Society loves those Latinas right? How about those Brazilian beauties with the enticing curves, full lips, and perfectly bronzed skin?  People are attracted to the “exotic” Latina aesthetic:  Large derrière, tanned skin, small waist.  But Black girls…not so much.  News flash:  The very woman society shuns —the Black one—is the one who gave the Latina her curves.  Don’t credit the child without crediting the parent, right?  Yet, that is much of what the public does without being conscious of the depth of it.

The definition of the African Diaspora is the dispersion of African people to places all over the world through voluntary, forced and induced migrations, and did you know that Brazil got over five million of those Africans? Did it ever cross your mind that the physiques that some people drool over are a direct product of the mixing of the Black slaves with European slave owners?

Through miscegenation, these humans—the African, the European and, in some cases, the Indigenous American created one of the most praised, most desired physical forms in this world. The Africans were forced to be slaves in places like Brazil,  Colombia, and Puerto Rico, but no one is forced to ignore the genesis of the body type praised so often. People of color already face enough discrimination, and something so simple as acknowledging the black body that is the prototype for a coveted body type, is the least society can do.

In every aspect of every South and Central American culture there are undeniable roots that trace back to Africa. Brazilians  are a mixed raced, and it is incorrect, dismissive, and it can be seen as downright offensive to praise Brazilian features without acknowledging the African DNA that is responsible for creating those features.  Aside from the gift of physical traits bestowed on the Brazilians, Puerto-Ricans, Cubans, and others, Africa also infused gifts of heritage and cultural customs, which have become traditions for Latin-Americans.

As history has documented, these Africans were raped and forced to endure the unimaginable—just for the production of sugar for places like Brazil.  Not only were the Africans stripped of their humanity and happiness, but now, centuries later, they don’t even receive respect and credit for their features.  These features, once mocked and ridiculed by whites, are now considered desirable and attractive.  That is the ironic twist that adds insult to injury.  

For instance, Jennifer Lopez is loved and viewed as  “#goals” when it comes to identifying the physique of the perfect woman, yet some may ridicule Michelle Obama for the same physical traits.  Guess what?  Without Michelle Obama’s African roots, Jennifer Lopez’s incessantly praised backside wouldn’t exist.  One of the physical aesthetics that many men praise and many women chase is AFRICAN.  Do you get it now?