GOOD HAIR?

Sooo can someone please explain the definition of GOOD HAIR to me??? Most Caucasians that I have surveyed say that good hair is considered to be thick and voluminous. In the African-American world, well, it's not that simple.
Good Hair can be considered LONG HAIR.
but sometimes, that's just not good enough.
because yea, LONG is okay, but not if it's long only because you have a relaxer.
**confused expression**
to have "Good Hair" it has to either grow in straight, curly, or wavy.
Anything but an afro.
Which is what ALOT of African-Americans have naturally, whether they remember or not.
Soo why isn't an Afro, the naturally tightly coiled hair alot of us were BORN with, considered GOOD?
WHY is it BAD? What's WRONG with it?
I can't tell you the amount of times I've heard phrases such as:
"Her hair's not good, it's NAPPY."
Or harsh words such as:
KINKY
PEASY
Why can't we be happy with the hair that is so closely related to OUR RACE??
Why is it that, the farther AWAY our hair is from that, the better it is??
Another form of self-hatred.
YES, I do have a relaxer.
And yes, I will use the excuse that relaxed hair is easier to manage.
Even though I can't sweat excessively, swim, or shower without my hair in mind.
Even though after I wash my hair, getting it back to it's relaxed state takes an hr to and hr and a half of labor.
Even though I have to put harsh chemicals in my hair every few months.
It's less of a stress, I guess.

Shhhh.....

ON the TV One Show, "Life After", Elise Neal claims to have had a cabaret like girl-group called "The Dolls" who recorded and performed a song called "Don't Cha". She says the group the "Pussycat Dolls" stole the whole concept and single from her group. To see the segment click
HERE
UR THOUGHTS?

The Ulitmate Secret Keepers.

Gosh I love this show.
Tuesday on ABC Family
Pretty Little Liars

MY ORIGINAL POEM ABOUT COLOR BARRIERS

my race maybe black
my skin may be gold
thats the way it is
or so i was told
and continue to be told
frequently
skin color oppression continues to
seep in me
daily. monthly. weekly
so what if i'm not
your rich brown complexion
so what if i am
the racial exception
my troubles run just as deep
and just as far back
to where we were sisters
walking the same journey
fighting the same battles
what happened to that?
the beauty of our skin is equal
just in two different ways
beautifully connected
like night and day
don't tell me how the media degrades you
and how i don't love you
for your skin
don't tell me how they stop at your chocolate beauty
and fail to see within
but most of all DON'T HATE ME
for what THEY'VE done to you
DON'T HATE ME and disown me of my race
calling me near white
because God made me light
because my skin is gold
because truth be told
black is still my race
the race we fail to win
because we are divided by pettiness
the color of our skin!
XOXO,
"
Reddlipstick

DARK SKIN/LIGHT SKIN

THE TWO-PART PIECE ABOUT A MAJOR ISSUE IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY: Color. THE COMPLEXION OF OUR SKIN IS DIVIDING OUR RACE IN HALF..AND I'M SPEAKING OUT ON IT. BUT I COULDN'T DO IT ALONE. I ASKED A FELLOW BLOGGER (who is of darker complexion) TO GIVE US HER VIEWPOINT.

DARK SKIN


I was born this way, deep and rich in a coco pigmentation of my exterior. I am the result of sun kissed bliss that is my heritage. Yet here in my environment in a place of comfortableness among peers, with similar cultures as mine I am degraded to being “Pretty for a Dark skin girl.” And THAT is how it all began.
In fact that seems to be a universal phrase towards darker African-American women. It’s not even the saying itself that bothers me. It’s what it represents. First of the all, the people saying it actually find it to be acceptable. Do you realize you are telling me “You sure are nice looking for someone that’s so black.” Insinuating that black is the equivalent of Ugly. As if I am some exception to a rule. Black is beautiful. Haven’t you heard? Still none the less as we humans sometimes do, this caused me to ask myself questions in regards to the nature of black beauty. So what is considered beautiful if not I? That’s when I began my self-righteous hell bent negativity towards my light-skinned counter parts.
Ever since High school I would “throw shade” at them. I spoke avidly and got into heated debates of how their beauty is over-rated, how it is easier for them to get jobs or opportunities and how they acted as if they were superior to Dark skin sisters. Quite frankly I walked around pissed at them for years. Because I was fed-up! Every time I turned on the radio it was “Red bone long hair” this and “caramel” that. Even the most prominent pop cultural figures (i.e. Beyoncé, Tyra banks) were all I saw. I felt as though I wasn’t good enough because I wasn’t light-skinned. I wanted my voice to be heard too. I was tired of being pre-judged. I remember once someone said. “You know, you are alright for a dark skin girl. You aren’t ghetto and dirty like the other ones I know.” What the HELL? The ignorance just sickens me.
Ironically I always found myself being best friends with people of a lighter complexion. Not in a compensation type of way either. It would naturally happen. But that didn’t change my feelings about how I was treated as a chocolate sister or the way I felt about “them”. In fact my friends would have to take daily lashings of my underhanded comments. “Your yellow self” or “you know the only reason that happened is because you’re light-skinned”. Daily debates would be me and my best friend vocalizing our view points that we were so sure the other could not possibly understand. Then one day on twitter the light skin dark skin conversation began. I wasn’t a part of it though I was merely a spectator and in that moment it hit me.
What were we all doing? Nothing but throwing hate towards each other when we both were experiencing the same struggle! We were breeding each other’s ignorance. I use to say “You don’t understand my struggle because you are light skinned and what you are dealing with is different, therefore you can’t walk in my shoes,” but I was wrong. When it comes down to it we are all being judged by the color of our skin. Literally, the color, not simply by our race but by how much pigmentation we were born with. It’s sad in all honesty. This is not a modern day problem it’s deeply rooted. Back during times of slavery slave owners would always try to “divide and conquer” physically separating darker and lighter slaves which caused a mental separation to fester. A hundred years later we are still being divided.
It is drilled so deep within our conscious that we don’t even see it. We are so busy fighting to be heard that we don’t realize we are both saying the same thing. I had to stop looking at it as “them” because black is us. Black Is beautiful. That includes the different browns, chocolates, caramels and cappuccino colors that we are. The diversity among is the things that’s destroying us but it should be bringing us together. Instead of focusing on tearing each other apart we need to embrace one another. We do not decide the complexion we are given at birth we have no control over that. Let’s stop focusing our attention on hating one another and try to better ourselves. Accept that which you are. This argument does not need to continue because either way it will be an empty victory. When I look at my best friend now I don’t judge her based on who she is beyond her exterior because I see her based on the character she has spent her life building. Yes she is light skinned. She can’t change that and shouldn’t want to. She was born that way.





LIGHT SKIN
At first, I didn't understand the "difference". As a matter of fact, I didn't even know the "difference" existedBut I found out at an early age. It was abruptly brought to my attention by the infamous quotes I became accustomed to throughout my whole life.
"She didn't deserve that, she only got it because she was light-skinned."
"She’s not cute; she's just light skinned with hair."
Even members of my own family, saying that me and my male counterpart were only awarded valedictorian and salutatorian in kindergarten class because my teacher favored "yellow" kids. Confused, I thought it was because I worked the hardest and actually deserved it.
And it only got worse since then.
The light skinned/dark skinned subject became a major part of my life. I was constantly defending myself and other people of my color that the things that we were given, we deserved, scholastic awards or not, we had to work just as hard as everyone else.
My arguments were always corrupted by the media. With songs blaring lyrics such as "I like a long haired thick red bone," and front covers of magazines always broadcasting people of lighter skin, I was always felt the need to eat my words.\
Even I felt ashamed to proudly claim my skin complexion, whereas my best friends were free to announce that they were "cocoa" and "a beautiful chocolate complexion"
I felt the need to do things to prove that I was capable DESPITE my complexion, instead of owning it.
I realized that I didn't work as hard as everyone else, I worked TWICE as hard so people could look past that, and still got hit with,
"She’s JUST light skin. That’s the ONLY reason."
I started to then think that people of darker complexions were bitter of what the media was doing to them, but were taking it out on everyday people.
I had the attitude of "this wasn't my fault, so why do I get the back lashing for it?"
A friend of mine once said that my idol Lena Horne, was not a true civil rights activist because she "Looked white anyway."
Lena Horne did not use her complexion to her advantage. She would not accept any special treatment that her whole race couldn't use.
A "we are all in this together" attitude that I love.
Sadly this is a struggle that the whole African-Americans are going to continue to face until we learn to realize that are not a race of dark and light, but a race of many different skin complexions working towards one common goal. People need to stop judging someone's credibility by the lightness or darkness of their skin, but of their true character.
We will continue to be enslaved by the notions that slavery has put on us until we learn to put color behind us.

**visit our guest blogger's page at epiphanies808s.blogspot.com**

My Star Reachers =D

For The Rap-Heads:
Khalil "Khidd P"
The Fam? His Team: PGE
REDDLIPSTICK'S FAVES:

#2. Pretty Girlz-DEF could see myself bumping this while I'm gettin ready to go out!
#15. No Milli ft. Team Regine-Everybody's flow on this one is equally AMAZINGGG.
#16. Make it Last-hmmm is someone trying to use their rapping skills to get girlfriend back?? lol. LOVE
Click the link for all 18 tracks of his mixtape "The Transition"
http://www.datpiff.com/Phly_Guyy_Ent_Khidd_P_The_Transition.m110945.html
***And be on the look out for "THE ABANDONED TRACKS" 7/31 AT 7PM!!!!***



For the R&B Bumpers:
JOSH BIAS
and his band iamgroupiefree
WHICH opened up for Trey Songz
Check them out here:

Singing "I'm in Love"

A Special Thanks (Drake)

The CD I am currently bumping in my stereo these summer days:

gosh, how would I make it this summer w/o it.
if you haven't bought it yet, please proceed to do so immediately.
Personal Favs:
1.Fireworks ft. Alicia Keys-Def a relaxing track/sample from A. Keys.
3.The Resistance-Really makes me think. Most meaningful song on the CD in my opinion.
4.Over-of course. Summer Banger.
Up All Night ft. Nicki Minaj-Soon to be a new "I ride or die for my friends" Anthem. PLUSSS feature my FAVE female rapper (yes, I said it).
Unforgettable ft. Young Jeezy-I couldn't have wrote this song better myself. It was like the message conveyed came straight out of my head into my CD player.
"...I'm tryna be unforgettable..."
***Special Mention*** Light Up ft. Jay-z-HAD TO. Coming from someone who thinks Jay-Z is overrated, I have to admit this is the best verse coming from him I've heard in a MINUTE. & that's saying something.



Drake, I'm thanking you.

Yes, I do believe in Fairy Tales
.

[the-ogs.com]




"Once u understand the true meaning of love u won't mistake it for ne thing else. Need practice? Start with urself."-reddlips