Today’s look & outfit of the day goes to our musical Diva Mary J. Blige. When you mention fashion, The Queen of Hiphop School is undisputed. Her looks are always incredible. From her signature thigh high boots when performing, to her loyal fashion affair with premier labels such as MCM x Misa Hylton, Gucci, and other iconic brands, she never ceases to amaze the couture world of style or her fans.

Her recent style staple for her much wanted accessory line created along with Simone Smith, wife to legendary rapper LL Cool J, included a campaign ad wearing a simplistic knock out stripped blue and white Balmain Blazer. She complemented the look with dark impressive oversized Dolce Gabbana shades and of course beautiful large gold hoop earrings by the Sister Love brand.

We always anticipate what Mary will wear, she is definitely a musical movement on her own and a sure style inspiration for all women, a style icon, bridging the gap in fashion between young and old.

Who has needed medical help at some point in their lives? You might have had someone take care of you that time you were sick at school, help you with an injury at your physician’s office, give you advice, or treat you after surgery. If you have, then chances are that you’ve been looked after by a nurse.

Nurses perform a vast range of tasks and can be found at any place where your healthcare is the priority. It might be that a nurse has given you some support when you’ve felt under the weather, but they’ve also been there when you’ve been incredibly sick or injured. They support the healthcare system, and this is why so many people really do respect this profession.

We all want to give back to our communities, and the way some of us want to do that is to look after those who need care like we received when we needed help the most, and that’s by nursing. So, if you want to follow in those footsteps and give the tender care that people deserve, here’s how you can do it.

What does a nurse do?

A nurse will work at any level or in any area of healthcare. They aim to give the best quality of life available to a patient and contribute to someone’s health and recovery or ensure they have a peaceful death. They are also healthcare advocates who can give advice to individuals, families, or communities.

Nursing is one of the most trusted professions in the US, with almost 3 million people currently employed as nurses in the country and an ongoing need for more to sign up and get training to qualify. Nurses can specialize in a number of areas, so if you want to join this line of work, then you can look to be an expert in a specific medical sector as you become more experienced.

Depending on what nursing level you want to achieve and where you want to work, your tasks as a nurse may include:

• Getting a patient’s medical/health histories
• Performing examinations on a patient
• Providing education, counseling, and healthy lifestyle
• Administering medicine and care
• Coordinating patient care with colleagues
• Supervising other nursing staff

How to become a nurse

You can get the qualifications you need to become a nurse in as little as a year. However, this will limit what work you can do, and you won’t be able to specialize in a particular area.

If you choose this qualification route, you will then become a licensed practical nurse (LPN), occasionally known as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) in some US states. Nurses in these roles typically provide basic care to patients, record their vital signs and information, monitor medical equipment, bathe and dress patients if they can’t do so themselves, and check patients are comfortable.

To become an LPN or LVN, most US states will require you to pass a practical nursing program. These are usually one year long and are offered by many vocational, technical, and community colleges as well as private nursing schools. You then must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) for you to work as a nurse.

You can also become a registered nurse (RN), which is another entry point into the nursing profession. This will take longer, as you will have to complete either a collaborative college-university nursing program or a four-year university nursing program. However, you will then get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) or Bachelor of Nursing degree (BN).

Registered nurses, once they have passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), can administer medication, monitor patients, work with other healthcare colleagues, and educate people to help them take care of themselves. As well as directly caring for their patients who may have more complex needs, RNs may also supervise nursing assistants and LPNs in their line of work.

Levels of nursing qualifications

Once you become a registered nurse, your career opportunities open up, as more roles become available to you and your responsibility can increase. You will need to complete any number of further education courses to do so, but you won’t have to take a career break, because many of these programs will be aimed at working nurses, so classes and coursework can be fitted around your regular hours.

Not all registered nurses will have a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN), so if this is you and you want to progress, your next step will be to gain this qualification. You can then think about getting post-graduate qualifications so you can become one of the most senior nursing staff in the healthcare system.

If that’s your target in your nursing career, then you’ll be looking at becoming an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). There are four roles that come under this job title with different areas of expertise that you could work in:

• Nurse practitioners (NPs) – complete physical exams, diagnose, and treat acute/chronic conditions. Also, prescribe medications or other therapy and order and analyze tests and x-rays.
• Clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) – provide advanced nursing care, which includes acute or chronic care management, develop quality improvement plans, and help educate or mentor other colleagues.
• Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) – administer anesthesia and other care before, during, and after medical procedures.
• Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) – give primary care to women by performing gynecological exams, offering advice, providing pre- and neonatal care, and managing low-risk labors and deliveries.

There are many nursing programs available that allow nurses to continue working as they study, and this usually involves offering online programs to help you achieve either that master of science in nursing (MSN) degree or doctor of nursing practice (DNP). So, if you wish to become a nurse practitioner, for example, these online nurse practitioner programs will help you get the clinical knowledge required to prevent, treat, and manage acute and chronic diseases while you get your master’s degree.

Nursing specialties and community work

Being a registered nurse means that you can start to specialize in specific areas of healthcare. You will already be giving back to your community by providing crucial support to those who need it, but if you have a desire to work with particular groups, either geographically, socially, or by the condition they may have, this is when you can do that.

So, if you decide to work at a hospital, you could be part of the medical nursing team in a department that looks at specific ailments or age groups. If you want to care for children, for example, you may wish to look at pediatrics, midwifery, or neonatal care. You will also have contact with parents or guardians and be able to work with them on how to care for or treat their child at what may be a difficult time for the family.

Or, maybe you have an interest in a certain condition or function through your own personal experience: you or a family member may have been a patient of a cancer clinic or needed care from the cardiology team, for instance, and you may want to tend to those patients, as you know what they’re going through. It could be that you want to treat people with acute or unstable conditions in emergency rooms, as they are at a critical point in their lives. Large hospitals will have a number of areas you can specialize in, so there are plenty to choose from.

However, you may wish to work in different surroundings. You can work in many non-hospital environments, such as physician offices, schools, camps, retreats, or correctional facilities. The demands will vary, but this will allow you to treat a range of conditions and may even allow you to work on your own, depending on the state you practice in.

Your nursing expertise may also be needed directly in your community or with groups in specific centers. You may want to help vulnerable patients and specialize in their care, such as domestic violence survivors or the elderly. Home health nurses can even visit patients in their homes, providing them with care they can’t complete themselves or giving support relief to their primary caregivers. You could even think about working in a rural community that has limited access to healthcare.

There may be any number of reasons why you want to become a nursing expert in one of these fields. Maybe it’s because you’ve been the patient and want to give that great level of care to someone else going through the same experience. Or, you were the caregiver, and the way your friend or family member was treated made you want to give back. There may have been a time when you didn’t know what to do, and you want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

Whatever your reasons, becoming a nurse to help your community will mean you can give care and education to those who need it the most. Your dedication will touch someone’s life and help them on their way to recovery.

Happy Wednesday! Today’s Fashion Bombshell is Ama aka @amagodson_a based London!

Of Ghanaian heritage, Ama has quite the impressive resume as an image and content curator, stylist, and overall style influencer!

She describes her style as, “colorful, chic, and smart and sometimes androgynous!”

She states, “I love a blazer or shirt vibe, they always make an appearance in my outfits.“

She lives by the motto: “You can only make a first impression once so make you look the part.“

Ama knows how to keep her street style on point!

Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, a description of your style, and 5-10 clear, unfiltered, head-to-toe pictures of 5-10 different outfits (no collages) to bombshell@fashionbombdaily.com. Images submitted will be featured on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of our social media platforms. Comments can be harsh, so bring your A game! Please be advised: once published, pictures will not be removed or taken down.

Is Diversity in Fashion a trend? In some ways, it is. I’ve been writing about and documenting issues of diversity in fashion (interspersed with celeb style of course) for over a decade now. I remember back in July 2008, when Vogue asked, “Is Fashion Racist?“ One of the opening lines of the piece included someone rolling their eyes, asking, “Are we still talking about this?” Yes. Yes we are. Because fashion can be racist. Yes, sadly, we still have a problem.

Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond, known for his unapologetic and outspoken takes on political and civil rights issues through style, met with this issue first hand, at the Business of Fashion BOF 500 gala a few days ago in Paris. He was offput by an unsettling and seemingly random black choir that welcomed everyone into the gathering. To add insult to injury, the owner of BOF, Imran Amed, apparently didn’t acknowledge him for his contributions to diversity. Amed later danced with the church choir like he was Kirk Franklin (these are Jean-Raymond’s words, not mine). Read about the full incident here.

We’ve seen many awkward attempts on behalf of fashion insiders and brands to show that they’re down. Some go over better than others. Gucci has been doing their best to show they are very sorry about the red lipped, black face evoking ski mask that got everyone, most notably TI, pledging to boycott the brand.

Gucci’s response? In addition to truly highlighting their collaboration with Dapper Dan, created a Changemakers committee, hired Renée Tirado to lead the Diversity charge, and recently announced that they were collaborating with Gucci Mane on their Cruise 2020 collection (the announcement was accompanied by a fun ad campaign). Some would say “We Made It!” So why aren’t we happy?

The fashion industry is not perfect. Though I don’t know Imran Amed of Business of Fashion, his conduct, which skewed offensive to Jean-Raymond, cannot be said for the entire industry. Some brands, ‘get it,’. This Fendi x Nicki Minaj collaboration? Genius. Pure Fire.

Other brands are making efforts and we’re still hurt. Judging from the comments on this Gucci Mane post, quite a few Fashion Bomb Daily readers are still side-eyeing Gucci. “Nice try, “they say, “But you’ll need to work a little harder to win back my dollars, patronage, and affection.”

People of color are not one monolithic group. We don’t all feel and act the same way. Some boycott Gucci, others embrace. The same goes for the ‘Fashion Industry.’ Some brands are getting it all the way right. Some are trying, and sorta succeeding. Some are all the way wrong! But, as long as we keep having these discussions, being vocal and letting people know that we are here and that our talent, culture, and voices demand respect, we will continue to break doors down and have empowering conversations that lead to improvements.

I was so encouraged by all the black talent I saw at New York Fashion Week this season. From Laquan Smith to Pyer Moss, from Studio 189 to Serena Williams, Telfar, Christopher John Rogers, Aliette and more, we are representing stronger than ever before. There used to be a time when only two black designers showed at Fashion Week (Tracy Reese and Baby Phat). There was a time when the CFDA board had little to no diversity. Well, that actually still might be the case.

Even still, we have come very far. But we still have a ways to go.

I for one, was not at the BOF 500 Gala. I’m not ‘on the list.’ And that’s ok. Today I listened to a sermon by TD Jakes. Something told me to get with GOD this morning and the first thing I clicked on said, “Your destiny, your future, is not predicated on the decision of someone else. You wasted too much of your life trying to change other people’s minds about you. It doesn’t matter what they think about you. GOD is not going to bless you by their opinion. GOD will bless you by how you see yourself.”

So I would say to any young person aspiring to be in the ‘fashion industry,’ : your career in fashion is what you make it. You have the power, at the end of your fingertips, to create the change you wish to see. You don’t have to wait for the Business of Fashion, CFDA, Vogue, or anyone else to give you a ribbon to say, “Good Job,” “You’re On the List.” You don’t have to wait on them to “get it right.” Be whoever you are, authentically. Claim your space, unapologetically. Stand up for what you believe in. It doesn’t matter how the ‘industry’ sees you, it’s about how you see yourself.

They’ll catch on–eventually.

To have me come speak about diversity in fashion or keynote your next event, email bookclairesulmers@gmail.com.

Who doesn’t love a monochromatic sleek look? The Pink Polka Dot Pant Suit can be found at https://www.prettylittlething.us/pastel-pink-polka-dot-longline-blazer.html and pair it with https://www.houseofcb.com/kezia-pink-patent-vinyl-bodysuit-us.html

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After wrapping up an immaculate SS20 show for Pyer Moss, Kerby-Jean Raymond had an unsettling occurrence with BoF which led him to voicing his respectful, yet truthful opinion about the Business of Fashion and the fashion industry as a whole: “Diversity and inclusion is a trend to these folks.”

Kerby Jean-Raymond wrote a piece on Medium.com called the “Business of Fashion 500 is now 499” which states how the designer no longer wishes to be associated with the notable publications’ index of influential people in fashion industry. This was brought on due to events which occurred at BoF Voices and BoF 500 Gala:

In 2018, Jean-Raymond was invited to speak at BoF Voices to share his story about the creation of Pyer Moss and how he became such figurehead in the industry. Originally, he was told he was going to be doing a solo panel but to his disappointment, Jean-Raymond was told at the last minute that he would be doing a group panel which he assumed was their plan all along. He agreed out of respect for the two other Black designers with whom he shared the panel with, LaQuan Smith and Patrick Robinson. He viewed group panels as another reason to group all the Black people in fashion into one category. Jean-Raymond believes each of them has a different story to be told which deserves a solo platform that White counterparts receive. The evening ended terribly due to a “Salon” conversation which Kerby dubbed as “heated and problematic“, causing him and a few friends to cut the trip short 2 days early.

Following the trip, Editor-In-Chief of the Business of Fashion, Imran Amed, reached out to Jean-Raymond apologizing and also, selecting him as one of three to cover the BoF 500 magazine. The two shared countless phone calls as Imran gathered insight from Kerby on “diverse” people to include on the list, Kerby’s upcoming plans, and lots more. Well, Amed gathered all he needed to ultimately copy and “appropri-paste”. After their last meeting, Imran expressed how they were “going to go a different route with the cover” which left Kerby feeling “played” once again.

Despite his instinct to stay home, Kerby went to the BoF 500 Gala only to be confronted by a Black choir. On top of that, EIC Imran Amed gives a shoutout to Olivier Rousteing, Pierpaolo Picolli, and others (not Kerby) for “inspiring” them for this year’s cover. The icing on the cake followed this moment as the Black choir returned to the stage along with Imran Amred dancing like Kirk Franklin…he and his friends left this event as well, with the quickness I might add.

And now, we are here reading Kerby’s piece, understanding his frustration, and also realizing that this is something the industry needed to hear from a Black fashion designer. We have been hearing the rumor about diversity and inclusion being a trend, but we still wish to think that some part of it is untrue. Inclusion in the industry goes as far as the runway and advertising and then, it stops. They love us for aesthetics, but they don’t want us behind the scenes making the real change happen. Kerby did something most highly positioned Black fashion professionals won’t do: spoke, unfiltered with no regrets. Black creatives in the industry carry that fear of being blacklisted or developing a tainted image for speaking up. We truly cannot let things like this continue to slide.

As for these White-owned corporate companies, please kindly take Kerby’s advice and “explore your own culture, religion and origins” or learn to pay homage without excluding and exploiting us in the process.

As for Black people in the fashion industry, we need to take three things away from Kerby Jean-Raymond tonight and that is: speak your truth, go with your gut, and create your own Business of Fashion where Diversity and Inclusion is already a trend but will remain a classic.

As a closing remark, I would like to quote Kerby Jean-Raymond and say, “But — me getting checks is not going to stop me from checking you.”

Afternoon, Bombshells! Today our #FashionBombshelloftheDay is SouKeyna (@anyekuos_) from Senegal! 

Now based in LA, the model would describe her style as “…colorful, unapologetic, effortless & flirty.”  

“In fashion I draw inspiration from such different yet unique individuals such as Michelle Lamy, [who is] free, unique, and unapologetic about who she is all the way. ”

“To Nadia Lee Cohen, a more elegant, graceful and timeless vibe.” 

“Somewhere between the two is where my mother lies who has taught me everything I know about fashion.” 

“I am from Senegal where the brighter the fabric the better! I like to believe we dress to reflect our souls.”

Soukeyna honey, you are totally bomb!

Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, a description of your style, and 5-10 clear, unfiltered, head-to-toe pictures of 5-10 different outfits (no collages) to Bombshell@FashionBombDaily.com. Images submitted will be featured on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of our social media platforms. Comments can be harsh, so bring your A game! Please be advised: once published, pictures will not be removed or taken down.

It’s starting to turn colder, the leaves are beginning to brown, you have the sudden urge to eat your bodyweight in pumpkin pie. It can only mean one thing, Summer is well and truly over. There’s a lot of great things about the Fall/Winter time; winter fashion, comfort food and of course – the party season. But what should you wear? With this Bomb Accessories hack, it’s an easy win.

We all know the famous Karl Lagerfeld saying ‘One is never over-dress or under-dressed with a Little Black Dress’. While he is absolutely correct, sometimes we want to be on the dressed up end of the scale. Especially when you have a party to attend. What better way to do that than by adding some sequins.

Fashion Instagram star Didi-Stone Olomidé (daughter of Congolese singer Koffi Olomidé) has inspired us to come up with a real easy Bomb Accessories hack to dress up any LBD. Pairing your best metallic, pointed pumps with a pair of shining sequin socks of the same tone. So simple, yet so effective.

Olomidé rocks the look with a golden pair of Casadei ‘Party Blade’ pumps, which go for a cool $1,475.

Not quite ready for that kind of splurge? Try out our hack. Let us know how you wore it.

Shop the look:

Fans and fashionistas waited in anticipation to see if Cardi B was going to be an appearance at New York Fashion Week this year and she sadly didn’t. Instead, she made a grande return to Fashion Month, but this time she’s in Paris! Cardi B has brought her high-fashion style to the fashion capital of the world and we just can’t get over her looks.

Let’s get into her looks from Paris Fashion Week:

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Cardi B kicked off her week in Richard Quinn FW19!

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Cardi attended the Thom Browne SS20 show in Thom Browne FW18 look featuring an archived pump from the brand!

Cardi was spotted in Edda and an Aliétte bodysuit while at Paris Fashion Week.

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Cardi B reigned in purple in Nicolas Jebran FW19.

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Cardi B attended the Chanel show in a classy Chanel FW19 look!

All looks were styled by Kollin Carter and shot by Tomás Herold! Kollin and Cardi a fierce duo to be reckoned with.

What do you think?

Gucci Mane has collaborated with Gucci on their Cruise 2020 Collection, and marked the announcement with a fun campaign!

Guwop appears in the brand’s latest campaign, looking happy as a clam holding up Gucci sneakers in bubble baths, getting massages, and throwing up the deuces, dipped in Gucci.

This is clearly the work of Gucci’s Changemakers committee! How fitting that Gucci Mane, who has been using the ‘Gucci’ moniker for years, is finally embraced by the brand he loves so much!

This is bomb! What do you think?

And does this change the way you feel about the Gucci brand?