Looks Are Everything

Citizen introduces a topic that is very evident in social media. The idea of judging one based on their looks persists from accomplished athletes to successful actresses and singers. Citizen highlights one of the most popular athletes of her time, Serena Williams. Page 36 features the image of Caroline Wozniacki impersonating Serena Williams' body. While Claudia Rankine doesn't specifically reveal Woznicaki's thoughts behind her action, what is clear is the hate and judgment associated with the action. This throws all of Serena's accomplishments off of the table and leaves people to judge her solely based off of her looks. 

In addition, an article posted in The Washington Post reports on the social media backlash Gabby Douglas received for her hair. The article provides photos of people on social media commenting on Douglas' hair. They said things like "Someone fix her hair." What is truly disappointing is that not only are Douglas' true talent and hard work being disregarded, but the criticisms people made were extremely hurtful. But, Douglas rose above them responding with a confident statement cherishing herself and all that comes with it. This situation is closely related to what happened with Serena Williams. Again, not only is it not good enough to reach the position these athletes have, but they are scrutinized and criticized further for things they are not in control of. 

Lastly, another example of one's appearance getting in the way occurs with actress Lupita Nyong’o. After being photographed for the cover of Grazia magaizne, Nyong'o's photo was retouched to smooth down her natural hair in a ponytail. Again, instead of cherishing and embracing a successful figure and their accomplishments, the need to judge comes first. Nyong'o took to social media reflecting on the disappointment she felt in Grazia Magazine in forcing her appearance to fit a Euro centric standard. 

All of these situations have one thing in common, black women being judged solely on their appearance. Citizen goes into detail about this topic with various encounters. These encounters begin from the Catholic school scene and continue into the instance on the plane. Rankine includes these to articulate a theme that looks are everything.