Tag Archives: black

The Soapbox: On Getting A Black “Bachelorette”

Shanelle MatthewsMarch 4, 2013 //
Race Discrimination
"The Bachelor" sued for racial discrimination. Read More »
Silly Diversity Ideas
What "The Bachelor" really needs is an A-cup or a freegan. Read More »
Guy Talk: Race
Why this guy dates outside his race. Read More »
Misee Harris

Pediatric dentist Dr. Misee Harris of Kentucky is petitioning to become the first ever Black “Bachelorette.” This prospect means a lot is surfacing for me regarding the harmful stereotypes reinforced by women of color on reality television. How would she be received? If she did get an opportunity to be on the show and chose a non-black man, what would the social implications of that be? But more than that, I feel disheartened because I know that this reality reflects how America feels about who deserves to be happy and who doesn’t. Keep reading »

7 Celebs Who Rock All Black (But Aren’t Goths)

Rachel KrauseOctober 12, 2011 //
Julia Restoin-Roitfeld photo
Carine Roitfeld photo
Angelina Jolie photo
Kate Hudson photo
Kate Moss photo
Leigh Lezark photo
Freja Beha photo
View the Gallery / 7 Photos »
Taste The Rainbow
Alternatively, here are 8 colorful, but monochromatic, celebs. 8 Photos »

As you can surmise from the outfit I wore yesterday, I love a good all-black look. I’m not ashamed to reveal that black is without a doubt the predominant color (neutral?) in my wardrobe. It is, of course, the consummate color (shade?) to wear — it’s chic, it slims, and it goes with anything and everything. Obviously I can’t be alone here. Celebs love it too!

Take, for example, the stunning Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. Julia is not only fashion royalty, but also a style standout in her own right. Not unlike her mother Carine Roitfeld (formerly of French Vogue), Julia is spotted in all black almost without fail, and she pulls it off with the aplomb of the insanely chic. Here she is brimming with swagger in the front row at Givenchy, rocking the hell out of one of her many monochromatic ensembles.

Today’s Lady News: NYC Abortion Billboard Targeting Black Women To Be Removed

Jessica WakemanFebruary 24, 2011 //

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Anti-Abortion Foes Target Blacks With “Dangerous Womb” Billboards

Jessica WakemanFebruary 23, 2011 //

The anti-abortion movement tries many tactics — guilt, misinformation, assuring women they’re smart and capable enough, more guilt — but one of the latest permutations has been framing abortion as a racial issue. Some anti-abortion activists are framing legal abortion as a way to deter black women‘s reproduction. The latest example is this billboard hanging in New York City’s highly trafficked SoHo neighborhood which reads, “The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb.” The billboard was posted by the Texas-based anti-abortion group, Life Always, The New York Times reports, conveniently timed for Black History Month. Keep reading »

Beyoncé In Blackface: What Do We Think?

Jessica WakemanFebruary 23, 2011 //

Beyoncé in blackface? I never thought those three words would be in the same sentence. But yes, Ms. Bootylicious has darkened her light skin and thrown a scarf over her head for a L’Officiel Paris campaign. Is Beyoncé trying to make a statement that dark black skin is beautiful? Is Beyoncé trying to make a statement that wearing a headscarf is beautiful? Is Beyoncé simply trying to be “provocative,” whatever that means? Who knows. Personally, I always wonder why ad campaigns or photo shoots that go the blackface route don’t just hire darker-skinned black models (instead of, say, Caucasian model Lara Stone). It’s all well and good to say “black is beautiful,” but if you’re not actually putting money in dark-skinned black models’ pockets, what’s the point? I am, however, just a white girl from Connecticut, so I’d be curious what Frisky readers think of Beyoncé in blackface. [BuzzFeed] Keep reading »

“The Dirty Girls Social Club” Author Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez Alleges Racist TV Adaptation Of Her Book

Jessica WakemanDecember 23, 2010 //

Most authors would die to see their book made into a movie or TV show. But not Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez — not anymore. The author of The Dirty Girls Social Club got ahold of a script based on her book and was shocked to see that: 1) all the black characters were removed and changed to be of other races, and 2) all the Latina characters are sexually promiscuous, even described as “sizzling.” Seeing The Dirty Girls Social Club adapted on TV, she said, now “holds zero appeal for me.”

“The Dirty Girls Social Club,” in development with NBC, will be written by Luisa Leschin for Ann Lopez’s Encanto Productions (also known as Ann Serrano, as she is splitting from comedian George Lopez). Over a year ago, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez optioned the rights for her book to Lopez, who, with Alisa’s help, got a development deal with NBC. But the script adaptation she covertly saw when a “no one” within the company leaked it to her was so racist, sexist and overall offensive that Alisa wrote on her blog today, “I’d rather no show get made than to have my name attached to Luisa’s bastardizations.” Keep reading »

The Black Baby Doll Project Puts Dollies In Hands Of Little Girls

Jessica WakemanDecember 8, 2010 //

One of the privileges I had as a little white girl was always having had toys that look like me. In fact, American Girl‘s brown-haired, brown-eyed Samantha Parkington doll looked almost exactly like me. Like little girls all around the world, I used to hold her, brush her hair, pretend she was my daughter and enjoy how beautiful she looked. That’s why I think The Black Baby Doll Project, which is in its 13th year, is so important. Sponsored by the Ida B. Wells Living Learning Community, a gateway program for first-year African-American students at Mary Baldwin College in Virginia, BBDP collects black baby dolls each year to gift to little girls so they have a toy who looks like them … Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: “Essence” Wedding Column Features Lesbian Couple For First Time Ever

Jessica WakemanOctober 13, 2010 //
  • Essence, an African-American women’s lifestyle magazine, is featuring lesbian couple Aisha and Danielle Moodie-Mills for the first time ever on the “Bridal Bliss” section of its website. “Essence.com aims to support and celebrate Black women in all their diversity,” said the magazine’s managing editor. [AfterEllen.com]
  • Carl Paladino, a candidate for New York governor, banned female reporters and photographers from covering an event at a conservative Hasidic Jewish synagogue in Brooklyn. Paladino said he was respecting the religious practices of the synagogue to keep the genders separate, but critics say that’s no excuse. “Would Paladino have agreed to appear at an event at which the organizers had said, OK, but no black reporters allowed?” asks blogger Patt Morrison. “No Latino journalists?” [Los Angeles Times]
  • Colorado Republican/Tea Party Senate candidate Ken Buck, a former district attorney, refused to prosecute a rape case in 2005 because he said the victim, who had been drunk during the assault, had a case of “buyer’s remorse.” Oh no, Ken Buck, you did not go there. [Feministing]
  • Allow me to self-promote: My article about the media policing Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan’s sexuality has been published in Extra, the magazine of media watchdog group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. [FAIR]

Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Howard University Misplaced Hattie McDaniel’s “Gone With The Wind” Oscar

Jessica WakemanMay 27, 2010 //
  • Howard University has admitted it lost the Oscar won by Hattie McDaniel for the 1939 film “Gone With The Wind.” Upon her death in 1952, McDaniel, who was the first black woman to win an Academy Award, bequeathed her statue to the HU drama department. [Essence]
  • Effective today, Indonesia’s conservative Islamic Aceh province has banned stores from selling tight clothes and distributed 20,000 long skirts to Muslim women. Women will receive a long skirt if they’re caught by Islamic police violating the no-tight-pants dress code. [AP]
  • Phillip Merling, defensive end for the Miami Dolphins, was arrested yesterday and charged with alleged aggravated battery on a pregnant woman. [USA Today]

Keep reading »

Goth Glorified? Antwerp Museum Pays Homage To Black Clothing

Leonora EpsteinMarch 31, 2010 //

Black is the whore of the fashion world. It gets passed around from group to group like nobody’s business. See: Mourners, too-chic for school chicks, little dresses, beatniks, Goths, robbers. A shared cultural and fashion phenomenon, the color (or non-color, if you’re really picky) definitely merits some analysis, which is what you get at Antwerp’s Mode Museum. In a new exhibition titled “Black: Masters of Black in Fashion and Costume”, the museum presents a historical look at black’s function through clothing from designers like Ann Demeulemeester, Givenchy, Chanel, and Gareth Pugh. It also gives consideration to how it’s been used throughout the years in texture, fur, and leather and lace (of course).

One thing we want to know: Do they have a section in there on Hot Topic? Because those kids definitely think they’re important (and hey, the goth look is coming back, or so we hear). [Cool Hunting] Keep reading »

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