judge her relaxer? you don't get to do that.

photo: getty images

This one goes out specifically to all those natural sisters who look down their noses at those who rock relaxers, to the extent of trying to shame and judge them.  Over at Clutch, Mame Kwayie breaks it down in a searingly honest piece on her experience as a black woman with a relaxer living in the midst of natural hair movement, that seems to have gone to some folks' heads...

 "As much as I want to say it’s just hair, it’s not. It’s never been. It’s political around company. We ignore that it’s even more political among ourselves. That you think your hair elevates you says so. That I feel guilty for not partaking in the natural hair revolution says so. Perhaps this revolution all dressed in self-love needs to wear different, more inclusive clothes." (Clutch)

I love the wide open honest way in which the whole essay, "Stop Staring, My Eyes Are Down Here", flows.  Had to share.  Read the entire piece here.  Thoughts?

melissa harris-perry on black hair

You know, as disheartening as it can be to think of how far we have yet to go in terms of true acceptance and understanding that beauty is a diverse thing, it's good to see the conversation kept alive and presented in a way that is not only enlightening, but downright hilarious in moments.  Check out Melissa Harris-Perry's Teachable Moment on the politics of black hair.
via The Root:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

zina saro-wiwa - transition

via The New York Times:

iris apfel, 90, for mac cosmetics

 
via The Insider:

The Today show featured a segment today on the recent changing attitudes towards aging and beauty led by the likes of Diane Keaton and Ellen DeGeneres, and featured none other than Iris Apfel, MAC's 90-year-old spokeswoman!

"We have had an insane love affair with youth," says Apfel, the legendary interior designer/fashion icon who's launched her own textile firm and worked at the White House for nine presidents. "Youth is beautiful and wonderful, but there's a lot more. Life doesn't stop when you're 30."

To this, we at re:thinking say Hallellujer, and you can read more here...

avon, estee (lauder) & mary (kay) testing cosmetics on animals

photo: Ecouterre

 Um, seriously, what the....?

via Ecouterre:

As American firms jostle for a piece of China’s $15-billion-and-growing cosmetics market, Avon, Mary Kay, and Esteé Lauder have quietly turned their backs on 20 years of “no animal testing” policies, according to People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals, which until recently counted all three among the largest mainstream names on its cruelty-free list. Although animal testing of cosmetics is neither required nor banned under U.S. law, the Chinese government continues to require skin- and eye-irritation tests before certain products can be marketed in the country. (Ecouterre)

continue reading...

nappy thoughts on the beheld

photo: courtesy of The Beheld

I've been a fan of Autumn Whitefield-Madrano, and her blog, The Beheld, where concepts of beauty are examined in myriad ways, for quite some time now.  So when she asked me if I would be interested in writing a piece on the word nappy, for her Thoughts on a Word series, I needed to stop, and breeaaaathe before answering, so as to form proper sentences.  ("Wait-what?! Stop it right now! Are you kidding me?! Yes! Yes! Yeessss!", wouldn't do.)

Well, the piece went live today (!!!) and it goes a little something like this:

"Nappy is, at the very least, to be handled with caution. It may mean diaper in some parts of the world, but that’s not the case at all, in these our United States of America. Here, nappy is combustible. Not everyone can say it and come away unscathed. Say it to, or even just near, the wrong person and it might just blow up in your face. In 2007, shock jock Don Imus found that out, and reminded us all about it, when he called the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “some nappy-headed hoes.” The firestorm that ensued left him jobless in its wake. At the time, Lanita Jacobs-Huey, an associate professor of anthropology and American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California, expressed a view common among many African-Americans when she said, “When I hear it from someone who doesn’t understand the depth of pain, they just don’t have the right to say it.” See, nappy is a huge snag in the idea that we live in a post-racial society, because in large parts of the African-American community, nappy is a deep, deep wound rooted in slavery and Jim Crow" (...continue reading at The Beheld)

There's nothing quite like writing that inspires, and there's plenty of that at The Beheld, so I'm honored to see my work on the site, and doing inner cartwheels as a result.  If you have yet to check it out, do yourself the favor of running clicking over there right now.  Also, see The Beheld syndicated on The New Inquiry.  Comment, share, follow, like (if you do), tell a friend, and do let me know what you think...

viola davis natural - l.a. times magazine

photo:  Ruven Afanador

Do you know that I passed by these images several times, at news stands, and in magazine ads, thinking this was some gorgeous new model about to take the world by storm before realizing? 

photo:  Ruven Afanador

See more photos and continue reading:  Viola - LA Times Magazine

lianne la havas - forget

pure beauty ...