Aretha Franklin taught me there’s power in embracing womanhood | Opinion
“Natural Woman,” which used to come across as a simple ballad, over time became a meaningful mantra that reinforces how safe spaces and loving partners remained essential, even as women worked in and away from home or for equal rights.1:29 AM on Feb 1, 2023 CST
I was unaware of the turbulent social changes the era was fraught with, and didn’t yet realize that my existence as a dark-skinned Black girl would often intersect in both personal and political aspects of life. But what I did come to realize was that Franklin’s musical catalog often coincided with those milestones, especially her signature hit, “ A Natural Woman.
“Are you serious?” I asked her. “How is that even possible? It came out in the 1960s!” And since my lifelong love of anything Aretha is well-documented, I did some investigating. I found the links and the story, and ultimately, I found it to be a satirical post from a tweet citing a nonexistent “Trans Cultural Mindfulness Alliance.”
After we learned the story was untrue, we played the song, and while Aretha crooned, I explained what “Natural Woman” meant to me: a surrender to our softer sides, and desiring acknowledgment that can especially elude women of color, since stereotypes often, and erroneously, deem us to be less ladylike than our white counterparts.
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