A Cosmopolitan online piece pointed out how women of color were best-dressed at the 2017 MET Gala. This got me to thinking about how long Black women have been unsung fashion and beauty changemakers… … More Negress Allure (in honor of sisters at the 2017 MET Gala…)
“As a young woman dealing with my own issues of body image, I began to look differently at Barbie dolls. I began to wonder whether my re-emerging interest in fashion dolls was a good or a bad thing. And the more I confronted my own disordered patterns of eating and exercise, the more I realized the extent to which social pressure to conform to such stringent standards was the real issue I was facing.” -Tiffany Gholar, THE DOLL PROJECT … More We Love Barbie…But We Need New Dolls: My piece on Artist Tiffany Gholar over at BlogHer.com.
Layla Amatullah Barrayn’s latest exhibition of recent photography spotlights real Black women in love, building families and strengthening communities; the photographs are intimate without sexual suggestion, natural without lacking stupendous beauty and just large enough for you to think these women of color stand right in the room. … More “You May Sit Beside Me”: Visual Narratives of Black Women & Queer Identities
I would designate a special day and Oscar for the following women who have been visible to all of America for decades, enriched our lives, portrayed brave new worlds and given me the cinematic models to dream upon in my own little humble life as well as to imagine characters for… … More Black Butterflies, or just a post to sing the praises of my favorite actresses…
In the elite class of First Ladies in which she resides and with nearly 50 predecessors before her, Mrs. Obama ranks among Abigail Adams, Mary Todd Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt and Jacqueline Kennedy in terms of recognition, studiousness, diligent work and an identity of her own entirely separate from her world-leading husband. … More I love mad Black women even if no one else does…
Much has changed since the 16-year old who was Lena Horne danced her first tentative steps across the stage of the Cotton Club. Through myriad triumphs and challenges, she paved the way to stardom for countless others in the entertainment industry. Her continued musical, theatrical, and political efforts grew with the times and met each new decade with courage and grace. But, if one thing hasn’t changed, it’s Horne’s ability to break our hearts with her shimmering resonant voice, singing songs like “Black Coffee” and “Stormy Weather.” … More Lena Horne
