I totally understand their concept and attempt, but there's no way you can create a product Mixed Chicks and not take into account there will be some backlash. This is the purpose of sensitivity focus groups, to gauge reaction of the "core" audience. We all, are in fact, mixed by default. They can, however, name their product as they see fit. To be honest, I could never bring myself to purchase because of the name...very separatist and makes me feel excluded from this line. I have ZERO problem with anyone expressing feelings of slight from green to gold, yet I never felt this way from any other line even those considered for whites. It also allows me a small peek into the mindset of the owners and me no likey.
Bingo. We all know "racial mixing" has been an issue since Africans came to the Americas. It's going to cause many people to feel some type of way when they see a product that's targeted towards people who are what I call "recently mixed". I totally respect people's right to define themselves however they want even if personally dislike the words they use. If people who are "recently" mixed would rather be called "biracial" and other derivatives, then so be it. What makes me
is when they seem to forget that people who are "mixed" with black have
historically considered themselves to be above folks who are "just black", were very adamant in making it clear they had white (or sometimes Native) parentage, and openly enjoyed the privileges that came with it.
I'm not saying modern "mixed" people still do that. But it's hard to shake 400 years of blacks and "mixed" people eyeballing each other from across the proverbial isle.
To me, having a product that's called "Mixed Chicks" does harken back to times where you had to have obvious white ancestry to join certain organizations or be taken seriously in Societies of Color. There were no official rules, but
everyone knew it was a requirement. Even if MC slaps a "no matter what you are" disclaimer on their products, in the end, it's called "MIXED Chicks" and they feature women who would be considered mulattoes or quadroons back in the day. I can see how, for some, it triggers feelings.
When I was in France no one spoke English to me. When they heard my accent, they were taken aback. I didn't understand why until the lady at my hotel told me (and my friend who is a light skinned black girl) that everyone assumes we are the very common mix of African and French. It shocked me that anyone could think of me as being half white because I am brown with 4a hair, but other Europeans (Italy, England, Ireland) confirmed that. I just accept that I am "mixed" - just like most blacks in the Americas.
I work with a girl at my job who is yellow, has amber eyes with a lot of green in them (sometimes they are more green than brown), and dark blonde hair. And guess what - bother her parents are BLACK. She cannot name a single white ancestor, but there she is - light, bright, damn near white. It makes me laugh that she is probably more white than anything, but is not considered "biracial" or "mixed" using these modern terms. This is why I truly despise such words - so much so that I put them in quotes to emphasize the disdain. I know that "mixed" people truly don't mean any harm, but I cannot help but feel they are unconsciously and needlessly separating themselves from folks who are "just black", but technically as much non-African blood as they do - perhaps more! I can only chalk it up to the fact that "mixed" kids are generally bi-cultural. The black world and the non-black world can be very different and dealing with both of them at once does make for a different and unique experience. But the emphasis seems to be on blood quantum and physical appearance which bothers me for the reasons I already stated.