Black Women Defend Viola Davis And Themselves Against Bogus Beauty Standards

Calling Shonda Rhimes an “angry black woman” was not the only problematic part of the highly criticized New York Times article published last week.

Writer Alessandra Stanley described Viola Davis — star of Rhimes’ new show “How To Get Away With Murder”– as “less than classically beautiful.” It’s needless to say, there were more than a few black women who took offense.

Viola Davis sharply returned with an elegant comeback, “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise!!!”

Not that she needed to, black women across the internet came to her defense, as well as their own, with the hashtag #LessClassicallyBeautiful. If a picture is worth a thousand words, these tweeted photographs say it all. Labels and standards take heed, these are the faces of women who know they are beautiful.

Heaven forbid award winning actor, classically trained Julliard alum Viola Davis would be rated on acting. #LessClasicallyBeautiful

— DuEwa Frazier (@DuEwaWorld) September 20, 2014

Woke up to the @nytimes article that darker is #LessClasicallyBeautiful. Thankful their opinion doesn’t matter http://ift.tt/1qtOHJM

— Naa Oyoo Quartey (@OyooQuartey) September 21, 2014

#LessClasicallyBeautiful thanks white lady. Your standards mean THE WORLD TO ME. http://ift.tt/1qtOHJV

— Kadia Blagrove (@KazzleDazz) September 20, 2014

Which one do y’all prefer @nytimes? #LessClasicallyBeautiful http://ift.tt/1mRcokJ

— Rae Shmrurderrderrr (@iammachila) September 19, 2014

#LessClasicallyBeautiful http://ift.tt/1mRcokM

— Jehovah Nissi (@kEsquire) September 19, 2014

#lessclasicallybeautiful http://ift.tt/1qtOHK3

— Beauty in Color. (@PoCBeauty) September 19, 2014

#LessClasicallyBeautiful http://ift.tt/1mRclVX

— Thot Provoking (@unbtheredblkgrl) September 19, 2014

#LessClasicallyBeautiful http://ift.tt/1qtOFBU

— Teonykkia Starr (@TeonykkiaStarr) September 19, 2014

#LessClasicallyBeautiful http://ift.tt/1qtOI0l

— Asha Toure (@hooraytoure) September 19, 2014

@Awkward_Duck #LessClasicallyBeautiful http://ift.tt/1mRcoRI

— Madame St Clair (@Raptures_Delite) September 19, 2014

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Bobby Caples

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