All Done Up

Today I was looking at Clutch Magazine Online when I spotted an article called "Trend Watch: Would You go Earring-less?" Apparently, the writers at Clutch spotted celebrities like Janet Jackson and Estelle going on the red-carpet with bare ears.

Many people left comments saying they could never go with out earrings. One user said she knows she looks better with them. My question is, why are we, as females, afraid to be our natural selves, with no adornments?

Now you can say this is just a simple question about earrings, but its not. We go to the nail shop and get our crystal nails, pedicures, individual lashes, eyebrows plucked, hair weaved, bleached, colored, permed then we weigh our necks and wrists down with chains and bangles, get 1 or 2 holes in each ear, and a cute little tattoo to top it off.....did I miss anything? O_0

Once my BF asked me why did I get my hair done in a glue-in weave (he wants me to get locks). I pointed out that I liked the look. [The look being a close cropped cut without the cutting of your own hair that you can't get with a sew-in]. He then said, "hair weaves are expensive. Glue pulls out your hair. Fake eyelashes pull out your real lashes and fake nails damage your real ones. Ya'll girls complain about these things but you guys do it to yourself."

What my point is, is that underneath all these things we are hiding ourselves. But why? One can say it's self hate. That we don't appreciate the skin we're in so we do all these things to ourselves to make ourselves "pretty". You can also say it's society forcing us to be this way. With all the light-skin, long-haired, made up blacks girls with euro centric features on every advertisement, music video, and television show. Who's to blame?

Or who is to say that there is a problem? What makes a woman wanting to make herself [more] attractive, wrong? That's something to think about.

I do not hate myself.

But I go and primp, pluck, paint and perm.

I know I shouldn't but I'm a victim. Yes, a victim. To this notion that we aren't cute enough, girly enough. Than without lipstick and hair weaves we are just Plain Janes. But until I can get out of this bad habit, I will continue to get myself all done up.

Lovers Rock

So I've been having this weird thing going on with me where I'm listening to musical artist that I wasn't interested in before. My current obsession? Sade.

You think I'd leave your side baby?.... You know me better than that.

When I hear her voice two things come to mind; black velvet and my boyfriend :)

I can listen to her alto all night, her words taking me to this place

For those of you who are looking for good, quality music, look no further than Ms. Sade

O Baby

Lately there's been some controversy over Sandra Bullocks's adoption of baby Louis, an African American boy from New Orleans.

I've seen people comment on different sites that Bullock [as a white, single female] will not be able to raise Louis be able to deal with society, who is clearly against the Black male. But isn't it better for her to raise him than for him to age out of the cruel foster-care system?

For years, we've seen celebrities toting around the "token Black child" in designer clothes. At one point, I saw it as a trend. But what about the middle and upper-middle class white couple looking for a chocolate baby to call their own? We would be dead wrong to say their intentions are wrong and that they shouldn't adopt children of color. Actually, I applaud them. While they may not be able to deal with issues that a Black child may face (i.e. racial comments from white school-mates, identity issues, stereotypes, hair) they have their hearts in the right place, providing a brighter futures for these children.

Now what about the Black folks? Are there any Black couples stepping up to the plate? The answer is a definite yes, but at what rates? While I was reading the June 2010 issue of Ebony magazine (the one with Niecy Nash on the cover) there was an article highlighting adoption [The Chosen Ones p. 68 by Corynne L. Corbett]. According to one private adoption agency, only one third of adoptions are by Black familes. The article also notes that, in major U.S. cities, the percentage of Black chilredn in foster-care can be up to 90%. NINETY PERCENT.

And that's in the United States.

Children overseas, while it may not be someones first choice, needs to be adopted, too. After the earthquakes shook Haiti, thousands of children were left parent-less. And who hopped on a plane to pick up one, two and even three children to call their own?

Please don't get me wrong. I'm ot saying that Whites should not adopt Black children. Nor am I saying that Blacks don't adopt. What I am saying is that instead of complaining that White couples always have a Black or Asian baby with them, step up.

I've never seen a Black person with a White child. And I'm sure we all know why. As Rev. Al Sharpton once said, " Jim Crow is no longer around. Instead we have his son James Crow II, Esquire." But that's a whole new topic.

I hope that people will be more open-minded and consider adopting and those that already did, will spread the word.