thundergrace:

Imagine someone shoots you, very likely tried to kill you and after that trauma you expect sympathy and maybe an outpouring of support but instead your trauma becomes a meme and everyone is laughing at your pain.

And this is truly the burden of black women. The world tears us down to nothing so we build up these hard exteriors to protect ourselves (which usually manifests as what appears to be unwavering confidence) and are praised for our “strength” but really for how much abuse we can take. And the result of that is people feeling free to treat us any kind of way without remorse because we’re expected to handle everything better than other women. We’re rarely seen as victims, sympathetic characters, vulnerable, and deserving of affection.