Janelle Monae looks beautiful on the cover of Essence magazine for May! I really like Janelle's vibe because she just glows with positivity and confidence.
In the magazine, she discusses her wanting to remain unique with her black and white tuxedo style as well as her commitment to showing womyn and young womyn that you don't have to show skin to be beautiful or sexy. I love that she continues to stand up to redefining what a pop singer is and looks like. With beautiful natural hair, chocolate skin and a menswear style, she does not look like anyone in the industry. Sometimes as an artist, it can be very easy to get caught up in wanting to fit the mold of what is already successful. You feel like you don't want to veer to far from the line of what works. And since the entertainment industry is so focused on looks, everyone trying to make it may feel the need to look like what's "hot" out there (i.e Beyonce and Rihanna). Instead Monae focuses on showing the opposite of what is considered sexy yet remains successful. As she puts it, "showing my skin is not what makes me sexy."
I think Janelle is an important voice in the industry and I hope she continues to stick to her positive message. It's also refreshing to see a new face on the cover of our magazines because while it's great to have magazines that cater to and showcase brown skinned girls, these magazines often recycle the same few faces.
What do you think of Janelle's stance on not having to show skin to be sexy and sell records?
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:
I'm sure some of you have seen this by now. CoverGirl has recently announced it's newest spokesperson: Janelle Monae.
You probably haven't seen many of her videos, unless you are a fan. But I'm sure you've heard her song 'Tightrope' either on the radio or on TV (it was the soundtrack for one of Chevy's commercials). She is a force to be reckoned with. She is an incredibly talented artist who is vocally talented and ridiculously creative. And she's only 26.
Her hit single 'Tightrope' was from her 2010 album called "ArchAndroid". Take a listen:
I'm glad that CoverGirl decided to use Janelle as a representative of the brand as she isn't their 'usual' type. She is usually donning her signature 50s hairdo, tuxedo, tie (either bow tie or regular tie) and saddle shoes and has a quirky wit about her.
I have also noticed that CoverGirl has been including different types of 'divas' in their recent campaigns (the ads and commercials with Ellen make me laugh) and that is to be celebrated.
I love these pictures and her style. More girls need to see that you don't need to be half naked to get your point across. Just be you! Rock what you've got! and celebrate your personal style and sense of fashion!
