A new cast of VH1’s Basketball Wives premiered Monday. And so did a different level of foolery. I am guilty of indulging in the madness every week, but where do we draw the line? There are six adult women arguing and fighting over nonsense. Gloria has become the self-proclaimed leader of the bunch, while her sister, Laura (Gilbert Arena’s BM) is the newbie who is literally fighting to get her ‘spot’ on the show. There were so many aspects to the show that make you question, are we showing girls the proper portrayal of what being a black woman is?
Let’s explore the foolery shown in just the first episode. First, the women start their relationship off by criticizing each other. Kimsha (partner of Ron Artest) who hails from the East Coast downplays the women of the West Coast. Meanwhile, Malaysia (wife of Jannero Pargo) represents Compton to the fullest and immediately jumps on the defense. Model, Draya Michelle is also a part of the cast and she undergoes an interrogation from Gloria about her dating choices. Gloria goes as far as calling the girl a ‘groupie’ to her face.
I could dissect the show and list at least twenty moments where I had to put my head down, but the worst would have to be the fight between Laura and Malaysia. The altercation started because of the word ‘rat’! Of course, no woman should be called a rat, that is not a flattering word, but coming to blows at a lunch… ridiculous!
What message are we sending to our little girls? The show is condoning verbal and physical abuse towards each other. Here lies the problem between black women now, we do not know how to respect each other. Sad but true. I understand ratings matter and foolery is entertaining, but we need to step our game up. We’re raising future leaders.
