Is Frequent Bathing An “Ethnic” Thing?
@Nayarivera
Yesterday on The View, Glee actress Naya Rivera, 28, got the entire viewing audience (and particularly this writer) into a lather over some rather blatant racial stereotyping. Rivera responded to co-host Nicolle Wallace’s claim that she showers three times a day (pre- and post-show and then once again before turning in at night) with the declaration, “I have a theory about showering: I think white people shower a lot more than ethnics. I feel like showering once a day — or every day — is such a white people thing.”
She went on qualify her right to deliver this grooming commentary since her mother is half Black/half Puerto Rican and showers once a day. After observing her new Caucasian husband showering multiple times a day, she’s declared that it’s clearly a white person thing. She also cites a study where a dermatologist says you’re only supposed to shower once every three days.
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In the clip, co-host Rosie O’Donnell pointed an African-American woman looking shocked and outraged. I share that audience member’s complete dismay; frequent grooming has nothing to do with ethnic background. It’s a matter of personal hygiene.
As a woman of color, I don’t look to Rivera to represent my interests, much less my grooming habits, but to say that frequent bathing is a “white thing” is ridiculous and completely tone deaf. I have memories of my father, who worked at a chemical plant, showering before work, showering at work when handling dangerous materials, and then taking a bath before bed. He’s not a TV host; he’s a blue-collar worker who happens to be Black who gets dirty at work. My mother is also Black and bathes every morning before she goes to work at the office and again every night before bed. I’ve been known to bathe more than once a day when I work out, and I also sometimes shower more than my boyfriend, who happens to be Caucasian. But it’s not a competition and it has nothing to do with our racial backgrounds. Some days you feel funky, some days you don’t; lather up accordingly.
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The perpetuation of racial stereotyping isn’t just silly business anymore: people are losing their freedoms, rights, and even their lives around racial misunderstanding. What we need now more than ever is increased understanding, not more polarization. I once dated a grungy (and fragrant) Caucasian dude who showered about once a week. He wasn’t an embarrassment to his race; he was a slacker.
I understand that Rivera has asked that everyone get a sense of humor about this, and I guess she can do that in the ivory tower of Hollywood. But in a world where racial stereotyping can lead to increased loathing and fear, those words do more harm than good. Let’s assume one’s cleansing schedule is a personal preference, not an ethnic one, and hopefully we’ll come closer to a day where we can live in peace together, scented or unscented.
