Grudgeful and bad mind!

I was looking up some information on Nadine Willis today. She's a very successful model, and a woman who broke the rules to get where she is today.

Instead of getting lazy and resigning herself to becoming a prostitute or exotic dancer for life, she decided to follow her dream of becoming a model. Maybe the interpersonal skills she learnt at the Gemini nightclub have helped her to get along with the people she works with now. She didn't have fair skin or a pedigree to flaunt, so she had to rely on something else: a personality!!

I am proud of Nadine because she shows that a lot of Jamaican women are programmed to believe that they are inferior to everyone else because of their past or current circumstances, but that they can break free from it. The fact that people can't believe her meteoric rise to fame is just a testimony to how judgemental people are: you are a stripper, a dark-skinned girl from the ghetto and therefore, you can't be a classy international model.

Shaggy's girl respects Nadine not because she is a former stripper with dark skin, but because she has escaped the Jamaican mentality of categorising people's worth, potential for success, and eligibility based on their social status and economic background. It's good that someone has broken the bonds of mental slavery that grips the nation. It's wonderful that Nadine has found her acceptance among people who "matter", who are more important than the vulgar, narrow-minded pseudo-aristocrats of Jamaica.

I found this blog entry from a girl named Tatiana who denounced Ms. Willis as "just a stripper":

Nadine Willis is still just a stripper to me. She is also lying about her age since I know she is 29 and not 23 as all the magazines say. She's just a passing phase and won't last. No woman who use to sell herself for money can be the next Naomi Campbell or Grace Jones. Jamaicans should stop with all the hype and realize that anyone who's tall and jet black can be a model. Look at Alek Wek for God's sake.

Why can't we be proud because another woman will not be exploited and kept in poverty? That is what should be celebrated. Instead, this person is looking for ways to put Nadine down. So what if Nadine is 29? If she looks like 23, then good for her.

This post was dated January 23, 2004, and Nadine continues to be the darling of the fashion world. I wonder how short a phase needs to be in order to be considered "passing"?

Nadine doesn't pretend to be a virgin, and there is no need for her to be a virgin to be likeable.

Let's rejoice every time a black woman steps to the forefront. That woman is representing our beauty, our style, our sexuality and our heritage.