Sent to you by moya via Google Reader:
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to chaseology.com using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
Sunday, February 14, 2010
love OUT LOUD 4 Haiti
Friday, February 05, 2010
Instant Vintage: Beyonce Brings Sassiness to Nuptials
Instant Vintage: Beyonce Brings Sassiness to Nuptials
On February 8, just in time for Valentine’s Day, Knowles is set to unleash her latest branding endeavor onto the world: a line of engagement and wedding rings. The ring line, not subtly though cleverly called, "Put A Ring On It by Beyonce Knowles," was inspired by Knowles' smash hit, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." The legendary jeweler, Tiffany and Co. will carry the line; a less expensive version of the rings will be available at Kay Jewelers, under the similar, but more urban appellation "Put a Rang on It by Bey."
The idea actually came to Knowles during a ring fitting for her faux everyday version of the 20-carat ring given to her by now husband and rap star, Jay-Z. "I was sitting there with my girls [sister and divorcee, Solange Knowles, and former Destiny's Child co-members, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams], and they were all complimenting me on the ring design, which I did myself," Knowles said during a phone interview. "Then Kelly mentioned something about a ring line, and I thought it was just an amazing idea," Knowles explained. "I'm so glad I thought of it."
Buyers will have several ring designs to choose from. Tiffany and Co. will offer the Beyonce, an emerald cut four-carat diamond surrounded by 25 yellow diamonds (the number signifying Knowles' alleged age) forming a crown around the larger stone, set atop a platinum band. The other choice is the Solange, a smaller, less gaudy-looking bauble of a princess diamond with bands available in yellow or white gold and silver. Kay Jewelers will make the Kelly, Michelle, and them other 2, respectively, available to its customers.
Though the line has not officially launched, there is considerable excitement and interest surrounding the new product. In fact, Bey marketing prowess is such a tour de force that Mary Jay Williams, founder and CEO of the Ball & Chain Society, an organization that specializes in getting prisoners to marry their respective partners in facility sanctuaries, said that the Kay Jeweler's line will be the official rings used in all future ceremonies.
"People think that prisoners should be using their money on things other than wedding rings, perhaps on things like a new suit for job interviews or lawyers fees. We disagree. And now Beyonce has made our work so much easier with this line. You can't put a price on the happiness of being in a relationship that is recognized in the eyes of the Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. And with the new payment plan option, you don't have to!" Williams exclaimed.
Monica Chanel Jefferson, of Indianapolis, IN, is already a satisfied customer. Jefferson's boyfriend of four years surprised her with an advanced copy of the Solange when he proposed to her during a First Friday's club event earlier this month. "I'll never forget it," Jefferson, an accountant, recounts excitedly. "We had gone to dinner with friends at P.F. Chang's earlier that evening. Then, during the [First Friday's presents:] John Legend show, [fiance Alexander Deshawn Whitmore] pulled me on stage and asked me to marry him. Then John Legend played 'No Other Love.' That's our song." Jefferson spoke enthusiastically about her engagement ring, and says she'd love to have a wedding ring from Knowles' line. "I cannot wait to be Monica Chanel Jefferson-Whitmore," she added. The young couple met at an Urban League young professionals networking event. They plan to wed in June at the groom's parents' suburban Atlanta, GA home.
Knowles' people hope that Williams' and Jefferson's positive reaction to the line aren't unique. They've put a considerable amount of capital into the line, including a star-studded product launch event to be held at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, NV on February 12 where the likes of Samuel Jackson, Denzel Washington, and Kobe Bryant will make appearances. Though invited, neither Diddy nor Lil Wayne, two of hip hop's most notorious baby daddies, are expected to attend. The soiree will feature hand models, a performance by Knowles, and a special broom jumping section where the Reverend Jesse Jackson will marry interested couples. Willing participants will receive 30% off of anybling from the "Put a Ring on It Line." "I don't want to be just another diva," Knowles said. "I want to be a way of life." Indeed, Beyonce. Indeed.It looks as if Sasha's empire is about to get even fiercer. In an unprecedented celebrity branding move, Beyonce Knowles will be unveiling a new twist on an old favorite. Recharged by her infectious and socially conscious lyrics, Knowles has set her empty sights towards ameliorating a serious blight in the African-American community: lack of marital commitment.
*This post was co-authored by Summer of Sam and Moya B. Moya B. wrote all the funny parts.
The yoga cats call this move the downward facing diva
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
metro terrorism: a dc street harassment story.
so important. please read!
Sent to you by moya via Google Reader:
via Freedom Fighter by aliciasanchezgill on 1/31/10
it's 2pm. middle of the day. December 22nd. you know, a time when most folks are in an all around festive mood. i am on my way back to the office on the blue line metro, coming from a client meeting. if you know anything about dc's metros, you know those four seats at the end of each side of the train. i'm sitting in the front row. observe exhibit a:
i am only moderately aware of my surroundings. i have my headphones in. but the train is very crowded. there are people all around, sitting and standing. i am paying a modest level of attention to the people in front of me and no attention to the single row of passengers right behind me. then I feel a tap on my left shoulder. i immediately whip around, annoyed, because i didn't pause my iPod, and i may miss my favorite part of "being alive" from "company." to my surprise, man is staring back at me looking very impatient.
he says "I was calling you but you weren't answering, can i talk to you for a minute?" i respond with a calm "no. and you shouldn't touch people you don't know. i'm not interested." he immediately starts screaming at me. he tells me that he has schizophrenia and could kill me if he gets mad. (considering that i work with numerous folks who are living with schizophrenia who are not violent or dangerous, i am more annoyed by people overhearing that awful stereotype than the threat itself, especially on a train crowded with white folks when we are the only two people of color around) he says, "you ugly bitch, if i catch you outside of this train, i will fuck you up, you nasty bitch/hoe, etc." i want to do my hollaback duty, and maybe snap a picture, but we are so close that i'm convinced he will take the phone out of my hand and hit me. i turn around, try to ignore him and put my headphones back in. i am fuming. my skin is hot, i feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but refuse to let him see that he has officially put me back in my place.
he's talking, no, yelling. he's loud. he's waving his hands. there are people all around us. he is sitting six inches away from me. we are in a sea of white faces. we are the only people of color. i am looking for an ally. the white women (and one man) around me are staring straight ahead, pretending not to notice the very loud obscenities being yelled at me. when the train stops, i rush off. and I realize, i am two metro stops away from where i am supposed to be going. i am pissed. it's cold. i just added 12 blocks to my walk and now i am so angry that i start to cry.
the woman in the metro kiosk stops me, and asks me if i am ok. the truth is, crying is an understatement. i am practically barreled over in tears. heaving. this may be what a panic attack feels like. my skin is still hot and the tears won't stop for long enough to answer the woman's questions. she's very nice. "are you ok sweetie?" i am stuttering to answer her. i manage to say "a man on the train, he yelled and threatened to kill me. i thought he would get off the train behind me. is he behind me?"
she asked me if i wanted to call the police to make a report. i politely declined stating that "i don't believe in police." she understood, and gave me tissue. she said "i'm so sorry that happened." when i left work that day, i tried to make sense of what was so upsetting. here's what i came up with:
he went so quickly from trying to "pick me up," to calling me a bitch. that doesn't surprise me. it was demeaning, shaming, and scary. but not surprising. i know that street harassment has nothing to do with attraction and like other forms of violence, is all about power and control. women and trans folks are so often harassed and shamed in public, making us feel unsafe and unwelcome. i was a target. and when he didn't get what he wanted, i was disposable, and a bitch. and being someone's bitch when you aren't having consensual s&m fun, is whack.
i felt alone and unsafe. it was so hurtful and isolating to watch all of the people around us [not] respond to his threats of violence. i don't know what response i would have liked to see from folks around us, but no one looked up. i was surrounded by white folks and partially convinced that our two black faces were at best, irrelevant. maybe they thought this was typical black behavior. some kind of mating ritual. either way, as a black woman, this society has made it clear time and again, from slavery, and auction blocks, to me on the metro, that i am not to be protected. my black queer woman body is not valuable. it was probably something i was wearing anyway. i was ashamed. and that is what harassment does. shames us into believing that we are not allowed to walk down the street with dignity and respect.
I generally go through the world feeling relatively safe. i am often much more aware of my coloredness than my womanness. although, i realize that i am always both, and i never could, nor would i want to separate them out. they are always connected. i am a survivor. I spent years working at rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters. i am not oblivious to sexism. but i so often am in women's agencies, where i am much more aware of my black skin. this moment snapped me back into my sexist reality in a cruel way. i felt helpless. i couldn't go anywhere, there was no one to help me, and i was ashamed and alone. i was genuinely terrified and really worried about my physical safety. i was worried about what all the white people around me were thinking about [violent] black men and [overly sexualized] women as they watched this interaction.
street harassment reminds us of our vulnerability in public spaces. it sets up a power dynamic so that i have to cross the street, i have to respond to male advances when I am not interested, just to maintain safety. street harassment reminds us that men should be the center of attention. it threatens our physical safety. it's not uncommon for verbal harassment to become physical, like the story of Tanganika Stanton in dc, who was killed by what would have otherwise been known as no big deal, or a flirtatious advance. harassment takes away choice. it forces us to interact with harassers, even briefly, when we don't want to. it is not a consensual act. period. if he intended to put me back in my place (which harassment attempts to do), it worked in that moment. i was silenced, afraid, and I felt powerless.
i got on the train last week, for the first time since that incident. as soon as i got off, i cried.
want to learn more about street harassment, look here: http://www.stopstreetharassment.com/
and in dc: http://hollabackdc.wordpress.com/
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to Freedom Fighter using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)