I usually like to leave posts up for a couple of days. It usually takes me that long, anyway, to write out and work through the next blog post.However.
I was getting in my little exercise routine this morning-ish and I caught Chandra Wilson on The Ellen Degeneres Show.
And I need to highlight her for a moment. (But I did just post about Momming below so scroll down if you missed it.)
I do watch Grey's Anatomy. It's the show I love to hate. I keep promising myself to take it off TIVO. But just when they've practically lost me, somehow the show does something good and I'm sucked back in.
I've always liked the Dr. Bailey character, and the heart Chandra Wilson puts into it makes me suspect I'd like her too. She was so real, so one of us on Ellen this morning that I couldn't help but be charmed.
Did you know the Dr. Bailey character was meant to be a short, blonde, white woman? Can you imagine how that would work, now having seen Chandra in the role?
Anyway, Ellen showed a clip of Chandra's acceptance speech of her SAG award (she won the SAG award for best female actor in a drama series---no mean feat, especially since her role is more supporting than main!). This might be news to nobody. I might be the only one who didn't see it or hasn't heard about it.
She rocked!
She basically said, thanks for this award, especially on behalf of my daughters...who I want to know, with this nose, this height, this color skin, these arms (and the woman held up her upper arms and jiggled them! I think I LOVE her!)...look what you can accomplish.
(Sadly, it appears SAG yanked youtube privileges so I can't link to it.)
She was all demure on the show about it as Ellen effused about that moment, and rained compliments about saying such an important thing, so great for young women to hear and know.
Chandra Wilson added something along the lines of saying, if you're a 2 or a 22 and you feel hot, you are hot...it's all about healthy, and we should simply be our own healthy best.
Can I just say how much I loved what she said and how she said it?
Kristen Chase, on The Mom Trap, recently asked, "And so I ask, when will it be hot to be a *regular old mom -- with our "battle scars", and stretched out hips, thighs, and you-know-whats? Is the skinny size 4 = sexy image embrazened in our minds forever, or is that something that we have the power to change?"
Kristen, fear not. If we all make the decision to do this, if we all make the decision to look at and admire Chandra Wilson (mother, actress, famous, award-winner) and heed her words, I truly believe that the skinny size 2 actress will cease being emblazoned on our minds as the image of how one hot mama ought to look.
We can look at Chandra Wilson and our friends around us and see that beauty comes in a variety pack.
We've got the leaders and the choice before us! Carpe Diem!
Chandra Wilson, awesome speech. Thanks!
Ah-HA! I found her speech:
And last but not least, just to be able to take this thing home to my girls, in particular, and hold it in front of them and say, “Look, with this skin and this nose, and this height, and these arms,” you know, “I’m here!” Whoo! [applause/cheers]
Thank you Screen Actors Guild for taking me as I am. Thank you. Whoo!
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Tags: Chandra Wilson SAG Awards,Chandra Wilson, Best Female Actor, Drama,Chandra Wilson on Grey's Anatomy, Screen Actors Guild Awards
Comments
Interestingly enough, the current crop of American Idol wannabees is completely outclassed by one Idol contestant who looks an awful lot like Chandra Wilson. As far as the singing goes, there is absolutely no other contestant who is in her class. I'm curious to see how she does in votes, as the eliminations are determined purely by the voting public.
Sillychick, sing it, choir!
Bones, oh it wouldn't shock me. And that's an excellent point. Whitey McWhitebread needs to open up some more.
Oh talk to me more about American Idol. Lakisha Jones is FABULOUS!
I tell you, only two other female singers hit "good" for me last night (and that beat the pants off only three boys who barely hit "thank goodness did not make me wince because I could not take one more performance like nails down a chalkboard") and then out came Lakisha and I was RIVETED.
My mind didn't wander, I wasn't thinking or evaluating, wasn't doing anything...just listening and watching. My goodness she is GORGEOUS and so TALENTED. I couldn't take my eyes or ears off of her.
My husband and I were both, "AMEN!" when Simon said, "I think 23 contestants need to just buy plane tickets home right now."
I don't trust the public. They are too easily taken off task by this or that. My husband and I have a bet about Antonella. Last night should have been her last night. My husband is 100% sure that America will vote her back.
My other favorite wass Chris Sligh, up until performance night. It was fun, but errr, a little disappointing. Blake was a happy surprise.
Anyway, I hope Lakisha goes on. It hardly matters. I suspect labels and agents are beating one another up outside her door right now. I'd buy anythign she did, especially since I'd really hope it would be gospelly soul R&Bish.
They'll be around for awhile.
But. Chandra Wilson. I have a similar hate/hate relationship with GA as you do. Every episode my husband and I are like, "haven't they already jumped that shark?" Please tell me Meredith dies tonight. That would be perfection. So usually Bailey is my favorite, although I think the writing of her character is horribly uneven. Sheesh, could I get to CW already? I have a friend, who is African American, and who also watches GA, and her biggest complaint about Bailey is that she's "large." (these are her words, not mine.) She says, "Doesn't the black community already have enough problems with weight related disorders? Why can't they feature a thinner black woman? Why are the only black women on TV heavy?" So there's another perspective.
Have you ever surfed the comment section of the vote sites? Oh. My. Goodness.
Anyway I'd say about 3 guys (maybe 4) and about 4 girls are actually worth watching. But the winner is clear so far. :) So far.
What you are is cool. LOL
And j'adore Chris Sligh.
I think there are a lot of VERY negative stereotypes on TV, many of them not helping the AA community.
I'm going to go check the Web for black women on TV. Since AA women finally got to break out of the "maid" role, I just keep picturing pretty thin ones, just like white women.
Maybe we all recall different things---see what we are biased to see.
Check out this tribute to black actresses: http://www.mahoganycafe.com/
This is exactly what and who I picture when I think of black AA actresses.
Lovely, thin, picture perfect.
From my POV, it seems as if, if they cast for an AA actress, they go for someone who is "palatable" to the presumed "white fixated" audience. They aim for an actress who "looks pretty enough to be white." That casting troubles me. I haven't been so clever as to make this up, either, it's from an essay I read by a black woman who was angry at prejudice against the "black look" and spoke about AA children preferring blonde dolls as prettier, etc. She wanted more tolerance for AA looks.
I like British casting (although even that's changing) because they go for the real look, the look for the part a lot of the time, unlike here where everyone has to be too pretty to be real.
One thing that intrigues me about the Bailey role, that I've been thinking about a lot, is that is was intended for a petite white woman with blonde hair. After Wilson got the role, I wonder if the character changed tremendously or remained mostly what she started as, with natural development of character and personalization by the actress. I wonder about this (again due to an essay) because of the typical typecasting and stereotyping of black characters.