FLYIN’ WEST BACKSTAGE GUIDE 19 Since being popularized, the concept has also gained traction in cultural criticism, invoked in analysis of music and film. As its usage has grown, the expression has drawn criticism as well as staunch defenders. While many black women support the concept of Black Girl Magic, some feel it reinforces the "strong black woman" archetype that black women often confront. In an article for Elle magazine, Linda Chavers argued that the movement suggests that black women are superhuman, or something other than human. Chavers goes on to explain how, historically, black women have been seen and treated as subhuman beings, and how the image of black women persevering despite her suffering is the epitome of the strong black woman type that is often celebrated while simultaneously being criticized in today's culture. Ashley Ford wrote an impassioned response to Chavers—also for Elle magazine—defending Black Girl Magic as a “wonderful, necessary thing”, writing: “Black girls and women have been routinely denied their humanity in the face of a world ruled by racism, sexism, colorism, classism, and the enduring belief that our backs were built to carry what others would consider unimaginable burden. When we call ourselves beautiful anyway, when we succeed anyway, when we cry though they might never have imagined we had the capacity to feel so deeply, and when they find themselves wanting to imitate us anyway, that's Black Girl Magic. We defy the limits they set for us, lies we refuse to enroll in. It's not about tapping into something supernatural, it's about claiming or reclaiming what others have refused to see.” In a 2018 interview, creator CaShawn Thompson reflected, “It’s become so much more than a hashtag — it is an iconic movement to celebrate all black women. #BlackGirlsAreMagic is what we are and what we will become.” Left: an example of the Black Girl Magic hashtag, Tweeted by Essence magazine in February 2018 with a photo collage featuring Shonda Rhimes, Halle Berry, Rihanna, Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Lena Waithe, Gabby Douglas, and Ava DuVernay. Right: an infographic created by Spotify and Instagram of the artists most frequently added to playlists with the Black Girl Magic hashtag by state, including Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Solange, H.E.R, Alicia Keys, Jazmine Sullivan, and Kehlani. (edited from Wikipedia.org and Elle.com)