Solange's Side: Who Cares What 'They' Think?

There's currency in connection, sure. But having your own opinion, and not tainting it with the views of others, is also gold.

“Solange’s Side” is a reader-supported Tuesday* letter in which I ramble on about idiosyncratic or divisive topics, à la Carrie Bradshaw or Larry David—minus the Louboutins or bald head.

It’s been a while since I inserted my opinion on something here. In today’s cancel culture climate, I admit to feeling fearful of doing so lest I offend, flub up, or appear uneducated and naive. But if there’s one thing worth taking a stand on it’s having an opinion at all—specifically one’s own.

To thine own self be true.

We all are born on this earth with our own sense of taste—literal and otherwise.

Taste in food. You may like celery, while I do not. Does that make celery wrong? Should it not exist? No. Apparently, it adds depth and flavor to dishes! I still don’t love it. But c’est moi.

Taste in art. You may love impressionism, but I prefer realism. Does that make either discipline wrong? Are both forms, therefore, null? No, of course not. Some people are dreamers, while others are straight shooters. You can even be both.

Taste in fashion. You may prefer to wear all black, whereas I opt for colors and prints. Does that make Rainbow Brite better than Batwoman? No! There’s room for unicorns and sparkles AND smokey eyes and pleather pants.

You see where I’m going with this. Food. Art. Fashion. Music. Television. Film. Magazines. Books. Etc. It’s all so subjective. So rife with personal preferences.