I have to admit, I thought it was funny at first. I had never even seen that episode of Dr. Phil, let alone watch the show. But when I heard the infamous phrase, "cash me outside” or heard a “howbow dah,” I was amused. The meme was everywhere and I certainly couldn’t stop giggling at the white girl who maybe had a few black friends and could articulate her attitude with a little seasoning on top.
But wait. It gets better. Fast forward, and now this “delicious meme”, as BuzzFeed called it, becomes so popular that the young woman known for it all, Danielle Bregoli, made an appearance in Kodak Black’s video “Everything 1K.” And if you’re really enjoying this, you can get yourself a “Cash Me Outside” t-shirt at her online store. Sorry, no “YUP A BLANKET HO” are available at the moment, because those are sold out (at $250 a piece).
Pause.
There are many ways that we can deconstruct what we are all witnessing. In some cases, this would be seen as a come up. One girl uttered a few phrases with the right amount of enunciation and BAM! She’s an overnight success (and we all know this happens all the time on the internet). However, what’s interesting is that not only would this be a very different situation if she were a young black female, but that Bregoli can profit off of that image. So don’t hate the player, hate the game, right? But what happens when the game is rigged?
What about 17-year-old Kayla Newman who gave us all “on fleek”, which dominated regular discourse all of 2016? This term would be used in hashtags, explored in think pieces and in headlines, but Newman would hardly be credited for making it go viral. Or Tokyo Vanity, who delivered the lowkey banger, “Go Bestfriend”, back in 2015. Vanity’s song would later be nibbled from (as the nature of the internet), and even appear in Trey Songz’s single “Best Friend.” Back in 2015, Vanity threatened to sue Young Thug for also biting from the song’s theme. But little else was published about the lawsuit, or about Vanity’s popularity.
Both women arguably gave us terminology, phrases and songs popularized on social media, but they were missing the secret ingredient; they weren’t white. Even in what would be assumed as our “lane”, black women can’t compete with whitewashed versions of culture — that originated in their community. Aside from the huge difference in connotation of a “ghetto” white girl, what this does say is that black women can’t be marketed the same way white women can. And that whiteness is in fact, still the default face for everything.
It’s the same reason Miley Cyrus could come out with an album called Bangerz sampling bounce, trap and hip-hop variations, throw in a few black girls in the video and hit one million in sales. It’s also why Gigi Hadid can don an afro and have her skin painted shades darker with no problem. It's why Kylie Jenner can get injections in her face without being degraded, create a curvier body shape without being shamed and bring cornrows and bantu knots “back.” It’s a step beyond cultural appropriation, because in all of those instances, these young, famous white women not only get credited with its genesis, but can profit off of that image.
The truth is that our society doesn’t really like any form of blackness expressed by black people. But Bregoli isn’t necessarily wrong for taking advantage of the newfound spotlight. What is wrong is how that whitewashed view of how blackness translates into more opportunity, and usually for women who are not black.
You don’t need to be black to give a good one-liner, but even the root of Bregoli’s fame screams white privilege. The reason she made her Dr. Phil appearance was because of her bad behavior. While young black women at Bregoli’s age (she's 13) are being suspended from school at higher rates for acting out, Bregoli got a TV appearance, which led to radio appearances, a music video and an online store with t-shirts, puzzles, plates and blankets. Even though her father has spoken out publicly about her “unacceptable behavior”, she was ultimately rewarded for not being a "stereotype" (of which black women are shamed for or called "ratchet").
Even if you don’t like Bregoli, or haven’t bought into her new fame, as consumers and active creators of media we can take some responsibility. Before we pen that think piece praising a new viral trend, let's do our homework and give credit where it's due. It's clear that when black women exhibit “unacceptable behavior” it rarely means that with enough likes, clicks or memes that they can attach dollar signs. So while black women aren't exactly "cashing" anything for their style, music and virality, I think it's time we stop laughing.
