Girls Do Run The World!
Big-up to the US women’s soccer team who rallied from behind to beat Brazil and played a nail-biter of a thriller this past weekend against Japan. Both teams showed heart, endurance and spirit throughout the competition. I’m not mad at Japan. If any one country could use an infusion of joy and excitement it would be Japan. And I love that a team of women, who were considered underdogs, were able to prove so many Read more...
Beyonce & The F-Word
Yes, Beyonce is fly, fierce, fabulous and famous, but is she a feminist? Last night on Piers Morgan Tonight, Beyonce chatted with the CNN talk show host about her new album, motherhood, marriage, turning 30 and being a diva. Wearing a lovely tangerine shift dress Beyonce did not utter the F-word, but she did edge close when she stated, “It is my job to empower women.” Hmmph, sounds a bit like feminist rhetoric to Read more...
Fashion Industry’s Problem With Black Girls
UPDATE (06.21.11): Vogue Italia Editor-in-Chief, Franca Sozzani, responds to recent claims that the Fashion Industry is racist. The title of her post, which was published yesterday, “Why It Is So Hard To Scout For Black Models?” never really gets answered. Instead Sozzani minimizes the allegations of racism by saying that the media has an unfortunate need to be controversial: “I feel sorry for being a journalist. I do understand that few of us do this Read more...
When Mother’s Day is Anything But Happy
I know Mother’s Day just passed and most of us were caught up in festivities of merriment with our moms and/ or our children. There were brunches and beautiful bunches of flowers and boxes of gooey chocolates all happily served-up in celebration of mothers. All day long though I couldn’t stop thinking about Lashanda Armstrong, the 25-year old single mom who, exactly a month ago today, drove her mini-van down a boat ramp Read more...
Celebrating bin Laden’s Murder?
After listening to countless reports on CNN last night and reading endless tweets about how “Obama killed Osama” I feel very conflicted. I’m not sad that bin Laden is dead, but I’m not celebrating either. My spirit is so very far from celebrating. Jubilant shouts of “USA, USA, USA” will surely morph right back into tea-partiers calling President Obama a “n*gger monkey” by week’s end. Now that the US Special Forces have dropped Osama’s Read more...
Happy 11th– Still Jill Scott Hot!
Yesterday, March 31st marked 11 years of Hotness… theHotness that is. As I sit here contemplating the future of this here blog, I suddenly remembered the beginning and what it felt like creating the very first issue of theHotness. The evening that I closed that issue and it was finally ready to “go out into the world” I felt exhilarated. I was filled with anxiety, stress, pride and eagerness. Because of my job Read more...
theHotness: Week In Review (03.05.11)
So this ends the first week of Women’s History Month. Yeah! And oh what a week it was. Tiger blood? The Oscars? Kim K’s god-awful Jam? Lil Kim’s face?
Let’s take it from the top: Already said to be the whitest Oscars in decades, The Academy Awards lived up to everyone’s expectation of homogeneity. I didn’t even bother to tune-in. I just wanted to see the dresses and the next morning Read more...
Bootylicious Blackface: Cool or Fool?
So Sasha Fierce is rocking the burnt cork, darky look in the March issue of French magazine, L’Officiel Paris and of course she’s got folks’ Vicky Secrets all tied-up in a knotty bunch. The photo—tribal markings, outfit and all—was styled in honor of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti. Personally, I found the photo spread more boring and in bad taste than offensive, but then again it’s gonna take a lot more than Fashion Read more...
Egypt is Free, But Not The Women?
A week ago today, after 18 days or rallying and protesting, Egyptians successfully won “liberation” and forced Mubarak to resign. The world saw both men and women on the front lines. In a country where women are marginalized, harassed and openly discriminated against, it was hugely empowering to see women– veiled and unveiled– walk side by side their husbands, brothers, sons and fellow countrymen demanding change and reform. It was truly a revolution of Read more...
March Madness: Doth You Protest Enough?
Egyptians are taking it to the streets and I’ve been mesmerized by every bit of their marching, tweeting and protesting. I am inspired and awed. They are dedicated, united and relentless. Not to romanticize their movement for justice, I see the violence, but it is still something to behold and yes, ponder. It makes me think of myself and my peers and what it would take for us to get our marching Choos on in Read more...