African American Beauty: Reconstructed

I came across this research paper by a student from Georgia State University (2004) entitled Emulated through Images: The Globalization of Misconstructed African American Beauty and Hip-Hop Culture.

The abstract below gives an overview of the what the paper is all about:
From news coverage to entertainment, the media shapes, reflects, reinforces and defines the world in which we live. In publishing, theatre, films, television and popular music--industries largely controlled by white men--Blacks continually struggle for both a voice and representation. Many scholars write about the stereotyping of Blacks in the media (Meyers, 1999; Davis, 1989). Light skinned Black women with classic European features predominate in beauty pageants, music videos, and in the world of modeling. It is with respect to the world of modeling and music that this discussion will examine the globalization and commodification of Black female beauty. I will examine the historical creation of Black beauty in the United States and Europe and how theses misconstructed images play out globally.

It's kind of long but a good read. How do we reconstruct our own beauty within the context of the greater society in which we live? How do we grow to feel comfortable in our skin and celebrate our sexuality without conforming to or perpetuating pre-existing stereotypes about the oversexed Black woman? It's complicated but an open and honest discussion is the best way to start. Check out the paper over here.

African American Beauty contestants from 1949 supported by a local pie shop

2008 Natural Beauty Contest from ymib

Hair Envy.... :-(

Hey ya'll! This past weekend was awesome! I think I got some great shots of the 100th birthday party so I will post about that a little later.

But something else that has been on my mind for quite a while lately and that is hair envy. You know what I mean. I have been reading different forums and blogs about natural hair and from time to time I run across a comment that makes my skin crawl. One in particular was from a young lady speaking in reference to the hair of another woman whose texture was significantly looser than her own. I don't really do the hair typing thing but let's just say the fotki owner was probably a 3-something texture and the comment came from a 4b-ish textured reader. I guess that's about the difference between being curly and kinky. Both women had lovely hair. But "4b" said, "Oh your hair is so lovely, I wish I had that texture". Ok, so maybe that's not the end of the world as we know it. But it was surprising to read in plain English right there on the girl's comments section. Maybe if she had said, "Oh your hair is lovey, great texture!" or "Oh your hair is lovely, beautiful definition!" or something like that it would not have bothered me so much. But that fact that one woman wished her natural hair was like the hair of another woman made me wonder how comfortable she really is with herself. I think many of us choose to go natural because we are tired of fighting ourselves and we want to re-discover our natural beauty. In a society that does not tend to accept or hail us as being beautiful, it is up to us to reclaim that for ourselves. I don't know if she really meant to say what she said but I wonder how much she longs for straighter hair or lighter skin or whatever else that is not her idea of beautiful.

This was not the first time I have come across this type of comment. Some people talk about how they want their hair to mimic Tracee Ellis Ross's hair (when it is CLEARLY a different texture than their own) or they want to know which products will loosen the curl. I guess at the end of the day each woman has to make peace with what she's got and she must choose the styles/products that work for her. And I don't have the tightest curl pattern so I cannot judge those who have been socially conditioned to think negatively about their extremely kinky hair. We all have been made to think that way to an extent but I understand that this issue might be more sensitive for some than others. We all have color/texture issues to overcome and we are all at different points on this journey to natural hair and self acceptance. There are so many beautiful textures out there, why should we continue to classify and rate and compare?

Look at all these awesome textures!!!

They are all different but they are all beautiful! Remember, it's one thing to ADMIRE but it's another to ENVY or secretly desire something you can never have because you have been made to believe it is better. Doesn't that sound familiar???

What do you all think? How easy was it for you to accept your texture? Did you struggle or secretly wish to have a different texture? If so, how did you get over those feelings? What would you say to someone with your texture going through the same thing? On the other side, have you ever been made to feel guilty or not part of the natural hair community because your hair is loosely curly or wavy?
I ask not to judge but to see how other people view this subject. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Celebrating a Centenarian!

This weekend I am traveling to Nashville, TN (which is where I was born!) to visit a second cousin of mine. We will be celebrating her 100th birthday! Yes I said 100! It's pretty amazing. She is of sound body and mind and will be surrounded by friends and family from all over the southeast. The next best part about getting to see her is taking my 88 year old grandmother. When I stop and think about all they have seen in their lives I am overwhelmed. The world has changed dramatically and so many things have happened that they probably thought they would never see like a Black president! It looks like they are not alone since so many people are living longer these days.

I thought this was interesting:


I hope to get some great pics so I will post when we return. Have a great weekend ya'll and take some time to celebrate life! Peace.

Royal Jelly...A Trial

I hate to say it folks but pure Shea butter breaks out my face! I have given it a few weeks to make sure it was really the culprit of the tiny bumps and whiteheads I have noticed popping up on my left cheek and forehead. I never get pimples except for every few months around that special time. :D I'm sad about it because I really like the idea of using one single product for my face and it's cheap considering such a small amount goes a long way. So....I have discontinued the use of Shea butter on my face and have decided to try a different approach.

I have used Burt's Bees products before and one day while in CVS I saw an end cap with a few of their cosmetic items. I was looking specifically for a night cream and decided to give the Radiance Night Cream with Royal Jelly a try. I have used it for a few nights now and I have to say, it's not like anything I have ever used before. The scent is light and the cream is more of a thick, opalescent fluid. It's slick between the fingers but massages into my skin nicely. When I wake up my face looks dewy but not greasy. And so far so good with the bumps! The ones I had a going away and I have not seen any new ones pop up.

A Burt's Bees description:
While you sleep, nourishing Royal Jelly naturally replenishes your delicate facial skin with essential amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins and key minerals. Almond oil deeply moisturizes while rosemary and pine tree extracts stimulate skin for an invigorating overnight treatment.

Also:

Royal jelly, a not-yet-household name product in the United States, is widely used in Europe where it is known for its ability to enhance skin texture and smoothness, and for its contributions to longevity. In a German medical report, Royal Jelly in Dermatological Cosmetics, Hans Weitgasser, M.D., writes that royal jelly, added to face masks, creams, and lotions, softens the skin, causing fine lines and wrinkles to disappear. "Through local application, as an ingredient in face masks, creams, and lotions, royal jelly has tremendous effects at the cellular level. In regular use, the skin becomes soft and wrinkles disappear. When royal jelly is used topically as a salve on skin damaged by the effects of radium treatment (radiation), the skin heals rapidly and symptoms disappear.
From: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FKA/is_n5_v59/ai_19357253

Apparently, royal jelly has been used for centuries with many great benefits. Here are some cool sites to check out regarding this wonder substance.

Pure Royal Jelly
Royal jelly: uncovering a nutritional treasuretrove
What's All the Buzz ABout Royal Jelly?
Diet and Health

A new Dora?

I saw this on Latina.com and thought I would share. It looks like little Dora the Explorer is growing up and now she has a newer, more mature (like 10 yrs old!) image. Her hair has grown out and her legs are shapely. She is sporting the typical girly look of the day with leggings and ballet slippers that can be seen in stores aimed at little girls like Limited Too or Gap Kids. Nickelodeon does not plan on changing the show, this new image will be used for a line of dolls as part of the Dora Explorer Girls line. Apparently there has been some backlash from parents over Dora's new look. Some think the look is too grown up and over-sexualized while others think she is cute. She is definitely slimmer and more dainty looking. She is also looks very typically feminine in the color and detailing of her ensemble as opposed to the tomboyish appearance of the the younger version with the backpack and sneakers (which I think would work better for exploring than pearls and flats but that's just me). What do you all think? Is she suitable for tweenage consumption or does she perpetuate society's ideals about female beauty?

Essence on Wedding Hair

Essence online has posted some pics of wedding hair styles. Oddly enough (and I say oddly only because I usually don't see this much on Essence.com) many of the styles are done on curly, natural hair. I know many natural ladies who were used to wearing their hair straight for special occasions are now stumped as to what to do for a more formal look. There are so many options, it just takes a bit of creativity and patience, and you have to be willing to shift your thinking in terms of what is deemed beautiful, sexy, formal, sophisticated, etc. The pic above just looks like some kind of rod set or maybe a twist out. Easy!


This one reminds me of an awesome updo tutorial from the amazing curlychronicles ( I love her vids!!!) on You Tube.


And this one is cute too.

Of course, this model has a looser texture but the style could be replicated with a curly fro or a Curly Nikki Twist-N-Curl-inspired 'do. Either way, I think one thing these pics have in common are the cute accessories. There's nothing like a great sparkly headband or a cute flower to set off a look. Natural hair is so beautiful in its own right, a simple clip or blossom is all you need.

So, what do you ladies do to jazz it up for a special occasion? I'm always looking for new styling ideas and who better to ask than you!

J. Hud on Love

This is not really a review, just a quick mention! I heard this song on Jennifer Hudson's album around the holidays and thought it was nice but then totally forgot about it (the CD is my mom's not mine and I only listened once). So when I heard it on the radio tonight coming home from dinner I remembered how much I like it. I don't watch too much tv so this You Tube vid was the first time I have seen the actual video. She looks great and sounds nice too!

BeautifulBrwnBabyDol!!

If you're like me you spend a good amount of time digging through You Tube videos to see what other naturals are doing and saying. One day while I was checking out one of my favorite You Tube gals I came across BeautifulBrwnBabyDol's channel. This lady is fabulous! I love the way she talks and I love her personality. Many of her videos are about her own natural hair journey while others focus on her amazing weight loss!! This girl lost an incredible amount of weight all on her own using workout DVDs and by changing her diet. She is really positive and opinionated and I just enjoy watching her vids.

Check out her channel and her Fotki where you can see her step-by-step pictorial of her two-strand twist extensions.

I tried to do these myself before I decided on getting them done but I failed!! Now that I've seen someone do it in person I have a better idea of how I to do it myself. If you're thinking about getting some I suggest watching her how-to video and give it a try first.

Here is her two-strand twist extension tutorial video:

Coconut Cake & Afro Twists... an Update

Hey guys! Random ALERT: I LOVE coconut cake! There was some on the counter when I got home from internship today and I killed it. :)

I just wanted to say that I have had these Afro twists for a week and 2 days...and so far I LOVE them! It has been so cool to just get up and go without having to untwist, fluff, flounce, pick, wet or otherwise mess with my hair. I have not posted anything in the past few days because I have been so busy with school. This is my first real moment of "down time" I've had in a week.

So far I have washed them once. When the ladies twisted my hair, they put something on my scalp as they twisted. I could not see it but if my nose was correct I would say it was Let's Jam - you know, the slick gelatinous styling gel that is not really meant to go on your scalp! By the end of the week my scalp was done! To wash, I put my twists into ponytails, about 5 or 6 all over. The hope was I could get at my scalp without getting all the hair totally wet. I used a color applicator bottle to apply diluted shampoo and warm water to my scalp and I massaged it for a few minutes.

Then, I rinsed in the kitchen using the sprayer, again trying to get my scalp only. After I was done, I towel dried the hair that got wet and I used a blow dryer with a diffuser on cool to help dry the rest. I lightly applied some coconut oil to my scalp and braid spray/Infusium to the hair. Pretty easy! Now, they lay better and the ends are more curly. So far so good!

Afro Twists to the Rescue!!!

Hey guys! I hope your Sunday is going well, mine is rainy and gray! I posted last week about being tired of messing with my hair and needing a break. So on Wednesday, I went to G-boro to get some Afro twists. It took about four hours in total, there were two people working on me at once. I think they did a good job and they did not braid too tight. The base of each twist is a braid and then they began the actual twist part. The ends were left loose as opposed to twisting all the way down. The hair they used is from the Nafy collection and I think it is just Black. She made them about the length of my hair so I think it looks pretty natural, for the most part. To prep, I washed, conditioned/detangled, used KC Knot Today as a leave in, applied Sweet Almond oil to scalp and hair, then lightly blow dried my hair so they wouldn't have to rip through it as they parted. I think that worked pretty well and I did not lose much hair during the twisting process. I would definitely advise this to anyone thinking about getting any kind of extensions considering how they went through my hair obviously not caring about being gentle (at least not the kind of gentle my hair is used to getting from ME). The lady used a rat tail comb to section and 'detangle' any snarls she came to and she started from the root first (Aghhh :-/)! Luckily she did not have much 'detangling' to do so although I cringed as I watched her do it she did not seem to wreak much havoc.
Here is the finished product!

They did this diamond pattern all over my head which I suppose made the twists lay better:


Some back shots:


And the sides:



And this is my in my boyfriend's bathroom trying to get a shot in the mirror, lol.


So far I like them. I am definitely looking forward to a few months of no styling. I plan to wash my scalp as needed with a diluted shampoo and use Infusium/braid spray to mist the hair every few days or so as recommended on GrowAfroHairLong.com. I will use a light oil like Sweet Almond sparingly on my scalp if I feel that is needed too. My friend says these look better as they get older so I look forward to seeing what they will be in a month!

Sunday thoughts...

I always wake up on Sunday mornings and think about, among other things, church. It's just habit. I don't go to any particular church and I am not religious. Because I live with my grandmother, a devout presbyterian woman, usually the idea of church comes up at least once a week as she is constantly coordinating her rides to and from on Sundays as well as any event she'd like to attend during the week. My mother grew up going to a Presbyterian church in TN with my grandparents, but when we moved her to NC she really did not make it such a habit, a fact which I KNOW she laments. She feels like it is best to raise children in the church because it gives them a positive place to belong and grow. I think it bothers her that I do not go and I do not consider myself Christian. I had what we will cal an 'interesting' experience with a church a few years back that changed the way I will look at religion forever. It was not all bad, but it was not all good either. Since then, I have gone from being 100% sold out for Christ to being almost 100% comfortable with the fact that I don't know if God exists, although I don't rule it out. I mean, I think life is so complicated beyond what I can know or understand and I don't want to follow any religion simply because 'I grew up that way' or 'I should'.

And apparently, I'm not alone in this country. In a recent survey apparently many Americans, in growing numbers, are declining to refer to themselves as Christians. Many people are no longer claiming to belong to any type of religious faith.

The survey showed that the number of Americans who call themselves Christians had fallen to 76 per cent of the population - compared to 86 per cent in 1990.

The survey showed that the number of Americans who call themselves Christians had fallen to 76 per cent of the population - compared to 86 per cent in 1990.

Those describing themselves as generically "Protestant" dropped to 5 million, from 17 million nine years ago.

Mr Silk conceded that many of these people had probably given up religion altogether.

Indeed, the only area to witness a sharp rise in every US state pertained to those respondents who said they have no religion at all.

I don't know what the cause or reason behind this is, and the study did not offer any suggestions either. My boyfriend sometimes goes to a church in the area, and though I will go with him whenever he asks, I will probably never join. Not just his church, any church. While I enjoy looking at the role religion plays in different cultures, I can honestly say it is not for me, at least for now. What do you all think about the decline in religious people in the US? What could be behind this shift? Do you think it is good or bad? Does it really matter for us as a country? I know religion and politics are touchy subjects for most, but I enjoy talking to people about both of them and would love to hear your thoughts!

Excerpt taken from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4965093/Americans-abandoning-religion-as-number-of-non-believers-climbs-to-15-per-cent.html

Happy Friday! (the 13th!!!!)

How many of you are freaked out by Friday the 13th ?? I don't know....but I always tease my brother because he was born on a Friday 13th!

Click here to read 5 facts about this date. I like number 2 although I have never paid much attention when I'm at those places.

Que Pare La Violencia!

Stop the violence! That's how I feel about what is going on in Mexico right now. Yes, there is violence everywhere but I ran across this article on Latina.com that made my stomach knot.

So many people are being kidnapped, beheaded, raped and only God knows what else along the southern border of the US and in Mexico. Cartel members are becoming increasingly violent and many are suffering. What used to be thought of as just a Mexico problem is becoming a US problem with craziness like 'Rape Trees' popping up in places like Arizona. Apparently, these cartel members are raping women under these trees then 'decorating' them with their victims' undergarments as a way to commemorate the event. This is infuriating and scary!

A few weeks ago I watched Bordertown, a 2007 film featuring Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas, which attempted to shed light on the brutal rapes and murders of women in the Mexican city of Juarez. These killings have been going on for more than a decade and the police have yet to find the murderers. These young women are genrally poor. This is an excerpt from an article explaining the situation:
"The problem has grown beyond the serial murders. In the past decade, more than 300 women have been killed in Juarez. Every type of homicide against women is common in the city, especially domestic and drug-related killings."

The violence not only affects women: "Juarez is headquarters to a major drug cartel, with its attendant violence and lawlessness. For every one woman killed in Juarez, four men die violently," Burnett says.

Lastly, and I wish I had known this before, February 14th is V-Day, a campaign to raise awareness and funds for charities looking to prevent violence against women. One V-Day event was a worldwide march where thousands of people around the world joined to raise money for the Juarez victims' families. This is an amazing movement to help women around the world be liberated from violence and fear.

Next V-Day I'll be ready to help. If you are interested, click here to find out how you can too.

***Queens***

How often do we get to learn about African queens? I liked this video and though I would share it with all you queens! Enjoy!

I Neeeeeed a Hair BREAK!!!!

This is how I feel :(

Hey guys! I am on spring break from UNC (yeah!!!) but I still have to go to my internship site three days a week. The past few weeks I have been feeling torn about my hair. As happy as I am about the growth I've seen in the last two years, I seem to get noticeably anxious about it as the weekends approach. This semester has been crazy hectic with presentations, papers, hundreds of pages of reading, etc. So the idea of spending a few hours each weekend on my hair (not to mention the physical labor of detangling and twisting all this stuff) makes me panic since I have plenty I could (read SHOULD) be doing instead. Sometimes I put my hair off until Sunday afternoon then it doesn't dry before I hit the sack. If I add a workout on Saturday at 9am on top of that then my whole Saturday is shot until that evening (sorry I'm whining I just want to paint a picture of what has lead me to my latest hair decision). Sooooo....I have decided to give myself (and my hair) a much needed break until school ends. My good friend has been going to a lady in Greensboro to get her hair twisted and it looks so cute! They are not kinky twists but they are called Afro twists. Here is the closest picture I could find to what they look like:
Sorry the words are covering her face. By the way, is she not gorgeous?!?!!!!

Anyhoo... I love these because they are funky and look more natural to me than kinky twists. My friend's hair always looks great so I have decided to take the plunge and go for it. My appointment is Wednesday so I will try to post some pics when I get back. Like I said, my friend has had them more than once and she said her edges are always fine when she takes them out. Hopefully, this will eliminate one thing from my plate so I can focus on school work and exercising on the weekends ! Have any of you lovely ladies had these before? If so, what do you think? Is there anything you think I should ask the stylist while I'm there?

David Banner Defends Himself...

So apparently Mr. Banner ruffled a few feathers at South Carolina University when he made a comment about black women and natural hair. So much so, he agreed to do an interview with Essence.com to clear up some of what he said:

During a speech at South Carolina University, Banner reportedly said: "Perming your hair is a clear example of Black-on-Black crime and media control."

As Black people we gave up our power for control and how we teach our kids. So the point I was trying to make is that many of our grandparents permed their hair as well as their children's for acceptance in society or even to get a job. When I made the statement, I made sure to say that this might not be the reason why many of our women relax their hair today, but I was sharing and explaining the history of relaxing hair. In short, I really don't care what Black women do with their hair. I love Black women, period.

On hair issues in music videos:
As far as the type of women I feature in my videos, I'd have to say that if more sisters with locks or short naturals showed up to casting then most certainly I'd be the first to cast them. One thing I've always done is make sure that there are dark-skinned women in my videos because I believe they are always underrepresented.

Interesting...

My Blow-Out Two-Strand Twist Update!

Hey guys! Hope you had a great Wednesday. I had a interesting hair day today and thought I would share. I took my twists out on Tuesday and was pretty pleased with the outcome. My hair looked about 6 inches longer than it normally does and I realized how much I've missed having long hair.


Here are some more pictures of this morning before I left for class:



And here is where it gets interesting. By the end of the day the waviness I had in the front had fallen out and the back was a little puffy. That was cool. My hair used to always 'swell' when it was long before so that by the end of the day each chunky twist-out piece was swollen. I like that look too so it doesn't bother me and I don't try to prevent it.
So, around 4:30 I went to the gym to do a weight lifting class. I normally don't wear my hair out to the gym when I do Body Step, my aerobic step class, because of the humidity in the room. Since I was just going to lift, I did not anticipate it would be a problem at all so I just went straight from UNC. Well...I noticed about halfway through the hour-long class my hair appeared to be growing. The class is in a big room surrounded by mirrors on 3 sides. I was in the back row but I could see my hair above everybody else in the mirror, even though I couldn't see my face! I guess the room was more humid that I thought it would be, silly me. By the end of the class this is what I was left with:




Each hair was totally separated creating this poofy look! Ah well, it's cool. I know better for next time. I just thought it was funny that by the end of Pump class I had hair all in my face. It was like a cottony halo! So now I am sitting here back in two-strand twists in an attempt to reset for tomorrow. I sprayed each section with Aussie Hair Insurance Leave-In conditioner and re-twisted so I anticipate a somewhat defined twist-out in the A.M.
So that brings me to you...what do you ladies do when you work out?? Do you twist or pin up in a certain way? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Not Christina too!!!!

I knew I should have just gone to bed. But no, I had to check out Latina.com and what did I find??? This atrocity. Why? When? Huh??? I don't even have the energy to go there tonight...

Ja Ja Jordin!

Tee hee...I really like Jordin Sparks and I'm glad she's working on her sophomore album. I think she's cute and has a good voice. I tend to really like melodic poppy tunes and she delivers tons of that. I also like that she is a good role model, both for body image and her beliefs about abstinence (not that it's for everybody but it never hurt anybody either, especially teenagers!). As a school counselor in the making, I really like seeing girls like her in the media.
Here's her new song Fearless:


And here's another clip of a song off her new album called Walking on Snow:

Essence on Black Hair History

***UPDATE***

Hello Lovelies! I am updating this post for two reasons. First, I regrettably did not give credit for the lovely photo below which comes from http://www.madamewalker.net/ , a website dedicated to preserving the legacy of Madam CJ Walker. In addition, they sell their own line of hair care products which include oils, hair dresses, and creams. There is a ton of great info about the late Ms. Walker so head on over and check them out!

****************************************************************************

Essence.com has decided to take a walk down hair history lane by profiling some key events in Black hair history. I always love when things like this include Madame C.J. Walker because it shows the juxtaposition between her amazing success as a Black entrepreneur in those times as well as her products which urged Black women to "fix" their hair. Such complex history we carry on our heads! There are many neat pictures and informative snippets. So, click here to take a look for yourself. What do you think? Oh..and don't forget to read the comments people have left. In some ways, that is actually more interesting than the slide show itself!

New Do...

Hey guys! So I have been really bored with my hair lately. I told myself I would leave my hands out of it, wear it up for a while, but I'm already sick of that! With me being so busy with school, I need something where I am not always messing with it during the week. I have been thinking about getting twist extensions so my hair can just be without me having to worry about it every weekend, at least for a while. I figure I might get some nice growth out of it too. So today when I did my hair I decided to style it a little differently. It's still in two-strand twists but I blew it out first. I have not used that kind of heat on my hair in 2 years! I was a little nervous but I did small sections at a time on medium heat ( I wasn't trying to straighten, just stretch a little) and I think everything is ok.

Here is what I did:

1. Washed with Giovanni 50/50 shampoo
2. Conditioned/detangled with Aussie Moist conditioner
3. Twisted into big sections
3. Rinsed out the conditioner, applied Pantene R&N mask to twists
4. Put on shower cap then bonnet and went to sleep
5. This a.m. I sat under my hooded dryer for 30 min. Rinsed the mask with cool water. Poured ACV/water mix over twists (I left this in)
6. Moisturized each section with a Shea butter/oil whip I made
7. Blow dried hair in small sections and twisted

I took some pictures so you all could see what I ended up with. I am pretty pleased for now! Oh.. and don't mind the dates on some of them, my mom's date counter thingy needs to be reset!

So here is a shot from November 2007 just to show length comparison. This was a coil-out and I probably had 3-5 inches of hair.

And this is now when I have conditioner in my hair (for detangling) and when my hair is wet after washing:


And this is a random braidout with the front pinned back but it's recent:

This is what my two-stranders usually look like if I use shea butter or some other moisturizer:


And here is me today with my blown-out stretched two-strand twists!!!! I really like it. I have no idea what it will look like when I take it down so I will try to get pics of that to post as well in a few days.


I hate that I like it because I don't want to start using heat again. Maybe I will do this every once in a while to see growth progression and have a change. I am still contemplating getting some kind of braids/twists so I can spend less time on hair and more time on school work (only 4 months to go, whoo hoo!) We'll see :)