It’s been forever, I know. I’ve missed this platform but #SurvivingRKelly has brought me out of writing retirement. I originally planned on skipping the R. Kelly docu-series altogether because we know what he is at this point. The cult story came out nearly 2 years ago and that was 20 years after he married Aaliyah at age 15 but the social media discussions were so widely varied, I got curious. 

The documentary presents so many issues which deserve further examination but I want to focus on the narrative about the “fast/fass girl” angle. In my part of the African-American community, fast was literally the worst thing you could be or be perceived to be as a young girl. In short, a “fast” girl is a girl who is a sexual being. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, just imagine a less sophisticated but way more problematic version of slut-shaming. I’ve been slut-shamed as an adult and accused of being “fast” as a child. Being accused of being fast was way, way, way worse. Continue reading →