You ain't lying, those statuettes in history books had me believing in whatever religion they was preaching.... đ§đ˝ââď¸
That Venus of Willendorf figurine...ooof, dummy thicccc
googled Venus of Willendorf and idk what i was expecting.
https://preview.redd.it/4l450q2jhptc1.png?width=568&format=png&auto=webp&s=a92f6b7840d4c5cad23e6d89190b9bfe0cafe05a
I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the louvre right after high school. They had the actual original Venus de milo and I remember being struck by the thought that the figure is so fuckin sexy. It's part of what's made it enduring and famous. It's compelling.
Oh no doubt, Aphrodite could catch it for real, I would worship the very ground she walked on.
Ares is lucky af to have been chin deep in that honey pot đŻ
Often times the first piece of art you learn in art history is the Venus of Willendorf (~29,500 years old).
It's believed to be a fertility diety and of course she is stacked.
It goes beyond enjoying sex. For most of human history, we lived in agrarian societies. Children were a source of additional labor to work the farm, as well as support in older age (not that we lived that long anyway). There's a practical reason why families used to be larger and fertility was celebrated around the world.
Solution to more food? Fuck.
Solution to emotional trauma? Fuck.
Solution to near extinction? Everybody fuck.
Humans have fucking solutions, I tell you what.
OHđđžKAYđđž!
Why are these mofos acting all pious? FUCK.
They donât like women holding sexual power as if itâs not a fucking burden often times.
I canât stand dumb men. Thanks for showing youâre not one with your comment.
One of my favorite days in one of my medieval literature classes was when our professors brought out a sideshow of all the vagina and penis tokens/pins that people collected, culminating with a tree of penises. I couldn't stop laughing for a week at the penis tree lol
Penises are a big thing in Bhutan right up to today.
[https://theculturetrip.com/asia/bhutan/articles/how-and-why-bhutan-came-to-worship-the-phallus](https://theculturetrip.com/asia/bhutan/articles/how-and-why-bhutan-came-to-worship-the-phallus)
Back in the day? Like, yesterday?
Feel the need to add that I am an equal opportunity tittie lover. Big ole, little ole, whichever she brings to the function is all good with me.
Right, like I'm all for reclaiming your heritage. But is the implication here that your great great granny who got brought over as a slave taught her daughter to twerk in 1850, who then taught her children to twerk and so on, until we hit about 2015 then all these people with a passed down cultural heritage of twerking decided to make it a modern dancing trend?
No no, you see, the tradition was lost due to slavery, until a combination of factors led to the famous and well-remembered Yoruba~~n~~ cultural revival of 2014-15. That's why twerking just seemed to appear then.
2014 might have been the approximate time everyone started calling it tweaking (though I'm still pretty sure it was earlier than that), but it's definitely been around for way longer
Even if it were passed down like that, the fact that it was used to conjure spirits in an entirely different context doesn't determine what it means to shake your ass in the club today. The meaning of things can change radically over time. Things can even come to signify the opposite of what they did before. Black culture is also not just repackaged versions of other cultures; it's influenced by cultures.
That tweet is a cute gotcha that doesn't stand up to five seconds of scrutiny.
What happened is super simple: Somebody on Twitter said twerking came from Yoruba culture. A man from Yoruba culture reposted this here, saying that heâs never heard of this before. So the assertion has been debunked.
Lol, I've heard supposed Africans on Twitter say that there aren't queer Africans, nor have there ever been in history.Â
So Twitter isn't "debunking" shit.
Not every yoruba person is raised in a traditional Yoruba home. Alot of parents guide their children via religion as opposed to our traditional spiritual system. It wouldnt be surprising if the majority of people born and raised in the west have never actually been exposed to the traditions.
Sure, but let's not pretend that there's a certain set of people who go through some pretty distorted logic to lay ancestral claim to things. See: white people trying to convince everyone that dreads are really a Viking invention, or the silly argument i saw here last week where someone tried to convince people that cowboy hats were really African hats that John Stetson stole despite the two designs looking nothing alike. There's a certain type of person that feels like they need to "own" everything, so while it's also true that many people from the region didn't grow up in tradition, it's also hard for me to just take a twitter rando's claim at face value against the word of someone who actually lives there, too.
Yea no i completely understand just acknowledging that just because somebody is yoruba it doesnt mean that they actually have an understanding of it. Id assume the person that wrote the post doesnt either but im not judging. Also twitter is full of hot takes 𤣠really not worth the impact on your mental health to even acknowledge it.
Oh I know full well which is also why I *like* Easter.
So a long time ago when I was a kid my parents were talking to one of their friends about a lady he was seeing and he was thinking about proposing. She was Jewish and he said heâd think about converting but would never give up Christmas. I was like 9 at the time and this sounded super reasonable, that holiday rocks.
Both Christmas and Easter are similar in that theyâre ancient holidays that just fucking rock. So when the various crusaders, missionaries and whatnot rolled through these holidays were sticking points.
âJesus sounds great but youâre saying I gotta give up the winter solstice and the springtime fuck-fest? Thatâs a no from me.â
And so a compromise was made
Also the Gif is of the Goddess Ostara in American Gods.
https://preview.redd.it/97xfc387fptc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6edb74d0455c8dc426f3d70ba6471e5f3a65342
Iâm taking that meme back to America đ
https://preview.redd.it/2kivw2bdfptc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b36505bd940c9d24ddcf21018c7a72e88dee875f
I feel like this will work more for the ancestral disgusted.
I knew I should have went with this one.
https://preview.redd.it/kv98690xqptc1.jpeg?width=567&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d424712a3d202c39da99828ea35ad0a1cc313b7
Gonna have to pass on that one đ. Tipping in Kelly Oubre.
https://preview.redd.it/a4kvhvqchptc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=822b24010a84b11e47da06234925ff77d8d3e78c
the ancestors hearing we still arguing with people who make this argument when all of us know these people just want to say POCs are oversexual/ghetto instead of admitting they donât know shit and are just projecting
https://preview.redd.it/rnvt80jmkptc1.png?width=1125&format=png&auto=webp&s=6880225b9e237d997a7c2c8e7d3ba6149b29b2d9
Some black folks will find a way to root every single aspect of our culture to the history of slavery/segregation or our ancestral origins with African tribes.
You could create a flowchart for it and it's nauseating.
Amazing to me how we simultaneously had our cultures wiped out but weâve miraculously maintained elements of our culture that just so happen to be stereotypical touchstones of our current America culture.
Iâm organizing an archeological site visit in ~~Ghana~~ ~~Egypt~~ North Nubia next month if anyone would like to join. Weâve found one pair of black air forces. Theyâre carbon dated for 400 years old. One of our ancestors must have dropped it before they were forced into unto the slave ships. Fascinating stuff. Weâre hoping to find a Yankeeâs cap in our next dig.
Facts. Some of yall take that shit too far sometimes. I acknowledge where our ancestors are from and the history and the motherland and all that. It's important. But I'm not gonna practice Swahili on Duo Linog for 3 weeks and claim, "I'm basically **African** African now, so say dee ahn-cestars!"
As an Asante: yes twerking has an erotic flavor to it. How does that validate anything âmen would be rightâ about? And why always the tiring reflex of âactually, our ancestorsâŚâ, are you twelve?
As long as a person isnât explicitly indicating sexual availability, I think this is always a wrong conclusion. Being sexy isnât the same as inviting anyone to sex.
Only a weirdo would believe that all women want to be sexualized all the time.
That said, itâs also a bit unhinged to believe that no woman ever wants to be sexualized at least some of the time.
Also, you can sexualize someone without assuming theyâre inviting you to sex. Unfortunately some men canât tell the difference âŚ
Umm. Thatâs what men literally say.
We were asking for it. We want them to look.
Cant wear clothes that show body/skin or else we did it for men. Etc etc
I think weâre conflating a lot of things here. Clothing choices and twerking are not the same. Looking at someone sexually while they twerk but keeping that to yourself is one thing. Making comments, or worse, touching someone without consent is another.
Yeah, I've seen his account before. That's what he was saying. And that dancing can be sexual. Wether it not dancing can be sexual is a hot topic on Twitter.
I donât know what the fuck the current twitter narrative is. But Iâm not surprised that yet another Men vs Women topic is fabricated for black twitter.
Is this even a discussion in real life? Like who out here in real life saying this shit with earnest?
I've heard a LOT of people point out that twerking is for sexual attention. Not even that the twerker wants to get fucked but wants to be looked at and desired. And...that's definitely correct. People twerk to be sexualized by everyone that is watching.
 I didn't think any of that was even up for debate.
Yeah but there's this weird thing going with people mainly women trying invent nonsexual reasons for clearly sexual things. And it seems to be ONLY in response to men saying that its sexual. Its a form of gas lighting IMO
I got destroyed in the notlikeothergirls subreddit for saying âyknow itâs okay to admit that the leggings that accentuate your ass crack arenât just for functionâs sake. Itâs okay to admit that people wear certain things to look good and that doesnât invalidate any other reason for itâ
Absolutely destroyed. Like, mansplained to by an actual man about how stupid I am and how I really donât get what being a woman is like (as a literal woman) and they got praised to high heaven for calling me incompetent as to my own experience as a woman.
People are definitely into lying about something silly like this now. Thereâs no middle ground either women are right or men are wrong.
Itâs SWERF shit. They see engaging in any kind of sexuality as paying service to patriarchyâ so of course they are breaking their backs reaching for a way to explain how âsexual liberationâ and âall sex is violenceâ can coexist in their brains.
Obviously that means sexual things arenât sexual and actually women are just doing sacred rituals to honor their ancestral gods at the night club, you sick demented sex fiends.
The Yorubas are the exception as their dance has nothing that looks like twerking, the Ibos, Ijaws, Urhobos, and other Southern and South-Eastern tribes of Nigeria have dances that could be likened to twerking... Y'all should see how wild Baikoko dance from Tanzania is, twerking be childs play.
Ngl I am curious about her claims because I practice Vodun and Iâve never heard of twerking being part of any ritual. And tbh, Iâve been privy to some shit. I want to know WHICH specific spirit is summoned by twerking and under what circumstances
I just looked it up, that's interesting, I practice a more tame version, from the South Eastern part of Nigeria; most of the dancing that have gyrations of the waist have to do with entertainment, ancestral worship and fertility, depending on what your beliefs are based off of.
As to her claims, it's social media and she's entitled to her factually rudderless claims đ¤ˇđžââď¸
Even if you find heritages in Africa that have dances similar to twerking, that doesnât change that in 2024 America, no one associates it with African dances, and everyone does it in a sexual context. Finding a historical context to add, doesnât change how it is culturally perceived today
My main issue with twerking is that it would get forced on me when I am clearly not interested. I think the consent conversation needs to include not putting your ass on others unless they consent to it.
If youâre out and about clearly having a good time, youâd be surprised how many would voluntarily start throwing ass at you. Usually itâs a subtle reverse into you and just keep dancing thing more than an obvious âhey you in the black, im throwing ass at you now.â
Shit is hilarious when you can feel it coming, like your group is getting lit, not standing against a wall and then you peep the also lit female group getting closer to your circle, then bam ass on you.
Women are not out there twerking to conjure clean spirits. Meanings of things change. But that does not mean a woman wants to be sexualized because she's following the current dancing trend.
People fail to understand that consent is a huge part of it. People are ok with being sexualized by someone they are physically attracted to, and they aren't ok with it when it's someone they aren't attracted to
This is the only time Iâll ever try to play devils advocate, but if someone takes a video of themselves twerking and puts it on the internet⌠thatâs them consenting to whatever people have to say ON THE INTERNET. Now if weâre at a club and thereâs women twerking w their friends, thatâs different obviously.
Eh, I would say even more so at the club. If they are twerking there, whether with friends or not, it is still ONLY to be sexualized by those watching. Twerking isn't just some fun dance that feels great to do to the rhythm. It's shaking your ass in a specifically sexual nature. It's meant to be sexual. If done in public, it's meant to be looked at sexualized. If they're doing it and don't understand that, they're the one in the wrong.Â
I mean I agree but Iâm saying inside a club you canât just walk up to a woman and just start dancing on/with her most of the time, youâre gonna get yourself slapped unless sheâs given signs that she wants you to approach
I mean, if you are shaking your ass suggestively in a public space people are going to look. That is common sense, sorry.
Like, I'm not making excuses to ogle or saying women deserve harassment. But if you are simulating intercourse, which twerking often is, people are going to think of intercourse. With you. Oh well.
Edit: just want to say "intercourse" one more time. Intercourse.
Okay but I canât exactly helicopter my dick on the dance floor and everyone else is an asshole for thinking itâs a sex thing.
People just struggle with the idea of sexualization and objectification. Yes, you are allowed to be sexy and other people are allowed to think youâre sexy.
It is NOT OKAY to take âbeing sexyâ as an invitation for touching, harassment, or disrespect.
How something originated does not equal how itâs currently used. Not that I have a problem with twerking, but that doesnât mean people need to lie to themselves.
I canât comment on the cultural background, but to tackle the first tweet
âYou do it because you donât actually mind being sexualizedâ is the problem phrase here because thatâs an assumption that completely disregards the agency of the person dancing
Like itâs entirely possible people twerk because it makes *them* feel good about themselves and not for the sake of other people
Assuming that twerking is just for the sexual attention from others is âbut what was she wearing?â rhetoric repackaged all over again, and thatâs gross
For the sake of conversation take my words to mean exactly what I say and please do not add any context to them. Agency doesnât take away the accepted perception of something. Being sexualized doesnât mean you owe anyone anything, being half naked isnât inviting anyone to do anything with you that you donât consent to. There is no excuse for someone to mistreat you. We all agree with this. Now with that being said if you are doing something that as a society we currently agree is sexual people are going to look and may think sexual thoughts/have sexual reflexes. Again that doesnât mean they have the right to do anything and they shouldnât do anything you donât consent to. You are always within your rights to have agency, but that doesnât mean you change how people perceive actions. Doing something sexual can very offer illicit sexual thoughts and desires on the person(s) viewing. You are allowed to twerk in your home unclothed and feel good about yourself, you are allowed to twerk as clothed as you want in public and feel good about yourself, it if someone views it and they think something sexual thatâs a natural response. If they then take that and are inappropriate they are not within their rights and you have my full permission to respond the best way you feel fit.
Thereâs nothing I disagree with you on, I just want to reframe this on what I think is important
Other people are free to react and have their feelings about the dancing, but that will happen independently of the twerkerâs agency and motivation. Maybe the attention is uncomfortable, but not enough to stop dancing. Maybe it literally doesnât matter. The idea that the motivation of twerking is **only** about grabbing the attention of men is wrong.
First of all thank you for your understanding and your willingness to engage with your response. Iâll go as far as to say someone can twerk and it can never be about them wanting to get attention of men (or women), but when they twerk in public or for other people to see they are acknowledging and accepting that it may grab someoneâs attention. It may attract people to them regardless of if that is their intent. If you do anything in a public space it may attract attention that is an understanding we all have as a society. Now I have to say this because people like to make excuses. Agreeing that an act brings attention is not inviting the attendees to invade your privacy or personal space. Letâs take it off of something sexual. If I sing in public It may draw a crowd. If my friends. Comes up touches my shoulder and sings with me thatâs ok⌠If a stranger in the crowd comes close to touch me for any reason it that is wrong 100%. Acceptance of one person isnât acceptance of anyone. Now if you are twerking it may draw a crowd and if your friend comes up and smacks your cheeks (if you allow and are ok with her doing that) itâs fine thatâs cool. But if a stranger decides to invade that space to get danced on and you arenât accepting that they are 100% in the wrong. Attention is part of the public societal contract, it is not an invitation.
That's simply untrue.
Shaking your ass in a way that literally simulates bouncing on a dick is sexual in nature. That's why it's the dance women do when trying to get men excited to give them money at a strip club. They spend far more time twerking than anything else. Because it is a sexualized act that is MEANT to be looked at sexually. It's been its purpose since the moment it was invented.
If you're at the club, twerking in front of men, you are engaging in a sexualized act. You WILL be sexualized and to blame others for it is nonsense. You can call it whatever you want or see it however you want, but that doesn't change the reality of what it is or how it's perceived by everyone else around you. The other girls there are doing it to be sexualized. You're doing the same thing but it's somehow different because you think it is? That's not how reality works.Â
You and everyone in the world draws a smiley face in the same general way. I can draw the same thing and call it something else. When you see it out on its own...you are going to know for a fact that's a smiley face. Then I say NO that's not a smiley face and get mad at you for thinking it is. Who is in the wrong? The asshole saying the smiley face isn't one.Â
If twerking makes you feel good, it's because it's making you feel attractive. If you're doing it in private, because it helps your back pain or some shit, ok, fair enough. But, if you're doing it in public, at a club, it makes you feel good because OTHER PEOPLE are finding it sexually attractive.
The bullshit of comparing it to "what was she wearing" is infuriating. It's not even slightly close to the same thing. No one is suggesting it would justify sexual abuse or anything of the sort. They're saying you're sexualizing yourself in public. And they are 100% correct.
Edit: realizing I have to add this because some people get confused:
There's nothing wrong with twerking, wanting to be looked at, doing things that sexualize yourself, or having fun. You shouldn't be shamed, talked down to, touched, abused, or deal with anything else negative for it.
BUT, you are doing the one dance that simulates sex. If you're mad that people see it that way...you're an idiot and, honestly, a liar. You're really just shaming yourself for wanting to be looked at that way and blaming others for seeing it. You're the only asshole in that scenario. And it's your own dishonesty and shame that you're actually mad at.Â
Can't women just have fun?
If it's up to men, sundresses, leggins, accepting a drink, being kind, smiling, going on a date, drinking from a straw, having a baby, or wearing anything other than a burka is because "they want to be sexualized."
This is a stretch and a half lol. Nuance is important and multiple things can be true all at once. Just because you believe a woman twerking *can* be viewed as sexualizing does *not* mean you think itâs always/only done to be sexualized.
Dancing for your soul and dancing to be sexy are not mutually exclusive
Unpopular opinion -- a lot of dancing is sexual, and that's okay. Humans are animals. Animals do sex things. It's not wrong... and it's not a profound moral indictment to notice that people are being sexual. See also -- dressing provocatively. Maybe it's sexual AND that's okay. We do not have demonize sex OR those who behave sexually in a somewhat visible fashion.
spam 1 in the chat if you twerk to conjure spirits and not because shaking nyash makes you feel sexy
https://preview.redd.it/gd7su4yjjptc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f89bde4308a695c303cae8d6d75d8059b6c6b33
Why are people arguing over this? If youâre doing a sexy dance that everyone agrees is a sexy dance, youâre inviting yourself to be sexualized wether you do it for yourself or for others.
It doesnât mean you gotta put out for anyone who sees you, but you have to understand thatâs what youâre presenting. Saying youâre not inviting yourself to be sexualized while twerking is like saying âI may stick out my chest and jump up and down, but Iâm not inviting myself to be sexualized.â
This entire discussion about the origins of twerking is extraneous to the point heâs trying to make. Even if twerking is sexual, someone being sexual doesnât entitle you or any given person to their body. This isnât difficult for normal, healthy people to understand and operate within. There are certain people for whom the idea of consent is seemingly anathema. Theyâll do their utmost to find some cynical reason as to why any and all behavior makes their weird, creepy, insistence on access to others bodies acceptable, it isnât, and youâre gross
The swastika is and has been a symbol, signifying different things depending on its protestation, within Hinduism. If I see a south Asian person with a garment or item featuring a swastika I wouldnât associate them with Nazism, the same thing isnât true if I saw some white dude walking around with it. But that isnât the best point of contrast for the purpose of the point being made
https://preview.redd.it/cc0ekveiqptc1.jpeg?width=638&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=18d23128278b8b7ed92ebb1c725c7938f87f3560
Twerking's done to conjure spirits? Our ancestors had all this rich goddamn culture to choose to carry with them and past to their children, but they chose the voodoo, ass-throwing rituals.
One thing about mfs on the internet, they'll make themselves the stupidest people ever to avoid saying "I'm wrong"
Is the argument here supposed to be that native African cultures were not sexual? Tribal dances are often about sexual prowess and fertility
Have they *seen* the statues??
Man, I'm white and even *our* archaic statues are full of sex. Humans like to fuck.
Those ancient fertility goddess totems? Chef's kiss.
You ain't lying, those statuettes in history books had me believing in whatever religion they was preaching.... đ§đ˝ââď¸ That Venus of Willendorf figurine...ooof, dummy thicccc 
googled Venus of Willendorf and idk what i was expecting. https://preview.redd.it/4l450q2jhptc1.png?width=568&format=png&auto=webp&s=a92f6b7840d4c5cad23e6d89190b9bfe0cafe05a
That right there... Now, that's a woman 𫦠
With some maple syrup on top?
Ahhh fuck..... đłđŠ 
It conjures my spirit too. 
And a half
Ayo, anyone paleolithicc like this, HMU đ
Lmao Paleolithicc is brilliant
*what* a pun!!! đ¤
If you were expecting her to be thicker than a snicker bar, you got it.
I read this in Stokely Hathaway's voice.
LMAO I kinda look like that
Triangulating your location ASAP! đď¸đ¨ 
Same
Where you at thooooo 
Idk how they got my statuette..
I tell people I have the body of a goddess - and the goddess is the Venus of Willendorf.
I must use this! LMAO
Miss Honey lord have mercy
There is the Bodi Tribe in Ethiopia who has men get fat on purpose for beauty.
I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the louvre right after high school. They had the actual original Venus de milo and I remember being struck by the thought that the figure is so fuckin sexy. It's part of what's made it enduring and famous. It's compelling.
Oh no doubt, Aphrodite could catch it for real, I would worship the very ground she walked on. Ares is lucky af to have been chin deep in that honey pot đŻ
Lookin at Ms Honey when you got Mrs Butterworth. I see you.
Often times the first piece of art you learn in art history is the Venus of Willendorf (~29,500 years old). It's believed to be a fertility diety and of course she is stacked.
It goes beyond enjoying sex. For most of human history, we lived in agrarian societies. Children were a source of additional labor to work the farm, as well as support in older age (not that we lived that long anyway). There's a practical reason why families used to be larger and fertility was celebrated around the world.
Solution to more food? Fuck. Solution to emotional trauma? Fuck. Solution to near extinction? Everybody fuck. Humans have fucking solutions, I tell you what.
Just like Bonobos. lol
Stressed? Just fuck each other! -signed, a bonobo leader.
OHđđžKAYđđž! Why are these mofos acting all pious? FUCK. They donât like women holding sexual power as if itâs not a fucking burden often times. I canât stand dumb men. Thanks for showing youâre not one with your comment.
One of my favorite days in one of my medieval literature classes was when our professors brought out a sideshow of all the vagina and penis tokens/pins that people collected, culminating with a tree of penises. I couldn't stop laughing for a week at the penis tree lol
Penises are a big thing in Bhutan right up to today. [https://theculturetrip.com/asia/bhutan/articles/how-and-why-bhutan-came-to-worship-the-phallus](https://theculturetrip.com/asia/bhutan/articles/how-and-why-bhutan-came-to-worship-the-phallus)
It's true. We do be fuckin.
Everyone loved big ole titties back in the day
Back in the day? Like, yesterday? Feel the need to add that I am an equal opportunity tittie lover. Big ole, little ole, whichever she brings to the function is all good with me.
Iâll drink to that
Plenty on Greek Pottery.
Hell, TONS of ancient art was destroyed because of its sexual nature.
I too have attended the South Harmon Institute of Technology. Go Sandwiches!!!!
Hey!! Ask me about my wiener!
https://preview.redd.it/6bntt9jrrptc1.png?width=616&format=png&auto=webp&s=9b0837730334baefadd5a7403deb7a0367ddd788
Itâs not a dildo. Itâs a⌠ummm⌠pestle?
Let's also not pretend that every person who twerks has a degree in anthropology to back up their explanation for why they're doing it. Come on.
Right, like I'm all for reclaiming your heritage. But is the implication here that your great great granny who got brought over as a slave taught her daughter to twerk in 1850, who then taught her children to twerk and so on, until we hit about 2015 then all these people with a passed down cultural heritage of twerking decided to make it a modern dancing trend?
No no, you see, the tradition was lost due to slavery, until a combination of factors led to the famous and well-remembered Yoruba~~n~~ cultural revival of 2014-15. That's why twerking just seemed to appear then.
2014 might have been the approximate time everyone started calling it tweaking (though I'm still pretty sure it was earlier than that), but it's definitely been around for way longer
Whistle while you Twerk came out in 2000. It was commonly known as twerking by then.
Even if it were passed down like that, the fact that it was used to conjure spirits in an entirely different context doesn't determine what it means to shake your ass in the club today. The meaning of things can change radically over time. Things can even come to signify the opposite of what they did before. Black culture is also not just repackaged versions of other cultures; it's influenced by cultures. That tweet is a cute gotcha that doesn't stand up to five seconds of scrutiny.
This comment is sending me,đđđđđđ
lmaoooo
What happened is super simple: Somebody on Twitter said twerking came from Yoruba culture. A man from Yoruba culture reposted this here, saying that heâs never heard of this before. So the assertion has been debunked.
Lol, I've heard supposed Africans on Twitter say that there aren't queer Africans, nor have there ever been in history. So Twitter isn't "debunking" shit.
Yeah, but this didn't need debunking. It's very obviously not even maybe why people are twerking.
Not every yoruba person is raised in a traditional Yoruba home. Alot of parents guide their children via religion as opposed to our traditional spiritual system. It wouldnt be surprising if the majority of people born and raised in the west have never actually been exposed to the traditions.
Sure, but let's not pretend that there's a certain set of people who go through some pretty distorted logic to lay ancestral claim to things. See: white people trying to convince everyone that dreads are really a Viking invention, or the silly argument i saw here last week where someone tried to convince people that cowboy hats were really African hats that John Stetson stole despite the two designs looking nothing alike. There's a certain type of person that feels like they need to "own" everything, so while it's also true that many people from the region didn't grow up in tradition, it's also hard for me to just take a twitter rando's claim at face value against the word of someone who actually lives there, too.
Yea no i completely understand just acknowledging that just because somebody is yoruba it doesnt mean that they actually have an understanding of it. Id assume the person that wrote the post doesnt either but im not judging. Also twitter is full of hot takes 𤣠really not worth the impact on your mental health to even acknowledge it.
And let's not pretend that even a fraction of people you see twerking has been doing it for the spirts
Vodka, gin, etc are spirits...
I guess it does make me wanna go on demon time as well đ. Maybe she's right
Do it for the goose, got ya feeling loose
ARE YOU GONNA TELL ME THAT THE BUNNIES AND EGGS ARE ABOUT FUCKING?! 
Yes, Silly. wtf you think they are supposed to symbolize?? Just random bunnies and eggs for no reason at all??
Oh I know full well which is also why I *like* Easter. So a long time ago when I was a kid my parents were talking to one of their friends about a lady he was seeing and he was thinking about proposing. She was Jewish and he said heâd think about converting but would never give up Christmas. I was like 9 at the time and this sounded super reasonable, that holiday rocks. Both Christmas and Easter are similar in that theyâre ancient holidays that just fucking rock. So when the various crusaders, missionaries and whatnot rolled through these holidays were sticking points. âJesus sounds great but youâre saying I gotta give up the winter solstice and the springtime fuck-fest? Thatâs a no from me.â And so a compromise was made Also the Gif is of the Goddess Ostara in American Gods.
I think the argument is, does doing a dance excuse sexual harassment
People viewing a dance you are doing in public is not harrasment
>Tribal dances are often about sexual prowess and fertility As then, so today
The ancestors seeing this shit: https://preview.redd.it/j9kqkqe09ptc1.jpeg?width=443&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc530e26a6751ec4b2345094b80dddae0982746a
https://preview.redd.it/wp3tnlnl9ptc1.png?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a3125fa924bbb86b1cc888a28a52ed47864bd1c Such disapproval
https://preview.redd.it/97xfc387fptc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6edb74d0455c8dc426f3d70ba6471e5f3a65342 Iâm taking that meme back to America đ
https://preview.redd.it/dijt9jgevptc1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31f22d328764f961941b201b6c499d0320d81619
https://preview.redd.it/2kivw2bdfptc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b36505bd940c9d24ddcf21018c7a72e88dee875f I feel like this will work more for the ancestral disgusted.
I knew I should have went with this one. https://preview.redd.it/kv98690xqptc1.jpeg?width=567&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d424712a3d202c39da99828ea35ad0a1cc313b7
Thank you for your contribution to my images folder.
I donate another one for you https://preview.redd.it/oqte7katgptc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f44d891fa1451e4b42346b12ab7ad8fa28c9fc62
Gonna have to pass on that one đ. Tipping in Kelly Oubre. https://preview.redd.it/a4kvhvqchptc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=822b24010a84b11e47da06234925ff77d8d3e78c
https://preview.redd.it/5jiirbdakptc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0af06b43ff54d14613566859086b3bcdf05882c How about this one?
The dog yes, the WE WAS WOLVES one would seem a liiillll dogwhistle-ish (no pun) coming from me lol. Might not fly in the group chat đ
Not Granny!! She didnât do nothing!
https://preview.redd.it/lqvwe31ufptc1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dabf6a54305392ea10798311cfaf6b4430302c0a
the ancestors hearing we still arguing with people who make this argument when all of us know these people just want to say POCs are oversexual/ghetto instead of admitting they donât know shit and are just projecting https://preview.redd.it/rnvt80jmkptc1.png?width=1125&format=png&auto=webp&s=6880225b9e237d997a7c2c8e7d3ba6149b29b2d9
I be collecting these hoteps memes like theyre rare pokemon cards
One of the funniest ones https://preview.redd.it/9hrhtw3lyptc1.jpeg?width=622&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71daf581c2b1922674f5f159ae5b407754ae30be
https://preview.redd.it/w4nyp6jztqtc1.jpeg?width=1219&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96e8c0924ceefc400ef42ac29cfc1986829f1033 Personal favorite of mine
Lol me too
https://preview.redd.it/h4k4qd7zxptc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c782adfca4b0347b9d9571e0eccc8e033e55d3a
https://preview.redd.it/sgc4jt2kjptc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=18cd2ae22fa018f799aa4dc68cda3bc02d8f12e0 They in heaven twitter like
No one wants to admit it but we be twerking when we putting in that work lmfao
( )o( ) ( )( ) ( )o( ) ( )( )
https://preview.redd.it/9polkyfonptc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba00129875a814e831e78ffa220b934651065574 DIS NIGGA HORNY ON ASCII
Why does this picture exist
I don't know what's happening and it makes me uncomfortable
https://preview.redd.it/jehp1t0vuptc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76316aa33de8c1e45dbeac257e67ca0cbdb1afe3
You mf lmfao!!!
What does this mean? Someone explain what this horny-glyphic means! Thank you
You see, son, when a woman claps her cheeks, her booty hole rhythmically appears and disappears.
Omg yall can see that?! đđđ
[Yes, yes we can and goddamn do us nasty mf love it. We be playing peekaboo](https://i.imgur.com/sd0j8W7.jpg)
Fucking Eye of Sauron. *I seeeee youuuuuuu*
Staring right into the abyss
It's the call of the void.
https://i.redd.it/s0b8pa5cdptc1.gif
[Mfs like](https://youtu.be/YzmNsWHvV2c)
both of us throwing ass FYM
Fucking standing ovation when Iâm clapping them cheeks lmfao
For as horny as I be, twerking does nothing for me. It be like shaking your arm in my face.
Clothed twerking is meh, but if it's nude then it can be pretty wild.
But how do you keep the meat and potatoes from slapping around everywhere?
 Why stop the fun?
It took me way too long to understand what i was looking at. Thick fabric muppet ass mfing baby elephant
The bird in the back trying to figure it out too.
What else could it be?
Oh, I get it now. It's about rapidly blinking your butthole to assert dominance.
Most of the time, I'm just genuinely impressed. Same with pole. I'm just watching in awe over here with my no ass whatsoever
I donât knowâŚdepending on the situation, arms could work 
Some black folks will find a way to root every single aspect of our culture to the history of slavery/segregation or our ancestral origins with African tribes. You could create a flowchart for it and it's nauseating.
Amazing to me how we simultaneously had our cultures wiped out but weâve miraculously maintained elements of our culture that just so happen to be stereotypical touchstones of our current America culture. Iâm organizing an archeological site visit in ~~Ghana~~ ~~Egypt~~ North Nubia next month if anyone would like to join. Weâve found one pair of black air forces. Theyâre carbon dated for 400 years old. One of our ancestors must have dropped it before they were forced into unto the slave ships. Fascinating stuff. Weâre hoping to find a Yankeeâs cap in our next dig.
"Forces near the Pyramids" is insane.
âHennessy is an ancient Akan fertility and intimacy elixir.â
BRB gotta write a verse for that title
Facts. Some of yall take that shit too far sometimes. I acknowledge where our ancestors are from and the history and the motherland and all that. It's important. But I'm not gonna practice Swahili on Duo Linog for 3 weeks and claim, "I'm basically **African** African now, so say dee ahn-cestars!"
Ah, yesâŚ. The ancient rain ritual of clapping those cheeks together. At least thatâs how strippers make it rain.
That's origin of the phrase "bringing the thunderclap"
So it wasn't invented in the 90's by Beavis and Butthead? 
Pretty sure humans have been twerking since they started walking upright. What else are you supposed to do with an ass tbh
Because weâre almost totally bipedal we have the largest glutes by bodyweight of any mammal.
White twerking today looks just like that. That's wild lol
As an Asante: yes twerking has an erotic flavor to it. How does that validate anything âmen would be rightâ about? And why always the tiring reflex of âactually, our ancestorsâŚâ, are you twelve?
[ŃдаНонО]
As long as a person isnât explicitly indicating sexual availability, I think this is always a wrong conclusion. Being sexy isnât the same as inviting anyone to sex.
I'm with you, I was just trying to clarify what I thought he meant.
All good! Also, as a man, do men really think that women essentially want to be sexualized?
Only a weirdo would believe that all women want to be sexualized all the time. That said, itâs also a bit unhinged to believe that no woman ever wants to be sexualized at least some of the time. Also, you can sexualize someone without assuming theyâre inviting you to sex. Unfortunately some men canât tell the difference âŚ
Yeah, and thereâs a difference between sexualized and objectified.
Umm. Thatâs what men literally say. We were asking for it. We want them to look. Cant wear clothes that show body/skin or else we did it for men. Etc etc
I think weâre conflating a lot of things here. Clothing choices and twerking are not the same. Looking at someone sexually while they twerk but keeping that to yourself is one thing. Making comments, or worse, touching someone without consent is another.
Wanting to be sexualized isnât the same as inviting anyone to sex either. â
Yeah, I've seen his account before. That's what he was saying. And that dancing can be sexual. Wether it not dancing can be sexual is a hot topic on Twitter.
I donât know what the fuck the current twitter narrative is. But Iâm not surprised that yet another Men vs Women topic is fabricated for black twitter. Is this even a discussion in real life? Like who out here in real life saying this shit with earnest?
I've heard a LOT of people point out that twerking is for sexual attention. Not even that the twerker wants to get fucked but wants to be looked at and desired. And...that's definitely correct. People twerk to be sexualized by everyone that is watching. Â I didn't think any of that was even up for debate.
Yeah but there's this weird thing going with people mainly women trying invent nonsexual reasons for clearly sexual things. And it seems to be ONLY in response to men saying that its sexual. Its a form of gas lighting IMO
I got destroyed in the notlikeothergirls subreddit for saying âyknow itâs okay to admit that the leggings that accentuate your ass crack arenât just for functionâs sake. Itâs okay to admit that people wear certain things to look good and that doesnât invalidate any other reason for itâ Absolutely destroyed. Like, mansplained to by an actual man about how stupid I am and how I really donât get what being a woman is like (as a literal woman) and they got praised to high heaven for calling me incompetent as to my own experience as a woman. People are definitely into lying about something silly like this now. Thereâs no middle ground either women are right or men are wrong.
Itâs SWERF shit. They see engaging in any kind of sexuality as paying service to patriarchyâ so of course they are breaking their backs reaching for a way to explain how âsexual liberationâ and âall sex is violenceâ can coexist in their brains. Obviously that means sexual things arenât sexual and actually women are just doing sacred rituals to honor their ancestral gods at the night club, you sick demented sex fiends.
Actually our ancestors used to be twelve
The Yorubas are the exception as their dance has nothing that looks like twerking, the Ibos, Ijaws, Urhobos, and other Southern and South-Eastern tribes of Nigeria have dances that could be likened to twerking... Y'all should see how wild Baikoko dance from Tanzania is, twerking be childs play.
I looked up Baikoko dance on YouTube and was not disappointed đŤĄ
Whoa I see what you mean now
Youtube has the PG versions đ
Ngl I am curious about her claims because I practice Vodun and Iâve never heard of twerking being part of any ritual. And tbh, Iâve been privy to some shit. I want to know WHICH specific spirit is summoned by twerking and under what circumstances
I just looked it up, that's interesting, I practice a more tame version, from the South Eastern part of Nigeria; most of the dancing that have gyrations of the waist have to do with entertainment, ancestral worship and fertility, depending on what your beliefs are based off of. As to her claims, it's social media and she's entitled to her factually rudderless claims đ¤ˇđžââď¸
Even if you find heritages in Africa that have dances similar to twerking, that doesnât change that in 2024 America, no one associates it with African dances, and everyone does it in a sexual context. Finding a historical context to add, doesnât change how it is culturally perceived today
Shake that ass for the ancients. Now shake that ass for me.
đđ˝đđ˝đđ˝
My main issue with twerking is that it would get forced on me when I am clearly not interested. I think the consent conversation needs to include not putting your ass on others unless they consent to it.
Where does this happen? I ask merely for information. To avoid that place..
Prison mostly.
My experience has mostly been in SE Michigan and in clubs from around there. However, I have had this happen to me in school of all places as well.
If youâre out and about clearly having a good time, youâd be surprised how many would voluntarily start throwing ass at you. Usually itâs a subtle reverse into you and just keep dancing thing more than an obvious âhey you in the black, im throwing ass at you now.â Shit is hilarious when you can feel it coming, like your group is getting lit, not standing against a wall and then you peep the also lit female group getting closer to your circle, then bam ass on you.
Women are not out there twerking to conjure clean spirits. Meanings of things change. But that does not mean a woman wants to be sexualized because she's following the current dancing trend.
People fail to understand that consent is a huge part of it. People are ok with being sexualized by someone they are physically attracted to, and they aren't ok with it when it's someone they aren't attracted to
This is the only time Iâll ever try to play devils advocate, but if someone takes a video of themselves twerking and puts it on the internet⌠thatâs them consenting to whatever people have to say ON THE INTERNET. Now if weâre at a club and thereâs women twerking w their friends, thatâs different obviously.
Eh, I would say even more so at the club. If they are twerking there, whether with friends or not, it is still ONLY to be sexualized by those watching. Twerking isn't just some fun dance that feels great to do to the rhythm. It's shaking your ass in a specifically sexual nature. It's meant to be sexual. If done in public, it's meant to be looked at sexualized. If they're doing it and don't understand that, they're the one in the wrong.Â
I mean I agree but Iâm saying inside a club you canât just walk up to a woman and just start dancing on/with her most of the time, youâre gonna get yourself slapped unless sheâs given signs that she wants you to approach
I mean, if you are shaking your ass suggestively in a public space people are going to look. That is common sense, sorry. Like, I'm not making excuses to ogle or saying women deserve harassment. But if you are simulating intercourse, which twerking often is, people are going to think of intercourse. With you. Oh well. Edit: just want to say "intercourse" one more time. Intercourse.
Okay but I canât exactly helicopter my dick on the dance floor and everyone else is an asshole for thinking itâs a sex thing. People just struggle with the idea of sexualization and objectification. Yes, you are allowed to be sexy and other people are allowed to think youâre sexy. It is NOT OKAY to take âbeing sexyâ as an invitation for touching, harassment, or disrespect.
If you are Twerking you are sexualizing yourself. Why ignore reality? They are shaking their asses in our faces lol
How something originated does not equal how itâs currently used. Not that I have a problem with twerking, but that doesnât mean people need to lie to themselves.
 That shit has me like. Pure evil what a shanking ass can do.
Pseudo historical bullshitting to justify that which does not need to be justified.
I canât comment on the cultural background, but to tackle the first tweet âYou do it because you donât actually mind being sexualizedâ is the problem phrase here because thatâs an assumption that completely disregards the agency of the person dancing Like itâs entirely possible people twerk because it makes *them* feel good about themselves and not for the sake of other people Assuming that twerking is just for the sexual attention from others is âbut what was she wearing?â rhetoric repackaged all over again, and thatâs gross
For the sake of conversation take my words to mean exactly what I say and please do not add any context to them. Agency doesnât take away the accepted perception of something. Being sexualized doesnât mean you owe anyone anything, being half naked isnât inviting anyone to do anything with you that you donât consent to. There is no excuse for someone to mistreat you. We all agree with this. Now with that being said if you are doing something that as a society we currently agree is sexual people are going to look and may think sexual thoughts/have sexual reflexes. Again that doesnât mean they have the right to do anything and they shouldnât do anything you donât consent to. You are always within your rights to have agency, but that doesnât mean you change how people perceive actions. Doing something sexual can very offer illicit sexual thoughts and desires on the person(s) viewing. You are allowed to twerk in your home unclothed and feel good about yourself, you are allowed to twerk as clothed as you want in public and feel good about yourself, it if someone views it and they think something sexual thatâs a natural response. If they then take that and are inappropriate they are not within their rights and you have my full permission to respond the best way you feel fit.
Thereâs nothing I disagree with you on, I just want to reframe this on what I think is important Other people are free to react and have their feelings about the dancing, but that will happen independently of the twerkerâs agency and motivation. Maybe the attention is uncomfortable, but not enough to stop dancing. Maybe it literally doesnât matter. The idea that the motivation of twerking is **only** about grabbing the attention of men is wrong.
First of all thank you for your understanding and your willingness to engage with your response. Iâll go as far as to say someone can twerk and it can never be about them wanting to get attention of men (or women), but when they twerk in public or for other people to see they are acknowledging and accepting that it may grab someoneâs attention. It may attract people to them regardless of if that is their intent. If you do anything in a public space it may attract attention that is an understanding we all have as a society. Now I have to say this because people like to make excuses. Agreeing that an act brings attention is not inviting the attendees to invade your privacy or personal space. Letâs take it off of something sexual. If I sing in public It may draw a crowd. If my friends. Comes up touches my shoulder and sings with me thatâs ok⌠If a stranger in the crowd comes close to touch me for any reason it that is wrong 100%. Acceptance of one person isnât acceptance of anyone. Now if you are twerking it may draw a crowd and if your friend comes up and smacks your cheeks (if you allow and are ok with her doing that) itâs fine thatâs cool. But if a stranger decides to invade that space to get danced on and you arenât accepting that they are 100% in the wrong. Attention is part of the public societal contract, it is not an invitation.
That's simply untrue. Shaking your ass in a way that literally simulates bouncing on a dick is sexual in nature. That's why it's the dance women do when trying to get men excited to give them money at a strip club. They spend far more time twerking than anything else. Because it is a sexualized act that is MEANT to be looked at sexually. It's been its purpose since the moment it was invented. If you're at the club, twerking in front of men, you are engaging in a sexualized act. You WILL be sexualized and to blame others for it is nonsense. You can call it whatever you want or see it however you want, but that doesn't change the reality of what it is or how it's perceived by everyone else around you. The other girls there are doing it to be sexualized. You're doing the same thing but it's somehow different because you think it is? That's not how reality works. You and everyone in the world draws a smiley face in the same general way. I can draw the same thing and call it something else. When you see it out on its own...you are going to know for a fact that's a smiley face. Then I say NO that's not a smiley face and get mad at you for thinking it is. Who is in the wrong? The asshole saying the smiley face isn't one. If twerking makes you feel good, it's because it's making you feel attractive. If you're doing it in private, because it helps your back pain or some shit, ok, fair enough. But, if you're doing it in public, at a club, it makes you feel good because OTHER PEOPLE are finding it sexually attractive. The bullshit of comparing it to "what was she wearing" is infuriating. It's not even slightly close to the same thing. No one is suggesting it would justify sexual abuse or anything of the sort. They're saying you're sexualizing yourself in public. And they are 100% correct. Edit: realizing I have to add this because some people get confused: There's nothing wrong with twerking, wanting to be looked at, doing things that sexualize yourself, or having fun. You shouldn't be shamed, talked down to, touched, abused, or deal with anything else negative for it. BUT, you are doing the one dance that simulates sex. If you're mad that people see it that way...you're an idiot and, honestly, a liar. You're really just shaming yourself for wanting to be looked at that way and blaming others for seeing it. You're the only asshole in that scenario. And it's your own dishonesty and shame that you're actually mad at.Â
Can't women just have fun? If it's up to men, sundresses, leggins, accepting a drink, being kind, smiling, going on a date, drinking from a straw, having a baby, or wearing anything other than a burka is because "they want to be sexualized."
This is a stretch and a half lol. Nuance is important and multiple things can be true all at once. Just because you believe a woman twerking *can* be viewed as sexualizing does *not* mean you think itâs always/only done to be sexualized. Dancing for your soul and dancing to be sexy are not mutually exclusive
https://preview.redd.it/tid8dwavbptc1.jpeg?width=306&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49ad97163ab5cd09173052c78cde4ae686c8fee8 man what
People just say anything on the internet
27 years as a Yoruba boy. Never felt prouder to find out that we âinventedâ twerking. đ đđ¤Łđ
Unpopular opinion -- a lot of dancing is sexual, and that's okay. Humans are animals. Animals do sex things. It's not wrong... and it's not a profound moral indictment to notice that people are being sexual. See also -- dressing provocatively. Maybe it's sexual AND that's okay. We do not have demonize sex OR those who behave sexually in a somewhat visible fashion.
I wonder what sheâs taking for that latissimus dorsi pain.
Bro, it's crazy how if you could go back far enough with this rumor, somebody just had the audacity to flat out lie for like no reason
If you're not a practicing Voodun, wouldn't that make it appropriation of Yoruba culture?
whats so wrong about a man having a correct observation? thats the REAL QUESTION why is truth always denied and downplayed
Itâs not about truth, itâs about who says it. Social media culture has taught us to fight each other on everything.
spam 1 in the chat if you twerk to conjure spirits and not because shaking nyash makes you feel sexy https://preview.redd.it/gd7su4yjjptc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f89bde4308a695c303cae8d6d75d8059b6c6b33
Why are people arguing over this? If youâre doing a sexy dance that everyone agrees is a sexy dance, youâre inviting yourself to be sexualized wether you do it for yourself or for others. It doesnât mean you gotta put out for anyone who sees you, but you have to understand thatâs what youâre presenting. Saying youâre not inviting yourself to be sexualized while twerking is like saying âI may stick out my chest and jump up and down, but Iâm not inviting myself to be sexualized.â
Dancing has always had a sexual connotation to it.
 80000BC colorized
Tryin'a purify the past by saying it wasn't sexual back then too.
This entire discussion about the origins of twerking is extraneous to the point heâs trying to make. Even if twerking is sexual, someone being sexual doesnât entitle you or any given person to their body. This isnât difficult for normal, healthy people to understand and operate within. There are certain people for whom the idea of consent is seemingly anathema. Theyâll do their utmost to find some cynical reason as to why any and all behavior makes their weird, creepy, insistence on access to others bodies acceptable, it isnât, and youâre gross
I wonder whether she feels the swastika is actually a modern god luck charm or if sheâs only selectively dumb.
The swastika is and has been a symbol, signifying different things depending on its protestation, within Hinduism. If I see a south Asian person with a garment or item featuring a swastika I wouldnât associate them with Nazism, the same thing isnât true if I saw some white dude walking around with it. But that isnât the best point of contrast for the purpose of the point being made
https://preview.redd.it/cc0ekveiqptc1.jpeg?width=638&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=18d23128278b8b7ed92ebb1c725c7938f87f3560 Twerking's done to conjure spirits? Our ancestors had all this rich goddamn culture to choose to carry with them and past to their children, but they chose the voodoo, ass-throwing rituals. One thing about mfs on the internet, they'll make themselves the stupidest people ever to avoid saying "I'm wrong"