Black History month is one of my favorite times to blog. Having the opportunity to write about what excites me most combined with black culture excites me. Iconic Style, will spotlight women who have made a worldwide statement through their style. This month we will feature black women from popular TV sitcoms from the late 80's through early 90's. The women featured gave us more than style, they each had some type of je ne sais quoi. Stay tuned to hear all about how these women positively impacted television.
Whitley Gilbert
When "A Different World" first aired I was about 7 years old, that would put me in 2nd grade. When the series ended I was around 13 years old in the 8th grade. WOW!!, That's a long time to impact a child's life from first entering into school and then leaving middle school. As a student, I always knew I was going to college there were no other options for me, I attribute this to watching "A Different World" and seeing young people that looked like me in college. For me, watching this show was the only way I saw black people in college, that's pretty groundbreaking. Each character on the show had major personality, and I connected with them in some way, or aspired to have some part of them. You had your girl next door types, the older students, the girl from the hood, the airheads, the southern belle, and more.
As a little girl growing up in Ohio, I was very engaged in TV, I learned so much just from being absorbed in television characters. My ideal southern belle came from shows like Designing Women and The Golden Girls (Blanche). But, "A Different World' showed me my first image of an African -American Southern Belle, Ms. Whitley Gilbert. Recently I have been watching episodes of "A Different World", thanks to Netflix. The last episode I watched was when Rudy came to visit Denise at college, and she fell in love with Whitley, even mimicking her actions. I just know that would have been me, if I had the opportunity to meet Whitley. Who wouldn't love all of the lace, the sleep masks, the country accent and all of her stories? There are so many things we can learn from Whitley, here are a few:
1. Stand up for what you believe in. Season 1 you see an opinionated, snobby and prissy Whitley. Everyone knew that Whitley was saving her purity and that she wasn't having sex with anyone, one episode DWayne was caught sneaking out of her window, and it was assumed that the two were intimate. But Whitley stood up for her beliefs making it very clear that she had never been intimate with anyone and encouraging DWayne to tell the truth.
2. Live according to your own rules. Whitley was infamous for her sayings, they may not have always been true, but they were funny, and some hit home.
" You know what they say about sarcasm, it leads to high blood pressure."
" I would like a man who is educated, enterprising, and ambitious....that type of man is never poor"
3. As you change, your plans change. When Whitley first entered Hillman her goal was to land a husband, but that changed when she realized her love for art history and elected to stay a fifth year to take business courses. The husband came later.
4. True love will always be there. After graduation Whitley and DWayne were engaged, Whitley broke it off after finding out that DWayne went on a date with another woman, but the two soon reunited, and DWayne later declared his love for Whitley while she was at the altar with another man. They lived happily ever after.
5. Dress to the nines. Whitley's Southern upbringing contributed to her sophisticated style. Even as a 20-something, she was stylish in everything including pajamas. She was sure to have her pearls, a luxurious scarf, and a power suit.
My look inspired by Whitley!
Stay tuned for our last Iconic Style post next week. The girl I am featuring was the epitome of 80's fashion, with her poufy skirts and curly hair. Can you guess who she is?
Be Blessed! Be Free! Be Fashionable!
Chris
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