***Admin Note: Riding the NYC Transit system gives me such inspiration for this blog. In the next few weeks you'll read a couple MTA inspired musings mixed in with my usual stuff.***As I sit on the subway this morning wiping the sweat from my brow after my mad dash to the station I give a sigh of relief that I can sit and rest my baby toe. You see it is a 10min walk from my house, but every morning due to my love for my bed I challenge myself to make it there in 7mins (I also like to pretend its part of my daily workout But I digress...). As I lean my head forward (opposed to back in order to avoid the comedic nodding others do that I snicker at every morning) and try to catch a couple Zzzs I'm jolted awake by music being blasted in my ear and an unusual pressure against my hip.
This girl who had to be at most 14/15 was sitting next to me poppin it, droppin it, and tick'n it around the world with her hips while the song Shake your Money Maker was being blasted from her headphones. Now I won't lie: when I'm on the subway listening to soca Machel got but one time to tell me Get Madder Dan Dat before I'm chippin down the cart, flag out and waving stopping only to bubble and wyne on some unsuspecting Business man. But as I sat there and said a prayer that I nor she go deaf from the sheer volume she had it at I couldn't help but shake my head. The media and other image conscious folks had already convinced dis chick that her body and what she could do with it were her Money Maker. When in fact its really her Supplemental Income.
Now I have my moments when I stand in front of my mirror and admire the curve of my backside, the roundness of my hips, the slenderness of my waist, the cheese in my smile... Sorry ya'll I got a lil happy. But that's what I'm saying we all like to admire ourselves from time to time. And I've been told and have accepted the fact that I love when people watch me dance. I'd like to blame it on the performer in me and years of training in dance and such but no: I'm kind of a tease. But ultimately as good of a dancer that I may be; as small as my waist/soft as my skin/enticing as the curve of my leg... I KNOW that these things aren't my Money Maker but in fact my Supplemental Income and EVERY woman young or old should know the difference.
And please people do not misunderstand me. Home girl working in the strip club/Ray-Ray's living room at night and attends medical school in the day is not who I'm advocating for. Know your WORTH! You do not have to shake it like someone is going to put a dollar in your g-string whether in a strip club or regular club. Your Supplemental Income should be used when you want to go out to eat with that cute guy sitting across from you at the club or on the #4 train on the way home from work. Catch his eye, smile and cross your legs at the knee. If your feeling those hunger pains pick up speed you may even want to mouth the word 'Hi'. By no means should you get up and show him your own rendition of the Ciara's new video "Love Sex and Magic". Save that for months after the date. In between courses your Money Maker will clench the deal for you to ensure you will have a chance to show those skills as well.
Your Money Maker is your brain/personality ladies. What you look like is your Supplemental Income. Regardless of what you may look like or how many times you can make your booty clap in one minute this is not your sole source of income. Think of your looks as your resume: it'll get you a cold call maybe even an interview but ultimately your Money Maker will get and and help you to keep the job. Your Money Maker is what really matters because as Forrest Gump put it: Pretty is as Pretty does. Looks fade no matter what cream you vigorously rub into your face every evening and you may not be able to drop it without having someone else pick it back up for you. If as women (and men for that matter!) we spent more time cultivating our Money Maker rather than our Supplemental income we would be much better off. Know your value and your worth people. Check your personal stock and know the difference.
I have to defend Little Miss on the train. Judging from the way you described her, and the volume of the music coming from her mp3 player, this could just be a child being a child replicating what she has seen her elders do and what has been portrayed to her via the media. We need to focus on training and teaching the children as well as being good role models. If she never learned the difference between her money maker and her supplemental income than she will never know the value of her worth.
ReplyDeleteLmao I don't miss the subway.
ReplyDeleteI agree with SoSadistic. I think things are not going to get any better unless more celebrities and media heads make a stand. Especially with these reality shows being the focus of television now. Families are not what they use to be and technology makes it hard for parent to have control. I don't see things getting better anytime soon. I fair bring a kid into this world now.
I can co-sign with the both of u guys on some stuff. BUT 14/15 is not a child. 4/5 is a different story. Kids get into a lot more than we did when we were younger and that wasn't that long ago. A 14/15 year old can still know the difference between they money maker and supplemental income. The sad thing about it is that this blog isn't JUST for this lil shaker. You got 24/25 and up who don't know the difference. Once you get to a certain age you can no longer blame Mom/Dad for your behavior you have to learn to grow up YOURSELF. No one else is going to do it for you. As for younger kids: Both of you are right they need to be taught how to value themselves but the media only has as much influence as you give it. To many parents are letting BET and MTV raise their children. Kids don't have jobs to go out and buy music and clothing or a certain celebrity's movie on DVD. People need to be more conscious of what they are feeding they kids.
ReplyDeleteI agree with something special when she said that 14/15 isn't a child. Have you heard the things that come out of these kids mouths now adays.. I mean some of the things that these kids say is just insane and outrageous. She knows exactly what she's doing, but the price and value of a person is no longer placed in between their shoulders but what is between their legs.
ReplyDeleteWomen are go objectified that young women have this esteem that if their bodies do not look like a video vixen's they are less valuable than those who do resemble those with super model frames. We can teach our children to value themselves more tan what they see in the video's but sometimes when they leave our homes they are turned around by their friends and trying to deprogram them becomes an even harder task. Just pray for these youngin's and hope that as they get older they see that what they thought was, in actuality wasn't