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Chloe Bailey’s Confidence Should Make Us Proud, Not Spiteful
The criticism toward her self-love says more about you than her
We are part of a community that would rather hashtag Black women than affirm them. This sobering truth took up residence like a lump in my throat as I watched Chloe Bailey trend on social media for two days. After reaching 1 million followers on her personal Instagram account, she posted her “silhouette challenge” contribution in celebration. This was days after she convinced us all that the “buss it challenge” was waiting on her to end it and just one day before she cleansed her space with sage and palo santo while wearing every Black girl’s favorite uniform: a T-shirt and underwear.
To know Chloe and her sister, Halle, is to love them. We’ve watched their endearing rise from YouTube sensations to Queen Bey’s protégés. With last year’s release of their sophomore project, The Ungodly Hour, several things became clear: The Bailey girls are grown. The lyrics and themes explored were a grand departure from their debut album, The Kids Are Alright, and you couldn’t really help but smile. They were becoming young women living, loving, and finding their way.
Young women like Chloe and others remind us of just how far we’ve come in a decade.
