Friday, December 30, 2011

Redefining the standard of beauty

Black is bold. Black is beautiful. Black is beauty.

Often times, Blackness is not depicted as a symbol of beauty in the media. Instead, the media portrays Black people as ugly, dirty, and incompetent. We, Blacks, often times perpetuate these negative stereotypes by internalizing these messages. Mainstream has illustrated such a beautiful and powerful race as ugly and inferior out of fear and intimidation. Thus, these illustrations are derived from pure ignorance. You have heard the saying, "people fear what they don't know." It breaks my heart to see how easily we, as Blacks, fall into the traps of the mainstream worldviews. Therefore, at times, I will post photos of Black beauties (males and females) in a hopes to redefine the standard of beauty- Blackness!!! I therefore ask that you view these pictures from a different framework, knowing the meaning and purpose of this blog. With this aim in mind, I hope that as you continue to follow and support my blog, that you will see growth and progress in achieving such measure.

"Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots." -Tupac





Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Individuals who inpsire my creativity Pt. 3

Meet the vivacious and vibrant, Folake Huntoon:



Folake Huntoon is a very well-known blogger of Style Pantry. Her sense of fashion is colorful, energetic, and a breath of fresh air! She has been in the fashion industry for about 12 years now, and has her own bohemian clothing line called WeWe. If I had the opportunity to meet with her and ask her how would she define her sense of style, I believe she would say "bohemian, eclectic, or however I am feeling that day." I was initially attracted to her style when I ran across her blog, www.stylepantry.com, and noticed how daring she was when it came to wearing different patterns and bright/neon colors. You can also find her rocking various looks with maxi dresses and skirts, caftans, and blazers. I believe I was also attracted to her style as I saw a little of my own style in her, yet I am no where on her level lol. Check her out :-)

Oh, and I forgot to mention that she's also a natural belle :)

  Neon, chiffon, and faux fur...my goshhhhhh!!!

This color scheme looks similar to one of the outfits I wore in my last photo shoot...check my previous posts below if you cannot recall the look that I am referring to. And no I did not copy her look!


 Colorblocking...one of my favorite looks! And yes, I will even rock this look in the winter *shrugs*

Lots of polka dots!!!

 Sheer, tribal look

I'm not even a princess-type of girl, but I sooooo love this look!!!

 Pairing a classic red pump with this outfit...I call it, "And the cheese stands alone." You don't have to have red in your outfit to wear red (or any color) shoes ladies...though I'm sure we all know this by now.

 I love her hat!!! For me, this completes her look...just TOP it off with a badddddd hat lol

These shoes are to die for! Well not literally...lol

Who/what inspires your creativity???


Thursday, December 22, 2011

Individuals who inspire my creativity Pt. 2

She's not just "Beyonce's sister," anymore!!!

Solange Knowles is a "Jill of all trades" as you can catch her gracing the stage with her beautiful vocals, to DJ-ing at a nightclub overseas, in her hometown (H-Town), or wherever, to speaking at a Carol's Daughter event for naturals! Solange is truly talented, and once she introduced the world to her true colors (with her beautiful and vibrant self), people easily drew to her various crafts. I guess what they say is true, "If you just be yourself and love yourself for who you truly are, then everyone else will too."

 Okay, this photo is haute fierceness, but did you all peep her neon moon nails though!?!?

 Beautifully natural...

 I love the turban look! 

 Taupe is my 4th favorite color...she is giving it to me with this look!!!
Simply chic...

 I am really thinking about getting my hair cut into this style....hmmmm, what do you all think??? Leave your comments at the bottom please :)


 I need these thigh-high boots in my life!!! Perhaps it's not too late to do some last minute Christmas shopping for me j/k..."unless you gonna do it" lol ;)



Flex!!!

The photo to the right is definitely a look that I have rocked in the past, and love to wear!!! I'm obsessed with blazers and harem pants #MyConfession *shrugs*
 I just love this look!

 Doing her thang on the 1's and 2's



 Omg, look at her nose!!! For those of you who know me, know how much I love a beautiful nose (especially on a beautiful canvas)...my goshhhh!!! Lol

 Rocking the Senegalese twists!

I'm looking for this elegant dress in hot pink, or gold!

For your listening pleasure, please click on the link below to listen to Solange's song, "Freedom."



Who/what inspires your creativity???

Individuals who inspire my creativity Pt. 1

The Perfectly Imperfect, Elle Varner

 
 This look is soooo me, and check out her mean shoe game!!! I love how she is mixing up various patterns in her dress and clutch. I mean, what is there NOT to love about this look!? I'll wait...lol


 Big hair don't care heehee :-)

 She's a natural belle


I guess another reason why I love Elle Varner is because we share the same name lol *shrugs*

I also love her music! Her debut single featuring J. Cole (one of my favorite rap artist), "Only Wanna Give It To You" is in heavy rotation on the radio right now! Check out my favorite song off her debut album Perfectly Imperfect, entitled "Refill" by clicking the link below:


Who/what inspires your creativity???


Monday, December 12, 2011

There's a first time for everything!!!

Omg, I had so much fun shooting my very first mini photo shoot this Thanksgiving. It was even more enjoyable with the 3 individuals that I was shooting. The synergy was amazing, and I didn't want to stop lol. I'm usually on the other end of the lens, so this was a different feeling and experience altogether. It was an exuberant feeling, and I would love the opportunity to do it again. Furthermore, I now have an even greater appreciation for the art of photography! Thank you Alex Pearl :)