'Less Classically Beautiful' Viola Davis Responds to That NYT Shonda Rhimes Piece

By Cindy Davis | Celebrity | September 22, 2014 |

By Cindy Davis | Celebrity | September 22, 2014 |

Bleep me. Put your hand over my mouth and just bleep the *&%^&@(%# out of me.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, read Viola Davis’ lovely response to that racist New York Times piece on Shonda Rhimes, because Viola Davis is a heck of a better human being than me. Simply quoting Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise, Davis tweeted:

In case you hadn’t read Alessandra Stanley’s shitty piece, the writer didn’t save all her insults for Rhimes; she made sure to slam her series’ stars too:

“…but the actress [Viola Davis] doesn’t look at all like the typical star of a network drama. Ignoring the narrow beauty standards some African-American women are held to, Ms. Rhimes chose a performer who is older, darker-skinned and less classically beautiful than Ms. Washington, or for that matter Halle Berry, who played an astronaut on the summer mini-series Extant.

Congratulations Ms. Stanley. With one sentence, you managed to prove you are the lowest of low, hitting an actress for her looks, age and the color of her skin. There are so many things I want to say…so many things I could say to you, but none of them would have the quiet power of (the supremely gorgeous and talented) Davis and Angelou; their wisdom and grace will wash away your terrible words.

*Update: NYT public editor, Margaret Sullivan’s comments on public furor.

Cindy Davis, (Twitter)