Miss Jessie's Products Hits Select Target Locations

Founded by sisters, Miko and Titi Branch, Miss Jessie's Products are designed to style curly, kinky, and wavy textures. I've personally never bought the products, because they are too expensive for my budget. For example, a 16 oz jar of the Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme retails for $58 PLUS shipping!  I've always felt like they were taking advantage of the fact that black women are willing to spend a lot of money on their hair.  I'm all for making money, but I can't imagine that there are any ingredients in the product that are so expensive, that it warrants them charging $58 for 1 lb. of product  (It is worth noting that they have cheaper products, and you can also buy 2 oz or 8 oz versions of the products).

Anyways, maybe now that the products are available at Target, they'll be a little cheaper (I doubt it, but a sister can hope, can't she?) Click here to find a location near you, because not all Target locations will carry the products.  I'd be curious to hear about your experiences with the Miss Jessie's products.

More Bad News for Black Women?

So I was traveling last week, and got distracted. I meant to write a post about all of the bad news for black women in the media. Then I debated whether I should even write about it since it's so daggone depressing.

In recent weeks, I feel like I've been bombarded by news stories indicating that because I am a black woman, I'm likely to be single, have a net value of $5, and have herpes! Since I'm in grad school, the first two actually might be true, but for the record I DO NOT have herpes. Lol!

But seriously, is there any good news out there about black women?! Admittedly my friends are a rare breed, but in my friend circle, I seriously don't see the depressing statistics that the news stories report (I guess I wouldn't necessarily be privy to the fact that someone has herpes, but I digress). In any case, if ya'll have any good news about black women, send it my way. As a matter of fact, I'm going to make it a point to post some positive stories about sistas in the coming weeks. Ciao!

p.s. This might not be the best pic of a black woman, but I'm trying to avoid copyright issues. This was a free stock photo available on the net ;-)

No But Really, It Doesn't Rub Off

During their first joint trip together to Haiti last week, former president, George W. Bush wipes his hand on Bill Clinton's shirt after shaking hands with some Haitians.  I could not make this stuff up if tried.  Check out the video--it's only 40 seconds.

Yes We Did Get Healthcare!

Now you know I have my fair share of critiques of the brother, but I'm happy to see that he was able to sign his Healthcare Reform Bill into law. We'll see what delaying tactics the Republicans will play in the Senate. There's also talk about challenges to the constitutionality of the law. But for now, I'm happy to see that at least some change has been accomplished. I wish I was young enough to still be on my mama's health insurance at the age of 26!

Vanessa Williams Speaks the Truth About The Blind Side

Vanessa Williams was a guest host on ABC's The View, the day after the Academy Awards. She basically sums up my feelings about the movie, The Blind Side. Too bad, Barbara Walters completely misses the point, and shuts her down. Be prepared to yell at your computer screen for this one.

Jean Paul Gaultier for Target: Ooo La La

OMG(osh)!  So Sunday, March 7th marked the release of Jean Paul Gaultier's line for Target.  I love his Classique perfume, and his fashion line might be my new favorite thing. Gaultier is the third designer in a series of Designer Collaborations for Target, featuring established designers (previous designers were Alexander McQueen and Anna Sui).  According to Gaultier, "My collection with Target pays homage to the wide range of personalities that make up the diverse styles of American women... From ingénue to rock 'n' roll, this collection celebrates women of all ages and a host of distinctive, iconic American styles."  The items range from $17.99 (for swim separates) to $199.99 (for a leather motorcycle jacket that is cute, but overpriced).  Depending on the item, the sizes range from 0-18.  Act fast, because the collection will only be available through April 14, 2010.

The Gentle Giant: Race and The Blind Side

So surprise, surprise, Sandra Bullock won an Academy Award for Best Actress in her role in The Blind Side.  I almost wrote a post yesterday about how I would poke my eye out if she won.  However, we all saw it coming, since Bullock won a SAG Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a People's Choice Award, in the lead up to the Academy Awards.

As expected, it was pretty much another "great white hope" movie. Truth be told, I liked the movie more than I thought I would.  It was a "feel good" movie, with that classic "rags to riches" story, that most Americans are partial to, including me.  But I could not ignore some of the racial overtones in the movie. My major issue with the film was that Michael Oher (who the movie was based on) was portrayed as a big, black oaf--a "gentle giant," if you will.  That portrayal of black men is pretty cliche in my opinion.

Also, according to the movie, Oher had neither interest in, nor aptitude for the sport of football.  Yet, he was encouraged/pressured to play football, because he was big and black.  I really don't like when black males are geared toward stereotypical career choices, and their potential in other areas goes untapped.  That too was cliche.  It's like there is an expectation that if you're big and black, then you should play sports.

"But it's a true story," you say.  Yes, the movie is based on a true story.  And yes a rich white family really did adopt Michael Oher, a homeless black teenager, and yes, eventually he became an NFL star.  However, just because the movie was based on a true story does not mean that we cannot be critical of how this true story was told.

This is the kind of the movie that makes people feel good about themselves and race relations in American, without forcing people to think deeply about systemic inequality. For example, where the hell was the social safety net that should have prevented a MINOR from ending up homeless on the street?   What were the circumstances that led Michael's mother to abuse crack or his father to commit suicide?  Granted, one movie cannot do everything.  But this movie just might cross the line between "true story" and a "caricature," chock full of stereotypes about the pathologies of black people.

I could go on, but I'll stop here.  It wasn't the worst movie, and it wasn't the best movie.  Sometimes I wish I could just turn my brain off, and just enjoy a movie.  Leave a comment and let me know if you think Bullock's performance was in fact Oscar worthy.  

He Was The Blind Governor When He First Got There...Now His Ass is Black!*

According to recent news reports, New York Governor, David Paterson is alleged to have used his political influence to interfere in a domestic violence case involving one of his top staffers.  Purportedly, Paterson pressured a woman to drop domestic violence charges against his aide, David Johnson, and even got the New York State Police involved.  And in case you were wondering ( I know I was), David Johnson is black :-(  (Insert collective shame here).  News reports are also alleging that Governor Paterson has engaged in the unethical use of gift money, including the receipt of tickets to the World Series.

Amidst the growing controversy, there has been pressure for Paterson to step down from his post, and he's already announced that he won't run for another term.  Meanwhile some prominent black leaders have decided to stand behind the embattled Governor.  When asked if race might be the impetus propelling the media's coverage, City Councilman Charles Barron said, "Of course it's a race thing. They don't want us in those positions. Race still matters."

What do you think?  Is it a matter of race?  Is Governor Paterson being held to an unfair standard because he is black?  Or should we just call a spade, a spade? (pun intended).  Personally, I feel that if he intervened in the domestic violence case, then he is dead WRONG.  Do I think he should resign, because of that?  Ummmm....no.  I am not trying to minimize the gravity of domestic violence, but I don't think his intervention is resignation worthy.  As far as the World Series tickets, it really does make it appear as if they are on fishing expedition.  Give me a break.

I've listened to news reports on the radio, as well as the local barbershop/beauty salon discussions, and my unscientific polling finds that a lot of black folk feel that Governor Paterson is being treated unfairly.  It's not that people don't think that his alleged behavior was improper, but basically a lot of people seem to think that all politicians are corrupt, so why single out Governor Paterson?  What do you think?

* The title of this blog post comes from a conversation with a wise and funny friend.  I won't use the person's name, but I like to give credit, where credit is due :-)

Word of the Day: "Collective Shame/Guilt"

Collective guilt, or guilt by association, is the controversial collectivist idea that groups of humans can bear guilt above and beyond the guilt of individual members, and hence an individual holds responsibility for what other members of their group have done, even if they themselves didn't do this. You know that feeling you, as an African American get when you listen to the news, and hear about some crazy crime committed, and pray to God that the criminal wasn't black.   It's also what white people feel about Sarah Palin.  To futher illustrate my point, I've included the photos of some black people people who have caused the "black community" to experience collective shame/guilt.  My inclusion of Sherri Sheperd might be a bit harsh, but sometimes she says some really dumb things (in my humble opinion).  Do you have any other suggestions for a "Collective Shame: Hall of Fame?"