Zoe Saldana is a slowly becoming one of my faves. The actress blasted the media & society in general just a few days ago saying that new moms shouldn't expect to bounce right back after giving birth.
"You have to give yourself time," she said. "Breastfeed. Stay home. Sleep. Your kid is only three months old. Like what are you going to the gym for? Catch up on f**king reruns of some sort"
Zoe added "“Throughout the years that I’ve been in this business, women that hide in a cave and they don’t come out until they’re a size zero. And that is a very misleading message to send out to women, especially when women here in L.A. are the skinniest women out there, and that should concern us. We’re too busy thinking about our appearances and not really thinking about our mental health first as well.”
It's true that a lot of women succumb to the pressure and hide until they are back to their pre-baby shape. Just today Nigerian pop singer Tiwa Savage uploaded a photo of her new (smokin might I add) post baby body and it made me think....
She looks amazing right? Tiwa gave birth close to two months ago and seemed to bounce right back. Her Instagram caption was #BackLikeINeverLeft
No shade towards women like Tiwa, but the truth is a lot of women just don't bounce back like that. It varies from person to person.
In a recent episode of the hit talk show "The Real" Tamera Mowry- Housley talked about the fat shaming she's gotten since giving birth
"They said I was lazy, and said things like 'it's obvious the baby weight isn't gone'. I've got to admit, I felt pressure to get back to my pre-baby body"
I know some celebrities make it seem like having a baby is walk in the park. It's not. A lot of women do gain weight and that's perfectly alright. I mean just think of the enormous task their bodies just accomplished. The last thing on their mind should be shedding that weight. Childbirth is a wonderful and blessed miracle. Let's honor it that way and focus on the bigger picture.
What do you think? Do we as a society place too much pressure on a woman to snap back into pre-baby weight?
BET Africa just announced that for the first time ever they will be hosting the BET EXPERIENCE AFRICA show in South Africa!
Deets on the December show:
"An electrifying urban entertainment and lifestyle extravaganza at the Ticketpro Dome on Saturday, 12 December 2015. This non-stop 12-hour jam-packed entertainment fest features some of the world's best music performers, led by legendary US “ambassador of soul”, Maxwell. Attractions on the day include a fun-packed Celebrity Basketball Game, a hilarious Comedy Stage, a series of uplifting and informative Genius Talks, a Fashion, Beauty & Health Expo showcasing the hottest brands and trends, a Sneaker Con and a daytime Sound Stage with performances by top African artists. The day is rounded off with this year’s spectacular concert with a stellar international line-up. From food to fashion, music, sports and comedy the unique BET entertainment extravaganza is not to be missed!"
If this gig is anything like BET Experience in LA, trust me you really don't want to miss this. BET Africa will be announcing additional acts (both international & local) so you can tell they are going all out for this fete. Who else would you like to see perform?
I interviewed Maxwell a few months ago in New York and he is such a beautiful soul. Seemed so keen to tour SA, glad this gig is happening!
It's so versatile. The key though, is to find the right products for your hair. This week I have been loving the Dark & Lovely Au Natural line. You can read more about it here
The no.1 question I've gotten on social media is how did I straighten my hair without adding any heat to it? If you want your hair to look like the pic below, keep reading to get the deets
So I stumbled upon this YouTube video about how to achieve that long voluminous length without any heat damage. I'm sorry I can't embed the video but if you click here you can just follow the steps laid out (I just did the first part, I didn't flat iron my hair.) So essentially you just braid the hair into 4 sections and then cross the hair diagonally to pin it down. It really is that simple!
The Emmy Awards were ELECTRIC tonight. I was in my living room getting my entire life!
Of course, I loved the glitz and glam element of the whole affair but what I LOVED the most was how my black sistas were winning - from the red carpet to the main event, we owned every space we had.
Check out the top five ways black women served and slayed at the most memorable Emmy event yet!
1. The Apple Music Commercial
Mary J Blige, Kerry Washington and Taraji P Henson served us all with squad goal inspiration in their new Apple Music commercial. Directed by Ava DuVernay the clip showed the ladies having a ball, dancing and rapping to some of hip hop's greatest hits. My favorite part is when Kerry is rapping the line from "It's All About the Benjamin's." Classic!
Ava revealed that Apple Music will be rolling out the rest of commercials this week (this is Chapter 1) and I can't wait to see more!
Viola made history as the first black actress to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama at the 67th annual Emmy Awards. While accepting the award she thanked other black actresses who have paved the way for her, she name checked Taraji, Kerry, Nicole Beharie, Gabrielle Union etc..I was in tears listening to her speech. When she said "the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity" I about lost it.
Also I love that Viola won her award in her natural hair. There is so much chatter *still* about our hair texture. With people questioning the beauty of natural hair and debating whether or not it's professional, I loved that on her special night Viola was also out here crushing all types of stereotypes.
3. Everyone needs a friend like Taraji
Tonight could have been a HUGE night for Taraji, she was also nominated in the same category as Viola Davis and Kerry Washington for Outstanding Lead Actress. Even though she didn't win an Emmy tonight, she won all of hearts because of her graciousness and how genuinely happy she was when other women of color won.
This was her reaction to Viola winning
I can't get over this hug between Viola and Taraji! Everything!
Even when Regina King won....Taraji was beyond herself with excitement. Can you feel all this black girl magic? How incredible is it that Regina received her first ever Emmy award from Taraji? So special!
4. Nigerian American actress Uzo Aduba won her second straight Emmy for her work as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" on Netflix's Orange Is The New Black
Her speech was ripe with raw emotion excitement, and sheer joy. Before Uzo hit the stage she embraced her sister tightly and continued the love fest onstage where she thanked her sibling for their friendship. Awwwwww!
5. Red Carpet Slayage
Even it was 106 degrees at the Emmy's red carpet, some celebrities seemed to just rise above. Like our fave natural hair fashionista - actress Teyonah Parris. I LOVE her hair.
A photo posted by Kerry Washington (@kerrywashington) on
The Marc Jacobs dress she wore tonight was just showcased at New York Fashion Week just four days ago. In fact, it won't be available until 2016. Ahhh the joys of stardom!
I hope this is just the beginning of diversity in Hollywood. Sad that it's taken this long but progress must be celebrated!
Did you watch the Emmy's? Thoughts?
Jas is not only a Victoria's Secret Angel but she just signed a lucrative deal with her real-life model boyfriend Tobias Sorensen. The lovebirds star in Calvin Klein's latest Eternity fragrance campaign.
Jasmine's fashion roots run deep, her mother Cary Robinson is a celeb stylist. Jas was actually discovered at one of her mother's showroom appointments.
This has got to be one of my favorite quotes EVER from Mama O. It ministers to me every time I read it. She writes "God can dream a bigger dream for you than you could ever dream for yourself. The key is not to worry about being successful but to instead work toward being significant—and the success will naturally follow." - Oprah
A photo posted by Lupita Nyong'o (@lupitanyongo) on
This is her second time being front and center of the "bible of fashion" and she did not dissapoint. The images are just STUNNING.
Lupita spoke at length about her experiences growing up in Africa, filming in the continent and the advice that Oprah gave her. Check out 7 of her most memorable quotes from the interview 1. Dressing well is a form of good manners
"Presentation is extremely important in Kenya. You dress formally. You can’t just wear flip-flops. My mother always had her own style. She wore A-line, tea-length flowery dresses, very well fitting. Her nails were always perfectly done.” 2. We keep it moving
Lupita's family returned to Kenya when she was one and she vividly recalls how scary it was. Her father was at times detained in jail, once for an entire month, and the family “had to destroy a lot of his documents. I wasn’t allowed to go to school. We were basically locked up in the house. The curtains were shut all the time, and we were just burning papers.” She says the experience made her resilient. “I was definitely exposed to some extreme situations. Tragedy is something that I have known and that I have tried to accept as part of life. But I don’t dwell on it. . . . OK! I need to powder my nose!”
3. Filming the Disney movie Queen of Katwe in Uganda was surreal.
“One amazing thing about filming in Uganda was that on the first day of rehearsal we were all barefoot. I looked down and all the feet were my complexion. That had not happened to me before. I was reminded that I’m actually not that special. There are lots of people in the world who look like me.”
4. Her love of Africa is at the heart of Lupita’s persona and her work.
“Oprah Winfrey advised me to figure out what my intention is and to act on it. I think I can make a difference by having certain stories be told. But it’s in the hope that I will not always be the only one telling them.”
5. Moving to America made her confront race for the first time
“As Africans, we don’t grow up with a racial identity. We grow up with cultural and ethnic identity before racial identity. I never used the word black as a child. It was never a thing. When was I ever discussing black? Why?”
6. A hero's welcome
Going back to Kenya after winning her Oscar was an experience. Speaking on her visit earlier this year she says “it was overwhelming" “In Africa there is a nationalism that comes with things like winning an Oscar. It’s traditional to be welcomed and celebrated. Praise songs, which are the highest honor in Kenya, were sung for me, and they included lines from my Oscar speech.” (“Your dreams are valid” featured prominently in the lyrics.) She chuckles as she recalls local newspaper coverage under a headline that read “Tears Roll Down Hollywood Cheeks.” 7. Talk of settling down
“This is my conundrum. When I was back in Kenya this past week, I would be driving along with my mother and she would say, ‘That’s a nice school for children’ and look at me like——” Lupita raises her eyebrows as if to say, My mom wants me to have children now. One of her fondest childhood memories is of climbing the mango trees in her grandmother’s village. She ate the fruit straight from the branch. She’d like her children to have the same experience one day. “But I think that will all be determined when I have that moment. When I have that man.”
8. Always remember your roots
"It took me leaving Kenya to really appreciate the glory of the place. Ultimately,” she concludes, closing her eyes and smiling for a few seconds, as if she is back in her home country, mango-picking with her grandmother, “I will always be a child of Kenya.”
As an avid fan of the hit reality show "Braxton Family Values" I feel like I know what I need to know about Toni Braxton and her family. The show focuses mostly on the sister dynamic but Toni's been really open about her past on the series - remember when she revealed that she had gotten an abortion years ago? That was really personal.
But really, how much do we know about the songstress? What happened in the 90's that caused to her go to bankrupt? Or what happened with her divorce? Will she drop more bombshells about pre-fame life?
Well we might get a few answers to that and more in the just announced movie "Un-Break My Heart." The authorized movie will detail her chronic illness, financial troubles and divorce. Production is slated to start later this year and I can't wait to see it. Now who will play Toni Braxton in the movie? Not too many singers out there with her range, hopefully they get the casting right.
Making it in the fashion industry is almost like finding a needle in a haystack. Damn near an impossible feat - especially for women of color. It's so hard.
That's what makes the story of these two model BFF's from Jamaica even more amazing. Meet Tami Williams and Kai Newman, the busy bee models taking over the fashion scene. The girls are both booked to capacity and worked with big brands like Valentino, Calvin Klein Collection and Jil Sander.
In an interview with Vogue Magazine Tami said "It's always fulfilling to see models from Jamaica striving and making an impact on fashion - to be a part of that is incredible"
Idris looking suave in this blue sweater from his collection
Known for his acting skills and DJ chops - Idris Elba can add one more accomplishment to his growing resume. He is now a designer as well creating a men's capsule collection for Superdry. The line will include knitwear, fine thread tailored shirting, washed denim and luxury sportswear in grays, midnight, blues and black.
"It was really inspiring. I worked with a real designer—I wasn’t designing, he was—but I was sort of influencing what I like. This is pretty plain stuff so it’s not really going to break the mold, but certain design features I was particular about."
Curious to see the rest of the 250 pieces from the line. I've actually never heard of this brand after a but if digging I found out that they are a U.K based, Japan inspired brand.
NYFW is in full swing right now in New York City. It's so much to flip through all the images the models, celebrities, designers and fashion enthusiasts converged in one place just to celebrate fashion - it's a beautiful thing.
The celebrities attending the shows know that they will be photographed incessantly so they always bring their A-game. Not sure what your next hairstyle should be? A sexy, easy-to achieve bob might be the perfect change. It works great especially for black women because you can wear it with any hair texture.
Peep the photos below for even more ways to rock a bob and you might get inspired to take the plunge
