So, I changed the theme of fcg again because I just realized you can’t see the other pages on the site with the other theme…
In other news, I have a new blog, Mission: Fabulosity. You’ll have to check it out to see what it’s all about! (hey, that rhymes)
Nicole, from America's Next Top Model, being transformed
As many of you Top Model fans know, on the latest episode, the girls were made to look bi-racial in a photo shoot conducted by Tyra. This is just weeks after an Australian variety show featured white performers wearing blackface to perform as the Jackson brothers and a white model was photographed in blackface for French Vogue.
Historically, the black face minstrel act was a very popular way to entertain during the 19th-century- it was a very racist portrayal of black people.
And according to National Public Radio’s website, the audience for those performances were mainly working-class whites; initally, however, the blackface character was a “smart and sympathetic one. But as time went on, the minstrel show took on a more racist tone.”
When I first heard about the episode, my first thought was, she’s already done this before (back in Seasons 4). I don’t remember it being so controversial. Should it have been? Is it different when Tyra Banks does black (or East Indian or Morrocoan-face) because she is black? Is blackface ever okay?
As a black woman, I might be biased and think that since Tyra did it, it’s okay because she is black. (Like some black people feel another black friend can call them the ‘n’ word, but not a friend of another race; or some women feel it’s okay if another female friends calls her a ‘b***h, but not a man.) I honestly don’t know how I feel about it because I haven’t really given it much thought until this month. On the one hand, I’m thinking, no, it’s not okay under any circumstances because you’re depicting another race. On the other hand, I’m kind of like, well, if it’s artistic and tasteful with no racist undertones, is it okay, or is it still racist because you’ve put on makeup to look like someone of another ethnicity?
What do you guys think?
Sources: (photo, too) ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Creates Stir After ‘Bi-Racial’ Photo Shoot, The Legacy of Blackface.
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Jamie
If you haven’t heard, on 60 Minutes, Tyler Perry said he was “insulted” and “pissed off” by Spike Lee’s criticism of his shows and movies. Spike recently called Perry’s characters examples of “coonery” and “buffoonery”
“I would love to read that [criticism] to my fan base,” Perry told 60 Minutes correspondent Byron Pitts. “All these characters of mine are bait, bait to get people talking about God, love, family, and faith.”
“That pisses me off. It is so insulting,” said Perry, who also spoke movingly about the childhood beatings he said he and his mother suffered at the hands of his father.
I’d love to know your thoughts…
Source: www.ew.com
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Jamie
Described as ‘Sex in the City’ meets ‘Girlfriends’, Afro City is a webisode series scheduled to hit the Web this fall. The show, created by singer and actress Rhonda Ray, is about Jazzman Love, a singer, and her three best friends/back-up singers. Afro City follows the women as they share their lives, setbacks and voices while navigating the city of Los Angeles.
Having been natural for about eight years, Ray created “Afro City” to show the world that African-American women are beautiful with their natural Afro hair without conforming to society’s standard of beauty.
“I wanted to bring beautiful images and lifestyles to the screen that people aren’t use to seeing everyday in the media,” Ray says. “’Afro City’ is a place where art, music, fashion and friends meet.”
The introductory trailer is currently available, and Ray says the response has been great so far. They have shot the first season which consists of 10 mini episodes, and another season could be in the works if there are enough funds and sponsors.
Ray would ultimately love to develop the show into a series for network or cable TV like “Sex in the City.” She’s also working on a one-woman show about natural hair.
“I can’t wait to bring that project to local stages,” she says. “If I could one day bring it to a Broadway stage, that would be awesome.”
Check out the “Afro City” trailer at www.afrocitytv.com.
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Jamie
According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2007, 25.9 percent of wives were earning significantly more than their spouses in homes where both spouses work. Twenty years ago, it was only 17.8 percent .
And employment data from Jan. 2008-Jan.2009 shows that layoffs have hit male-dominated fields harder which has caused more men to be unemployed- in September, the unemployment rate for adult men was 10.3 percent compared with 7.8 percent for women.
Regardless of challenges, both men and women seem to gotten used to the idea. In a survey performed for “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything” project, 65.3 percent of women and 61.2 percent of men strongly agreed with the idea that they are comfortable with women making more than men in a household.
“The fact that women are working and women are breadwinners is something that both men and women are accepting,” said Boushey, who was involved in the A Woman’s Nation project. “They’re just struggling with how to deal with it.”
Here’s what some of my Facebook friends had to say (the questions were, in essence, fellas, do you care if your spouse/significant other earns more & ladies, do you require your spouse to make more or does it matter)?
Cordaro- “It really doesn’t matter because if you two have a good relationship then money isn’t the issue. Whatever I have it belongs to her as well and same for her…”
Brittany- ”I don’t think it’s that big of a deal as long as the guy isn’t being a complete freeloader and is bringing something to the table. I think our society is past the whole the man is the breadwinner mentality. The quality of the relationship is what is most important, not how much money is made. People should just live within their means and not beyond them.”
Angela- ”It isn’t the amount you make, but what you do with it! In my case it is All going in ONE account. Looks real good together…”
Cheris- ”I do not require it. However, I won’t lie, it’s always nice. But definitely not a prerequisite. And is not a big deal if I make more as long as he’s responsible w/his money.”
Jessica- “It doesn’t matter to me as long as he doesn’t let it affect how he feels as a man. If he’s going to resent me for earning more money, then he needs to get another job. I’m not taking a pay-cut or leave my job so that he can feel like “a man”. I think it’s also important that if you are a woman who makes more than your man to NOT throw it in his face. Men don’t have to be the sole bread winners if they feel useful and appreciated.”
Shawn- ”I personally dont think its a problem, but i wouldn’t live off what she makes.”
Emmanuel – “It shouldn’t be a problem…of course any of us brothas would like to be the breadwinner in the family (blame it on our male ego/pride), but realistically, that’s not always the case. When you’re in a marriage it’s about cooperation…no matter who makes the most, as long as y’all are both doing your best to bring in $$ and apply it accordingly to the household, it should be gravy from there. I agree w/ [Jessica] though–don’t throw your “financial superiority” in our faces…a woman scorned is a terrible thing, but a man w/ a bruised ego is a close second, LOL.
Odinaka- Am I wrong for thinking that if my woman makes more than me it’s a win?
Laaa la la la, wait til I get my budget right!
I really like replacing the words to that Kanye song whenever possible– even if it’s only for a tangent. If we got our budget right and respect and love each other, everything else should fall in place. Nobody likes not having money and there’s a certain dignity that comes with having your own… for anybody. So treating the person that makes less with just as much dignity is of the utmost importance. Easier said than done of course. Cuz, you know, if you make more than me and want me to pay certain bills that I think you are in a better position to afford (or vice versa), an argument is probably around the corner, which is where that well-discussed budget should come in.
Karla- “If I made more money than my spouse, I will sing like Drake : “ I got money to BLOW!”; and yes I will blow it right in a man’s face, especially if he makes less than I do and has the nerve to be insecure about it. Go get your money up, and stop being all emotional about it. A man with a bruised ego is usually a man with a poor work ethic or no bank account. Respect is allowing a person to offer their thoughts and feelings without interruption, but whoever is banking more gets more respect, so if I make less, I need to keep my mouth closed about the majority of the fiancial issues and vice versa. How dare you make less and think you have a right to put your two cents in? How about you put your two sense in at work and get a raise?
Im just jokin,lol, I agree with what everyone said so far….I do agree with litle bit ( well the majority ) of what I stated also, lol.
Thoughts anyone?
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Jamie
At 5′10 and 120 pounds, Filippa Hamilton is a far cry from fat, but she says she was fired by Ralph Lauren for that very reason after eight years of working with him.
“They said I couldn’t fit in their clothes anymore,” Hamilton told TODAY. She said Lauren wrote a letter to her agent saying her services were terminated because she couldn’t fit into the sample clothes she needed to wear.
Lauren, however, denied Hamilton’s claims.
“We consider her an important part of our imaging and branding,” the designer said in a statement to the media. “We regret that our relationship has ended as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with us.”
Hamilton told TODAY she was fired in April but didn’t intend to go public with her complaint. That changed when a photoshopped image of her in a Japanese mall popped up on the Web. The image also caused her to speak out on body image.
“It’s not a good example when you see this picture, every young woman is going to look at it and think that it is normal to look like that. It’s not,” she told Ann Curry. “I saw my face on this super-extremely skinny girl, which is not me. It makes me sad. It makes me think that Ralph Lauren wants to have this kind of image. It’s an American brand … and it’s not healthy, and it’s not right.”
Check out the full story here.
Photo from examiner.com.
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Jamie
If you’re a young black woman and played with Barbie as a kid, you probably had Christie who was basically Barbie painted black.
Luckily, Mattel has a new line of dolls called So In Style which features black dolls with fuller lips, more prominent cheek bones and wider noses. The older girls, Grace, Kara and Trichelle have their own style and a “little sister she mentors”- Courtney, Janessa and Kianna (gotta love those names lol). The dolls have three different skin tones and two have curlier hair.
The designer, Stacey McBride-Irby, said she wanted to make dolls for black girls that were inspirational and career-minded and that looked like them. Kara, for instance, likes music and math.
“I want them to see themselves within these dolls, and let them know that black is beautiful,” McBride-Irby said.
I think the dolls are a step in the right direction, but I would like to see black dolls with more shades and definitely some dolls with Afros and dreadlocs. But for the most part, I think they’re cool; I might get one myself! lol
Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkMjsj_May_yLYwWvIhtd1W3YlQAD9B72A000
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Jamie
In the Miss Plastic Hungary 2009 pageant, the beauties showed off their enhancements- nose jobs, breast omplants and face lifts. The purpose was to promote the advantages of plastic surgery because in Hungary, artificial enhancements aren’t exactly looked upon highly.
“I think this competition is long overdue,” said photographer Marton Szipal, one of the pageant judges. “Hungarians used to laugh about plastic surgery but it’s time for Hungarian women to care more about their appearance. They are the most beautiful in Europe.”
Check out the full story here.
(center, winner Reka Urban)
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Jamie
When people talk about domestic violence (DV), they usually focus on things women- statisitcs, what we can do, prevention, etc. However, I want to make it known that there are things men can do to help end violence against women. Feel free to pass this info on to the men in your life (from acalltomen.org):
For more info about how men can help the fight against DV, check out acalltomen.org.
