This pancocojams post presents some historical and cultural information and commentary about the use of the name "Becky" as a referent for White women.
This post also presents some cultural information and commentary about the phrase "Becky with the good hair". In particular, this post documents the use of "Becky with the good hair" in a May 16, 2021 Instagram written by African American former NBA professional basketball player Kwame Brown as a putdown of another former NBA player Matt Barnes who is light skinned.
The content of this post is presented for linguistic and socio-cultural purposes.
**** BACKGROUND: WHAT THE NAME "BECKY" MEANS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE "Miss Ann" is a much older African American referent for White women that carried (and still carries) negative connotations of White women who are stiff, prudish, and respectable [in the opinion of White people].
The use of "Becky" as a referent for White women in general and/or as a referent for a sub-category of White women was popularized in the 1992 by Hip Hop artist Sir Mix A Lot's hit record "Baby Got Back". The first words in that song are voiced by a young White woman who stands with her silent White friend Becky staring at a Black woman in the distance. Using Valley Girl lingo and pronunciation, the unnamed White women criticizes that Black woman's big butt.
[Intro] Oh, my, god. Becky, look at her butt. It is so big. [scoff] She looks like one of those rap guys' girlfriends. But, you know, who understands those rap guys? [scoff] They only talk to her, because, she looks like a total prostitute, 'kay? I mean, her butt, is just so big. I can't believe it's just so round, it's like, out there, I mean— gross. Look! She's just so... black!"
The woman speaking in that introduction used "Valley Girl" pronunciation for those words. Here's information about "Valley Girls" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_girl "A Valley girl is a socioeconomic, linguistic,
and youth subcultural stereotype and stock character originating during the
1980s: any materialistic upper-middle-class young woman, associated with unique
vocal and California dialect features, from the Los Angeles commuter
communities of the San Fernando Valley.[1] The term in later years became more
broadly applied to any female in the United States who embodied ditziness"...
In 2016 Beyonce popularized the phrase "Becky with the good hair" in her song "Lemonade". That referent has come to mean either a White woman, or a Black woman who is mixed (has one birth parent who is Black and one who is non-Black), or a light skinned Black woman, or a woman who is not Black and is also not White (for instance a Latina or a woman from India.) Presumably, all of these women would have so-called "good hair", meaning hair whose texture (curl pattern) is the same as or similar to the curl patterns of White people.
Here's information about the meaning of the term "good hair" as it unfortunately was used in the past and is still used by many African Americans:
A popular* term in the African-American community, used to describe an black person's hair that closely resembles the hair of a typical white person (i.e. soft, managable, long, as opposed to "nappy" or "bad" hair). The closer your hair is to a white person's, the "better" your hair is. See: "bad hair".
Note: Most people who use this term would never admit the inferiority complex from which it came. Ignorant Aunt Zykeshia: "Lord-Jeezus! Girl, you gots dat good hair! It long, curly and booootiful!" -by Little Lauren May 17, 2005 -snip- *I think that "widely used" fits better than the word "popular".
" "Good hair" is a phrase used in some black
communities to describe the perceived prestige of straight or loosely curled
hair, especially when genetically influenced by non-African ancestry, in
contrast to Afro-textured hair. "Good Hair" is also used to refer to
hair that is strong, thick and soft to the touch.
[...]
Although
many hair stylists or beauticians would define "good hair" to mean
"healthy hair", the phrase is rarely used in this manner in informal
African-American circles. Instead it is used metaphorically to characterize
beauty and acceptance. These standards vary for African-American men and women."...
Regardless of Beyonce's implied meaning/s of "Becky with the good hair", it appears to me that the most widely used online meaning of "Becky" after Beyonce's 2016 "Lemonade" song is "a White woman".
**** INFORMATION ABOUT FORMER NBA PLAYER KWAME BROWN'S USE OF THE SAYING "BECKY WITH THE GOOD HAIR" AS A PUTDOWN FOR A LIGHT SKINNED BLACK MALE From https://brobible.com/sports/article/kwame-brown-stephen-jackson-matt-barnes-gilbert-arenas/ "Former Laker Kwame Brown Rips Stephen Jackson, Matt Barnes,
And Gilbert Arenas To Shreds In Profane Rant" by Joge Alonso, May 17, 2021
[Pancocojams Editor's Note: Warning: This article and Instagram includes profanity. Those examples of profanity aren't included in this ncluded in this pancocojams post.]
"Kwame Brown has a bone to pick* with Stephen Jackson, Matt
Barnes and Gilbert Arenas.
Earlier this week, Arenas was a guest on Showtime’s “All the
Smoke” hosted by Jackson and Barnes. In the interview, Arenas talked about
Brown, who he played with during his early years with the Wizards.
[...]
The 39-year-old Brown made a Youtube video to respond to the podcast. In the video, Brown disrespectfully calls Barnes “Becky with the good hair”, tells Jackson to put down his blunt and “act like a grown man instead of a little boy”. and accused Arenas of costing him millions of dollars via contracts.
....Becky with the good hair, go to counseling...
Becky with the good hair you better shut you’re m---f----** mouth, cause I don’t like the way you started this sh-t** and that better be the last time you mention my name Becky."... -snip- *Here's information about the meaning of the colloquial American phrase "having a bone to pick":
**These words are fully spelled out in this instagram.
**** PANCOCOJAMS NOTES ABOUT THIS USE OF "BECKY WITH THE GOOD HAIR" [Revised May 23, 2021] Kwame Brown's use of the female name "Becky" as a referent for a man is disrespectful in and of itself because males usually don't like to be referred to as females.
In African American culture "Becky" has become an informal, insulting general referent for White woman. That meaning as a racial connotation to Kwame Brown's use of "Becky with the good hair", particularly seen the Matt Barnes, the man he referred to, is a light skinned Black man who has hair that many Black people consider/ed "good hair" (since light skinned Black people are often of mixed racial ancestry [Black and non-Black] and often have hair whose hair texture is similar to the hair textures that most White people have).
That said, some brown skinned African Americans and other brown skinned people of Black African descent may also have so-called "good hair" (meaning "hair like White people". They may have these types of hair textures because of their non-Black (i.e. "mixed") racial ancestry via one of their parents, or one or both of their grand parents, or earlier grandparents.
I happened upon an article about Kwame Brown's May 16, 2021 Instagram post that is the focus of this post because Kwame Brown's name was in the top ten twitter accounts that were trending in the United States on May 17, 2021 (as of 12 PM). I'm not including a link to that twitter account because pancocojams is a family friendly blog and the content of that twitter account includes a lot of profanity. In addition, that twitter account also includes a number of tweets that have what is commonly known as the "n word" as well as other words that may be objectionable for children. It also appears to me that many of the commenters in that twitter account considered what Kwame Brown said as something "humorous" and commendable. For instance, there were comments about "shots fired" by Kwame Brown (meaning insults sent by Kwame Brown to those other men) and comments about Kwame getting bodies (meaning he "verbally" shot those people with his insults).
**** Kwame Brown's use of "Becky" as a referent for a Black person isn't the first time that I found that name being used as a referent for a light skinned Black person. Here's a comment exchange from
...In Lemonade Beyonce not only calls out Jay-Z’s cheating, she frames that cheating as being about race when she sings, “Better call Becky with the good hair.” The term “Becky” in African American lingua franca marks whiteness; and good hair suggests someone who is mixed or not quite black. In this way, Jay’s betrayal is not just a betrayal of the heart, it’s a betrayal of her as a black woman. It’s very clear from Lemonade that the “character” of Jay Z is cheating largely because he is interested in a lighter woman with straighter her, a less black woman. This is a vital part of understanding the symbolic logic of this masterwork....
Here's a comment exchange from that daily kos.com article:
terrypinder Apr 26 · 07:55:35 PM "Why does everyone assume Becky is white?
Does no one watch Empire?"
** PurposelyPolemical terrypinder Apr 26 · 07:57:42 PM "I watch Empire...but I’m at a loss. Who is the black Becky on there? Remind? lol"
** terrypinder PurposelyPolemical Apr 26 · 08:13:34 PM "Gabourey Sidibe’s character :)" -snip- Pancocojams editor's note: terrypinder is obviously joking with that comment as Gabourey Sidibe is a dark skinned Black actress. The character on the television series Empire who might be considered a Black Becky is "Anika", portrayed by (light skinned) African American actress Grace Gealey.
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that focuses on comments from a discussion thread about a 1960 Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show television film clip of African American Rock and Roll/Rhythm & Blues (R&B) singer Frankie Lymon performing his record "Little Bitty Pretty One".
Part II presents information about the mocking/insulting social meanings of the names "Becky" and "Karen" as they refer to White women. Part II also presents selected comments that include the insulting names "Becky" or "Karen" from the discussion thread of the 1960 Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show television film clip of African American African American Rock and Roll/Rhythm & Blues (R&B) singer Frankie Lymon performing his record "Little Bitty Pretty One".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/03/racist-or-just-shy-comments-about-white.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents information about Frankie Lymon and showcases a 1960 Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show television film clip of African American Rock and Roll/Rhythm & Blues (R&B) singer Frankie Lymon performing his record "Little Bitty Pretty One".
Part I also presents selected comments from that YouTube video's discussion thread. Almost all of those comments refer to the close-up shots that were taken of various females who were watching that performance. However, these selected comments don't include the names "Becky" or "Karen" that are used as social referents for types of White women.
****
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.
****
WHY "BECKY" IS USED AS A SOCIAL REFERENT FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF WHITE FEMALES
From https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/becky/
"Becky is a stereotype for a white woman, especially one who is unaware or takes advantage of her social privilege. Becky is also used more generally to mock a young white woman as basic."
[...]
Where does Becky Come From Becky follows in the tradition of using first names to generalize a type of person. Other recent examples are Karen, Becky’s middle-aged counterpart, or Stacy, who is similar to Becky but often used in a more overtly sexist manner in male internet spaces.
There are many instances in popular culture associating the name Becky (nickname for Rebecca) with an average white woman, variously portrayed as young, boring, unaware or taking advantage of her privilege, and sometimes promiscuous. Notably, rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot used Becky in his 1992 hit song “Baby Got Back.” In its spoken intro, two women—both stereotyped as Valley Girls, one of them addressed as Becky—critique a Black woman’s physique.
In 2009, rapper Plies presented a very sexualized Becky in his song of the same name. Becky was also the subject of a 2014 meme featuring Taylor Swift. The meme mimicked an anti-drug PSA using Swift as a stand-in for a young white girl.
[...]
Really helping to solidify and spread Becky as a slang term for a privileged white woman was Beyoncé’s 2016 song “Sorry.” The song closes with a lyric referring to a woman a man is having an affair with: “He only want me when I’m not there / He better call Becky with the good hair.” Becky with the good hair is interpreted to refer to white women, whose hair has been historically considered more beautiful, according to the dominant cultural norms, than the natural hair of Black women.
Into the late 2010s, Becky was applied on social media to white women who called the police on people of color, especially Black people, over trivial matters and out of apparent racial bias. One the most notorious incidents involved so-called BBQ Becky from 2018.
[...]
Who Uses Becky?
To call a woman a Becky generally implies she is unaware of her privilege having been born as a white person and that isn’t concerned with issues facing people of color. As such, some people of color may use Becky to call out instances of white women they perceive as being racist.
[...]
Some white woman, notably rapper Iggy Azalea in 2016, have said Becky is an unfair and racist stereotype. In some instances, using Becky has been called reverse racism. In other instances, some white women have jokingly called themselves a Becky.
More generally, Becky is used to make fun of a woman as basic, mocking her as a thoughtless girl who likes things associated with mainstream culture, e.g., pumpkin spice lattes and UGG boots.”...
****
WHY "KAREN" IS USED AS A SOCIAL REFERENT FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF WHITE FEMALES
From https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/karen/"WHAT DOES KAREN MEAN? [This excerpt was updated to the version of this article that was retrieved on July 5, 2020] "Karenis a pejorative slang term for an obnoxious, angry, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman who uses her privilege to get her way or police other people's behaviors. As featured in memes, Karenis generally stereotyped as having a blonde bob haircut, asking to speak to retail and restaurant managers to voice complaints or make demands, and being an anti-vaxx, Generation X soccer mom.
In 2020, Karen spread as a label used to call out white women who were captured in viral videos engaging in what are widely seen as racist acts.
Where does Karen Come From? Karen joins a trend on the internet in the 2010s of using a first name to make fun of certain kinds of people. A Becky, for example, is a stereotype for a “basic” young, white woman, while a Chad, in other corners of the internet, stands in for a cocky, young “dudebro.” But, why the name Karen? One suggestion is that it comes from a 2007 bit by Dane Cook called “The Friend Nobody Likes.” (The friend was named Karen.) Another explanation is that it comes from the character Karen in the 2004 film Mean Girls, who’s the subject of the popular quote: “Oh my God, Karen, you can’t just ask someone why they’re white.” It’s even been put forth that Karen comes the even earlier 1990 film Goodfellas, one of whose characters is named Karen. Whatever the origin of the slang, the name Karen, apparently, is popularly thought of as a generic-seeming name for a middle-aged white woman of certain generation. Karen appears as early as September 2016 when a Tumblr user, joematar, made fun a promo for Nintendo Switch in which a white woman (appearing to be in her late 20s or early 30s) brings the gaming device to a party. The user refers to this supposed kill-joy as Karen: “Oh sh&t*, Karen brought her stupid Nintendo thing to the party again. We’re DRINKING, Karen. We’re having CONVERSATIONS.” The character was further developed in December 2017 thanks to a subreddit dedicated to mocking the imagined Karen (somewhat like Cook’s “The Friend Nobody Likes” bit). Tropes that developed about Karen here were that she is an annoying (and always annoyed) middle-aged, suburban, minivan-driving white, divorced mother of poorly behaved boys (of whom she has custody) who has a so-called “speak to the manager” haircut. [...] Because Karen is a stereotype of a woman of a certain age, some may considering offensive, sexist, or ageist … or Karen-ist, though it appears most people named Karen have a good sense of humor about it.” -snip- *This word is fully spelled out in that article.
-snip-
Added July 5, 2020 In 2020 a number of "Karen" memes focus on that White woman's entitled racist behavior. Here's a quote from Robin Queen's June 12, 2020 article entitled How ‘Karen’ went from a popular baby name to astand-infor white entitlementhttps://theconversation.com/how-karen-went-from-a-popular-baby-name-to-a-stand-in-for-white-entitlement-139644 "When I read aboutAmy Cooper, the woman in Central Park who called the police on a black birder because he’d asked her to leash her out-of-control dog, I was horrified.
But, as a sociolinguist who studies and writes about language and discrimination, I was also struck by the name given to Cooper in several headlines: “Central Park Karen". On Twitter, the birder’s sister also referred to her as a “Karen.”
There was no confusion about what this meant: It was a label for a white woman who had used her privilege to threaten and try to intimidate a black man by calling the police."...
-snip- A portion of the April 7, 2018 Saturday Night Live's "Black Jeopardy" sketch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzMzFGgmQOc starring Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa [Black Panther] included a reference to a White woman named "Karen". However, this use of the name "Karen" for a White woman doesn't have the negative self-entitled or racist connotations that have been given to other uses of the name "Karen".
In the sketch, Kenan Thompson, in character as the host,
reads a card from the category “White People” that says, “Your friend Karen
brings her potato salad to your cookout.” T’Challa responds, “I sense that this white woman does not season her food.” He continues, “Something tells me that I should say, ‘Aw, hell no naw, Karen! Keep your bland-ass potato salad to yourself!’ " https://variety.com/video/chadwick-boseman-snl-potato-salad-joke/
The core difference between this depiction of the White woman named "Karen" and other depictions of White women named "Karen", particularly in 2020, is that in that "Black Jeopardy" sketch, "Karen" is described as a Black man's White friend". Presumably, she is a non-romantic female friend, such as a co-worker.
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/raisin-potato-salad explains this meme as "Raisin Potato Salad is an internet slang term to describe
unnecessary actions taken by white people, usually adding their spin on
examples of black popular culture." -end of quote- While that may be one interpretation of that joke/meme or extensions of that joke/meme, I believe the "raisins in potato salad" meme most directly refers to Black Americans' belief that in general we are better cooks than White people and even more specifically, that White people are known to put ingredients and/or seasoning in their food that Black Americans would consider strange and off-putting.
That the White woman in that 2018 Black Jeopardy sketch is named "Karen" may have been a coincidence as "Karen" was/is considered a "White" female name.
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THE YOUTUBE "VIDEO" Frankie Lymon "Little Bitty Pretty One" published by NRRArchives, Dec 1, 2012 (Saturday Night Beech-Nut Show. August 13, 1960) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9PNVUpI19A&t=2s
[Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.]
1. Jaythecupid, 2019
"The mad white girls in the audience built the generation of “Karen’s” we have today"
**
REPLY
3. patrick starshooter, 2019
"@because0011 The generic name for the white lady who wants to "talk to the manager" and "call police on blacks, doing anything she doesn't like" "
**
REPLY
4. Bede, 2020
"No, this is too old. Karen's were born in the 60's."
**
5. Tamerra T, 2019
"The Beckys in the audience were scared af to enjoy his performance 😂😂"
**
REPLY
6. James Scarcelli, 2019
"i noticed that too..i would have been jitterbugging."
**
REPLY
7. Dora Is the homie, 2019
"Not scared racist"
**
REPLY
8. HarrodsFan, 2019
"They'd have preferred to see Elvis or other successful singer of that time."
**
9. COON HUNTER #1, 2019
"They didn't enjoy it. Becky's who the hell are you taniqua"
**
REPLY
10. Teo, 2020
"Yea, n there wasn’t one Shanaynay in sight"
-snip-
The female names "Taniqua" and "Shanaynay" are considered to be insulting/mocking so-called "ghetto" African American names.
**
11. Chloe Leigh Hardy, 2019
"I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER"
**
12. Bryce Breaux, 2019
"“I mustn’t let father know I enjoyed the colored boy’s performance.”
**
REPLY
13. mr bigwood, 2020
"😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅"
**
REPLY
14. Moises Ojeda, 2020
"Lol"
**
REPLY
15. Czar Khan, 2020
"😭😭😭😭😭😭"
**
REPLY
16. jailen honeycutt, 2020
"It’s funny that you all found it funny 😂😂"
**
REPLY
17. Tammy T, 2020
"You're projecting."
**
REPLY
18. Tammy T, 2020
"They're racists. Of course they found it funny."
**
REPLY
19. Bryce Breaux, 2020
"Tammy T, I’m talkin about all the Beckys in the crowd not smiling or looking like they enjoy the show. It ain’t that deep fam"
**
REPLY
20. Luis Murrell, 2020
"@Bryce Breaux But those are the only ones the camera lingered on. Any girls that got "too enthusiastic" were probably not shown lest anyone get some ideas.
Then again, I'm wondering how genuine the clapping and cheering was, or if it was canned. Everyone looks like placid cows in the audience, all chewing away on their (free) Beech-Nut"
**
REPLY
21. BILLY BARTY, 2020
"2468 WE DON'T WANT INTERGRATE"
**
REPLY
22. pallbearers1969, 2020
"Klan kids were shocked when Frankie stepped out of the backstage ...."
**
REPLY
23. MARSHA MASCARO, 2020
"Bryce Breaux Giggling in Alabama. You nailed it."
****
24. meandemjay, 2019
..."a bunch of off beat barbecue beckies"
**
REPLY
30. messyourself 1, 2020
"@Tammy T no she is not"
**
REPLY
31. M Amadeus, 2020
"Ok...I wouldnt go that far. 😒"
**
REPLY
32. Dwight Schrute, 2020
"She is a racist because she brings race into this, she assumes that the white people here are racist because of her own prejudices against white people, they could have reacted that way for a lot of reasons but no, you have to bring that to 'white people are evil racists' not even realizing that saying things like that makes you the racist one."
**
33. John Brown, 2020
"All of those bubblegum chewing Beckys are thinking, "We can't act excited... the camera is watching us. We don't want any backlash from our parents and community.""
**
REPLY
34. mrj0nny5, 2020
"The show was sponsored by a gum company."
**
REPLY
35. Tiana Princes-Nalwanga, 2020
"John Brown exactly their parents would scold them"
**
36. Flyover Philosophy, 2020
"Excuse me, can I speak to your manager? There’s a black on stage."
**
37. Myrtice Moore, 2020
"Beckys"
****
This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.
This post showcases Sir Mix-A-Lot's 1992 Hip Hop record "Baby Got Back" with a special focus on how that record influenced society's views on women's bodies. A video of that record is showcased in this post along with selected comments from that video's discussion thread.
Warning- This video contains sexually suggestive lyrics & visuals but no profanity and no explicit sex. As is the case with many YouTube comment threads, a great deal of profanity and sexually explicit language is found in this video's discussion thread.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-clean-meaning-of-name-becky-in.html http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-clean-meaning-of-name-becky-in.htmlfor the closely related pancocojams post entitled The "Clean" Meaning of The Name "Becky" In African American Culture
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Sir Mix-A-Lot for the significant and perhaps unexpectedly positive impact that "Baby Got Back" has made in the United States and elsewhere. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
UPDATE 2020: I consider this post to be Part I of an ongoing pancocojams series about names that are used as referents for certain types of White people in the United States.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/03/why-becky-and-karen-are-used-as.html for Part II for a March 2020 pancocojams post that is Part II of this series. That post is entitled "Why The Names "Becky" And "Karen" Are Used As Mocking/Insulting Social Referents For Certain Types Of White Females (information & comments)"
****
INFORMATION ABOUT SIR MIX A LOT'S "BABY GOT BACK" RECORD
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Got_Back
"Baby Got Back" is a hit song written and recorded by American artist Sir Mix-a-Lot, from his album Mack Daddy. The song samples the 1986 Detroit techno single "Technicolor" by Channel One.
At the time of its original release, the song caused controversy with its outspoken and blatantly sexual lyrics about women, as well as specific references to the female buttocks which some people found objectionable. The video was briefly banned by MTV.[1] "Baby Got Back" has remained popular and even anthemic[2] since it was originally featured on the album Mack Daddy in 1992.
It was the second best-selling song in the US in 1992, behind Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You", with sales of 2,392,000 physical copies that year.[3] In 2008, it was ranked number 17 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.[4]
Synopsis
The first verse begins with "I like big butts and I cannot lie", and most of the song is about the rapper's attraction to large buttocks. The second and third verse challenge mainstream norms of beauty: "I ain't talkin' 'bout Playboy/'Cause silicone parts are made for toys" and "So Cosmo says you're fat/Well I ain't down with that!". Sir Mix-a-Lot commented in a 1992 interview: "The song doesn't just say I like large butts, you know? The song is talking about women who damn near kill themselves to try to look like these beanpole models that you see in Vogue magazine." He explains that most women respond positively to the song's message, especially black women: "They all say, 'About time.'"[5]
In the prelude that opens the song there is a conversation between two (presumably) thin, white valley girls, where one girl remarks to her friend, "Oh, my God, Becky, look at her butt! It is so big [...] She's just so ... black!", to which Sir Mix-a-Lot, representing the African-American subculture's view, says: "You other brothers can't deny" and "Take the average black man and ask him...".[6] However, Sir Mix-a-Lot admits in a later verse that it is not only African-American men who are attracted to curvy women with the lyric "even white boys got to shout", an aspect which was referenced in a retrospective two decades later.[7]"...
-snip-
"Anaconda", a 2014 record by Trinidadian-born American rapper Nicki Minaj samples "Baby Got Back". Whether Minaj's effort was done well or not is a topic of considerable debate in the discussion thread for the Sir Mix-A-Lot video that is found below (and I'm sure elsewhere.)
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO
Warning- This video contains sexually suggestive lyrics & visuals but no profanity and no explicit sex. As is the case with many YouTube comment threads, a great deal of profanity and sexually explicit language is found in this video's discussion thread.
Sir Mix A Lot Baby Got Back Best Quality
CHRISONSLOW, Uploaded on Sep 18, 2009
-snip-
Back" here means "booty" (butt). "Baby got back" praises Black women who have big butts.
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
As of 4:38 PM when this pancocojams post was being written, there were a total of 8,111 comments to this Sir Mix A Lot "Baby Got Back" video's discussion thread. This compilation documents a very small number of those comments which I think are representative of most of the comments in that discussion. I read a lot of the comments, but not all of them. A number of those comments contained profanity (used as curse words and not as compliments) and/or sexually explicit language. None of those comments are included below, at least not with their full spelling.
These comments are given in relative chronological order based on the year that they were published, with the oldest comments given first (except for responses). However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers for referencing purposes only.
I'm most interested in comments that address any socio-cultural impact or implications of the "Baby Got Back" record, including comments about whether this song is racist or objectifies women. I've added a brief editorial comments after a few of these comments.
2013
1. PinkButterfly2020
"this video is about 20yrs old....and it was really a positive confirmation from a black man appreciating how we are naturally shaped....growing up looking at Vogue, Cosmopolitan,Elle magazines etc...those magazines are great but they promoted white women and white shapes...we don't look like that...for the black women who had shapely butts we were told we were fat...and needed to lose weight...we have been told negative things about being black all throughout American history...from the ends of the strands of our hair to the bottom of the souls of our feet..negative things have always been taught about us...so many, many shout outs to Sir Mix a Lot....and even today King Magazine and others,for celebrating black women with our natural God given shapes....."
**
2. vanteesomeone
"I forgot all about the start of the video. I love the white girl lip syncing a black girl's impression of a white girl."
**
3. Jibriltz
"This is actually quite a good song for a lot of women to boost their self-esteem. Hear me out - he raps about Cosmo calling women with curves fat and how he is apparently not down with that. Neither am I. And if you were wondering if my girlfriend has the butt - Hell yeah!"
**
4. mechanoid2k
"Yeah believe it or don't many hip hop songs from the early days had positive messages"
**
5. hehustle2009
"We all have that one song that brings out our emotions. As soon as we hear it, everything in our mind, spirit, and soul just pours out. These songs have meaning and they have an impact on our very being. With that being said (I'm very emotional right now), thank you for your contribution to society Sir Mix-A-Lot........*wipes tear*"
-snip-
I'm not sure if this commenter is being facetious or not. Be that as it may, I think that Sir Mix-A-Lot positively impacted society with the song "Baby Got Back".
**
6. CelciaSnow
"Funny how this is a lot cleaner than today's rap music videos... and back then they considered THIS obscene!"
**
7. Forza Huskers
"Isn't it amazing how a song that was fairly risqué in its day seems pretty tame by today's standards? Clever video, too. I love the Josephine Baker reference."
**
8. greasedog
"It wasn't too long ago when white folks called the oh so many black and Latina women with ample butts fat. They did it cause most white women don't have it so they dogged it. Sistas have always had bangin bodies to go with their beautiful faces. Thanks to modern surgery and padded pants, white women are trying to have it too."
**
Reply
9. cinnamonstar808
"+greasedog
i think alot of white-hispanics get butt jobs. America still prefers the hourglass shape. so many white women will go for more that balance look
White girls do have natural big butt but it all depends where in Europe they are from. Your tribe kinda determine your butt size. the same goes with Africa and Asia people.
Any country that touches the Mediterranean sea or North Africa.. chances are you're gonna have an ample backside.
italy, greece, algeria morocco.. israel etc etc"
**
10. Reply
christianne1975
"I'm white, and I work to get my butt round! In high school even a few of my black classmates told me, "You got a black girl's booty." It may not come naturally for me, but with exercise and eating high protein"
**
11.greasedog [2014]
"+justtoni1
Notice that I said "most" white women. I never said "all". Just like there are "some" black women and Latinas who don't have any ass. There are exceptions to everything. In general, among white women a plump ass is rare. Among black women and Latinas it's common. Get it? I got one!"
**
12. Manga Man
"When white girls start hating about being flat in back"
**
13. visa422978
"Such a popular song when it comes to karaoke here and the majority of guys who rap to this are white boys while the white girls enjoy and twerking to this song :D"
**
14. Reply
Milos Pinstripe
"It is such a silly song. My neighbors uncle had a karaoke setup for parties and I remember his drunk brother-in-law loved doing this song. We enjoyed watching him too."
**
15. Annie McKinnon
"Oh My God Becky! THIS WILL NEVER GET OLD!!!!
**
16. randomer24700
"The start xD (black guys' stereotype of white girls)"
**
17.BlackBarbie561863
"The Greatest 1 Hit Wonder ."
**
18. Reply
gifted1der
"This wasn't Sir Mix A Lot's only "hit". "Posse on Broadway", "My Hooptie", and "Beepers", while nowhere near as commercially successful as "Baby Got Back", were still considered hits on urban radio formats where rap was predominantly played back in the day. He had a huge fan base before "Baby Got Back" crossed over and sold more albums independently than most rappers on major labels sell nowadays."
**
19. Vahan Nisanian
"I heard Amy Dorsey does vocals on this song.
Does anyone know how she looks like and does she appear in this video?"
**
20. Reply
Ryan James
"Not sure. Was this Amy Dorsey Sir Mix A-Lot's girlfriend? I do know that the intro to this song was in fact spoken by Mix A-Lot's girlfriend at the time. She was a Black/Puerto Rican woman and she was the one who says the "Omg, Becky look at her butt" line. The white girl in this video was just lip synching. "
**
21. Ryan James
"Most people who seen this video also think Sir Mix-A-Lot is praising both black women and white women, lol."
**
22. Keyser Soze
"Well back when it came out, no, he wasnt praising white women. But ever since the late 90s somehow white women magically started having ass. Some of the best ones ive ever seen have been on white women. Thank god for all the bovine growth hormones theyre putting in food, or whatever the hell it is thats doing it!
****
2014
23. Gi Burns
"I remember despairing when I was growing up, because the trend in the 70's was designer jeans and a FLAT PANCAKE ASS. No diet would starve that thing down. The fashion world still lags behind modern tastes - still poisonous to believe a model's proportions are what the world finds beautiful. There's room for us all."
**
24. teamoutrage1
"the 90's started the big butt krazz"
**
25. LrsLzk
"If someone did a song celebrating characteristics or cultures of white people then it would be deemed racist."
**
Reply
26. Michelle J.
"Oh please. The characteristics & culture of white women are celebrated every single day. Just look at fashion magazines, advertisements & television. White women have been put on a pedestal for years & told the are beautiful, pure & delicate while Black women have been told the exact opposite. One song celebrating the sistas and yall wanna start clowning."
**
27. Grind Master
"+troodon9999 Oh yea? That was racist? Well this video is clearly, racist, saying white girls don't have butts and blacks have, no how can this be racism right cause only whites can be racist. Yes, I am white and I am proud of it, why should I be ashamed, I didn't choose to be white but still why the f&&k* should I be ashamed."
-snip-
"troodon9999" may have been an earlier screen name for "LrsKzk" or may have been another blogger whose comments was deleted.
*This word is fully spelled out in the comment
**
28. LrsLzk
"+spoonabeats She uttered no facts. All just cited off conjecture based purely on her own subjective outlook. Are black people not in magazines, too? Of course they f&&king* are. The only reason that there isn't equal proportion of black/white people in said magazines is because there are more white people living in the west, so naturally there'll be more. Defensive paranoia being spurted to a guy who has nothing against black people what so ever. Good job."
-nip-
*This word is fully spelled out in the comment.
**
29. babyEroose
"+LrsLzk Honey in 1992 black people weren't on magazine covers that didn't have a large black consumer base, and for many of the major FASHION magazines (which is what's referenced) it's still a rare occurance when a black woman is on the cover. Sir Mix-a-lot is saying as a black man that he appreciates the body of a fuller figured black woman and doesn't abide by what mainstream America AKA white people find to be a beautiful woman or a beautiful woman's body).
The west (white/european culture) has strongly influenced how we look at each other. They colonized the world and the impact of that is felt in several ways including beauty. Black women today have their looks very seldom celebrated and in many non-white cultures a woman is considered more beautiful when she has "whiter' features. All the "beautiful" hispanic women you see celebrated for their appearance according to the mainstream have lighter skin & light straight hair, even though hispanic people come in all colors. The most popular cosmetic surgery among east Asians is to have their eyes opened wider, and the biggest Asian stars are usually fair skinned. In India Aishwarya Rai is considered this major beauty because she is a Indian woman with light skin and green eyes. There people can be very dark, darker than many black people in the U.S. and that is considered unattractive. One of the most common plastic surgeries for Middle Eastern women is to get nose jobs so that they have thinner smaller noses. And with black American women, who are considered the great beauties here? Halle Berry (half white) , Tyra Banks, Beyonce, Rihanna, Zoe Saldana, Kerry Washington, Nicki Minaj (and that is pretty much the whole list) and what do they have in common? Light skin, light eyes, long silky hair (or weave) or they are biracial so what is inherently beautiful about these women are the features that many black women don't have. When that one dark skinned short haired black actress got People's 50 most beautiful, there was a lot of blow back.
Conversely there are non-black celebrities who are celebrated for having features that are seen on most black women that are extra beautiful b/c its a white lady, light skinned lady with exotic features. The most glaring example of this is Angelina Jolie. Practically every black woman has full lips but somehow that makes Jolie one of the prettiest women ever b/c she is a white woman with big lips.
(p.s. a big ass is not a black feature or characteristic. There are plenty of latin women out there with ass and plenty of country white girls or German girls with booty, but white women were shamed for having bodies like this, especially in the era it was made, again the rationale for this song!) "
**
30. Reply
LrsLzk
"+babyEroose You really do have a chip on your shoulder, don't you? I mean typing out a comment that long on a Youtube video titled "Sir Mix A lot Baby Got Back" is both impressive and worrying. Beauty is just a matter of opinion and as the cliché goes, in the eye of the beholder, so don't worry about it. You're mainly talking about how you think ethnic minorities aren't appreciated in the white West (meaning Europe and America), well, perhaps white people aren't found as attractive in the Middle East and Africa etc, where white people are the minority. It's like saying American football isn't very popular/appreciated as much in Europe yet it is loved and revered back in the US.
Anyway, I still think you're being defensive and worrying over nothing. The way you are going on you make it sound as though every black person in the West is single and thought of as universally ugly no matter what; this is of course no where near true."
**
31. Reply
babyEroose
"+LrsLzk You say chip, I say educated with my eyes open. Yes I left a long comment b/c I naturally talk a lot and you spent a lot of time and comments defending your position I think you've written just as much. You used comments like black paranoia and that black people are all of over magazines forgetting that when this song was made blacks were NOT as prevalent in mainstream media, nor were they considered (or have ever been considered) the fairest ones of them all. I never said that black women were all single, I said that they seem to only be widely seen as beautiful the less "black" they look. Who decides what bodies and faces are the most beautiful in the U.S.? So yes that is what you are naturally going to see the most of. Completely not defensive but it seems like you are back pedaling a little because maybe in my long comment you realize that I have a point.
I wasn't responding to what's going on in the video I was responding to you and your inability to see the obvious and real discrepencies when it comes to race and beauty and how it is perceived in the U.S. It only took 15 min of my day to write that."
**
32. Reply
spoonabeats
"+LrsLzk Your original statement was "If someone did a song celebrating characteristics or cultures of white people then it would be deemed racist." First Michelle told you that white women were celebrated everyday then +babyEroose took the time to explain in more detail. You concede and say well its only because Whites are the majority. So basically your original statement has been refuted, at the very least. Rather than admitting so, you just keep on bit&hing* and attacking character."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in that comment.
**
33. Reply
LrsLzk
"+spoonabeats Well then let me rephrase my original statement:
If white characteristics were explicitly and specifically celebrated directly, it would be deemed racist (not in a theoretical, inexplicit and symbolic way that others are stating as being fact, which in itself is debatable). But I do apologise from my heart if I was not clear, English isn't all of our first language, you know?"
**
34. Reply
João Luiz
"He likes big butts and he can`t deny it, that`s just that."
**
35. Reply
Dave Keays
"Is it a coincidence that all the women with small and unattractive (to him) butts are white in this video? A coincidence in the same way as the divide between management and the black race means nothing. Please decide if those kinds of relationships should be paid attention to or ignored by everybody- don't just dump blame on one race."
**
37. Reply
babyEroose
"+0LolaLola What's your point here? Showing me Naomi Campbell on the cover of 1993's Vogue issue when this song came out in 1992 doesn't contradict the lyrics of the song or my original comment, which was that it was a rare occurance that black women are on the cover of major magazines. In '93, Vogue had been out for over 100 years and you could count on 1 hand how many black women had been on the cover. Just google 'how many black women have been on the cover of Vogue' and you will see several links talking about how uncommon it is. Last, it still brings back my point in my original comment that looks of black women are usually only widely seen as beautiful when their features are considered "less black". Naomi Campbell is mixed race."
**
38. Reply
0LolaLola
"+babyEroose
92 93 who cares it's 1 year difference rollingeyes lol You said there were no black models on covers. Which wasn't true. There were several black Vogue models and at that time only a very small number of models appeared on the cover of Vogue anyhow. Do your research hun, is always a good idea
And Naomi Campbell largely identifies herself as black, as do other black people.
There were tons of black women on covers prior to that. 70s was full of black models on covers and in magazines.
You're welcome rolleyes"
**
39. babyEroose
"Read my original comment lolalola. I say that black models were rare and using the same model over and over doesn't count as "plenty of black models" on their covers. Show me the "plenty" btn 1974-92. This originally started with a rap song that came out over 20 years ago talking about how black women aren't shown on major fashion magazines which for the most part was certainly true. You counting the last 20+ years where there has been more diversity doesn't discount the era in which this song was made. I lived through it and I'm telling you black women were poorly represented. You will see twice as many articles discussing the lack of diversity in fashion magazines than you will see diversity on the cover. Black women come in all colors and shades but using the green eyed, straight haired, Campbell as a reference was poor judgement on your part and didn't help your argument. Oh and the rolling eyes thing....stop it that's childish. "
**
40. Reply
0LolaLola
"+babyEroose In the 90s there were only a few models who graced the covers of Vogue, it was mainly a rotation of largely the same models. So there wasn't a broad variety there to begin with.
In the 70s black models were not rare.
If one wants to go the route of black models being rare, I think it's interesting to look at a broader picture, not just 90s onwards.
You said there were no black models on Vogue covers in 92 - I took that as early 90s - but there were. I was responding to that.
Everything else is irrelevant to me, as modelling in itself has changed."
**
41. Reply
Lunar Rabbot
"+0LolaLola praise the lord! One black-ish model!!! Man what a majority! How many other black models were there during that time? And how many other mags did they sport compared to the white models back then? I'll wait.
She said they were rare not nonexistent, there is a reason they're called tokens."
**
42. Reply
GinaR AtlantaRealestate
"It was being celebrated... in magazines, movies, TV, which is why he wrote this song to give props to what HE considered attractive. Now, the rest of the world has caught on since plastic surgery is available."
**
43. lat woods
"+babyEroose Brilliant!!!!!!! great points Sister, I am 45 years old and I remember when Sir Mix A Lot release "Baby Got Back" back in 1992, I was a senior in college. I am one of those Brothers who love seeing a beautiful Sister with a big round shapely Booty, you are correct the concept of beauty back then was a white woman with a flat ass and no curves. While most Black men perception of a beautiful woman is a curvy body with a small waist and a big round booty. Videos back then generally used white models, and dancers wish did not appeal to most Brothers, so Sir Mix A Lot decided to make a rap about the beauty of our curvy Sisters, which showed his love and appreciation for our beautiful Black Woman.
"Digg That""
**
45. Reply
jjsprite
"LrsLzk Look man the only reason why you have black appreciation is because were underappreciated I'm sure the commenters made that clear to you. Do you really want your history regulated to a month or one channel named after your race? White appreciation in a majority white country is as redundant as it sounds."
**
46. Reply
Darnell Hendeason [2015]
"Umm, magazine's like Cosmo and ...well, all of them have be promoting thin, white and blond since forever! They never show a thick dark woman in Cosmo."
-snip-
That comment is the end [to date] of that sub-set of that discussion.
**
47. Why Patterns?
"This video may or may not be racist. But it is certainly SEXIST. Picking apart a women's body and dehumanizing women in this way is pretty nasty. Yet this is the logic of capitalist society. People are not human, but rather a collection of commodifiied attributes. Black, Fat, Thick, Busty, Tight, Thin whatever. This has all seeped into our animalistic brains, by which the cynical PR masters have pushed our buttons for a very long time now... I dont want to be a debbie down though, this song has nostalgic appeal for me. Lets call it for what it is, sexist trash."
**
48. Reply
Amberdragon
"So just because a man admits he himself likes big butts, it's sexist? He's talking about how magazines are the ones who dehumanize women and illustrate a false sense of beauty. He's saying a woman who is curvy is beautiful too not FAT. Being skinny is healthy but just because a woman is curvy, she's fat. If anyone is sexist it's Nicki Minaj's version. She's telling women, who are skinny, aren't good enough for men. As if ALL men want women who are big and curvy in the right places. If a woman was making a song about men's penises and that she liked them in whatever size, is that considered sexist?"
**
49. shaariq jackson
"shes just so black..... wow a little bit of history there .... i finally get this song... sir mix alot wast trying to just describe how he loved a certain part of a females body... he was trying to defend black women.... #Thingsthatmakeyougohmmmm"
**
50. JonnyTainment
"Ever since that song came out, a black woman's big butt has become an official symbol of black pride!"
**
51. Jeannia Powell
"to the beanpoles dames in the magazines, you ain't it miss thing, give me a sister, I can't resist her, red beans and rice didn't miss her.. oldie but goodie"
-snip-
"Give me a sister, I can't resist her, red beans and rice didn't miss her" are lyrics from "Baby Got Back". "Red beans and rice" are a favorite African American dish (particularly in Louisiana and other parts of the South). "Don't resist her" means that the food doesn't resist being eaten by the sister (i.e. the Black woman).
**
52. Deep Night
"This was 1992? 1993? Back then it was in the midst of the Kate Moss "waif" look. Very skinny models were making all the covers of the fashion magazines and extreme dieting was all the hype. I think he was speaking out against having to be very, very thin to be attractive. "
**
53. Holly varley
"OH MY GOD BECKY
**
54. Reply
asnaes
"Whitest girls ever!"
**
55. Reply
Modzie
"+asnaes lily white..xD"
**
56. Jason Murray
"Alot of feminists are saying this is a bad video and objectifies women but when you think of it, he is saying that its ok to have a nice and average body because thats what most men like. He actually says, "screw what cosmo says about them flat butts, take the average black man bet he'll say she gotta pack much back". So yeah......."
**
57. HoneyT W
"Today those black dancers asses would be considered small. Big, huge and fake is hot now...
I guess i am old because nicki minaj did not "bring me here". Lol, you guys are young if you havent herd this song before nicki minaj"
**
58. 662chillin
"Mix just did an interview with Vlad a few days ago explaining why those women were so small. He had much thicker women but the label only kept 3 that he choose.
"Put Em On The Glass" has thicker women than this video (probably his raunchiest video lol) "
**
59. bluestrapsify1 year ago
" So Cosmo says you're fat, Well I ain't down wit that" Bravo !!"
-snip-
This comment (with the exception of the word "Bravo") is part of the lyrics to this song.
**
60. Eggscape
"Becky wants that glorious ass she's glaring at it so hard xD"
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61. miap
"The opening part with the two white girls is so priceless, love the commentary, just cracks me up!"
**
62. John Hart
"WHITE CHICKS HATING.........YEAH BLACK CHIX GOT BACK!"
**
63. Lindsay J
"God forbid there be an ode that compliments and pays homage to the naturally beautiful figures of black women. Some will never understand the difference between white supremacy and black power. One represents reigning supreme over another race while the other represents uplifting one's own race. This is not racist. Although this song is a bit chauvinistic, I like it because 1. it's funny and 2. it reassures black women that mainstream beauty is not the only beauty there is. Of course white women are beautiful and many of them have gorgeous figures; it just so happens that this song isn't about them. 2:09"
****
2016
64. costin saceanu
"feminists be like: triggered!!"
**
65. Reply
strawberryseason
"+costin saceanu Why would feminists dislike a song telling women not to listen to Cosmo propaganda to be a thin rail?"
**
66. Reply
nitelite 9
"+strawberryseason Can't understand that either. Maybe they spent too long starving themselves. They need to go get some red beans and rice!"
**
68. Reply
Fernanda Castillo
"she actually asked for permission and he let her. he's actually making profit too"
**
69. Esiana Turner
"Becky just mad because she ant got back."
**
70. green_ fling
"hen he said 36-24-36 i was like those numbers are way different these days lol 😂
-snip-
" 36-24-36" are measurements for what was considered then the ideal women’s body – an hourglass figure.
**
71. Reply
TheMusicGeek
"Back when asses look natural and weren't pumpd full of silicone or hard as a rock with glass. Nice bubble butts that if you have a little weight, squats will work out for you"
**
72. Reply
James Laidler
"And he managed not to swear, and I could understand him, and he was quite entertaining."
Online references to the lyrics "Becky with the good hair" from Beyonce's song "Sorry" in her April 2016 visual album Lemonade* sparked my interest in the vernacular meaning of the female name "Becky" in African American culture.
For the record, I believe that it's wrong to use the name "Becky" or any other name or any other term to stereotype any individual or any group of people. But as a self-described cultural folklorist, I'm interested in sussing out where, when, and how "Becky" got the meaning that Beyonce gives it in her song- and any other meanings that are currently given to that name.
I already knew what the term "good hair" meant. Read comments about that term in this post's Addendum #1 below.
I noticed the term "Becky" used in online comments in the last few years as a referent for White women. But until I did some research last night, I didn't know that there was a "dirty" meaning as well as a clean meaning for the vernacular term "Becky". I would blame this on my old age, but I know that there are people older than me who are far more "hip to the jive" than I am.
The sexual meaning of "Becky" was popularized by Plies' June 2009 Hip Hop record entitled "Becky". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becky_(song), but that meaning was probably used in the 'hood before that record. Nevertheless, I think that the clean meaning of "Becky" was used before the sexual meaning (what I call "the dirty meaning") of that term.
Read an excerpt from an online post about "Becky" in Beyonce's song in Addendum #2 below.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/04/what-black-betty-brown-bess-really-mean.html for the somewhat related pancocojams post "What "Black Betty" & "Brown Bess" REALLY Mean".
-snip-
Note: In the original version of this post on the name "Becky" I wrote that that name may have something to do with "Betty" and "Black Betty" as referents for Black females. I no longer believe that is true.
****
WHAT "BECKY" MEANS (the "clean" definition)
The "clean" vernacular meaning of "Becky" is "a White female", especially a young White woman".
The term "Miss Ann" is a much older African American referent for "White women"*. However, it seems to me that "Miss Ann" denotes (denoted) a more proper, more mature White women that "Becky" refers to. While "Miss Ann" carries negative connotations of women who are stiff, prudish, and respectable, "Becky" carries at least mildly negative connotations of White women who are "un-hip", "airheads", "ditzy", meaning "ditzy", "clueless" about the "real world", particularly the world of the urban streets. In other words, the non-sexualized meaning of the term "Becky" is an African American created stereotype for White women or a certain sub-set of White women (young White women, and (in the 1990s), especially "valley girl" type young White women.
[Update: March 12, 2016]
On March 12, 2019, the actress who portrayed "Aunt Becky" on the long running American television sitcom Full House was indicted as one of more than 40 defendants in a bribery scheme to get their kids into elite colleges. That arrest added another layer to connotations for "Becky" as a referent for White females. Click https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lori-loughlin-aunt-becky-college-admission-scheme_n_5c87d3e5e4b0450ddae49683
"Aunt Becky’ Jokes Abound Over Lori Loughlin College Admission Scheme Indictment"
By Jenna Amatulli; 03/12/2019]
-end of March 12, 2019 update-
I'm not sure when the term "Becky" was first used as a referent for a White female, and especially for a young White woman. Perhaps that term didn't "become a thing" until Hip Hop artist Sir-Mix-A-Lot happened to use that name for one of the White woman in the introduction to his now classic 1992 record "Baby Got Back". That introduction's first line is "Oh, my, god. Becky, look at her butt."
Although at least one online article indicates that Sir Mix-A- Lot popularized the name "Becky" as a referent for White woman*, I haven't found any documentation of that term's use before that record was released. If "Becky" as a slang reference for "a White women" started (immediately?) after Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" record, maybe the name "Becky" was selected as the name for that woman because of its alliteration with the word "butt".
If "Becky" was used as a clean referent for White women immediately after Sir Mix-A-Lot's 1992 Hip Hop record, it's interesting that I've not been able to find any online documentation of that usage from the 1990s or even from the early 2000s before the hoopla about Beyonce's Lemonade album. Perhaps I'm not looking in the right places.
Read information below about Sir-Mix-A-Lot's record "Baby Got Back".
And click https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/becky-not-racial-slur-stop-171000408.html Style
"Becky" Is Not a Racial Slur — So You Should Stop Calling Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' Racist, mic.com, April 27, 2016: "Sir Mix-a-Lot popularized the Becky reference in the early '90s in the intro to his critical hit "Baby Got Back," in which two disapproving women can be heard critiquing another woman's figure and style."
***
POSSIBLE REASONS WHY "BECKY" CAME TO BE USED AS A VERNACULAR [CLEAN] TERM FOR (YOUNG) WHITE WOMEN
1. "Becky" is a two syllable nickname/name that ends with a "y" and those types of nicknames are rarely given to African American females [since the 1980s if not earlier]
I don't know why the name "Becky" was selected to serve as a referent for White women instead of any other so-called "White name or nickname". However, I'm not surprised that the referent for a young White woman ends with a "y" since prior to about the 1980s almost every personal name in the United States had a diminutive (nickname) that ended with "y" and "ie". Two syllable nicknames and personal names ending with "y" if not "ie" are still rather common in the United States, particularly among non-Black children, teens, and adults.
For example, consider the names of some of the White members of the fictitious teen cheerleading movie series Bring It On: Courtney", "Whitney", "Kasey" and "Darcy" are some of the names of the White members of the suburban cheerleading squad in the first movie in that Bring It On cheerleading movie series (2000) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0204946/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast. And the lead White character and another important White character in the 2006 movie in that series Bring It On All Or Nothing were named Britney and "Winnie". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490822/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm. Either of those names -or the name "Brandi" or "Ashley" or any other "y" or "ie" two syllable name - could have been selected by African Americans instead of "Becky" as the generic referent for young White women. That "Becky" was chosen instead of any of those names might have been a fluke.
One contributing factor for the selection of the name "Becky" as a referent for White females instead of any of those other "y" or "ie" ending names is that "Rebecca" (or other spellings of that name) doesn't appear to be given that often to Black American females, and (according to online articles that I've read), Black Americans with the name "Rebecca" aren't usually given the nickname "Becky". Anecdotally, I know one African American woman who is forty years old named "Rebekha" who doesn't have a nickname that I'm aware of. I also know one Ango-American female in late teens named "Bekka". I think that is her real name and not a shortened form of "Rebekha".
Here's one article that I came across about the name "Becky" in the United States:
From https://daratmathis.com/2013/10/23/an-apology-to-white-beckys-everywhere/ "AN APOLOGY TO EVERY (WHITE) GIRL NAMED BECKY", Posted on October 23, 2013 by d. tafakari
..."First of all, let me say the unstated obvious. There are such things as black names and there are traditionally European names. There are indeed black girls named Rebecca. But anecdata suggests that black families generally do not nickname their daughters Becky. That’s a “white name.”
-snip-
This post also comments about the sexual vernacular meaning of "Becky".
**
Here's another online page about the name "Becky":
From https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101118140124AAls8Xc
"Why are white women referred to as 'Becky' by black people......?
On every black website I have visited like Bossip, black authors and commentators refer to white women as 'Becky'.... they make comments like...''he is going out with a Becky....., ''that is what black men get from marring Becks''....Becky this, Becky that. I'm from England and this is all new and somewhat funny to me, but why?
Update: @Elizabeth....your link to the Urban dictionary has helped to confirm what some of the answers have tried to explain....Thanks you ALL for your answers....Now I know why white women are called Becky....lol"
-snip-
The urbandictionary.com link refers to what I call the dirty meaning/s of "Becky".
Here are two responses to this yahoo.com query that refer to the non-sexual meaning of "Becky". Both of these responses were submitted by Black women (as indicated by their screen icons of a Black woman].
"haha its the cliche'd 90's name for the white girl out of the valley. I'm assuming there was a lot of people named so at some time, so people just began using it. And it usually doesn't go both ways. How many black girls do you know named Becky?? Same reason whites refer to black women as Shaniqua or Lakeesha."
-bajasa1, 2009
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"Out of the valley" probably means "a Valley girl". "Valley Girls" was a relatively widely used referent in the 1980s-1990s for a sub-set of young White women:
"The label originally referred to a swell of upper-middle class girls living in the early 1980s Los Angeles commuter towns of the San Fernando Valley, but in time the term became more broadly applied to any woman or girl—primarily in the United States and Canada—who engendered the associated affects of ditziness, airheadedness, and/or greater interest in conspicuous consumption than intellectual or personal accomplishment.
A sociolect associated with valley girls termed "Valleyspeak" arose in the San Fernando valley in the 1980s. Qualifiers such as "like", "whatever", "way", "as if!", "super", "totally" and "tubular" (a surfing term) are interjected in the middle of phrases and sentences as emphasizers"...
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_girl
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The two women featured in the introduction to Sir Mix A Lot's "Baby Got Back" song and official video were portrayed as Valley Girls. More information about Sir Mix A Lot's song is found later in this post.
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"I never call white girls "Becky", but I'm assuming that Rebekah/Rebecca was a very common name when it popped up."
-Lady, 2009
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2. The only fictitious character named "Becky" that I'm familiar with is the name of the girl in Mark Twain's novel Tom Sawyer. But I'm not sure that has anything to do with the use of "Becky" as a referent for young White women except that that character could have been considered a "template" for a young White girl.
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HOW THE CLEAN VERNACULAR MEANING OF "BECKY" WAS POPULARIZED IN THE 1990s
If Sir-Mix-A-Lot's hit 1992 Hip Hop record "Baby Got Back" didn't directly lead to the use of the name "Becky" as a referent for White woman (or a certain type of White woman), there's no doubt that that vernacular use of the name Becky was popularized by that song. The first words in that song are voiced by a young White Valley Girl who stands with her silent White friend Becky staring at a Black woman in the distance. Using Valley Girl lingo and pronunciation, the unnamed White women criticizes that Black woman's big butt.
[Intro]
Oh, my, god. Becky, look at her butt.
It is so big. [scoff]
She looks like one of those rap guys' girlfriends.
But, you know, who understands those rap guys? [scoff]
They only talk to her, because, she looks like a total prostitute, 'kay?
I mean, her butt, is just so big.
I can't believe it's just so round, it's like, out there, I mean— gross. Look!
She's just so... black!"
In 2009 another Hip Hop record Plies "Becky" documented and popularized a sexual meaning for that female name. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Becky
"According to Plies, "Becky" is referring to the act of fellatio. Plies terms the act "Becky" because of the widely held notion and/or stereotype that Caucasian women are somewhat more sexually liberal in terms of frequency of encounters, random partnering, and overall lasciviousness. With "Becky" being a popular name given to females at birth in the White society, one can assume that Plies simply chose this name because of its unique association to "Whiteness", particularly where the female is concerned. Give me that becky!
by Lovely Leo October 13, 2009
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SHOWCASE VIDEO
Warning- This video contains sexually suggestive lyrics and visual but no profanity and no explicit sex. As is the case with many YouTube comment threads, a great deal of profanity and sexually explicit language is found in this video's discussion thread.
It's important to note that in the introduction to this song "Becky" is used as a nickname for the young White woman being addressed. That nickname has no sexual innuendos or cultural connotations.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/04/sir-mix-lots-1992-hip-hop-record-baby.html for a pancocojams post that focuses on the socio-cultural influence of Sir Mix A Lot's 1992 "Baby God Back" record. Selected comments from that video's discussion thread about the term "Becky" and other aspects of the song are included in that post along with this video.
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ADDENDUM #1 - WHAT "GOOD HAIR" MEANS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=good+hair
"good hair
A popular* term in the African-American community, used to describe an black person's hair that closely resembles the hair of a typical white person (i.e. soft, managable, long, as opposed to "nappy" or "bad" hair). The closer your hair is to a white person's, the "better" your hair is. See: "bad hair".
Note: Most people who use this term would never admit the inferiority complex from which it came. Ignorant Aunt Zykeshia: "Lord-Jeezus! Girl, you gots dat good hair! It long, curly and booootiful!"
-by Little Lauren May 17, 2005
-snop-
I think that "widely used" fits better than the word "popular".
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From https://www.popsugar.com/beauty/What-Does-Becky-Good-Hair-Mean-41062522#photo-41062522
Beyoncé's "Becky" Lyric Has Racial Undertones That We All Need to Understand
April 25, 2016 by LAUREN LEVINSON
..."Some people believe there is a bigger issue* surrounding [Beyonce's] lyrics "Becky [with the good hair]." Rather than trying to figure out if Becky is or isn't Rachel, they point out that there are racial undertones to Beyoncé's lyrics. The inference is that "Becky" has desirable, sleek hair, while Beyoncé has a naturally curly texture under the wigs and without hot tools. It sheds light on an overall picture when it comes to how black coarse hair is perceived, since the former is "good" and the latter is assumed to be the opposite.
"The fact that people are trying to figure out who Becky is defeats the purpose of this lyric — and the whole performance to me," said POPSUGAR social media editor Larissa Green, who is biracial**. "Being pushed aside because our hair is coarse and doesn't follow a straight and narrow is something very real to me. I think her lyric means: if you can't handle it, then that's no one's problem but your own."
-snip-
The phrase "Becky with the good hair" is found in Beyonce's song "Sorry". That song is track four of her April 2016 album "Lemonade". At this time, audio of the songs from that album aren't available on YouTube.
The word/s given in brackets in that quote are added by me to explain what is meant by the word after that bracket.
"Biracial" here means of mixed racial ancestry. In the United States that word usually means Black/non-Black.
Note that "Becky with the good hair" isn't a phrase that was used (or at least wasn't widely used) by African Americans before Beyonce's song. That may be because if a female is a Becky (in the non-sexual use of that term -meaning a White female), it's assumed that she would have "good hair" (in the African American meaning of that term- hair that is straight, sleek, non-coarse, non-tightly curled like most Black people's hair.) Actually, that's not true, but moving right along from that point, the woman who social media has rightly or wrongly identified as the "Becky with good hair" in Beyonce's song is a woman of mixed White/East Indian [the nation of India] ancestry. Therefore, she might not be considered "White" by some White people in the United States and by White people elsewhere. The popsugar.com article that is excerpted above mentions who social media thinks is the Becky in Beyonce's song.
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ADDENDUM #2
Excerpt from Love's Racialized Failure in "Lemonade" By PurposelyPolemical, 2016/04/26 · http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/04/26/1520391/-Love-s-Racialized-Failure-in-Lemonade
..."By now we’ve all seen, or at least read about, Beyonce’s latest project Lemonade. Reviews of this visual album have been mostly positive; but what has fixated most public attention is the question of infidelity in Beyonce’s high profile marriage to Jay-Z. But aside from vocalizing what could be some very real angst about marital strife, Lemonade is a broader commentary on love and race.
At first glance connecting love and race may seem counter-intuitive—one is emotional and one is political; but, in true feminist fashion Beyonce demonstrates on Lemonade how the personal is political. If we approach the album as less about the inter-personal dynamics between Beyonce and Jay-Z and see it instead as a metaphor for the way society, as a whole, doesn’t love black folks—then Lemonade’s deeper meaning—and broader political contribution—becomes clear. The fact that the album hinges, at its center, on the question of black murder at the hands of police and non-black vigilantes isn’t just an “add on” to a narrative mostly about a shaky marriage; it’s actually related to the broader critique of the piece.
In Lemonade Beyonce not only calls out Jay-Z’s cheating, she frames that cheating as being about race when she sings, “Better call Becky with the good hair.” The term “Becky” in African American lingua franca marks whiteness; and good hair suggests someone who is mixed or not quite black. In this way, Jay’s betrayal is not just a betrayal of the heart, it’s a betrayal of her as a black woman. It’s very clear from Lemonade that the “character” of Jay Z is cheating largely because he is interested in a lighter woman with straighter her, a less black woman. This is a vital part of understanding the symbolic logic of this masterwork....
Beyonce contextualizes Jay Z’s failure to love her in the context of a national epidemic of black anti-love. This may seem trivial until you consider the devastating consequences of black anti-love—both in terms of our larger society and also in terms of “black love,” and black women’s commitment to it"...
This isn’t the say that interracial love is anathema to the black nation; and Lemonade seems eager to rebut any such assumption with a montage of couples at the happy ending of the visual album. Many of those couples are interracial couples. But an infidelity fueled by a partner’s colorist addiction is another thing altogether.
-snip-
Here's a comment exchange from that post's discussion thread:
terrypinder Apr 26 · 07:55:35 PM
"Why does everyone assume Becky is white?
Does no one watch Empire?"
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PurposelyPolemical terrypinder Apr 26 · 07:57:42 PM
"I watch Empire...but I’m at a loss. Who is the black Becky on there? Remind? lol"
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terrypinder PurposelyPolemical Apr 26 · 08:13:34 PM
"Gabourey Sidibe’s character :)"
-snip-
Pancocojams editor's note:
terrypinder is obviously joking with that comment as Gabourey Sidibe is a dark skinned Black actress.
The character on the television series Empire who might be considered a Black Becky is "Anika", portrayed by (light skinned) African American actress Grace Gealey.
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The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, etymological, and entertainment purposes.
All content remains with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to Sir Mix A Lot for the significant and perhaps unexpectedly positive impact that "Baby Got Back" has made in the United States and elsewhere.
