Earlier this month, R&B singer Ari Lennox made headlines when she expressed, via Twitter, that she’d like to be released from her record label, citing exhaustion. The sentiments came on the heels of an especially discourteous interview on a South African podcast in which the musician was lewdly probed about her sexual proclivities. Lennox went on to state that while she does, indeed, touch on sexuality and sexual expression in her music, it doesn’t sanction such incivility. 

“Just because I happily and freely sing/write about sex don’t make any kind of creepy disrespect warranted. I clearly was in immense shock and hate that I didn’t react differently,” Lennox said.

As with most Black women who express their frustrations related to the workplace, whether it be an award-winning musician or someone who isn’t in the limelight, keyboard warriors douched a healthy stream of misogynoir onto the situation by gaslighting her. Lennox clapped back, letting these faux pundits know that they would crumble under the burdens of stardom.

“You judgmental self-hating parasites wouldn’t last a day as a signed artist,” the singer Tweeted.

For those who are unaware, it is 2022, and common sense, appropriateness and simple decorum are not inaccessible to the masses. While Mac G of Podcast and Chill may have found it amusing to interrogate the Washington D.C., native on who she invites into her bedroom, it illuminated a deeper issue: society’s perverted infatuation with Black women’s bodies and sexuality. Men like Mac G continue to uphold outdated societal norms, preserved in white supremacy, that continue to regard Black women as deviant, otherworldly nymphos created to relinquish their sexuality to maintain mankind’s nonsensical ideas on sexual relations. To make matters worse? When Lennox visibly expressed her discomfort in the actual interview and on Twitter, she was gaslighted both times. From the indecorous interviewer justifying the inappropriateness to social media users suggesting that she was “triggered,” Lennox has been in a sphere of mistreatment. To make matters worse, Lennox was failed by those around her.

I will continue to sing about dick when I want! And you misogynistic peasants can continue to jerk off to my music thank you!!!! Good morning

— Ari Lennox (@AriLennox) January 23, 2022

In recent years, the term “mental health” has become a buzzword, and unfortunately for some, that’s all that it will be. There is such a thing as respecting one’s mental health and the exact opposite happened to Lennox. Sadly, it is not uncommon for the world to pick apart Black women, especially in the public light, while ignoring the state of their mental health in the process. We’ve seen Black women like Lennox, Megan Thee Stallion and Saweetie torn to pieces with little to no regard for how these onslaughts of attacks would affect their mental stability. Black women have taken measures into their own hands to protect their mental health, but when will the onus be shared with everyone else? Why is it so hard to protect Black women? Or are statements like that purely social media fodder with no real intent of fruition? One has to ponder whether Lennox or the aforementioned Black women would have been subjected to the same treatment had they been women like Britney Spears or other white women who have been vocal about their mental health struggles. Better yet, would Lennox have been asked the same question if she was a man? Probably not.

no lets talk about it bc why don't people ever believe poc, ESPECIALLY black women, when they say they are struggling with their mental health

— nina (@acroseries) January 26, 2022

I know how you all like to tussle when it comes to calling out misogynoir, but situations like this must stop. Lennox did not deserve to be violated in such a way (or any way, for that matter). Lennox did not deserve tone-deaf commentary from critics who do not have a semblance of emotional intelligence. Hopefully, we can get to a space where behavior like that of Mac G is reprimanded, not encouraged.