Dear Christelyn,

I apologise first off, for being a perpetual lurker on your site for nearly a year
now. I never seem to be able to articulate my thoughts satisfactorily enough for me to post them. I hope this question will be able to convey my enquiry adequately.

But I would like to ask a question to you and your audience. I live in London and for a while now, I have noticed that there seems to be a preference of black women for black clothes and black, severe accesories. Everywhere I look there are women walking around looking like they are on their way to a funeral of a close relative, with ill-fitting black attire, hair in a tight ponytail or with a black scarf or black headband with a sour/dour face on. Why the preponderance of black? Their whole demenour resembles that of people in mourning. Based on our skin tone alone, that is a colour I thought that many black women would be avoiding like the plague. I am wondering if there is something in the psyche somewhere that is making black women-and I am talking young teenagers to middle-aged women alike- feel that they
have no right to be sexy, no right to draw attention to themselves. Why? I also notice that make-up is very a very optional addition and is
usually only put on when ‘dressing up’ for a night out etc. But for regular day today work or activities, it is not in evidence. It is just something I’ve been
trying to figure out and for the life of me, I can’t. Maybe it’s just me noticing
it.

Have you noticed this? If you don’t think it is a relevant question then you don’t have to publish it. But I will love it if it can be discussed on your site
I will try to be a more involved participant on your site.

Kind regards,

Chi.

Hmmm. Since I’ve never been to the UK (but have a passport thankyouverymuch!) I have absolutely no idea what she’s talking about. The closest think I can equate to this is how everyone I mean, EVERYONE wears black. But that’s because they don’t want their clothes ruined with the cabs whiz by and slash gutter water all over them.

Thoughts?