“It's been interesting to look back on those works [I've done previously] and see all the things that Beyoncé has done and become for us in the meantime, because back then, folks were like, "Why Beyoncé? I don't get why she is kind of the symbol for black womanhood."” LooksKindDoneBlackInterestingFolksSymbolsWomanhoodBlack Women Author:Morgan Parker
“There was something about Beyoncé that felt like a vessel, I guess, that I could kind of impose all of these feelings and thoughts onto. I was drawn to a little bit of a dichotomy between the glamour and celebrity and the very deep and complex legacy of black women, and what that means in terms of performance.” KindMeanLittlesFeelingsFeltBitsBlackTermLittle BitPerformancesComplexesLegacyBlack WomenVesselGlamourVery DeepDichotomy Author:Morgan Parker
“I try to convey what it feels like and sounds like and smells like and looks like inside of my particular skin, to move through the world as a black American woman in her mid-twenties.” WorldFeelsTryingLooksMovingSoundBlackParticularSkinsTwentiesSmellAmerican Woman Author:Morgan Parker
“There's so much about the strong black woman stereotype that makes us forget that we do need and deserve help and care.” NeedsHelpingCareStrongBlackForgetDeserveStereotypeBlack Women Author:Morgan Parker
“It's hard for black women to ask for help. We think we don't need it. We're used to being in pain and living with it.” ThinkingNeedsHardHelpingPainUsedAsksBlackBlack Women Author:Morgan Parker
“It's always hard for me to find a therapist who is a black woman or even a woman of color. It's something that we've always been told is not for us. It's top down.” HardBlackColorBlack WomenTherapistsTop Down Author:Morgan Parker
“I don't think that there are as many black women or women of color becoming psychiatrists, so we can't find them and then we feel looked at and studied and that's part of what is damaging to us. It's hard to find therapy that is actually a tool for your own liberation. I think we can be really distrustful.” ThinkingFeelsHardBlackColorBecomingToolsLiberationTherapyBlack WomenPsychiatrist Author:Morgan Parker
“So much of the world and the systems that we live within are made to keep us from feeling like we're free. The way that black women in American came to be is just diametrically opposed to being free.” WorldWayMadeFeelingsBlackBlack WomenBeing Free Author:Morgan Parker
“I wanted [the book 'There are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé?'] to be colorful. I wanted it to be evocative. I wanted a figure of a black woman that the reader has to confront.” BookWantedBeautifulBlackFiguresReaderBeautiful ThingsBlack WomenColorful Author:Morgan Parker
“I think often if people don't have a lot of experience with a particular type of person or a particular type of brain, they can make dangerous assumptions. That's one of the reasons that I'm so interested in contradicting and troubling held thoughts about black women.” PeopleIfsThinkingPersonsReasonBlackBrainDangerousParticularTypeAssumptionBlack WomenContradicting Author:Morgan Parker
“I don't claim to say, "All black women are like me," because they're not.” BlackClaimsLike MeBlack WomenAll Black Author:Morgan Parker
“I always say that my artist statement is to not be afraid to talk about the messiness - the unpleasant feelings and happenings around my life. I also try to convey what it feels like and sounds like and smells like and looks like inside of my particular skin, to move through the world as a black American woman in her mid-twenties. Language from songs and TV shows feel integral because it helps to create the environment and describe the full picture.” WorldFeelsTryingLooksHelpingShowsFeelingsMovingArtistSongLanguageSoundBlackEnvironmentParticularTvsHappeningsSkinsTwentiesSmellStatementsTv ShowsAmerican WomanMessiness Author:Morgan Parker
“I don't claim to say, "All black women are like me," because they're not. One type of black woman can exist, but also another kind can exist. I also really hope that people feel permission to talk about their own troubles, but also to celebrate themselves. Sometimes I feel as though I'm trying to take a hit for the team so that other people then can move forward. I'm like, "Look, I just laid out all of my stuff, so what's the worst that can happen"?” PeopleTryingKindSometimesMovingBlackTroubleTeamWorstMoving ForwardCelebrateBlack Women Author:Morgan Parker
