Has Essence Pissed Off Black Women?

Essence magazine put Reggie Bush on its February 2010 "Black Men, Love & Relationships" Issue and at first glance, you want a 6-pack. But thinking a little deeper about it has some sistas up in arms. Namely, a blogger called Sister Toldja who went o-f-f about the magazine's selection of Bush. Here's a snippet…

I am a longtime reader and subscriber of Essence magazine.

I will say that the Reggie Bush cover deeply disappointed me. Other sisters are infuriated and I don't think it's hard to tell why.
Even Black women who take no moral or social issue with interracial dating tend to be sensitive about the number of Black entertainers and athletes who choose non-Black women as wives and girlfriends.

Kim Kardashian became famous for being the friend of Paris Hilton and for being in a sex tape with Brandy's brother. She has a reality show in she portrays herself as a seemingly vapid, shallow woman. Kardashian is beautiful, and she's also known for a body part that is largely associated with Black women. Watching her star rise has been awkward for me, to say the least. We all know that had Kim Kardashian been a Black woman, she would be considered damaged goods and it would be HIGHLY unlikely that she'd be wifed up by a man in the spotlight. Some of same men who write off sisters for what they perceive to be overly sexual reputations laud Reggie for having "a bad chick" like Kardashian by his side.

A lot of the ire I hear from sisters about interracial dating is about the seemingly different standards the Black men who date other women have for them as opposed to for us. On what planet would a Black 22-year-old domestic get to marry a Stanford grad who is one of the world's most successful athletes? Look at Kendra from "Girls Next Door": could a Black woman jump from Hugh Hefner's bed to the altar with a handsome pro-baller? 

And her post goes on from there… you get the drift. Click here to read more.

Honestly, I saw the cover and thought "eh, there's Reggie Bush." He's fine and all, but he doesn't do it for me. I didn't think too much about him, Black men, Black love, nor did I think about who that Black man is in "love" with. Ultimately, what difference does it make to me in my life? I ain't checkin' for Reggie Bush. I'm checkin' for the light bill. But, I see interracial dating is still a touchy subject for lots of folks... even in 2010! I'm of the belief that "what's meant for you, is for you." If it comes in the neat little package you dreamed about, great. If it comes 6'3" with blue eyes and looks like Dr. McSteamy, great (really great!).

But seriously, does this blogger have a point? Should Reggie Bush be on the cover of the major Black women's magazine as a model of Black men and relationships? Let's take a little Brew poll, shall we? And drop your comments here, in the box below… (*looking at YOU all you Facebook commenters*)

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