In the late nineties, Pimps up, Hoes Down hit the box office. This so-called gleefully trashy film explored the perspectives and day-to-day lives of pimps & players; granting the public eye a peak into the world of prostitution and its underground society. It was a real eye opener for some but females have been treated like sex objects since time out of mind... long before this movie came out. However, the film didn't just depict but glorified prostitution rings, players and pimps. Furthermore, the insult to injury is that the rings were mainly orchestrated and supported by a string of black men. The degradation of females is widely glorified in certain aspects of African-American culture particularly within the Hip Hop which films like Pimps Up, Hoes Down piggyback. Misogynistic attitudes and belief systems were not started by the film but were certainly compounding by it. Next thing you know, across the globe blinged-out pimps cups adorn bachelor pad counter tops, are in stock as cool novelty items at the local mall, and some genius decides to write a "Pimping for Dummies", how-to book on the subject dubbed Pimpology; which by the way is a New York Times best-seller...
Now-a-days, the ever popular pimp persona has been commercially watered down to suit the masses but the fact remains it's source is far from honorable. Pimp'esque type men are a common characters in the television, radio, film, and music industries- especially when it comes to Rap. I adore hip-hop culture and enjoy most rap music but just like Chubb Rock said, "...you don't need all that in rap." Young people are impressionable and affected by what's around them whether it be raw and in their face or subtle to down right subliminal. Teen-aged boys are always trying to act like tough guys and think behaving like a self-centered, temperamental, money hungry, chauvinistic jackass is cool. More often than not that's what society shows them. Specifically, black males are portrayed in this shadow. So, girls get taunted by boys yelling, "That bitch/hoe gotta fat ass!" On the flip, these same girls try to emulate what's considered sexy, thinking that’s how to gain acceptance and love. How many girls do know are wearing stilettos to school and having sex at 15? Too many. Author, Denean Sharply-Whiting candidly addresses these issues in her book entitled Pimps Up, Hoes Down: Hip Hop's Hold on Young Black Women (2007). Of course, you can't shelter kids from everything but we all know that's where parents and family or preachers and teachers come in- to teach them right from wrong. It's no one person's fault but society's. It takes a village to raise a child as well as one to corrupt him/her. Personally, I feel like Pimps are fucked up taking advantage of weak-minded individuals. No girl says I want to be a whore and abuse my body when I grow up. Likewise, no boy says I want to exploit, enslave & terrorize women when I grow up. These are choices made out of desperation, force, survival, a lack of love/guidance and a myriad of other bleak circumstances. Think about that the next time you see a Pimp cup...
