Alpha Female: Mary J. Blige
February 2, 2009
Why, Mary? Because she has come from major adversity to take her life to worldly levels. An alpha female is not neat and tidy about her arrival. She’s gone through some things, and made it anyway amidst the surprised looks of her peers.
It doesn’t matter what is “really” going on in her life, but it can’t be debated that the success she’s received has been bar none one of the most grandest success stories of the music industry. If you’ve followed Mary’s story you know that she came from abusive relationships and substance dependence. After a time of being single and depressed, she met her current husband, under unusual circumstances, too. Reports say that he was still married. Whatever it is, she and Kendu married soon after meeting. She attributes her success in career and love to the inner strength and increased spirituality she mustered up during her down time.
I’m not claiming to be a Mary expert, just going by what her marketing folks want us to see which are exemplary alpha traits, could care less about any problems because we all are a work in progress. She pulled her attitude, her thought process, and image together. She went from ghetto fabulous to just fabulous. From singing with Method Man to singing ballads with Elton John. She’s universal now. Is she the best singer? No. An alpha female is not always the best, but she’s always top. Figure that one out. She’s also mastered the art of reinvention, the art of disappearance, and the art of the surprise. Mary’s trendsetting ways are still being copied. For all these years, I still don’t feel tired of seeing her, like a certain artist who has saturated the market with her images that will remain nameless, but you know who.
Now, I like the “sad” Mary songs much better than the “happy’ Mary, but I nominate her for induction into the Alphanista Hall of Fame. What say ye?
*By the way, the next inductee is going to surprise you because you probably never heard of her, but her ways are telling. Hint: She’s British and she’s not in entertainment at all.
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This I can see. She has definitely surprised ME!
i gotta think on this one she’s got a hellava management team, lots of people around her not sure how well she’d do if she was on her own, not Mary…but from the outside, it is what it is.
15+ years of steady progress…You better believe she’s an Alpha
I think Mary is definitely an Alpha Female. I’m glad you said that Alpha Females go through adversity but end up on top; people are not perfect. I think some people don’t know how hard it is to come up out of the learned helplessness and other negative conditioning from the environment Mary as well as myself has grown up in. I think when Mary surrendered to her Christianity, she became a critical thinker and started plotting out her course in life and became the Queen of her own Destiny; becoming a role model for other females of color in the industry.
So, I lift up a glass of champagne to Mary, I’m proud of you.
Once again, another wonderful blog.
I second that motion. It doesn’t matter whether she’d be where she is without her team, the fact is none of us can attribute our success to just ourselves. We have to know which people to keep around us and which to let go. You don’t have to be the smartest person or the best person but you have to know how to surround yourself with people that ARE smart and ARE the best in THEIR field. Making an intelligent person believe in your dream and your mission and desire for success is definitely ALPHA!
Maryann, this is one kick-ass blog! Seriously, your e-book and the blog have me in DEEP thought. I love Mary Jay Blige, and was ever more proud of her because of how she has handled herself–honoring her womanhood, embracing her man, while still sounding and looking fierce! Absolutely and without a doubt Queen Mary is an Alphanista!
Yes, Mary should be indoctrinated into the hall of fame! Love, love, love her!!! She is a true story of redemption and definitely an alphanista.
I say yes to Mary as the Inaugural Inductee