BHM Day 20: Winnie Harlow

I have been a fan of America’s Next Top Model from the start. Ok, maybe I missed cycle 1, but I definitely went back and rewatched during a VH1 marathon. Tyra picked aspiring models and molded them in her likeness. She showed them how to smize and other tricks that made Tyra a household name. I can’t really think of any winner from ANTM who actually became a top model, but they got money so they should shut their pretty faces up and keep it pushing, OKAY?!

I remember seeing this girl on a cycle a few years back named Chantelle. She wasn’t warm and fuzzy and took bomb photos, so naturally I adored her. What made her stand out was her skin. She has vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that causes the body to destroy its own melanocytes (the cells responsible for producing pigment in skin), which results in patches of white skin. I actually knew all of that on my own and didn’t have to Google anything. I think people forget that I’m like REALLY smart. Anyway, Tyra was fascinated by the symmetry of her depigmentation and recruited her via Instagram. See, doing the most of the Gram might get you discovered. Well that, or it might make you look like a sad thirst trap, but I’m sure none of my readers fall into that category. Chantelle fell shy of the finals and was given the boot for being icy and standoffish. (she's just like me!)

A couple years later and I see the winner of that cycle doing some random modeling jobs, but I am seeing Chantelle (err, now she’s going by Winnie Harlow) everywhere! She recently just closed out both Coach and Julien Macdonald’s fashion shows. It’s great to have the fashion world love you, but do you know what’s better than that? Having Beyonce say “Hey baby girl, you wanna be in my top secret movie, Lemonade? Ok, meet me in NOLA, it’s going DOWN, sis!” (Ok, I don’t know if that’s how the conversation went down, but I’m going to assume it until proven otherwise.)


Modeling contracts and Beyonce videos are dope and what any model would aspire to achieve. Winnie has helped changed the face of beauty in the sometimes stagnant fashion world. She’s forcing people to see not only her beauty, but the beauty of others. Her impact can be seen in the current GapKids campaign, which features April Star, a young girl with vitiligo. Because of Winnie’s efforts, April has a legitimate chance of being a working model. Winnie has given so many young people who have been told they are ugly hope, and that is a huge impact. WHitney taught us that the children are our future! Today I celebrate her beauty as well as her commitment to changing the face of beauty.

BHM Day 19: Issa Rae

I hate being late to the party. Well not actual parties; being on time isn’t chic at all. I’m talking about finding out about something after everyone has. I had never watched or even heard of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. It was a web series on YouTube that was created by Issa Rae. She then took elements of the series and wrote a New York Times Bestseller of the same name. I only heard of it/her after hearing of a young, Black woman who had landed her own show on HBO called Insecure. I gave into the buzz and watched the show, which is odd given I rarely listen to the opinions of others. Mary J Blige wouldn’t lead me astray would she?

"I don't listen to people's opinions. I have people around me who I can trust, but most of all I listen to myself." - Mary. J Blige.


Damnit, MJB had sidetracked me again! Anyway, so Insecure is an amazing show. It centers on Issa and her best friend Molly, who are two young women living in California. Unlike most shows, neither Issa nor Molly have their shit together. Molly has a bomb job and wardrobe but cant keep a guy. Issa has a job (that I get the impression she kind of hates) and a man, but they’re out of the honeymoon phase and shit is getting real. That’s what I think I like about the show. I love my Annalise Keatings and my Olivia Popes, but sometimes it’s great to see someone who is a hot mess, like myself. I knew early on that I liked this show when I was blessed with this gem:



As I got more into the show I reached the conclusion that Issa is basically a female version of me. She randomly raps in the show and I randomly sing. On the show, Issa walks in on her coworkers talking shit about her and I have been in that same boat. She handles microaggressions in the workplace with passive aggressive answers but cusses them the fuck out in her head. Bitch stole my coping strategy!

Insecure is not only great because it’s my life story, but it’s dope because of just how Black it is. They cast has some great actors and is directed by Melina Matsoukas. She’s probably best known for directing videos for Beyonce. Speaking of Bey, the soundtrack is curated by Solange. Issa got Raphael Saadiq to do the music. Basically she’s stacked the deck with a bunch of talented ass black people. Issa is passionate about ensuring the quality and presence of Black TV by putting POC is roles in front of and behind the cameras. It’s one thing to be famous and well off on your own, but it’s another thing when you are able to put on other people at the same damn time. Today we celebrate Issa Rae for not only being talented, but being selfless enough to help other Black people out. Just think what could be accomplished with a mindset like hers instead of all of these hating ass people who don’t want to see anyone who isn’t them succeed… *insert Keanu “whoa”* Issa has no need to be awkward of insecure, she should feel confident knowing she's a bad bitch and has a career as bright as her bright ass smile ahead of her.

BHM Day 18: Moonlight

I’m usually not the person who gets excited about seeing movies. Beyond that, the movies that I tend to like are typically not recipients of any accolades. I mean, Mean Girls was robbed by the Academy and I’m still in my feelings over that, but that’s for another blog post during White History Months. Kidding! (sort of) When I started hearing people saying “oh you absolutely MUST go see Moonlight” it made me want to see it less. It seemed like it was going to be one of those over hyped projects that put me to sleep. Boy am I glad that I got over that and took my happy ass to the theatre. Moonlight turned out to be an AMAZING movie on so many different levels. Today, we are shining the BHM on a great movie that just happens to be Black as hell.


It’s not very often that I get to see a movie with people who look like me. It’s hard enough to get Black films made as is, and sometimes it feels like Black movies are overlooked unless they are about slavery. Not that we need to stop talking about slavery and the impact it’s had and continues to have, but I think it’s important to tell diverse stories that reflect how diverse Black people are. Now me asking for a movie about Blackness AND discussing homosexuality is just absurd! Oh but wait, Moonlight came to the rescue!

For those of you who haven’t been made gay by vaccines and MTV, don’t feel like you can’t see Moonlight. It has gay themes, but isn’t overtly gay. But to those of you who can’t handle seeing two men together, I think it’s time you look at the deeper issue… The movie tells a great story about a kid growing up in Miami. He has a fucked up home life (mom didn’t get the memo about crack being whack, but got the memo about it being cheap :( ) and gets taken in by a drug dealer with a heart and mouth of gold. We see the character go from childhood to adulthood and see how the relationships evolve. There’s much more to the film, but I’ll leave it to you to see it if you haven’t.

The storytelling is great and the acting is on point. Visually the movie is just nice to see. It was so well shot. I was thrilled to see Moonlight get all eight of its Oscar nominations. They were so well deserved. Maybe this might be the film to help counteract the past few years (decades) of #OscarsSoWhite. Maybe not. I do know that films like this are important to proving that Black people in compelling stories will sell tickets. Moonlight is a great Black film, but even more important is the fact that it’s just a great film. I doubt there's a sequel, but I'd request to see more shirtless/gratuitous nude scenes with this fine ass man:




wait, he was trying to look hard and damaged, he can look better!

BHM Day 17: Sisqó

The other day I was on Daddy (Well Uncle, as Maury said that baby was NOT mine!) Daycare Duty and was driving my niece to go cheer. We were listening to music and :The Thong Song” “came on. A better person would have changed the station, but I felt like it was important for her to learn about classic music. I thought about shining the BHM spotlight on Sisqó but then I saw something shiny and totally forgot.

Last night, I came across an article talking about a man who was pretending to be to Sisqó get into New York Fashion Week shows. He was successful at Phillipp Plein and Vivienne Tam. He got caught when trying to board a yacht when he showed his passport. I read the article and couldn’t believe that Sisqó (real or fake) would be able to get into a fashion show in 2017. I mean Trump is president and Sisqó is still getting VIP treatment?! #Disturbia Then I stopped being such a shady bitch for 2.5 minutes and remembered all that man have given us:

He was in Dru Hill, which gave us some great R&B hits. I can only remember “In My Bed” right now, but I’m certain there were more.

He had a song with Mya which was the jam back in the day.

He went solo with his album Unleash the Dragon and blessed us with “The Thong Song”. The song really is just him repeating one verse and a chorus but he does it with such emotion and conviction that he just sells the hell out of it. The video is so ridiculous and involves him doing one handed cartwheels and shit. It looks utterly ridiculous now, but I feel like i remember it looking ridiculous when it came out. He looks so zesty with his platinum hair, that it’s almost adorable when he’s singing lines like:

She had dumps like a truck truck truck
Thighs like what what what
Baby move your butt butt butt
I think I’ll sing it again



Sisqó had a moment in music that we can’t deny. He was the Bobby Brown of his group. He gave us vocals, choreography and a song dedicated to women’s undergarments. Today I celebrate all 5 feet of Sisqó!

Bonus Clip! I think this is probably his best song and video I love how he starts off with “Do I grab the back of yo neck to make you listen to me?”

BHM Day 16: Laverne Cox

I was watching the show Star today and much of this week’s episode focused on the trans character Cotton. We see Cotton be fun and fabulous, but we also learn about her insecurities. We see the struggle with her family and how she has to even resort to sex work to pay for gender reassignment surgery. The show does a decent job of humanizing a trans woman. Even though I’m gay I don’t really have any friends who are trans, so I think depictions like that are important.

Today isn’t about Amiyah Scott, the actress who plays Cotton, it’s about Laverne Cox. I’m not 100% sure, but I think Laverne Cox was the first trans person I ever saw on TV. She was on a show on MTV about wanting to work for Diddy. I honestly don’t remember much about it, but I do remember her. You don’t see many openly gay or trans people in the hip hop world, so I was rooting for her to win. When I saw her on Orange is the New Black, I kind of braced myself waiting for some sad exploitation to occur. Thankfully, I was wrong and they wrote compelling storylines for her and helped expose many Americans to their first trans person. It was on this show, that I got to see her acting chops. I wasn’t alone, as Laverne earned an emmy nod and became the first trans person to do so.

I shine today’s BHM spotlight on Laverne Cox because I feel like BHM often forgets the LGBTQ community. Black trans women are being assaulted and killed at alarming rates, but we aren’t talking about it. Laverne is getting the word out about her community and has been a valuable asset. I so fondly remember her checking Katie Couric when she was on her show and Couric kept on referring to “transgendereds” and asking about what people had between their legs. Laverne helped get Katie all the way together.

You know I love a good read:


Laverne is a noted card carrying member of the Beyhive, and I feel like we need to stick together. Beyond that, she actually seems like a fun and interesting person. Today I celebrate this actor and activist for being such a loud and important voice to the community. May she continue breaking down walls and just being a bad bitch in general.

BHM Day 15: Olivier Rousteing

I have long been a huge fan of couture. Before every fashion house Instagrammed runway shows and tweeted looks from their collection, I would watch Fashion TV and read magazines to stay in the know. I was in awe of the over- the - top fashion shows and impressed by the sheer artistry the designers would present collection after collection. I have long had the feeling that the old couture houses were racist and stodgy AF. Sure they employed their share of gay, white men, but I hardly saw people that looked like me at the forefront.

Imagine my excitement when Olivier Rousteing was named creative director for Balmain. He was talented, young, gay, and oh yes, BLACK. Fashion insiders were said to be in their feelings that this relatively unknown “kid” was handed over this fashion house that was over sixty five years old. I don’t know if I can fully express how excited I am when the old school is pressed over Black excellence.

Olivier helped to reinvent and reinvigorate the brand. He catered to his growing Asian clientele and saw his profits grow accordingly. He made Balmain one of the first Instagram couture brands and helped propel them past a million followers. He was able to infuse his love of pop culture by landing Kardashians at his shows and Rihanna is his campaign. Just like that, this old, French house became well known across the globe.


Today I am shining the BHM spotlight on Olivier not for being a Black person in fashion, but for being a FORCE in the ultra- White world of couture. Feel how you want to about his designs (quiet as it’s kept, I don’t always love everything he sends down the runway) but you cannot deny the impact he has had and continues to have. Oh, and I’m not even going to get into his bone structure of adorable French accent. Screw it, it’s my blog and I’ll do as I please. I think he’s adorable and I feel like we would get along so well. Olivier if you’re reading this (I know he’s not) I am totally fine with the idea of moving to France. Also, I’m a size 31 err actually just DM me. Enjoy your day in the light, boo!

BHM Day 14: Black Bachelorette

When news of the FIRST Black Bachelorette broke last night, I pretty much rolled my eyes and went back to doing whatever I was doing. I watch a LOT of trash reality TV, but that show has never kept my attention. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever watched it. Oh well. It seems a bit late on the part of the show to just now be featuring a Black lead after almost fifteen years. Better late than never? Girl, I guess… Sadly, today’s BHM spotlight is not going to Black Bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay. Why, rob her of this great distinction? Well, I for one, am not going to sit up here and pretend that she’s the first Bachelorette.


Tiffany “New York” Pollard gets the distinction of being the first. Yes, She came from Flava of Love and not the Bachelor, but it’s basically the same thing, right? I don’t care if you back me up, as Black Twitter has my back on this one and they totally trump your opinion. New York stole the show on Flava of Love. The show itself, was a parody, so that gave her even more opportunity to be over the top and ridiculous. They brought her back for a second season, only to have her lose again

Most people would have given up after being a two - time reality show loser, but not New York! She persisted! (Elizabeth Warren, who?) She went on to have her own spin off show, I Love New York, where she looked for love. After two seasons, she was still hella single, which leads me to believe that love is just not for her. Kidding! (sort of?) New York managed to turn her fifteen minutes of fame into thirty. She became a fixture of reality TV and by my count, has appeared on eight shows. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade (Beyonc.. Ok, let’s not get crazy here)


I guess my post about Black love didn’t turn out being about love, but I stayed on topic with the Black part, so there’s that! I am going to instead, shine my BHM spotlight on Tiffany “New York” Pollard for being a trailblazer of reality television. She took a bunch of losses in love so that women like Rachel Lindsay could have a chance at winning. Thank you sister York Pollard,thank you.