You can buy your hair if it won’t grow
You can fix your nose if he says so
You can buy all the make up
That M.A.C. can make
But if you can’t look inside you
Find out who am I too
Be in the position to make me feel
So damn unpretty
I’ll make you feel unpretty too

News of the passing of Dr. Donda West, Kanye’s mother, is very unsettling to say the least. She was only two years younger than my mother. Talk about being shook.

Before the details were released, my first thought was a sudden heart attack. Then to hear that she died after an adverse reaction to anethesia during a cosmetic procedure, which is rumored to have been a breast augmentation and a tummy tuck, truly saddens me. Why is a 58-year old woman, especially one with a “Dr.” before her name, having a boob job and a tummy tuck?

You know why.

She was in the spotlight. She’s Kanye’s momma. She was dealing with the industry pressure to be “perfect.” At 58. She had a PhD and a successful career as a tenured professor. As a single mom, she raised a extremely talented son who is making a stong impact on the face of hip hop. And she did it so well that she wrote a book about it.

Yet, she had to be up on stage alongside Kanye in front of a brutal industry that expects celebrities to be flawless and “on” 24/7. Being human is unacceptable. I just wish she had been able to ignore all that and say “Look, I’m 58 years old. I’ve achieved a top level education and career. I have successfully raised a black man on my own. I’ll never have to want for anything again. If they hate, then let them hate.”

However, all that is not enough, if inside you’re feeling unpretty.

My prayers are with Kanye and his family. The pain of losing a mother never goes away.

R.I.P. Dr. Donda West

Update: I really don’t like the implications here. I truly hope she didn’t ignore her pre-existing medical conditions and have these procedures anyway. I hope these are just more rumors.

2nd update: This story just keeps getting worse. You mean to tell me she didn’t research this doctor?! I can’t believe Kanye knew about this. Not that you can tell your Momma what to do. But I bet if he did, he would have been able to talk her out of it.

I don’t want to offend all the other parents, but I’ll put you up against anybody else’s mom. I definitely have the best.”
—Kanye West (Essence Magazine)

Listen to an interview that Butta from Soul Bounce did with Dr. West just two months ago.

Read an excellent post that expounds on what I’m saying here.