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There was this idea that, if Tim Westwood is there, you have to be careful.
Trigger warning: this article contains themes of sexual assault.
Inan investigationpublished inThe Guardianandas a documentaryon BBC Three on Apr.
26,seven Black women recounted their experiences of allegedly being sexually assaultedby 64-year-old Tim Westwood.
I remember being in a club with friends and asking him, are you Westwood?
He just grabbed me and kissed me.
I was so embarrassed.
Most notably,systematic racism in the industrymakes it difficult for Black women to develop within their profession.
In other cases, they simply only use a Black woman’s voice.
They can buy their houses; I cant buy mine!
But sadly, for those whose images do make it onto album covers, it doesnt get easier.
These Black women then face the difficulty of how the industry perceives them.
In January, indie artistRachel Chinouririposted on social media about her frustrations with being typecast.
According to Beaumont, Chinouriris experience is typical and even happens within religious parts of the industry.
There are different genres in the Christian music world, she says.
You could have a guitar with 20 white guys behind you and sound like the whitest [person].
The moment they see the colour of your skin, youre gospel.
In the interview, Aluna deduces that she was channelling internalised ideas of how Black women should present themselves.
A lot of people don’t understand why that’s problematic.
Racism enables such abuse to happen in the first place.
We constantly see that anyone who reports discrimination or sexual harassment suddenly becomes the problem rather than the perpetrator.
They know that maintaining those relationships is key to making a living and surviving as an artist.
Bustle has contacted Tim Westwood for a comment, but has not yet responded at the time of publication.
If you have experienced sexual violence of any kind, yo visitRape Crisisor call 0808 802 9999.
This article was originally published onMay 5, 2022
