CHAINED BY CHOICE?

I not so long ago I had a conversation with a male family member of mine that refuses to wear jewellery. I asked him why. He then said to me. When he sees young males wearing their jeans low and big chains around their necks he sees slaves. To which I replied 'that's a bit harsh'
He went on to liken the low trousers to when the slave masters instructed the women to bulk make trouser/pants for the slaves to walk in. No measurements were taken so for many, the trousers would sag. ( In the fashion that some black males wear their trousers ) He then likened the chains to the chains the slaves were bound in when captured - just like the ones you see in the above picture.

Why is it that the majority of males found wearing these chains have black skin?

When was the last time a white man wearing this fashion was NOT referred to a "trying to be black"
Or is it all a coiincidence?
Just a thought...

OFFICIAL KANYE WEST ALL OF THE LIGHTS VID

One of my favourite tracks from Dark Twisted Fantasy.
The official vid. Just 300 views deep!
Be one of the 1st to see it.. Yeezy at his best and RiRi looks absolute fire.

Enjoy!

IS BEYONCE BRIGHTENING?

DIVA DISCLAIMER!

Let me put it out there that as a child I have been a absolute Destiny's Child and Beyonce fan. Like devout. I've seen them in concert. Have all their albums and solo ones too ( apart from Michelle Williams' sorry yeah lol ). And much as I may not agree with certain changes I've seen in Beyonce as a fashion icon and performer I have mad mad respect for her as a female artist...Moving on.


An article yesterday in the Dairy Mail snapped the above picture of Bey out on a shopping spree with new bleach blonde hair and significantly lighter looking skin.

FIRST: We have to remember Beyonce's mother is mixed race and her father African American so naturally she is more likely to have a lighter skin tone. As much as people may have to say from childhood photos and old group photos Beyonce was always the lighter in the group (whether this has enabled her to get further in the industry is another discussion for another day!)

SECONDLY: photoshop + media's need for a 'story' - We can't put anything past the media these days. So many images can be lightened, shrunk, cropped and generally manipulated to match a headline.

FINALLY: Lighting - can make all the difference. Depending where or how a picture is taken your skin tone is not going to be consistent in all shots. Its impossible due to shading, sunlight etc.

TO CONCLUDE: In my opinion. Amongst other things I cant deny Beyonce seems to have got lighter over the years. Her skin colour, her hair colour etc.

I do not disprove that although in this picture she looks significantly lighter, it may be a fluke and/or manipulation.

I just hope a woman as beautiful as Beyonce is not bleaching her already lighter skin. She is an inspiration and a role model to a lot of young and impressionable females out there. And us females need to accept who we are and see more females in the public eye content with who they are too.

What do you think ?


to read the article visit : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1357759/Beyonce-shows-lighter-side.html

BLACK FRIDAY - LIL KIM

Ok. So its official. Lil Kim has released her video for Nicki Minaj diss track " Black Friday "
Personally, I think this whole track and video is a waste of time. I, myself am a Nicki Minaj fan. But we all know without Lil Kim there would be no Nicki. We all know Lil Kim is the Queen of HipHop so her releasing this song just shows that she does feel her title is threatened and to me its look like she's using Nicki Minaj as a stepping stone back into the game. I could go on about sisterhood, and how great it'd be if they squashed the beef and made a track together how immense it would be. But i'm not going to. Watch and make your own opinion up. Mendez x

CLASSY over TRASHY?

Mendez Definitions;

Classy Female : A genuine feminine women who holds herself in high regard, is respectable, elegant and stylish and is able to maintain these attributes in social circles

Trashy Female: Subversion of 'Classy Female'

Pretty : A generic pretty female that would gain a general social consensus as being 'good looking'

Last night, i read a tweet 'Does a hoe know shes a hoe?' And it got me thinking. Some actually dont. They dont realise what theyre doing. From personal experiences with my peers and females generally. It's not a mystery that females hold a lot of insecurities / confidence issues etc. I wanted to address a few scenarios I have come across.

Many a female think theyre not 'pretty' and I have seen many a female use their other attributes to 'make up for this'. For example, wearing tight / low cut clothing. Acting more provocatively and plain simple looking trashy, to give themselves a confidence boost, compensate for not being 'pretty', or simply for attention. This saddens me because not only are they selling themself short but i'm sure ( if its male attention they're looking for ) a male would prefer a girl that is not generically pretty but classy and carries herself well over a pretty/'ugly' female selling herself short and dressing like a hot mess.

It then irritates me when these girls wonder why they dont get any 'decent men.' Well if u dont look / act decent . . . What you put out is what you get..

I've come to the conclusion that females are comparing ourselves to each other and celebrities all too often and are not holding ourself to the high esteem that we should as a real woman.

Put yourself in a males position; If your at a rave at a females wearing next to nothing, caked in make-up and dancing with their face down, ass up. Sure, she may get more attention than the female in the classic LBD (Little black dress), less make-up and not so 'out there'- But is she getting the right attention? 10 years later when you're contemplating marriage, life long partners etc. Who would they rather the out there female that everyone tried to get a piece of, or the understated beauty that carried herself well.

Let me put it another way, Alicia Keys or Lil Kim? Both get attention from males. One sings about sex sex and .. sex... the other about a womans worth, love and sisterhood... One dresses with clothing. One doesnt. Who would you rather be?

Heres some Mendez tips

1) Start believing

- You cannot act classy and act and behave like you are woman you are if you do not believe it yourself. Get your mindset right. You're worth more than a one night stand. Your body's a temple. Everyone doesnt need to see every bit of it, or try every piece of it.

2) Develop Self worth rituals

- For example, each time you wake up, when you first look in the mirror. Say something positive about yourself 1 physically and 1 mentally. - " I have lovely big brown eyes. I'm also a good listener " - write these down to refer back to for those days when you're feeling down.

3) Be Original

-The minute you start acting like someone you are not thats often where things go wrong, if that means sorting out insecurity issues first and knowing what you are and what your worth so be it

4) Be beautiful

-Not sexy, pretty, hot... Beautiful. As a person. Inside and out.

5) Impress yourself

-Love yourself, stop looking for acceptance from men or other females you are priority.

Final thought; Your self worth is not defined by how many guys grab your bum in a rave. I'm 99% sure if females learn to love and respect themselves more there'd be no such thing a trashy girls or hoes..

6) Now go listen to ; Video - by India Arie :) x

RED HEAD RIHANNA

So i havent blogged for a while, apologies. So to some this topic may be old news but its essential that i cover it.

Rihanna - i loved her girl next door image before she got all edgy. But i have to say 'edgy' suits her. In addition Ri Ri has officially blown, she wants red hair? Fine. She wants to rock a leotard and nothing else? Fine.

What my problem is this new found confidence she has instilled in some black females, let me rephrase - confidence is always great but Rihanna is famous, as with a lot of celebrities their styling and images are uncoof and bit 'out there' they can get away with it theyre famous.

Fair enough if someones your 'idol' but just because Ri Ri is rocking red hair it does not mean every female should run out and dye their hair red. It's quite upsetting. 1) because I believe styling is personal to yourself and your personality - imitating is never a good thing but 2) Certain hair styles require certain skin toning, bone structure etc.

Basically, I'm saying if you want to make a style statement. Fine. Do that. But make sure you consult a good hair dresser. I know a hair dresser that has refused and turned girls away that have asked for 'The Red Ri Ri' do and so she should!

Ladies, be a bit original, but if you do want to try the do make sure it suits you. Thats all i ask