a school with a guy who ranted on the JHU Confessions Facebook page about how black women are essentially ugly).  Seeing black women getting recognition in an industry that previously shunned them is definitely a win.

It’s a super power possessed by black girls everywhere: the ability to communicate contempt, distrust, confusion and immense amounts of shade with just a quick glance from the corner of our eyes – especially effective when trying to avoid the “angry black girl” stereotype. When intersectionality gets you down, side-eyes work better than frowns.