Richard, with regards to your comment about Naomi Campbell, I appreciate the fact that you accept the fact that there are multiple standards of beauty, including a black standard of beauty typified by Black Briton Naomi Campbell.

However, it seems to me that the point that these Black Briton bloggers were making is that a number of Black Britons believe that is only one standard of physical beauty-the (or rather, a) White standard.

**

It just so happens that the charcoal.com blog that I referenced earlier has a post about Naomi Campbell. Here's that post:

What Happened To Naomi Cambell?
aulelia; 5/7/2007

"Naomi Campbell is one of those love/hate characters for me. Born in Streatham, South London, she shot to fame during her teenagers and the rest is public knowledge:the drugs, the tantrums and that infamous walk. I think that she is a public figure who could in fact have done so much yet just fizzled out. Here is a woman who could have done a lot for black people in Britain. Black people who live on this island are a minority and judging by the size of the United K, you can imagine that the community is not large. Having someone who symbolised the black female in Britain could have provided a boost for us living here — why didn't Naomi do that? There are hardly any famous and respected black females in Britain except for the MP Diane Abbott and June Sarpong, the TV presenter. Naomi made it on a global stage yet…the interest for black people in United K does not seem to be there.
She does not owe me or any other black person living in Britain anything yet I think with her iconic status of surviving the fashion industry, she could have tried to pave the way for more black models or at least just done something positive in the name of black people. Am I saying she should be the female version of Benjamin Zephaniah? No, not necesarily but giving back to the community is vital to make sure that it thrives and grows."

http://charcoalink.wordpress.com/2007/07/05/what-happened-to-naomi-campbell/


-snip-
There are 7 reader comments to this post. Two of the posts were about the blog itself. The other 5 posts were about Naomi Campbell. None of them were favorable. Here are two of those reader comments:

2. orvillelloyddouglas Says:
10/07/2007 at 05:09
I know this sounds harsh but maybe Naomi just doesn't care? I mean Tyra Banks seems like someone that's a bit more intelligent and has a bit more class. Naomi I think she has a persona in the media of being a bitch. Maybe Naomi is but she likes to play up the stereotype of the bitchy black woman. Maybe black British people should look for other role models? Naomi she just seems to be very self centered? I respect Naomi for breaking the colour barrier and I do think she's a very pretty and talented model. But Naomi doesn't get the bigger picture? Maybe one day she will she cannot model forever.

3. aulelia Says:
09/07/2007 at 12:16
@Byrd — thanks for the encouragement about the blog. i want to make it better and better. i love seeing your comments!

@Byrd and PlackandPround — Naomi just needs to get a grip. She needs to sort herself out. If I ever saw her, I do think I would tell her that I respect the work she has done but not who she is!