Model Jessica White was recently arrested for assault against a woman on Saturday night:
Apparently she punched and pummeled the victim outside of a Chelsea nightclub while hailing a cab. According to the court complaint, White “pulled the victim’s hair and struck [the victim] numerous times in the face with her hand, causing abrasions, swelling and substantial pain.”
While it’s easy to think we have another ‘model diva’ on our hands, I’ve personally wanted to punch several people while getting a cab on a late night in New York. It’s brutal out there! You’ll be standing there, waiting for fiftteen minutes, and another group will go a little further up the street and straight up steal your cab. No fun when you’re trying to get home after a night out. I’ve certainly launched a string of expletives at cab thieves…but violence is never the answer people.
What do you think?
Read more at the New York Post.
After about a gazillion false starts over the past five years, it was this July when I finally joined the hundreds of thousands of Black women foregoing relaxers. I said buh-bye to my Phytorelaxer Index 2 and hello to a world I’ve never really known since I was in elementary school.
Though I’m only three months in, here’s five things I’ve noticed so far…
1. I’m not anti-straight hair or anti-relaxer. It happens once in a while when I mention I’m giving up relaxing; a friend or an associate starts to slowly defend their reasoning for their every-six-weeks touch-up even though all I said was I wasn’t perming any more.
Just because I decided to go natural doesn’t mean I’m going to picket in front of Dudley’s headquarters protesting perms. Nor will I be on Jamaica Ave (Queens, stand up) grabbing hostages to convert them. My reasons for going natural aren’t after some big profound self-reflection about European or African standards of beauty. I just wanted kinks. And one day maybe I’ll get a weave.
2. People look me in my hair during conversation instead of in the eyes. I’ve got these great big ole eyes that on any given day are adorned with volumizing mascara and a hint of color framed by some really nice brows (thanks, Rajni), but now that my kinks are showing all the attention goes there. It’s actually pretty hilarious when I see someone’s eyes slowly go to my hair when they’re talking to me. Like I know they’re thinking “OHHHH EMMM GEEEE”. Cracks me up every time.
3. Your hair does start to break off at the decarmation line. I’ve been reading up on natural hair for years now and I knew that the relaxed part of your hair could break off in some spots. I just had it in my head it wouldn’t happen to me. Like I had some special super powers or something. I do not. Oh, and if you ever see random hair tumbling down the street, that used to be my bangs.
4. My mom’s not as anti-natural as I thought. When I was like five or six my mama slapped a perm in my head. Not sure what her reasoning was back then, but since she used to hit me with the comb for moving my head as she braided my hair, I guess I know why. During my “maybe I want to go natural/maybe not” stage, she often would tell me my hair would fall out without perms or make the “ewww” face. But not too long ago she said one of my braidouts looked cute and on another occasion suggested I just cut all my hair off like Janet Jackson. Uh, thanks, mom but I don’t have a Janet Jackson head. Remember you had me by c-section? Yeah.
5. Transitioning ain’t easy, but I don’t care what people think. When I was 25 and under anything deemed somewhat negative that was said about my appearance would have sent me into a sobbing, spiraling mess with a 9 A.M. next day appointment to a therapist. But one of the main benefits of getting older is you become much more secure with yourself and often tend to not give a ratty shoe about what people think. There are days during this transition when my hair looks really bad. Between my five day a week workouts and my knack for putting the snooze on repeat, my hair can look pretty hurt. But for all I need to cram into a 24 hour day, I can’t get put into a straight jacket because someone dissed my hair. Besides, some of the jokes/comments are funny…lol. I’m only three months in, can’t buckle down now. *puts on combat boots*
And that’s that. I wonder how any of this will change six months or even a year from now…
Ever been in my shoes? Even if you didn’t go natural, I’m sure at some point you tried a new hairstyle with mixed reaction. Spill your experience in the comments :)
~Danielle Image
Luxury leather MCM bags are starting to pop up on the arms of several stylish celebrities:
Favored by Beyonce, Omarion, The Dream, and Taz Arnold, the German brand first made a splash in the 80′s and is now enjoying a bit of a resurgence. The bags feature logos as well as plain leather and various patterns.
See the most recent collection here.
Psst, MCM is having a Sample Sale in New York November 8 – 11th 2010 from 10:00am – 6:00pm at 265 West 37th Street, 16th Floor.
Fine leather bags will be sold at up to 70% off retail price. Check it out!
Uber producer, rapper, and fashionisto Kanye West recently released his highly anticipated short film, Runaway:
In the 35-minute long production, Kanye speaks of rebirth and redemption, challenging ideas of ‘normalcy’ and urging everyone to question what they hear, see, and believe. At the base of his tale is a Phoenix, played by Selita Ebanks, who comes to earth in a blaze of fire and crashes into Kanye’s Murcielago. Kanye emerges from the crash unscathed, (a nod to his almost fatal 2002 car crash that became the inspiration for his first single “Through the Wire“) and carries the Phoenix back into his world of well manicured lawns and fancy dinners.
A Phoenix is a mythical bird found in Persian, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Chinese culture that typically has a 500 to 1000 year lifespan. Near the end of its life the Phoenix builds a nest, then self ignites; a new Phoenix is born out of the old ashes. The Phoenix’s ability to be reborn out of its old self implies that it is immortal.
In an MTV interview, Kanye admitted the Phoenix represented every significant woman in his life, including his mother and recent girlfriends. I’d hypothesize as well that it represents his career: from his beginnings (as a solo artist) with College Dropout, his meteoric rise, his ‘fall’ with the Taylor Swift incident, and his rise again.
The film was beautiful, thought provoking, and inspiring.
Take a look at a few items inspired by the short film. Selita Ebanks:
And just for fun, a few things that stuck out to me in the film: The Ballet Scene:
Only Kanye would conceive of classically trained ballerinas dancing to hip hop. The black clad dancers in frothy yet severe tutus went from teetering on pointe shoes to moving their hips seductively. I especially loved the solos at the end, which showed that one can exude sensuality even as a prima ballerina.
The Dinner:
Kanye (Griffin) and Selita (Phoenix) attend a dinner where blacks are dressed in white, being served by white servants. He turns typical tropes of blacks subservancy on its head, but then shows that even with the role reversal, blacks are not all accepting. They look uncomfortable and whisper about Kanye’s Phoenix girlfriend, who seemed reminiscent of Amber Rose at this point. One dinner guest asked, “Your girlfriend is very beautiful. Did you know she’s a bird?” Many people probably asked Kanye, “Did you know she’s a stripper?” when talking about Amber. He knew, but still accepted her. Even a stripper can be beautiful. One more obvservation: The Phoenix cries at the dinner when she’s served a bird; a Phoenix cry is supposed to be that of a beautiful song. Still, the dinner guests run away and cover their ears.
The “Turn on the Lights” Parade
Griffin shows Phoenix his world, which includes a firework filled parade featuring a Michael Jackson float, and men in Klan hats and band gear. Kanye said in an interview that he included Michael Jackson because he was, “The greatest biggest pop cultural figure of all time…[he was] arguably bigger than Jesus Christ.” I was a little confused by the red clan hats; a quick search found that the cone hats were first seen in the Spanish Roman Catholic “Nazareno” tradition, and were traditionally used in festivities such as Holy Week. These references point to Kanye’s questioning of modern religion and also his research of the origins of contemporary symbols. The Last Song
My favorite song of the movie might have to be the final “Lost in the World,” which quotes Gil Scott Heron’s “Who Will Survive in America.” Read the lyrics of Gil Scott’s spoken word here.
See Kanye’s explanation of a few key scenes in this interview with Sway of MTV. See Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
What stuck out to you? Did you like the film?
Hey Bombers! The week’s off to a busy start on Twitter, so dive in and see what celebs were up to. Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian) and Ciara (@ciara) spent time together to celebrate CiCi’s 25th birthday.
The BFF duo dined in style, taking fashion cues from each other with similar military inspired outfits.
Va$htie (@vashtie) and Jim Jones (@jimjonescapo) took a break from working the red carpet at Diesel’s “Only the Brave” event to admire their footwear.
Whose sneaks do you prefer?
Trina (@trinarockstarr) addressed the one question she’s been getting the most lately.
She’s giving me two parts Rihanna (@rihanna) and one part Willow Smith (@officialwillow). Loves it!
The mega-producer will post brand new music to the site every Monday so fans can download for free.
And last but not least, Fashion Bomb Favorite, June Ambrose (@juneambrose) showcased her and Chrisette Michele‘s (@epiphanygirl) turbans on the set of Chrisette’s new music video:
Chanel Iman by Gui Paganini for Rosa Cha Spring 2011 Campaign. Snapshot is a section showcasing ad campaigns, pictures, and editorials featuring men and women of color. No words, just an image. Enjoy..and discuss!
A few of my Parisian friends sent in some pictures of the boycott of the Guerlain store on the Champs Elysees. One said, “Lots of people came out; no violence. People brought back their Guerlain products. The store was closed, which made them lose a lot of money for a Saturday, and people are trying to come back next Saturday. It’s a real opportunity for a Black movement….because for many years Black people [in France] have been insulted and were pretty passive about it. This time a lot of people came together of all ages.”
Take a look:
Read the story behind the boycott here. Read LVMH’s response here.
Today we have a Dirty Jerz Bombshell: Nyewiania.
She says, “I look good when I feel good and am comfortable in what I put on.” “It depends on the mood I’m in, so it changes regularly. Some days I feel glam & glitz…other days I feel sporty.” “My Personal Motto: Dare To be Different.”
Nyewiania is one of our youngest bombshells at only 17. Nyewiania, your style is certainly evolving and shows lots of promise.
What do you guys think?
Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style and flair of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, a description of your style, and your Fashion Bombshell of the Day Picture(s) to thefashionbomb@gmail.com.
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