AS A self-confessed outsider looking in, being woke feels like a chore, so forgive me for the fact that I’ve cottoned on to the concept of "yellow bone" so late.I recognise that language is not static and moves with the times, reflecting the shifting sands of society. The same crude reasoning can be applied to standards of beauty in the broad sense. They evolve over time and are subject to constant negotiation and interpretation.It is within this locus that the notion of yellow bone piqued my curiosity. This is by no means a rigorous interrogation or an exhaustive account of the inherent hypocrisy of the term. However, what is of interest is how the concept is bandied about as an arbitrary yardstick of black women’s "desirability".Actress and self-proclaimed queen of bling Khanyi Mbau, skin-lightening cream businesswoman Sorisha Naidoo and kwaito star Nomasonto "Mshoza" Maswanganyi are some exponents of the yellow wave. There’s a multimillion-rand industry whose entire raison d’être...
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