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Mama Said, Mama Said, Said, Said By Cheryl Armon

You’re special, so you’ll need to do great things; never wear pink; never depend on a man; learn the table manners of the highest class. I don’t use them but I can; never wear flats; think before you speak and be ready to back it up; put on lipstick; you look like a ghost without it; look classic, not cheap or faddish; use ammonia and newspapers on windows; learn to type but never put it on a job application; always pull the weeds out by the roots or they just grow back; never forget you came from female heroines; memorize this: “be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity;” I may call on you to recite; always put the dampened clothes in the refrigerator before ironing them; never get pregnant by mistake; if you do, we’ll take care of it; never let your guard down with a male superior; never wear pants to a first meeting; never trust a German; never be weak. Wash your hair with rainwater; read Langston Hughes, your namesake had you been a boy; vote; memorize long poems; learn to cook for yourself; have a large vocabulary; have an orgasm first; don’t invest in things; read everything; if you’re looking for a husband, date three men at a time.

[1] This is the title of a song by the Shirelles—the first all girl-group of the Rock and Roll Era to score a top ten song. It was 1961.  

 
 
Cheryl is a professor of Human Development at Antioch University Los Angeles, teaching courses in ethics and developmental psychology. She has published her research widely in scholarly journals but is writing for new audiences. She is also a photographer interested in the relationships between images and words.