Tag: black women

Pretty Girls Rock

Pretty Girls Rock

by Ranada ♥ 13 Comments

Hi, lovelies,

This morning I came across a Facebook invite that had an immediate impact.
The PRETTY GIRLS ROCK “DRESSES” Challenge will start
Tuesday, March 1, 2011.
Mission:
1. We will rock dresses and cute shoes (flats and heels) like our mothers & grandmothers at least THREE (3) times a week.
2. We will reject the impulse to throw on jeans, jogging suits (even the cute kind), & dress slacks.
3. Exchange our revelations and thoughts throughout this challenge.
4. Invite a Friend(s), Take Pics, & HAVE FUN.
5. Everyone is WELCOMED to participate.
6. Exceptions: Flattering Dress Suits with nice accessories are allowed.
7. If you have a blog share it with your followers. 

Let’s bring back:
*GLAMOUR. *GRACE. *CHARM. *FEMININITY. *PRISSYness (is that a word?) and most of all BEAUTY.

Pretty Girls Rock Dresses Spring/Summer 20-11 Challenge.

So of course, I was (as usual) rummaging through my wide array of garments to figure out how to stay warm at 8 am without getting too hot at 3 pm. Usually, I just look for what I don’t have to iron, but because of this piece of awesome encouragement, I was reminded that it’s never too much to put on a dress.  And of course, wearing a dress requires jewelry and makeup, too things that are usually optional or minimal in the morning. Just needed that one boost to give me the energy and motivation to do more that “throw something on”. I’ve already gotten a couple of compliments.

My grandma and Uncle Lonzo

It’s actually pretty funny, though, because my mom loves to tell me when I’m at home that I need to “show em what I got” — i.e. pamper myself in the mornings and always look my best–even when I’m about to get on the highway. I overlook that last scenario, but I am getting a little better about not just throwing on some jeans and showing up at a meeting without even lip gloss. I still wear my jeans and slacks (I mean I never just look completely busted–but I don’t always look A+), but I may be a little more intentional in my jewelry and a little more concerned about my makeup–never overdoing it, but definitely ensuring that I bring out my natural beauty with a couple of highlights.

It’s also funny because some people think I overdress.  Maybe it’s that extreme thing about me. I generally either do it big or not at all.  I do adore getting dolled up, but it hasn’t been a daily thing for me.

When I think of my grandma Neva (y’all know I always have to get sentimental!), I think of her dresses and ultra yet subtle fabulousness. I literally can’t remember one time where I saw her not looking like a million bucks. From her clothing choices (some of which I wear now) to her hair styles to her jewelry and makeup, it was clear that she was a woman that took pride in herself and took care of herself. In that spirit, I do resolve (as I did last year as a 2011 goal) to wear skirts and dresses a little more often and to make sure I devote time to myself, pampering and primping to make myself feel and look like a million bucks.

Thanks to Dearroka Winfrey for reminding me that being feminine and giving my pretty some shine is never too much. Just in time for the spring!! Happy warm days!

Lifting us all up

Lifting us all up

by Ranada ♥ 4 Comments

I got a couple comments offline about my iRock post that were surprisingly negative.  They were from guys who said that they were tired of us black womenfolk uplifting ourselves and what about the fellas…  Weeeeeeellllll, I didn’t know that uplifting someone equated downplaying someone else.  I believe that uplifting women is one major key to uplifting a community.  In the media, we have been hearing so much negativity, especially us educated, supposedly too independent, grouchy, emasculating, career-focused black women.  I know so many awesome black women who don’t know just how awesome they are, and in turn, the people around them don’t necessarily see how awesome they are because they downplay themselves.  So I wanted people to come on here and celebrate how they rock.  Men could too, if you rock.  We don’t hate around these parts–we acknowledge how important both men and women are to our community.  So c’mon.  Can you give us some love without feeling neglected?

Malcolm X once said that black women are the most disrespected, unprotected people in America.  Sometimes I wonder how we got to the point where YouTube video battles about the contention between black men and women became just as mainstream as harping on negative statistics about us every chance possible without providing some solution besides date whoever winks at you.  I don’t know what the solution is, but we’ve got to get back to a point where we respect each other.  I was listening to Michael Eric Dyson today, and a guest on his show, Dr. Raymond Winbush, author of The Warrior Method: A Parents’ Guide to Rearing Healthy Black Boys, said something that really struck a cord with me.  He said that we so often use the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child,” but we never talk about how our village has been torn apart or about how to rebuild it. Ok, I may have added some of my own into that, but you get the picture.  I want to know how we can improve the overall relations within our community (I know not ALL people men-bash or women-bash so don’t start with me please and thanks).  How can we stop the finger pointing and start the embracing?  We all have stuff to work on–it’s not a one-sided issue.  What can we do today to ensure that our kids will respect each other?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

This next video is to add to that convo about guys who love to call out women who aren’t smiling as they walk down the street. Lol–it’s not that deep on a daily basis, but still something to think about.

And y’all know I love me some good music.  This is dedicated to all my girls who rock (even if you didn’t come tell me why, lol).