Ending the ‘side chick’ epidemic

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The issues that have been plaguing our society have now been embedded into our music, and who can we really blame but ourselves.

Popular dancehall artiste Shenseea recently released her single, The Side Chick, as expected, the social media views of the music video skyrocketed to 298,255 within hours. The entertainer is expressing her love for another woman’s partner on a two-way conference call with her friends, who cheer her on.

The urban dictionary defines ‘side chick’ as “a female that is neither a male’s wife or girlfriend who has relations with the male while he is in another relationship”.

The first thought that comes to mind is generally a ‘homewrecker’ or other demeaning terms that define a woman who uses her power to dominate the mind of a man who is unavailable. However, without the conscious decision of a man who is already in a relationship, the side-chick position wouldn’t be a thing.

Have you noticed that when certain men speak now, it’s not his ‘chick’ or his ‘girl’. Instead, he says it’s his ‘main chick’, implying that there are others.

My question is: since when did it become OK to be number two? When did the term ‘side chick’ become so prevalent?

STOP SETTLING

It is downright scary as a woman in a relationship to know that there are women out there proud to ­conquer your man.

We need to put a stop to this epidemic, which starts with women dating the right, AVAILABLE man. If there are no women willing to be number two, then there can be NO number two.

Women have come a long way to learn how to be independent and intelligent, and yet most of us are still willing to accept and be satisfied with being the number two for a man who’s not even half our worth. We are more than just the number two, and we should not settle for less.

Ladies, we have to do better and be better for our next generation of women.

CHARMANIQUE HINDS