Note from BW of Brazil: It’s been a while since this blog reported anything on singer Gaby Amarantos. It’s been so long and with recent changes in her career, perhaps we shouldn’t even refer to her as a singer anymore. Nowadays, Gaby is probably more famous for being the host of the cable TV fashion reality show Troca de Estilos (exchange of styles). After having only released one studio album and winning a few music awards, Gaby made a successful transition to television when she began hosting the Discovery Home & Health program in 2015. Gaby is one of the few, if not only black Brazilian woman to host a television program on Brazilian airwaves. Quite an accomplishment! But it seems that not everybody is thrilled with her success! Gaby will also be featured on the cover of a popular women’s fitness magazine which attracted some disparaging comments from a social network follower who, like millions of other Brazilians, believes the cover of a popular magazine is not the ‘place’ for someone of Gaby’s color!
Singer/TV host Gaby Amarantos is victim of racism on the web and is defended by fans
Courtesy of Extra
On the cover of the November issue of fitness magazine Boa Forma (meaning ‘good shape’), singer Gaby Amarantos was a victim of racism on the web and was defended by fans on Tuesday afternoon. “Gaby, nothing against you, but you are a moreninha (a little brown/mixed) and morenas don’t deserve to be in Brazil, they deserve to be in Africa because there is place of pretos (blacks), you are neguinha (a little black girl) and have cabelo cacheado (curly hair) #Forapretos (meaning, ‘get out blacks’)!” wrote a follower.
Other followers defended the singer. “You’re beautiful, and your place is wherever you wish, because you are capable of shining wherever you are. The place of racists is in prison! #Xóracismo # xôpreconceito,” a fan revolted. “You’re beautiful, Gaby! You are ours, you represent us, go there and do a show! I cheer for you! You’re marvelous! Pride of the paraense!,” said another.
“It’s a joke what this crazy woman said above, right? Look at her, ignorant racist, there in the United States you suffered racism, you see? Branca do Brasil (white woman of Brazil) thinking she’s superior… kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk (lol). I swear I think it’s a joke because it’s not possible that this exists! Say what she is @ingridd_ferreira! Gaby Amarantos is negra (black), not moreninha, and is a human being and a great artist. You must be a frustrated with life. It could only be that. Crazy!”, defended another fan.
“Look at our muses with the covers of the Boa Forma of November. It’s one more beautiful than the other! And note there: Friday, the 11th, the new edition hits the stands! Countdown! #amominhaboaform #atitudeboaforma”
In addition to Gaby, actress Sophia Abrahão and fitness muse Bella Falconi posed for the December issue of Boa Forma. The publication is promoting the #amominhaboaforma campaign, which encourages a “summer with no standard”. In her Instagram account, Gaby approved the initiative: “THANK YOU @bellafalconi and @ sophiaabrahao for the affection, they also have their cover, to prove that the diversity of Brazilian women can and should be respected.”
Note from BW of Brazil: So here, once again, we have a question of representation, race and place. Gabi is one of the few black women to have a host role on a major television program. But even with this lack of black representation, someone still feels that her presence as a black woman is still too much to be featured on a magazine cover (another rarity for black women), and, one would assume, to host a TV program also. The other thing worthy of mention here is the woman’s describing Gaby as first a moreninha/morena and then associating her with pretos, meaning blacks, and then calling her a neguinha, which for many black women, is a racially insensitive term.
I point this out because we constantly have people who still insist that pretos (black people) and the so-called pardos (brown/mixed) along with the ever popular term morena (which isn’t even on official census forms) don’t belong under the single term negro/negra as representative of Brazil’s black population. We’ve approached this issue on a number of previous posts and we will re-iterate this position again here. Although Brazil likes to maintain the farce that “all are equal” or that having a more racially mixed appearance diminishes the racism that African descendants experience, we’ve seen time and time again, when the issue is representation, race and place, people will let you know who is the standard and who is not. Fortunately, like the women who came to Gaby’s defense, millions of would be “pardos” and “morenos” are rejecting such terms and demanding recognition for what they are: black people. Congratulations on your success Gaby!
Source: Extra
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