Earlier than it was reclaimed by Beyoncé, the phrase “diva” was used to color girls as attitudinal, tough and demanding. Whereas different superstars like Queen Bey and Mariah Carey have embraced the diva persona, the detrimental undertone of “diva” assigned particularly to Black girls additional perpetuates dangerous characterizations. The best way the time period is used additionally differs for Black girls with darker pores and skin tones like Rowland. For dark-skinned Black girls, being referred to as a “diva” doesn’t share the identical social acceptance when mild or fair-skinned girls are known as one. Whereas different girls could get a cross on the diva trope, on this case the label deprives Rowland of her humanity and negates her emotions and her proper to demand her price. Outsiders routinely and unfairly chastised Rowland with out realizing the context of the state of affairs. The “Mea Culpa” actress later addressed the incident in an interview with The Related Press, explaining that the safety guard crossed a boundary. “The lady is aware of what occurred. I do know what occurred. I’ve a boundary, and I stand by these boundaries, and that’s it,” Rowland says within the 30-second clip, visibly emotional. She additionally identified the distinction in remedy on the pink carpet for different celebrities who attended. “There have been different girls who attended that carpet, who didn’t look fairly like me. They usually didn’t get scolded or pushed off or advised to get off. And I stood my floor, and he or she felt like she needed to stand hers. However I stood my floor.”
