"Cancel Culture" has become a dominant force in today's society. Twitter, along with other social media platforms have provided its users with the unique superpower of either jumpstarting or destroying one's livelihood.  When considering the growing intensity of this phenomenon, I began to wonder if Black-Owned Brands were above becoming another casualty of said cancel culture.   What is Cancel Culture? According to Dictionary.com, " Cancel culture  refers to the popular practice of withdrawing support for ( canceling ) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive.  Cancel culture  is generally discussed as being performed on social media in the form of group shaming." Although Cancel Culture can have a negative impact on one's financial, social, and/or emotional state, there have been plenty of documented cases in which the intended cancelation backfired.  Do Black Brands Have Immunity? I am......

The Black Lives Matter movement has gained serious momentum as thousands across the nation protested the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN.   George Floyd is the latest unarmed, black person to die at the hands of the police. This has been especially troubling considering the fact the much of America was under lockdown since mid-March due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Despite this fact, police officers were involved in over 400 shooting deaths, as of June 4, 2020 ( Statista ).  For a summary of events revolving the death of George Floyd and my perspective on the protests, as well as next steps, watch below: ...

Photographed by Tyler Mitchell, Vogue, 2018  W e all know how rare it is for Beyoncé, the Queen of everything (if you ask me), to give interviews or speak publicly on private matters.  We usually have to try to decipher her life through pictures, body language, and song lyrics... I'm looking at you, Lemonade.    That's why I am in total shock and glee that Beyoncé is gracing the September issue of VOGUE and she decided to give readers a glimpse into her life.  When Beyoncé covered Vogue Magazine in 2015, the magazine was unable to interview the powerhouse singer.  This time around, Beyoncé is sharing intimate details surrounding her pregnancy, body image, breaking down barriers, and much, much more in her own words. BODY POSITIVITY While I found the whole piece by Beyoncé moving and inspirational, I thought that  it was very important to highlight her thoughts and views regarding her body image.  Due to the nature of this blog and my own ......

Even before rapper, Kodak Black admitted that he didn't like his own skin complexion or dating dark skinned women ( more on this later ), we have been facing the long-battled light skin vs dark skin nonsense.  It's sad that even in the age of Black Lives Matter and promoting racial justice, we still face the issue of Colorism within our own community. What is Colorism? Colorism is defined as a  prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group.  Usually individuals with a lighter complexion will receive preferential treatment in contrast to their counterparts that are deeper shades of brown.  A Long History This notion of Colorism was ingrained in descendants of Africa many moons ago.  We can look at history to see how this discrimination evolved into what we see being perpetuated in today's society.  This great nation built its early wealth through the us......

I felt compelled to write today about something that is a total deviation from the normal topics covered on this blog. Today marks the National "Day Without A Woman" Protest.  To participate in this protest, women were encouraged to take the day off from work (one day strike), refrain from making purchases, and to wear red in solidarity of the movement.   As a Black Woman, I am proud to stand in solidarity with other women from all walks of life.  For many years women have dealt with unfair hiring practices, unequal pay, inadequate workplace protections, and inappropriate treatment... If you are a Black Woman then times that by two. The Black woman has endured all of the above and are often looked at as mere sex objects; nothing of value or worth.  I strike because I want to bring awareness to the plight of women, especially women of color.   With Donald Trump and his band of inexperienced simpletons running this country, the time has never been more r......

Issues regarding race relations have been on the rise with the increasing news coverage on police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement, Trump Ideology, and more. With all of the coverage relating to "Black" -vs- "White", the concept and accusation of Cultural Appropriation has spread like wildfire.  Seeing all of the hoopla surrounding this term, I thought it was good idea to weigh in on Cultural Appropriation. So what is Cultural Appropriation? According to   Cultural Appropriation and the Arts , Cultural Appropriation is the adoption or use of elements of one culture by members of another culture. Well okay, this doesn't seem so bad... or does it? When I read this definition aloud, the words assimilation, or acclimation come to mind. People often have to adapt to their environment in order to survive or deal with a given situation or scenario.   So what's the big deal? The problem comes in when someone adopts elements of a culture ......

Too often, we hear how our kinks, curls, and coils are unprofessional, unkempt, unclean, embarrassing.  The list of negative adjectives used to describe us natural folk are endless. Don't get me wrong #TeamNatural has grown by leaps and bounds.  My concern, however, is that Naturalistas are still subjected to harsh criticism from not only corporate America but also from those that claim to love and care for us. We as a people have been systematically brainwashed into believing that your hair and your body must resemble something unnatural in order to be considered beautiful. I should not have to put harsh chemicals in my hair in order to be accepted in a professional environment. I should not have to be as slender as a high-fashion model to have the beauty within me recognized. I say all of this to say that my  Curls and my Curves are a part of me. While neither define me, they both add a beautiful layer to my being. If you are not afraid to rock your hair naturally A......

Why must we tear the next woman down, to build ourselves up? I ask this question after browsing my various social media feeds.  Over the past couple of days I have been bombarded with statuses, posts, and tweets that were caddy, negative, and derogatory towards women... the sad part about this is that they were all posted by other women.  The posts focused on attacking the weight, physical beauty, and fashion choices of young ladies who dared to be different.  Listed below are the comments I saw along with my thoughts: Social Media Comments My Thoughts "You only cute on snapchat" At least she found something that works for her "No one wants to see all of your fat; cover it up" ...And how does her fat offend you? "No Edges having, (insert expletive)" What if she had alopecia? "He only with her cause she taking care of him" Sounds like something someone miserable ......