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:

Change, growth and life lessons

The last few months there have been many changes in my life.  Many shifts, turns and major transitions.  All this has allowed me to really take a look at how I deal with change. And I have been pleasantly surprised. The things which I held on to for dear life and resisted the most to change have given me the biggest learning lessons in my life. I also have seen that the things which I did not want to let go of have been replaced by wonderful amazing experiences and new things. And, I have learnt a valuable lesson: sometimes God/Universe has bigger and better plans for you than you can even imagine – so trust that. 

I have also learnt that what you think you are worthy of will show up in your life and you will attract that to where you are. Since I've been clearer on my worth and value to others, to society, and also to myself I have attracted people, things, and experiences that I could never have imagined and I'm thankful for all the new and wonderful delights that seem to have just shown up on my doorstep! Yet, I wonder if they have really just "shown up" or  were they always there? Perhaps, in the midst of the confusion, unhappiness, unworthiness, I just could not see them or value them?

I'm at a different place now. I'm truly enjoying the womyn I'm becoming and I'm really enjoying seeing other womyn in my inner circle  also grow in leaps and bounds. I encourage you to embrace change and you will be surprised at all the wonderful opportunities that change will bring!!!

I would like to take the time to publicly acknowledge the wonderful Zakiya Toby who has been part of my social media team and who was instrumental in developing new ideas and postings for my blog! I felt very comfortable leaving my "blog baby" in her hands to co-parent.  Zakiya, is now leaving to pursue her own interests and start her own company. I'm proud to have worked with her and to have also mentored her. When Zakiya first informed me that she was leaving I felt a twinge of sadness but I also realized that I should feel proud that she is a womyn who could recognize when it is time for her to "leave" and try new things. How many of us have sat in situations and stayed in things that we have outgrown or that no longer serve our own purpose?  I'm glad that she recognizes she needs to leave the "trey nest" and spread her wings to fly. And so my wish for Zakiya is not only that she  fly but  that she soars to heights beyond our wildest dreams!!! She has been an amazing addition to my team and to my life and I will truly miss her.  Please check out some of the incredible things she is doing with her new company, SociallyYours.

I also want to welcome to our team, Eden Hagos and Safia Bartholomew, who will be joining our social media team! I'm excited to be working with these dynamic womyn, and I'm sure you will notice some really positive changes to the blog. They will also be guest blogging, so please welcome them and let them know what you think of upcoming blogs by posting comments and any feedback!

I also want to thank all of you for supporting my blog. I'm so surprised to see that we now have followers in  Germany, Australia, Italy, Poland, Indonesia, Turkey, India, Panama, Vietnam, Romania, the Netherlands and the Philippines! I have no idea how you found out about my blog!!!!  Please let me know, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment or send me an email at trey@treyanthonystudios.com.

I thank you for being a part of my international community and family! And thank you for spreading the word and telling others about the blog. I thank you for all your feedback. Much love!

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