Redefining The Meaning Of #LikeAGirl (Video)

by: April D. Byrd

The feminine hygiene products company Always recently created a "pantene-esque" type social awareness video to get down to the true essence of the phrase "Like A Girl". In May 2014 the brand conducted a study surveying 1,300 American women between the ages of 16 and 24 years old. The results were what we probably would have guessed already: The phrase was mostly considered demeaning, and not a lot of people had a positive association with it.

More than half of the girls surveyed in the study claimed to experience a drop in confidence at puberty. 89 percent agreed that words can be harmful (especially to girls) self-confidence. That's a rather high count. Maybe society has neglected the old "sticks and stones" adage, but the wrong words to a person with already low self-esteem can of course hurt like hell.  The truth of the matter is "Where there is no enemy within, the enemy outside cannot hurt you"...not verbally at least. This means when you know for sure who you truly are and all the light that you're created to be, you know that darkness is a non-factor because you in fact have power over it. So...it doesn't matter if the haters throw shade, they can't dim your shine.

Words are big and powerful issues, especially now in this age where everybody has a platform. We don't have to eliminate them or ban them like Sheryl Sandberg's ostracized " Ban Bossy" attempt, but we can turn them around for the better. The nature of doing anything "like a girl" a girl or woman should be emphasized in strength, because women are the very essence of it. Any media's degradation of women is a lie and a facade.

The great thing about the #LikeAGirl video is that it indeed took a turn for the better. When the actual "girls" where consulted on the issue, they gave their actions all they had. They didn't put forth light or lazy effort, but operated in true strength and substance. One little girl when asked "What does it mean to 'run like a girl?" she replied "It means run as fast as you can."

Check out the #LikeAGirl Video (below):

What do you think about the video? did you think it was funny at first as well? Share your thoughts in the comments below and follow up on the conversation with Trey Anthony on her Facebook fan page.

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April D. Byrd is a Writer, Social Media Producer, and the Creator of Breath Of Life Daily Online Journal and Praying Empress. You can connect with her on twitter @aprilinspired.

A Black Marylin Monroe and Lupita's Beautiful Cover

by April D. Byrd

Oprah's Happy new friend with the big hat Pharrell Williams debuted some new artwork for his latest single "Marylin Monroe" this week. Williams took a lot of heat earlier in the year for reportedly no deeper complexioned women of color on His G.I.R.L album. Pharrell knows how to give the people what they want. Apparently so does People Magazine.

The Publication named Actress and Director Lupita Nyongo as the coveted 'Most Beautiful' in the latest issue. Lupita has been no stranger to complete and utter dominance this year. In his defense of the G I R L album Pharrell even mentions interacting with Lupita and Complimenting her on her "beautiful" skin.

Initially after the backlash, Pharrell referred to the need for black women to see themselves more in media with a bit of insignificance and brushed it off as an insecurity issue to GQ magazine, However he clearly got the point somewhere. The singles cover is beautiful and quite colorful. Lupita who admits she's felt some heat for her darker skin not being seen as beautiful by her peers and colleagues, can definitely attest and is setting a new standard of what beauty truly is among all races of women; Being beautiful inside and out. 

Both of the ladies covers look absolutely gorge, and kudos to the media for seemingly taking the hint that black women want to see more of themselves reflected in the highest regards. Check out Pharrell's radio interview in the video (below):

What do you think of Pharrell's stance on the issue?...and Lupita's Beautiful new cover? Could there really be an insecurity issue among black women that doesn't come from within? Leave a comment below and join in on the conversation on Trey Anthony's Fanpage. Let's Hear it!

SNL Wants Black Comediennes

The Late night comedy show Saturday Night Live wants black girl funny. Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels says he’s bringing seven or eight female African-American comediennes to New York to audition for the show, and one  will be added to the cast in January. SNL hasn't had a black female cast member for almost six years. The show has received criticism for it's lack of diversity, but Micheals said that it didn't attribute to the surge in interest to find a black actress. When Kerry Washington recently guest hosted the show, she had to play a variety of roles. Washington did Michelle Obama, Beyonce, and Oprah all in one sketch.Saturday Night Live again realized the lack of diversity, and even poked fun with an announcement:  

“The producers at Saturday Night Live would like to apologize to Kerry Washington for the number of black women she will be asked to play tonight,” the Voice-over Guy said as Washington ran on and off stage changing costumes. “We make these requests both because Ms. Washington is an actress of considerable range and talent – and also because SNL does not currently have a black woman on the cast. As for the latter reason, we agree this is not an ideal situation and look forward to rectifying it in the near future, unless, of course, we fall in love with another white guy first.”

SNL has now done multiple sketches to poke fun at the issue, but they're actively moving to do something about the situation. They held auditions earlier this month in Los Angeles, which attracted media attention because it was set up for black comediennes. Actor Kenan Thompson told T.V. guide that there hasn't been a black female cast member for so long because most of the time "they never find ones that are ready."


SNL will definitely make a role available to the right actress or comedienne. Black Womyn Rock and are clearly making a huge impact in media. Kudos to Maya Rudolph who was hilarious on the show for a long time.  Blogger Jasmine Brand was made aware of the opportunity, but it conflicted with her schedule for the show "Love That Girl" on TV One. Comedienne Tiffany Haddish also auditioned and interviewed with Inside Edition about the role. We hope to see more black comediennes shine on SNL and in the comedy arena as a whole.

Tiffany Haddish speaks out on the issue: (video)

MONDAY MOTIVATION: Why BET's Black Girl's Rock and a Few (Less Than Kind) Twitter Comments Prove Celebrating You in All of Your Fab Glory is So Necessary

Photo: Clutch Magazine

Guest blog by: Safia Bartholomew

Black Girls Rock! Why do we rock? Because we are strong, resilient, beautiful, talented, intelligent, poised, funny and too many more reasons! Last night BET aired the annual awards show by DJ Beverly Bond, created to celebrate young black girls, build self-esteem and showcase positive and alternative images to the often stereotypical displays that we see of black women in the media. The concept of the show is fantastic and one that I believe that EVERYONE should get on board with. But of course, when peeping through my Twitter timeline while watching I saw quite a few comments bashing the importance of the show and debating whether or not it is necessary.

I have to say that I almost got out of character a couple of times when reading these comments and it left me absolutely shocked at the complete ignorance. But I digress...the main criticism that these folks had was that it's an unnecessary program because black girls are not the only ones who rock - what about Indian girls, Asians, Spanish, white and other ethnicities? My answer to that is we ALL rock. All of us brown girls, black girls, ivory skinned girls and so on ROCK.

This is reminiscent of arguments that roll around every February about the lack of importance of Black History Month. This should not even be a matter of debate as we are all amazing and beautiful in our own right. There is absolutely nothing wrong with shedding light on and building a platform to empower your own community. If mainstream media consistently did this (or even did it at all) then there wouldn't have to be separate shows. But, until then there will have to be a black show, a Spanish show, etc for each special channel and for each ethnicity. We all deserve to shine.

I would definitely tune into a show that celebrates women who are doing their thing of any ethnicity. It's not just about the color though - it's about the message, the sisterhood and the solidarity that matters. The shifting of perspective so that young girls and women are not just celebrated for their beauty (as we are in most cases) but for our smarts and our service in giving back and lifting others up as we rise higher.

To this, I think Janelle Monae hit it on the head in her acceptance speech when she said, "Embrace what makes you unique even if it makes others uncomfortable." We should all go out into this week with a feeling of love and acceptance of ourselves in all of our differences. Be the first to celebrate you when no one recognizes what makes you amazing! There will always be critics, haters, naysayers and so on who will tell you why you should sit down somewhere and be quiet but to this I say shine brighter, speak louder, dance harder. It may be difficult, but ignore the noise!

Take this chance to shine, leave a comment below telling us why YOU ROCK ! Would love to hear from you.

Happy Monday!!

- Safia
  xo

P.S. Check out this clip from the red carpet where some of our favorite famous black girls, Janelle Monae, Megan Goode, Taraji P. Henson, Regina King, and more tell us why they rock: