By now, I’m sure you read about Essence hiring a white woman as their new Fashion Director, and it seems like not everyone has taken the news lightly. Michaela Angela Davis, who once held that position, especially didn’t take to the news. I gave my 2 cents on Twitter, and I have decided to elaborate here. So, here I go:

After meeting Michaela Angela Davis and speaking with her on several occasions, I have found that she is not only very well accomplished, but very open, intelligent, and a very down to earth woman who appeals to us young folk as our Mom’s cool friend, who we would much rather share our problems with because she “get’s it.” And in return, I get her. So when I read about her disappointment with Essence hiring a White fashion director, a publication she once worked for in the coveted position as Fashion Editor, I was a bit puzzled. Here is what she had to say about the hiring of Ellianna Placas, a former employee of O: The Oprah Magazine and US Weekly:

“It’s with a heavy heart I’ve learned Essence Magazine has engaged a white Fashion Director. I love Essence and I love fashion. I hate this news and this feeling. It hurts, literally. The fashion industry has historically been so hostile to black people–especially women. The 1 seat reserved for black women once held by Susan Taylor, Ionia Dunn-Lee, Harriette Cole(+ me) is now-I can’t. It’s a dark day for me. How do you feel?”

Then she went on to say:

“It is personal..its also professional. If there were balance in the industry, if we didn’t have a history of being ignored and disrespected…if more mainstream fashion media included people of color before the ONE magazine dedicated to black women “diversified” it would feel different. There is one precious seat at the fashion shows that says Essence the magazine for black women. When asked, “What is your unique perspective for black women?” How is that answered? Even if they got Anna Wintour herself (which editors inside Essence assure me she is NOT) it still would hurt. From a brand perspective there should be a unique lens through which information is filtered…at Essence it is believed that filter is black, female..connected through shared history and soul…I believe we’ve not come far enough for this move. It’s the lens, the filter in which the fashion is seen that is difficult. It’s the hope that is through the black imagination and soul our image is projected. We were charged with elevating the black designers and searching for who’s got next and yes Tracy Reese seems to be a lone princess sometimes. My heart breaks as you hope this is the place that would nurture and create black (female) fashion talent on all levels, editors, stylists, designers, photographers, models..an incubator for black talent.”

To suggest that due to historical circumstances, we are not allowed to grant the same equal opportunity we demand from our White counterparts, proves that we as a people is still scorned by the memories of slavery and segregation. How can we say because she is a woman of WHITE descent, a Caucasian, that she is any less qualified than a Black woman who has put in just as much work as her? We are distorting the very dream Martin Luther King, Jr. died for. For us to be judged by “the content of our character, and not the color of our skin,” or does that only apply to us black folk? We have yet to even see what this woman is made of. Can she truly connect with a Black audience? Can she dress the curvy and facially dynamic Black models and cover girl’s as impeccably as Agnes Cammock, Harriet Cole, and yes even Michaela, did when they once sat in that seat? Does she relay the message of trends, classics, and “what to wear to an interview” in a way that Black women can relate? Because that is what it is really important. The goal here is to not lose that voice, that connection, that intimacy that Essence has spent the last 40 years building with their reader. To say that she will have a hard time connecting with the Black woman, is like saying Andre Leon Talley has a hard time connecting with middle aged white women who spend way too much money on anti-aging serums, because I think he does a great job. Or to say because Oscar de la Renta is a man, he cannot design clothes in a way women can relate to.

It is only fair, if not the right thing to do, to give her a chance. Before we go up in arms, let us see what she is made of! And if for a second we feel that we have truly lost a girlfriend, we will bombard the Essence office with letter’s demanding a) an answer, b) a final warning conference meeting, or dare I say it, c) a resignation. But please, let’s just give her a chance. Here is my Twitter 2 cents, for those of you that missed it (read from the bottom up):

I still have an immense amount of respect for Michaela, and totally feel my BIG SISTA, because remember: she’s giving her INSIDER’S opinion, so I get the frustration, but I really want to give this Ellianna woman a chance. Let’s restart this debate in September, when her first work for the magazine will be debuted. Then we can dissect everything like the E! News fashion police.

Miley Cyrus always comes under public scrutiny for doing things deemed “inappropriate” by the media. Whether its her pole dancing at the Kids Choice Awards, flicking her tongue at her model boyfriend, or taking flirty camera phone pictures, the public has always felt she was growing up too fast and doing too much for her age. And at some of her recent performances, the teenager has been wearing lingerie inspired clothing, and clothes that leave a little less to the imagination:

She began cultivating a more sexual, adult image mid to late 2009, and continued this year with her album Can’t Be Tamed, along with the video for her lead single “Can’t Be Tamed” which showed the 17-year-old Miley barely dressed and looking a little less Disney friendly than usual:

And I get that the public doesn’t get it, and although I’ve made my comments in the past about her adult-acting ways, she’s a growing girl. Not to be mistaken with grown, but had Miley came out at 17 dressing and acting this way, no one would say anything. But she grew up in front of our eyes, and we seem to not be able to accept that she is growing up.

This brings me back to when Rihanna first came out, and her performance outfits when she was 17. They were scantily clad, and dare I say sexy, but the public didn’t have an attachment to her as yet, so she was able to get away with it:

Granted, 17 is very young! But most 17 year olds I know, they dress the same way Miley Cyrus dresses. They wear short skirt, tight dresses, and belly shirts. And those are just every day teens, but when you’re in the entertainment industry and there is pressure to compete with the likes of Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and even Rihanna, it forces you to do what they do. Which sucks because all these people are grown and their images reflect that without conflict.

I say, leave little Miley alone! This is how she prepares for her step into womanhood and I guess we will just have to accept it, and if not just don’t allow your little one to listen to her music, watch her videos, or Hannah Montana anymore.

As soon as I saw the new pictures of Gucci’s Pre-Fall 2010 ad campaign with Joan Smalls and Raquel Zimmerman, I immediately flashed back to last year when I was working on a documentary about the fashion industry and black models. During the research for the documentary, I was looking about Gucci’s use of black models in their ad campaigns, and saw none. As far back as Spring/Summer 2005, they have used no Black models. I mean, they may give them a shot on the runway, but I have yet to see a black model in their ad campaigns.

I mean, I may be pushing it to say Joan Smalls is the first to land a Gucci ad campaign (and no, Rihanna doesn’t count. She was a celebrity endorser, not a model), but I even as I look through there past campaigns, nothing. Don’t believe me? Then take a look:

Fall 2000:

Spring 2005:

Spring 2006:

Fall 2006:

Spring 2007:

Cruise 2007:

Spring 2008:

Cruise 2008:

Fall 2008:

Spring 2009:

Cruise 2009:

Fall 2009:

Spring 2010:

Cruise 2010:

Now, I don’t want to say they have never used a Black model in their ad campaigns before. But they have never… *voice trails off*

It seems like every celebrity has been hopping on the “natural” ban wagon as of late, cutting off their lock’s borrowed by folks from other cultures deemed to have “prettier” hair. Everyone from Solange Knowles to Chrisette Michele have traded in their hair glue and Velvet Remi in an effort to pull the inner beauty, out. But what does going natural really mean? It seems like every article I read when a celebrity decides to “go natural,” they seem to take little jabs at those who have decided to stay on the relaxed, permed, texturized, and weaved wave. Saying little things like “Unlike others, I am not defined by my hair” or “I don’t need to feel accepted by a larger society by the texture and length of my hair,” like, what is that supposed to mean?

The first stab and jab at the woman he finds refuge in the hair salon, torturing herself to look good (as I do), was when Tyra Banks revealed her “natural” hair on her show and declared the day “Real Hair Day.” #GirlPlease. The question I propose, why when a sister decides to go natural, she all of a sudden feels like others who have not experienced the same epiphany as her, at the same time as her, is somewhat less? And when you so choose to go “natural” does your extra 15 lbs of make-up now compensate for the “beauty” you now “lack?” I mean, hear me on this one.

The last time I have been natural, was when I was 8 years old, when I begged my mother for my first relaxer. After telling me no several times and insisting that I didn’t need one, I insisted that I wanted “straight, pretty hair,” cried and pouted, and she got the box of Soft & Beautiful Just For Me and made me pretty. I haven’t looked back ever since, but does this make me unnatural, or unproud, or unbeautiful, or unstraightfromthemotherlandBlack?

I have been struggling with my hair since I remember, and not the can’t get the finger through my hair kind of struggle, but the perceptional struggle. The kind of struggle that plagues the minds of young girls who feel inferior to their “prettier” counterparts with “prettier” hair. I wanted long hair, straight hair, and I wanted the kind of hair that blew in the wind when I played, like the White kids in those commercials that would fall in the grass and laugh as their mommy tickled them. That kind of hair. But my mom wouldn’t go further than a relaxer. I didn’t weave my hair until I was old enough to know what it really was. I was 15 when I got my first weave, 15 when I got my first color, 15 when I bought my first foundation at the drug store, and I was 15 when I finally felt as pretty as the Puerto Rican girl who sat next to me in History that all the boys liked. But that was 5 years ago, and with my short hair and natural color, I feel prettier now.

I recently told my friends and my family that I would be going natural, and they all pretty much thought I would be growing an afro and wearing tribal inspired jewelry. I told them no. My perception of natural is me no longer weaving my hair, because even though I chopped off a vast majority of it, I still would put pieces in the front to make it thicker. I still will relax it, but I will no longer stress and my hair with all the glue and weave. But even that, to me, doesn’t capture the true essence of what it means to be natural.

It is when you are so comfortable with who you are, as a person, and don’t feel like the make-up and the weaves, and the clothes make you pretty. It takes a certain amount of substance and confidence to be comfortable natural. The “sweat pants, hair tied, chillin’ with no make-up on” kind of natural. To feel the need to down play another person’s perception of beauty is whack to me. It just hit you that you’re actually beautiful, beyond all the dramatics, so please spare me. And #shouts to all my sisters that were natural, before natural was the new Black:

It’s not the texture of these women hair, its their level of comfortableness with themselves and their talent. The unwillingness to conform in an effort to get ahead, staying true to them selves and their message.

It looks like Hollywood has caught drift of a new trend, and it’s actually surprising! While all the 50-something year old’s are running to the salon to touch up their roots, in an effort to cover their ages, the younger stars are going gray!

Bold boss chicks, from Kelis, to Lady Gaga, to Kelly Osbourne have all been caught rocking the granny gray hair. And while “other” media sources are giving the trend setter credit to the Gaga and others, it’s a well known fact that Kelis was the first to start it.

First rocking her gray mullet back in January, starting first as a streak, she then dyed the whole head and rocked it everywhere from LAX, to the Data Awards, to the club. And while everyone denounced it at first, saying she was “weird,” now everyone is on it.

It wasn’t until after Kelis rocked it in early 2010, that the Gaga started rocking it early THIS month:

Girl, stop! Let’s give credit where credit is due, I’m tired of seeing blogs and fashion sites claiming Kelis is swagger jacking ANYBODY, when it’s obvious the current chicks on top is taking a page from her book. Or better yet, a page from her discography. It’s obvious she inspires, so let’s stop not giving her credit!

Tyra Banks announced late last year that she will be ending her high-rated Tyra Show. The talk show finally came to a conclusion yesterday, after 5 seasons:

Here is the final goodbye that was written on her website on Thursday, the day before the final episode:

It’s our final bow.

It’s been an incredible ride, but the time has come to say goodbye. With five seasons and two Emmys under our belt, the “Tyra Show” is proud to reflect — and look toward the future and say thank you to the people who made this incredible experience what it was: that’s you, our viewers. So join Tyra as she celebrates this amazing experience, discusses her plans for the future, and takes her final catwalk.

Many may speculate she ended her show because Oprah was ending her show, since shes even made it clear she is closely following in Lady O’s footsteps, but no one knows for sure. Whatever the reason, it ended. And the question now is, what does it really mean?

Through out all 5 seasons, Tyra has covered everything from groupies, to girl fights, to gay’s. I watched the show for the first 2 seasons, but became severely uninterested as the seasons and episodes progressed. The Tyra Show, in my very humble opinion, served as a “me too” outlet for the retired model. Constantly cutting of her guests to give her co-sign to their experience and her “oh my God, me too!” Tyra became a bit overwhelming. The straw on the camel’s back for me was when Tyra declared “National Real Hair Day”, in which I stated my opinion on that already. Forcing her personal choices and beliefs on people, and frowning on people who led a different lifestyle than the one she did, she came off as very self-obsessed, close minded, and judgemental.

Those 3 traits are blatant contradictions of a talk show host.  To invite people on your “coach” hoping that your warm, welcoming, sincere spirit will allow them to open up unlike before is what keeps ratings high for shows like Oprah, Ellen, and even Montell when he was still on. Her judgemental spirit, and obvious problem with people who were not like her was easy to see. The way she took advantage of people who did not have $20,000/month PR people backing them up rolling out a list of Do’s & Dont’s of interview questions, inviting people on her show just to bash them, it was a bit much.

I found out more about Tyra than her celebrity guests while watching her show! Her mother managing her, her spat with Naomi Campbell, Victoria’s Secret never asking her to lose weight, how “cheap” she is, her mother being a photographer, her failed relationship with an unnamed basketball player (girl, stop! #weknowwhoheis), then list goes on. I am scouring my brain to figure out what the purpose of her show was. Who was she entertaining? What was her demographic? Why keep it on for so long? Why stop now? What does the end of her show really mean to us? The viewer.

SPEAK ON IT.

Oh, for real? Well, New York State Senator Eric Adams of Brooklyn thinks so! He has launched a “Stop The Sag” campaign, which currently has six billboards up in Brooklyn and plans to erect more throughout the greater New York City area:

I think this campaign is imbecilic and simple-minded. The problem is with this society and politics at large, and this has been a consistent issue for eons now, they try to force personal beliefs upon a larger society. You see, when greater powers come together they try to influence the majority to sway their way, hoping that their minority opinions and positions of power can persuade people to think, breathe, and behave as them.

Now, I’m not defending this trend, I am defending individuality. As a pop culture influenced generation, we have more influences around us than the older generations did so we can afford to think and be different. Politics has a very missionary way of doing things, where we are more relaxed in our approaches, and especially in our style of dress. I think it is very much their business and choice of how they want to dress, not to mention campaigns such as this manipulates the very fiber this country was built on- freedom.

This campaign is super stupid, and these old heads need to just relax and let us young folk do what it do, ya dig?

I posted my very humble, but honest, opinion on my views about Vogue Black right here on this very blog, but I don’t think some people got it, so I decided to make a video of it and post it on YouTube:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ4niHn2RB0]

Check it out and let me know how you feel about what I said. Am I right? Or am I over reacting and need to respect what Vogue is doing?

Vogue Italia recently launched their new websites Vogue Black, Vogue Curvy and Vogue Talents. I’m guessing they didn’t do this out of the great appreciation of black beauty, but because they wanted the hounds to get off their back every time they conveniently forgot to support and promote images of original and diverse black beauty. On to the next one..

But what does these simultaneous launches really mean to us, as a people? Does it help with the perception of beauty and what it is? Or does it further divide blacks in fashion and gives reason for them not to include us in mainstream Vogue? I have mixed feelings about this. Anyone who knows me know I don’t like the whole separation of black movement. The “first black”, “youngest African-American”, etc., all of that separates us. And if Vogue Black is black 24/7, is Vogue white 24/7? Because people get so caught up in color that they forget that there other races in fashion that remain a minority: Asian, Hispanic, all of that.

And how does this uplift and empower us as a people? Because all I’m seeing is an immense amount of separation and future disclaimers. I see even less models of color getting spots in the print edition of Vogue than ever before. And a cover? Justfuggedaboutit! Vogue Black to me says “here, now don’t say I never gave you anything” or even “take this, now shut up and stop complaining”. There’s nothing uplifting or empowering about them “giving us our own outlet or avenue”. It’s demeaning and it’s an insult to our intelligence, it also manipulates the very fiber of what all of our heroes fought for. To be seen as an equal, not a stand out. Blacks in fashion, to me, has always been the elephant in the room. Everyone sees it, but no one chooses to acknowledge it. It’s an uncomfortable silence. Vogue Black gives reason for separation.

As for Vogue Curvy it’s the same as Vogue Black, reason for separation. Fashion has always had a very narrow perception of beauty, and all this does is further validate that. Here’s the write-up on each:

Vogue Curvy provides a glimpse into normal and plus-size beauty, with features on Crystal Renn, Christina Hendricks and America Ferrera.

Vogue Black provides insight on beauty of color, with a headline reading “Know Your ‘Fro” and profiles on Tyra Banks and Grace Jones.

I would be okay with this if it wasn’t aiming fire at my intellect. But give me a sec, this may take a while to grow on me. You can  check out Vogue Black and Vogue Curvy by clicking each. Also, check out Vogue Talents.

Crossing over from R&B to pop/techno (was she ever really R&B?)? Check. Cutting off all her hair, going from a bob to a crop? Check. Dressing crazy and rocking unheard of designers? Check. Using rock beats and slaying them with technically R&B vocals? Check. Since 1999 (when her Kaleidoscope album dropped) Kelis‘ style and sound has become synonymous with outright rebellion, edge, and color crazy. Her anomalous sense of fashion caught the attention of spectators and skeptics alike. No matter which side of the fence you were on, you couldn’t help but watch:

Whether her hair was big & curly, with every color of the rainbow, or whether it was the post-”Bossy” short cut, ranging in an assortment of colors, she was always 12 steps ahead of the game:

Can’t think of any Hollywood chickadee that has fearlessly toyed with as many looks as she has. Serving us her fair share of “WTF?!” moments, you have to respect her truculent unwillingness to not conform to what was of the moment or made good business sense at the time. And as far as her style game goes, everything Rihanna is, Kelis was first.

Whether it’s the exposed bra, the caged look, funky architecutre, mixing & matching fabrics, or layering colors that normally don’t go, her style has always been unapolegetically bold and eccentric. Being in a league of her own has been a good and a bad thing for the bad ass rockstar, IMO, Kelis was way ahead of her time. Everything that is being done, the type of music that is topping the charts, Kelis was always making (in collaboration with The Neptunes of course). She was swirving in & out of lanes while everyone was impatiently honking their horn, trying to get her slow down and look long enough so they could point her in a one-way lane. She wasn’t having it.

Kelis is one of the only people I credit for originality. In  a world where A&R exec’s, air tight PR teams and over-paid glam squad’s dictate who you are, how you look and how you conduct yourself, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle and buffle, and everything you promised yourself you would never do, you’re doing. Despite sub-par record sales, and pressure from her label(s) to do what black girls at the time were doing (R&B with a splash of Pop), she continued to be Kelis Rogers- born and raised in Harlem, never gon’ change.

So in celebration of her new single that she just dropped, “Acapella”, here’s an air toast to the original bad b*tch! Glad to have you back! You can check out her new single “Acapella” on her official site or here on YouTube, if her site link doesn’t work [that site has went down due to too much incoming traffic].

Before you, my whole life was acapella/now a symphony is the only song to sing