Tracee Ellis Ross’s Topless Selfie Exposes The Selective Outrage, Misogyny, And Ageism That Plagues Black Women (2024)

Tracee Ellis Ross’s topless selfie proves you can thrive in your sexiness at any age. The 51-year-old actress, known for her rib-tickling humor, undeniable style, and overall zest for life,doesn’t let her age deter her from wearing whatever she wants. So when a photo of the seasoned actress’s shirtless selfie garnered unwarranted criticism on the net, fans quickly rushed to her defense.

In a photo reposted by The Shade Room, Ross captured a picture of herself posing topless as she rested her jeweled arm over her breasts. The actress’s chiseled abs and toned biceps glowed as bright as her bold Schiaparelli earrings. On the bottom, she wore double-shaded Schiaparelli pants with a matching top that can be seen in the following image.

Tracee Ellis Ross’ topless selfie garners lots of negative comments

As the image, seemingly removed from Ross’s Instagram feed, made its rounds on social media, people began to speak out against the tasteful photo.

“Why she half naked,” one Instagram user wrote.

“I hate this for our women! It’s sad asf,” another person wrote.

“She to old for this,” someone else said.

A man who likely has a podcast mic hanging from his back pocket commented, “We’re lookin at a mid life crises but instead of helping, the ppl in these comments are trying to empower the f-ery 🤦🏾‍♂️ This is not acceptable behavior for a 51 year old woman. Cover yourself up, get a man, send HIM these pictures. Respectfully 🙏🏾.”

The idea that Ross needs to have a man to take topless photos of herself is insane. Her confidence comes from within, not from male validation. Selective outrage continues to push the narrative that only certain types of women can take topless photos. It also suggests that a woman’s self-confidence should be packaged in a digestible way because she is over 50.

As comments regarding Ross’s age and attire mounted, fans rushed to her defense to highlight how great she looked and the tastefulness of the photo.

“One thing Trace will do is Live life on her own terms, Love that for her,” one fan wrote.

“Anyone hating secretly wants her body no matter the age,” said another.

“Idk… this is such a classy nudish picture. Body is teaaaa. She looks fabulous. At what age do you stop feeling and being sexy? Y’all need to stop 🤣,” another fan chimed in.

Before we knew it, the good comments outweighed the bad, with people reminding the masses that sexiness has no expiration date.

Selective outrage hinders self expression

Comments that highlight the “Grown-ish” actress’s age as a reason why she shouldn’t take selfies of this nature are problematic and highlight the ageism and misogynywomen often face. Halle Berry, 57, posts topless selfies and rarely receives this level of criticism. In fact, the actress celebrated the 20-year anniversary of Cat Woman with a photo of herself in black underwear with two cats strategically covering her breasts. Fans praised her in the comments, with some joking that they’re jealous of the cats that had the opportunity to be her special props.

Selective outrage usually targets women who are childless, single, or deemed too old to act in a way that is confident, sexually liberating, or racy. But it also applies to women who are married, have children, or have a seemingly angelic image in the media. Ciara, a married mother of 4, was criticized for wearing asheer dressat a Vanity Fair party. Fans expressed their disdain for her dress, reminding her she has a husband and children at home, so she should be covered up.

Then there’s Chloe Bailey, a 26-year-old single woman with no children. She is often criticized for her sexiness, with people saying it’s forced or inauthentic. In herrecent cover story with HelloBeautiful, the singer challenges the idea that she can’t be sexy because of her sweet-girl image. “Who says, we just have to be one thing? None of us are just one thing. So when people try to get those viral tweets by saying, ‘Chloe’s sex appealis contrived because she’s this sweet, nerdy girl,’ why can’t I be both? And it just kind of makes me giggle to myself because I’m like, you have no idea because you don’t know who I am as a person,” she expressed.

Megan Thee Stallion, 29, can pose topless, twerk on stage, and more, but selective outrage doesn’t affect her because those actions align with the Houston Hottie’s brand. The thing is, there is more to women than our limited perception of them. You might think someone is too young, too old, too big, too small, or too whatever to pose topless, but consider this: maybe it’s not our place to speak about other people and how they choose to present themselves. Maybe our job is to mind the business that pays us and allow people to exist exactly how they want to.

When will we stop telling women how to operate in their bodies?

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