Thick Summary

“Thick where she should have been thin, more when she should have been less.” Tressie McMillan Cottom redefines what it means to embrace one’s identity in a world that demands conformity.

1. Embracing "Thickness" to Analyze Inequality

Tressie McMillan Cottom reclaims the word "thick" to celebrate the layers of her identity and the complexity of her experiences. Once ridiculed for being "too much" – too loud, too opinionated, or too visible – she now embraces it as part of her empowerment. The term "thick" embodies her approach to tackling life’s societal stereotypes.

The concept of "thick description," borrowed from social sciences, enables her to explore not just what happens but why it happens by understanding behavior’s context. For example, a mother crying at a funeral and another crying at her child’s graduation mean entirely different things. McMillan Cottom uses this lens to delve into the intersections of race, gender, and class oppression in her writing.

Her essays invite the audience to walk with her through the specific challenges Black women face. From experiences of exclusion to being labeled incompetent by society, her perspective is a reminder that complexity and identity can serve as tools to expose systemic inequalities.

Examples

• A man describing her as “thick” at a bar addressed her appearance and existence, mirroring life's judgment toward her.
• Critics called her essays as "too thick," reflecting challenges in fitting into existing stereotypes or categories.
• Black women’s life expectancy and economic struggles shed light on broader social inequalities.

2. Spending on Status to Gain Access

Poor individuals, especially poor Black women, spend money on status symbols not as frivolous indulgences but as tools to gain social acceptance and opportunities. This is driven by the need to appear respectable in systems inherently tilted against them.

McMillan Cottom learned this lesson early when she watched her mother transform herself with an elegant outfit to help a neighbor secure childcare benefits. Despite the neighbor's rightful claim, her inability to present herself "well" led to repeated rejection. Her mother used her polished appearance to demand attention and correct the injustice in one afternoon.

Dress codes, language, and accents carry unwritten rules that disproportionately affect marginalized groups. Without these status symbols, access to employment, housing, or even dignity becomes harder for those already suffering injustices.

Examples

• Tressie’s college job application was approved after her decision to wear a name-brand suit impressed the hiring manager.
• Her mother’s camel cape and pearls provided the key to unlocking a neighbor’s denied benefits.
• Social service agencies routinely discriminate based on appearance, showcasing implicit biases.

3. Inequities in Whose Voices Are Heard

White men dominate public discourse not because of unique merit but because society grants them more opportunities to be seen and heard. Their freedom to explore mundane topics exemplifies the systemic bias against marginalized voices, especially Black women.

When New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote an article about sandwiches, his work made it to print because he fit the archetype of whose ideas are deemed valid. Contrarily, a Black woman writing about her silk headscarf or neighborhood issues would unlikely receive similar treatment.

This exclusion perpetuates ignorance, as white men remain unexposed to different perspectives. By contrast, marginalized groups regularly engage with the dominant group's opinions, leaving conversations one-sided and imbalanced.

Examples

• David Brooks received significant media space for a casual article, reflecting privilege-driven opportunities.
• The New York Times only hired its first female person of color for its op-ed section in 2018, 167 years after its founding.
• Black women’s lived experiences with fascism, violence, and inequality remain largely absent from high-profile media platforms.

4. Perceptions of Black Women's Incompetence

Black women are often assumed to lack competence, stemming from the oppressive intersections of racism, sexism, and classism. These prejudices manifest in everything from the medical industry to societal interactions.

Serena Williams, the renowned tennis player, almost lost her life during childbirth because medical staff ignored her warnings about blood clots. Similarly, Tressie McMillan Cottom’s own horrifying labor experience underscored societal neglect. Her severe pain and heavy bleeding were initially dismissed as minor issues linked to her weight, leading to her child’s death.

These dismissals reflect systemic discrimination where Black women are denied agency and the belief that they know their own bodies. This extends into broader society, where they are often patronized or outright ignored.

Examples

• Serena Williams’ near-fatal birth story showed the widespread medical negligence toward Black women.
• Tressie’s ignored pregnancy symptoms led to unnecessary tragedy.
• Statistics reveal Black maternal mortality rates in the U.S. rival those of developing nations.

5. White Privilege Preserves Itself Through Change

White privilege is agile enough to persist through societal change, like the election of Barack Obama. While his presidency was a symbolic victory, systemic injustices remained entrenched, unveiling how power adapts without having to relinquish itself.

Obama’s appeal lay in his ability to inspire progress without directly challenging white privilege. For example, his leadership focused on societal change rather than personal accountability for complicity in racism. Even during celebrations of his election, systemic structures like apartheid housing policies remained unexamined.

Years later, Donald Trump’s election reconfirmed underlying racial dynamics that many African Americans, including McMillan Cottom, anticipated. White privilege remains resilient against changing political climates.

Examples

• Obama’s 2008 election didn’t result in material improvements for Black communities facing police violence.
• White suburban homes, formerly off-limits to Black Americans, hosted symbolic Obama campaign events.
• Trump’s rise was no surprise to Black Americans who understood systemic resistance to equity.

6. The Misleading Concept of "Special Blacks"

High-achieving Black Americans often face the reductive label of being an exception to their race, a "special Black," implying that success is improbable for most African Americans.

McMillan Cottom experienced this firsthand during an academic dinner where a colleague assumed her educational success must stem from foreign heritage rather than her African American roots. Similarly, Black immigrants are overrepresented in elite institutions, perpetuating the notion that regular African Americans lack qualifications.

This harmful distinction suggests that only exceptional Black individuals deserve opportunities, dismissing the potential of millions who strive despite systemic inequality. McMillan Cottom rejects this idea, proudly identifying as “Black-Black.”

Examples

• A fellow scholar refused to believe McMillan Cottom’s background as a North Carolinian, associating her success with foreign roots.
• Studies show Ivy League admissions favor Black immigrants over African Americans for "diversity" optics.
• Social spaces pressure successful Black individuals to dissociate from their African American heritage.

7. Society Labels Black Girls as Adults Too Early

Black girls are seen as older and less deserving of care compared to their white peers. This perception leaves them vulnerable to abuse, as both societal and legal systems fail to recognize and protect them as children.

Studies confirm that public perception assumes Black girls require less nurturing, directly contributing to higher rates of sexual victimization. For instance, McMillan Cottom links this maturity bias with her community’s troubling attitudes around victims, such as dismissing rape survivors as complicit.

Additionally, institutional metrics like documenting abuse through visible bruises fail for Black women, as dark skin often hides physical signs of injury, limiting their access to justice.

Examples

• Georgetown Law research shows systemic bias against Black girls, viewed as more "mature" than their actual age.
• In McMillan Cottom’s childhood, male relatives excused abusive actions by blaming victims.
• Domestic abuse documentation often overlooks injuries on darker skin tones.

8. Exclusion from Beauty Standards Is Exclusion from Power

Beauty standards deliberately exclude Blackness, affirming white privilege by positioning whiteness as the societal ideal. These standards not only dictate desirability but also reinforce systemic oppression.

One example is Miley Cyrus’s 2013 performance, where large Black women were used as props to foreground her desirability. Similarly, McMillan Cottom’s personal experiences as a dark-skinned girl emphasized how beauty standards marked her features as wrong.

Beauty equates to social advantages like positive job evaluations or lenient criminal sentences, meaning Blackness’s exclusion perpetuates broader discrimination.

Examples

• Miley Cyrus’s on-stage Black backup dancers contrasted her own beauty, reinforcing exclusion.
• McMillan Cottom’s sixth-grade teacher deemed her body socially inappropriate for her age.
• Workplace and societal bias disproportionately punish those excluded from beauty privileges.

9. Complexity Reveals the Systems of Oppression

Using her "thick" perspective, McMillan Cottom highlights how interwoven experiences of race, gender, and class serve to marginalize Black women. This complexity is necessary for understanding, addressing, and dismantling systemic oppressions.

Her essays serve as a mirror and map of these overlapping struggles, urging readers to rethink how we view privilege, success, and personal narratives. They reveal that these systems are not separate but intertwined, and tackling one means addressing them all.

Examples

• Black women navigate and suffer from intersecting oppressions rather than standalone hardships.
• Societal standards of success, beauty, and voice systematically reinforce privilege.
• McMillan Cottom’s own journey highlights the importance of embracing identity as a source of power and critique.

Takeaways

1. Actively listen to marginalized voices to challenge your assumptions and expand your perspective.
2. Reflect on your role within systemic structures like beauty standards or workplace dynamics and seek to address biases.
3. Recognize the complexity of intersecting oppressions and approach social justice with empathy that considers all layers.