What's "black enough " for you?

Britni Danielle, Clutch Magazine wrote the following:

In a recent (and oh so untimely) review of the film Jumping the Broom, Selam Aster of Madame Noire had a few words for actress Paula Patton: Girl, you're just not black enough.

In the article, "It's Nothing Personal Paula, But I Don't Want You Playing Black," Aster argues that Patton, who is biracial, isn't "Black enough" to portray black women on film.

Let's set aside Paula's skin color for a minute, because that doesn't seem to be Aster's issue with her (she later shouts out Tia Mowry and Jurnee Smollett, both light skin sisters). So, what's her beef? Paula, apparently, "acts like a white girl."

Aster writes:

I'm not saying Patton is white, but she played that character like a straight up white girl. In fact, she could've easily been replaced by Tara Reid and no-one would probably have noticed if they just closed their eyes. Just because you're playing well-to-do doesn't mean you're devoid of all of the natural sass and rhythmic intonations of a black person.

Oh, so we are going to go there, eh?

I guess I missed the "all black women are sassy and speak like Jesse Jackson" memo. Excuse me, I thought we were beyond allowing people -- including each other -- to put us in a box. Let me go transport myself back to 1988, 'cuz I feel an "oreo" insult coming on right quick (was that sassy enough?).

But in case you had doubts about what is and isn't black, Aster has some tips for you.

From bourgois to bourghetto, black folks just have a way of communicating that ranges from subtle to outlandish. To give you an idea of how liberal I'm being with my interpretations of what's black, every character on The Cosby Show reflected black folks despite their range of shades and their use of 'proper talk.'

So much for the world of Selam Aster and all those like her, both white and black. Race always raises its head in every aspect of American thought and conversation. When will it never change?

By the way, Paula Patton is CoverGirl’s new Celebrity Brand Ambassador for its Queen Collection. The popular makeup company made the announcement via Twitter confirming that the actress will be representing their cosmetics for women of color. Paula stars opposite Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol set to hit theaters on December 21st!

And life goes on.