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Theresa Ruth Howard Dancer/Writer/Teacher Theresa Ruth Howard began her professional dance career with the Philadelphia Civic Ballet Company at the age of twelve. Later she joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem where she had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Africa. She has worked with choreographer Donald Byrd as a soloist in his staging of New York City Opera's Carmina Burana, his critically acclaimed Harlem Nutcracker, as well as the controversial domestic violence work The Beast. She was invited to be a guest artist with Complexions: A Concept in their 10th anniversary season. In 2004 she became a founding member of Armitage Gone! Dance. As a writer Ms. Howard has contributed to Russell Simmons’ One World magazine (art), and The Source (social politics), as well as Pointe and Dance Magazine. While teaching in Italy for the International Dance Association she was asked to become a contributor for the premiere Italian dance magazine Expressions. Her engaging, no nonsense writing style caught the eye of both the readers of Dance Magazine and its Editor in Chief who not only made her a contributing editor and has collaborated with Ms. Howard in See and Say Web-reviews. Her articles about body image prompted her to develop a workshop for young adult (dancers and non-dancers) My Body My Image that addresses their perceptions both positive and negative about their bodies and endeavoring to bring them closer to a place of Acceptance and Appreciation. She recently launched a blog by the same name to reach a broader audience (mybodymyimage.com) As a teacher Ms. Howard has been an Artist in Residence at Hollins University in and New Haven University in addition to teaching at Sarah Lawrence College, Marymount, Shenandoah, and Radford Universities, and the historical American Dance Festival. As a result of her work at ADF Ms. Howard was invited to Sochi, Russia to adjudicate the arts competition Expectations of Europe and teach master classes, and in Burundi, Africa where she coached and taught the Burundi Dance Company. Currently she on faculty at The Ailey School but also extensively throughout Italy and Canada. Ms. Howard's belief in the development, and nurturing of children lead her to work with at risk youth. At the Jacob Riis Settlement House in Queensbridge New York, she founded S.I.S.T.A (Socially Intelligent Sisters Taking Action) a mentoring program for teen-age girls where she worked to empower them to become the creators of their destinies. In addition she developed a dance program, which lead to an exchange with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Through her teaching and travels Ms. Howard began to observe a universal disenchantment and disconnection in teenagers that disturbed her, thus she set out to address it. Combining her philosophies of life and teaching, with the skills she garnered through outreach programs with diverse communities, she developed the personal development workshop Principles of Engagement: Connecting Youth to the Infinite Possibilities Within which gives teens a set of workable tools to increase their levels of success at tasks, and goals not only in dance, and all aspect of their lives. Theresa Ruth Howard is certainly diverse and multifaceted as an artist, and is moved to both write and create work; however she sees every student she encounters as a work in progress, and the potential to change the world one person at a time. The only was to make this world a better place it to be better people in it!

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The Misty-rious Case of the Vanishing Ballerinas of Color: Where have all the Others Gone?

April 23, 2015 truth 81 Comments

By Theresa Ruth Howard

There was an undeniable crackle in the air on the evening of June 12, 2012 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Soloist Misty Copeland was poised to dance her New York City debut in the title role of the Firebird in American Ballet Theater’s decadent new production choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky. The energy of the lobby was charged, but the most notable difference was the overall hue of the theatregoers that particular evening. A cornucopia of sepia-toned people dressed in their Sunday best came from far and wide to support Copeland in this triumph. Professional dancers from all genres were as giddy as the little brown ballet students who had come to glimpse what could be their future. Even those who would normally put out their left eye before sitting through a night at the ballet had come to watch. Though the first half of the program was stellar, we all “endured” it, and the seemingly unending intermission, anxiously awaiting the first chords of Stravinsky’s haunting score and the rising of the curtain revealing the history-making moment.

It was back in 2009 that Copeland’s star began to shimmer more brightly, with the help of musical genius Prince. He featured her in his Crimson and Clover video and then made her his “muse”, and affluent African-American ABT supporters championed her cause. With newfound visibility and support, Copeland began to gain well-deserved recognition. Two years prior, New York Times writer Gia Kourlas posited a well-formed question in her article entitled Where are all the Black Ballerinas?. The article sparked great debate. Round tables and forums were assembled to discuss the extinction of the species. Copeland was the perfect answer to that very question, because if artistic director Kevin McKenzie were to promote her to the rank of principal, she would be the First African-American female in history to hold that position. There is much talk of “history” making when it comes to Misty, such that Copeland has become herself like a Firebird, a mythical creature, one so rarely glimpsed that it is hard to prove that it even exists.

Let us take a moment to deconstruct the construction of “The Myth” itself. The crafting of a myth is a curious thing. The very first ingredient you need to ensure that your myth has a place to bed is the inherent lack of something, a longing, a void that needs so desperately to be filled that people are willing to do or believe anything to fill it. The desperation is so great that they pay little attention to what is filling it, but focus only on the joy that the desire has been sated. With that established, we can now begin. The way to ensure the stability of your myth is to base it in a pinch of truth. It matters little how aqueous it might be; after all, this truth is merely a structure through which a bit of fantasy will be woven, such that you can hardly tell where the original truth begins and the other ends. It is the blurring of borders with material akin to the authentic matter, but with just a bit of shimmer added to distract the viewer from the transition. A proper balance of plausibility and sparkle must be present for a myth to take hold and thrive, just a pinch. It must be just real enough, and just fantastic enough, to be magical. One must be entranced, bewitched. It must feel comfortable and oddly familiar at once, so as not to evoke a questioning of the tale. Hence, it is not just the teller who must be committed. The listener must also agree to suspend disbelief. The two parties are complicit in giving the myth weight, thus anchoring the tale to the ground.

The mythologization of Misty was not born of mendacity. Quite the opposite. By all accounts, its nascent root is somewhat altruistic. What could be the problem with giving little brown girls who want to be ballerinas someone to look up too? Nothing at all, although it is the “oneness” that has become problematic, except that as awareness of Copeland grew (as did her endorsements), others in the field, both present and past, were muffled and then muted, until their existence was being slowly smudged away. It’s true (the grain of truth) that for a long period of time, the presence of the black ballerina has been all but nonexistent. It is important to note that in 2007, when Kourlas wrote the article Where are all the Black Ballerinas?, it had already been 3 years since The Dance Theatre of Harlem had disbanded. Subsequently, the nest that had begotten a great number of ballerinas of color had been effectively swatted from the tree. Those dancers that were left all scattered. Now, due to the inherent racism in the ballet world (I said it, we know it, it’s real, we are big enough to call it for what it is), few of them found ballet companies willing to hire them. Alas, some went to Broadway or to contemporary companies. Many landed at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where you can still see them performing today. Some ventured to Europe. The point is, there were black ballerinas. Dance Theater of Harlem was like a hothouse for them. Dancers of color were drawn to it like sailors to a siren’s song. There was a deep and fecund history of them before Misty was born, and before she became a household name, but you would never know it by the way the narrative is being written. When DTH’s company closed, it was like the Men in Black pushed the pen light. All was forgotten. The truth behind the myth is that Misty is walking on a path that, though overgrown from lack of use, was cleared before her – but you would never know it (unless you know it).

The truth behind the myth is that Misty is walking on a path that, though overgrown from lack of use, was cleared before her, but you would never know it (unless you know it)

The mythologization of Copeland’s story, her journey and the glorification of her achievements (which have been great and many) are not the problem. She deserves the accolades. The issue is that when the narrative assigns Copeland with the title of “only”, and often “first” in many instances, it is inaccurate. Here is where the construction of the myth kicks in. It is inaccurate, either by the omission of those who have come before or by the length of time since the previous nameless person achieved said goal. The effect has been to bury a long line of African American Ballerinas that preceded her. There are many, but seldom are their names and achievements acknowledged when we are talking about African-American females in Ballet. Presently it is all Misty all the time; it is a great PR machine at work. The truth is that Misty may well be the “only” in her time, but the way the narrative is being written today, you would think that she was the first, and the only ever, that she is blazing an unmarked trail, and because she has become the “face” of the “Black ballerina” for this generation, people believe it to be true.

The truth behind the myth is that Misty is walking on a path that, though overgrown from lack of use, was cleared before her, but you would never know it unless you know it. There is a sort of erasure that is taking place. It is quite easy to do, as much of African-American history is written from a revisionist perspective if it is recorded at all. If we as a people do not keep the records, who will? Seldom does white America come into the stacks of our archives (except for one month a year which is designated for a cursory lesson of the vast and far reaching contributions of African-Americans) to learn of our history, which is American history . When it comes to dance history, and ballet specifically, there is even less interest and knowledge of that history. Therefore, it has been both harder to preserve and easier to alter, or eradicate.

Over the past 5 years we have seen the meteoric rise of Misty Copeland, and although her Q rating has gone up, her ranking at the American Ballet Theater has not. Here is where the mythology starts to show some fissures. When Copeland began to gain some support for her singular (and duly deserved) position at ABT, there was a campaign of sorts launched. “Get the word out about this girl! She could do what has never been done, she might be able to be the first African American Female Principal of ABT!” That is the first granule of truth. Copeland was and is still poised to make history if and when promoted. However, when the PR machine got started, Copeland’s Wikipedia page cited her as being the first African-American Female Soloist in the history of ABT. This is untrue. She is in fact the third to hold this ranking (admittedly an abysmally low number overall), having been preceded by Anne Benna Sims in the 1970’s and Nora Kimball in the mid-80s.

Two decades is a long time. Some might say “It might as well be a first.” For almost 2 generations of dancers it is, but in reality it is not. There were two women in the American Ballet Theater who were the “Misty Copeland’s” of their day. In the 70’s or 80’s they were the ones little brown girls went to the ballet to see, their eyes searching frantically for a glimpse of themselves on stage. If you had seen or been inspired by either one of them and their artistry, you would take issue with their omission. I can recall being mesmerized by Nora Kimball, who was like a mythical creature on stage (I saw her dance when she was with the Frankfurt Ballet). She was beauty in motion, but as a woman she was….breathtaking. For me it was Debra Austin, who was a Principal dancer at the Pennsylvania Ballet in the 80’s where she danced roles in Swan Lake, Coppelia, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Giselle and La Sylphide. As a young student I would watch her in rehearsal, mouth agape.

(*Ms. Copeland’s page has since been amended to reflect that she is in fact the fourth African-American soloist (and third female) at ABT.)

photo credit for Debra Austin - George Balanchine observing as Debra Austin performs Ballo Della Regina Photo, Steven Caras — photo credit for Debra Austin – George Balanchine observing as Debra Austin performs Ballo Della Regina Photo, Steven Caras

That having been stated, if you were to Wikipedia Anna Benna Sims of Nora Kimball you would be left wanting for information. That might be partly due to the eras in which they danced. We are in an age where every action, both banal and noteworthy, is documented equally. Both women danced in a time where creating video was not as easy as whipping out a cell phone and posting. Back in the day, archiving was an actual job that required a degree, and it was done as a means of preservation, not marketing and self promotion as is typical today. Their stories have not been scanned and uploaded, they might be uninterested, or daunted by the task, and no one else has has done so. Thus like a photograph in time, the images begin to fade, fade, fade away…

These women were also pioneers. They wielded the first axes to cut down the redwoods of racism and disbelief in a time when it was much harder to do. For them to be overlooked is unconscionable, not just for African-American dance history, but for American history period. To her credit, Copeland herself has consistently credited the groundbreaking accomplishments of her mentor Raven Wilkinson, the first African-American woman to dance with the Ballet Russe, who in 1955 had been inspired by Janet Collins, the first African-American to dance with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Prior to Collins joining the Met, she had been accepted into the Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo, but declined the invitation as she was asked to paint herself white to appear on stage.

dbfb4053471168cf3fb7f8e861ada7f0ef87919e546c584c7b5ad23d33701a42_large — Misty Copeland in Firebird. Photo: Gene Schiavone, courtesy of American Ballet Theatre.

Beyond Wilkinson, Copeland and journalists alike have seldom by name, acknowledged those who have actually walked her path, as a result both Sims, Kimball, have been reduced to less than footnote in the history they wrote, and have all but been forgotten except those who witnessed their endeavors.

Let us go back to the evening of Copeland’s Firebird debut, and see how the myth was strengthened, the New York Daily New stated:

“But in June 2012 — when Copeland became the first black ballerina in history to dance the lead in “The Firebird” for a major classical ballet company, composer Igor Stravinsky’s breakthrough work”

Though this statement is true in part, in ways it is grossly incomplete, especially when we are talking about African-American ballerinas and making history. You see, on Jan. 12, 1982, Dance Theatre of Harlem debuted a new production of “The Firebird” at New York City Center featuring Stephanie Dabney as the Firebird. She went on to perform as the Firebird at the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles — and around the world.

Now there might questions as to whether or not DTH can be considered a “classical” ballet company, “neoclassical” or even a “major” ballet company, given its standing today (after disbanding in 2004, the company was recently rebooted in 2009 and is fighting its way back). However in the 80’s the company was in it’s heyday, and stood alongside the likes of New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater. Its repertoire included many Balanchine works (one of its founders, Arthur Mitchell, was a protege of Balanchine) as well as classical ballets like Giselle and Swan Lake Act II, among others. DTH was a direct reflection of the racial temperament of the times. It was founded in 1969 by Mitchell and Karel Shook in an effort to first, show that African Americans could dance ballet, and more importantly to provide a place for them to dance, as many ballet companies would not employ dancers of color regardless of their ability, especially if they were brown skinned (as we see, we have made little progress through the years).

It is important for all to understand that this is not an attack on Misty Copeland, she is one of our pioneers, and the greatest one of her time, but I am confronting the narrative being crafted around her, and the mythology that is being evoked.

Whether or not you want to include Dance Theatre of Harlem in the category of “classical” or not, the fact that their multi-cultured production of The Firebird that spawned not one but many black Firebirds was not acknowledged by journalists is negligent. Firebird, along with Geoffrey Holder’s Dougla, were signature pieces for the company. Stephanie Dabney, Judy Tyrus, Charmaine Hunter, Christina Johnson and Andrea Long (a former member of New York City Ballet for 8 years), were just some of the incredible African-American ballerinas that danced that role, most to critical acclaim. I recall a particular performance at Washington’s Kennedy Center when Charmaine Hunter danced the lead role and received a standing ovation that lasted almost 5 minutes and was suspended in air during the final tableau. I, in my maiden’s costume, was brought to tears by the reception. Is that not worthy of mention?

In America, successful African American’s cannot peacefully co-exist, they have to eclipse.

Dance Theatre of Harlem is the foundation of the long line of African-American ballet dancers that contributed to our now muted legacy. Many alumni have not only gone on to dance for major companies (classical, modern and contemporary) but have graced Broadway stages, choreographed for major companies (classical, modern and contemporary), have worked commercially, and are in the trenches every day training young dancers, some of whom look like them. For these little brown boys and girls, they are a flesh and blood, tangible reminder that their dream is not just a dream, but also a reality. When a teacher that looks like them stands in the front of the room, they are transformed from “other” into likeness. The import of this I cannot express, but if you are a person of color you know what I am speaking of. It is the thing that white people take for granted, that is at the foundation of the feeling that you don’t belong somewhere.

Baby Ballerina, Melanie Person currently the Co-director of The Ailey School — Baby Ballerina, Melanie Person currently the Co-Director of The Ailey School

But I digress,

Virginia Johnson, the current artistic Director of DTH and former principal dancer with the company danced the company’s critically acclaimed production of Giselle. DTH’s Co-founder Karel Shook fought for the production. He said “They will never take us seriously as a classical company if we do not dance a classic”, but he insisted that it make sense for a company that looked like Dance Theatre of Harlem. Thus it was set in the Bayou, a Creole Giselle. Brilliant. It is a travesty that this important part of history is virtually unknown and is almost absent on the internet. You cannot Google it, and sadly even Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Wikipedia page is sorely lacking in information (in fact none of the names of the Firebirds mentioned above are cited). On the topic of searching the internet, here is a fun fact. When one searches Sims or Kimball, often Copeland’s name and image come up but both of their Wikipedia pages are sparse. Have we gone back to our African roots, carrying on our history through word of mouth griotism? We cannot afford that. Our information must be on the highway. We can do better, we must do better.

It is important for all to understand that this is not an attack on Misty Copeland, she is one of our pioneers, and the greatest one of her time. What I am confronting is the narrative being crafted around her, and the mythology that is being evoked, and what is being left out of her narrative, that is a part of our history.

I am not here to hate but to educate. In my opinion, Misty is a pawn in the “Room for One” rule that this country subscribes to when it comes to African-Americans in terms of achievement. It occurs in publishing, in Hollywood, in fashion, and the arts and other fields as well. In America, successful African-Americans cannot peacefully co-exist, they have to eclipse. Not to say that there is a full and complete erasure of the former for the up-and-coming, but the pools of resources, opportunities, publicity and most importantly, financing, get diverted away from one and redirected towards another, making it almost impossible for the one to survive, let alone thrive. It is not something that is controlled by the artists themselves. It is driven by the machine of the industry, and susceptible artists often get caught up in it. Unbeknownst to them, their vagus nerve kicks in with that fight or flight instinct .

We saw supermodel Naomi Campbell dominate the scene until Tyra Banks was discovered, and instead of there being space for the both of them (like there was for Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington) the two were pitted against each other. When writer Terry Macmillan burst onto the publishing scene in the 90’s, she was compared to Nobel Prize- and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Toni Morrison (which is like saying that Jackie Collins is like William Faulkner) There were phrases like “Macmillan, the new Morrison” bandied about. Why? The former’s body of work and achievements aren’t wholly eradicated, but since the number of roles and resources for African-American work is so limited, something often has to give. There is an unspoken double standard in this country. Two time Best Actress Oscar winner Bette Davis (1935/1938) has never been eclipsed by two time Best Actress Oscar winner Meryl Streep (1982/2011). They both hold their rightful place in history, and there is room for both of them.

On April 9th, Copeland reached another milestone in her career when she danced the Odette/Odile role in Swan Lake with the Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center. Her Prince Siegfried was danced by Brooklyn Mack, also African-American. You would think that surely this is a first. Even Copeland herself thought as much, as she stated:

“I never imagined myself as Odette/Odile…I thought even if I became a principal, this part might not be given to me because no one like me had done it before.”

But wait, African-American principal ballerina Lauren Anderson and Cuban American Carlos Acosta danced these roles at Houston Ballet in 2001. I am certain that it was an oversight on her part, and this goes to my point. When this information is not acknowledged, through time it is forgotten.

In 1990 Lauren Anderson was made principal of Houston Ballet, a major classical ballet company, and was a principal there for 16 years. She is often credited as being the “first” female African American principal of a major company, (however remember Debra Austin in the 80’s at Pennsylvania Ballet, see how tricky it gets?)

Lauren Anderson is a deeply brown-skinned woman, a brown that you cannot wash out with lights; she is clearly a black woman on stage. For her to be cast as the lead in Swan Lake at that time in Texas is truly amazing. When Anderson made history, there was no “branding” machine. There was not the market for endorsements, commercials and reality television as there is today. There was not a group of well-placed, powerful people to champion her cause (though there should have been). It was her in a studio with her ax, chopping away at redwoods, in Houston, Texas of all places. Her name deserves to be somewhere in the history of African-Americans in ballet. It is important to note that when she was making this history, DTH was still in existence. African-American ballerinas were not extinct; they were rare, but not unheard of. Perhaps this is why her achievements were not viewed with the grandeur they deserved.

So who is at fault for the lack of information, abundance of misinformation or omission? Is it Misty? Do we hold her responsible for not constantly acknowledging her sisters in ballet? Is it the PR team that has whipped the myth like Frances Underwood of House of Cards? Is it the journalists lack of due diligence? Are they responsible for driving the narrative? Is it the African-American dance community for not taking care of our own historical archives and keeping our legacy alive and vibrant? I charge all of the above. Yes, Misty could make more of an effort to evoke the names of those who came before her, those who are now in the trenches at ballet schools around this county, and stand in front studios every day as flesh and blood examples to brown girls and boys who have a dream of becoming ballet dancers. Their presence says, “Yes you can, because I did”. But I will say that she has done a great deal, she is out there, the poster child for her generation, and there is a great deal of pressure and expectation placed on her head. This is now a global discussion because of her, and the stance she has taken as a Black woman, and getting the message out there.

*It has been brought to my attention that in the Nelson George documentary “A Ballerina’s Tale” at the end there is a mention of Sims, Kimball and even a picture of Anderson in Swan Lake, and an interview with former ABT member Robyn Gardenhire. Better late than never, but one can’t help but wonder if this is is kind of like the amendment to the Wikipedia page…the “Whoops, people are starting to notice, let’s correct that”. Even if it is, we’ll take it!!! It’s a step in the right direction.

Is it her PR team? Yes, they are working overtime, and they are doing a bang up job, you can’t Google “ballet” and not

get Misty (you can’t Google Nora Kimball and not get Misty). She has endorsements, commercials, billboards, a documentary, a dance wear line, books, she is one of Time Magazine’s most influential 100 (you go girl!). Technically they aren’t paid to be ethical or thoughtful about “the legacy of Blacks in ballet”. They are paid to build, and to cash in on the “legacy of Misty”. We can’t expect much from them.

What about the journalists? Here is where the hammer comes down. Writers need to do their research (and that means going beyond reading the last 5 articles that were written inaccurately on the subject). If you are not a dance writer (and some of them have fallen short too) then look for the information, make a call, ask a question, don’t be (yes, I’ll say it) lazy and indulgent toward your angle. It’s called due diligence. Dance Magazine can do better with featuring artists of color regularly; those we know, and those we should know (broader than just the 25 to watch). Often we see the same faces being featured over and over again. Tell us something we don’t know, tell us something we SHOULD know.

And lastly to the community, yes we are to blame on a level. If we don’t document, protect and herald our history, who do we think is going to do it? Dance Theatre of Harlem, I charge you to put the names of the beautiful artists that helped build the legacy that you are working to live up to and restore, on your Wikipedia page! Why is it that we can name a slew of white ballerinas – Suzanne Farrell, Natalia Makarova, Melissa Hayden, Sylvie Guillem, Heather Watts, Gelsey Kirkland, Darsi Kistler, Alessandra Ferri, Wendy Whelan, (and one does not negate but informs the other)? You can effectively chart ballet’s evolution by connecting their dots. They are all beautiful and talented and have their individual page in history as they should. Most ballet dancers, black, white or other, would have a hard time naming 5 African-American ballerinas, and it is not because they have not existed, it is because they have not been valued and held up in the same way as their white counterparts. Such is the case in America across the board. #blacklivesmatter, #blackcontributionmatters…. WE HAVE DOTS, in the plural not just one, and we need to post them so that we can connect them and reveal the constellation of our history.
I wrote this not as a slam to a woman of immense talent, courage, strength and beauty. No I wrote this:

In honor of those sepia-colored pioneers in pointe shoes, I would like us to restore the record, actually present the record, so that all of the little brown girls who dream of being sylphs or swans can know that it is more than possible, not just because one did it but because many have. Where the one can be explained away, chalked up to an anomaly, one hundred is a legacy, rich and multi-hued, with a diversity of economic backgrounds, body shapes, sizes, divergent levels of facility and possibilities. In our history they can find someone who looks like you! I wrote this so little brown girls with fuzzy edges, afro puffs, and braided buns can know that they too have a history, and it is long and strong and cannot, will not, be denied. Your ancestors have done what others have when all was against them, when others thought they could not. They proved them wrong, and went beyond. Your lineage danced on the great stages of the world, for kings, queens, dignitaries, heads of state and global icons. They are YOUR royals. They were here, they ARE here, and though their names may not be shouted or written on high, we will make sure that their names are whispered gently in your ears and etched into your memory, that you will not forget, and that they are not forgotten. Know your history, know yourself.

Let this be an open “Role” call.
In the comment section below please enter your name or the name/s of black ballerina/s who has danced professionally. Please leave the company affiliation(and rank if you like) and any other information you think is important to remember. Everyone’s contribution is valid, and valuable and worthy to be acknowledged.. This is gonna a be fun!!!
(if this was sent to you via Facebook, or some other link Please leave your entry on the http://mybodymyimage.com comments to keep them together and as public as possible!)

Please leave roll call listing at http://www.museumofblacksinballet.org/rollcall/

fill out the Form and we will have them added!! the Revolution has begun!!!

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#KylieJennerLipChallenge = #Stupid with a capital U

April 22, 2015 truth

This is the most asinine thing that I have ever heard and seen. So Kylie Jenner the 17year old unsupervised, high school drop out, who has been rumored to be dating a 26year old rapper Tyga, this young lady (I stress young, I stretch lady) ceaselessly posts provocative pictures of her body, which appears to have been surgically augmented, breast, buttocks, and lips which brings us to this idiotic “challenge”. Ok so apparently Jenner says that she has not had lip injections and her brother in (common) law says that it take her 40 mins to plump her lips every morning…. Thus people in the internet created #KylieJennerLipChallenge where they try to emulate the temporary augmentation that Jenner subscribes to DAILY (to perfection and with scary consistency) by placing a bottle or glass over their mouths and creating suction. This draws the blood to the lips, but if over done (like once too hard) it can have horrific results…

I know I shouldn’t judge, but how exactly do you spell DUMB ASS?

There is so very much wrong with this. First of all here is some life advice: if you are going to cheat on a test, never cheat of of the stupidest person in the room!!

That’s harsh, I know It’s my frustration, but it is not truly meant for Kylie because she is a child and thus a victim of the values of her mother/manager ( and subsequently her family) and their twisted sense of values. Their influence on pop culture, and our willingness to engage, support and exalt all of their vapid, materialistic, superficial, narcissistic ways are ubiquitous . This little girl had no choice in what she has become, she was never parented she was managed and marketed since she was 8 or 9 years old. She is only following through on what she has been shown and taught her value was determined by her sexualization, “followers”, ‘ hits” how much press you get, and how many people want you to hawk their wares. She was reared to be an indefatigable attention seeker. She has grown up in a family where the augmentation of the body is a rite of passage. * note I have nothing against plastic surgery I DO take issue with minors having extensive work done. I take issues with DOCTORS who would operate on a minor implanting breasts or butt implants. I have no works for a mother or father who supports such desires that may well border on body dysmorphic disorder. The doctor THAT child needs to see is a therapist.

What really gets my goat, is that if ANY ONE OF US, We 99%ers , allowed our child to drop out of school, run around the world unsupervised, allowed them to alter there bodies,or engage in statutory rape, we would be in jail, our child would be taken away and placed in foster care and we would have to go through hell, high water and a social worker to get them back. There have been parents arrested for allowing their children to get tattoos and drinking!!! yet both Kylie and Kendall have been seen partying with impunity in clubs when they were 15 and 16 years old. It’s really not her fault that she is misguided, unguided rather and I /we should have compassion for her, pity her in a way because it sad. It’s sad that she doesn’t think that she is enough- that someone never told her that she was perfect and beautiful just the way she is. No one ever gave her the chance to test her intellect by doing well in school.

Sure some will argue “But she’s rich and famous and living a fabulous life don’t hate”… yeah money fame and fabulous don’t make you like yourself, they don’t necessarily make you happy, or a decent person. But then again those are my values… And I’m not trying to hate I’m trying to educate. If our youth need someone to emulate, or take up a challenge to be like try Disney star Zendaya who exhibited such class and grace when her image was attacked by Fashion Police’s Guliana Rancic, or The Hunger Game’s 16-year-old Amandla Stenberg who’s video schooling people on the appropriation of black culture is on point, insightful, intelligent and epic. (It also would be apropos as the Kardashian/Jenner clan have built their empire on the appropriation of black culture…Just a thought

About My Body My Image

Cassey Ho’s What would you change?

April 21, 2015 truth

It’s a good question, and one that many of us would have a answer to. We are constantly bombarded with what the media considers a perfect body, and we try everything form cremes, make-up fad diets and cosmetic procedures to attain it and yet it is ephemeral and mercurial. If the standards keep changing how do we keep up with them? Once it was a gloriously honorable thing to have a few extra pounds lingering after having a baby, now we are not only expected to get back to our pre-pregnancy weight after delivery but we are expected to not look pregnant while carrying.

There is also an expectation for trainers, and yoga instructors to look a certain way. Personally I do like for my trainer, yoga instructor to look like they subscribe to the regime that they are torturing me with! However I have had plenty of dance instructors who have had a wealth of information and have been awesome teachers who didn’t look like they had been dancers. So quite honestly I am somewhere on the fence with this issue.

What it boils down to for me is discipline, as a dancer/teacher I can look at a body and tell straight away if that body is trained, and how it works (the work works). The body looks as thought it has been disciplined, trained. That having been said dance is an art as much as a “sport” therefore it is not merely about execution, but the way in which you do so. Though the body ages the, muscles remembers, thus elder dancers though unable to execute the movement, (or even look like they ever did) can pass that information on to their students. IF that is how I feel about dance, then the same could be said of trainers (not the art part, but the knowledge aspect). I suppose the only difference is that often we look to our trainers and yoga instructors for body inspiration… That is the conundrum, we want the information, but we want the inSPIRATION … That is fair.

What is unfair is to judge, or prejudge someone from their appearance before we experience them. The shape of your body is not always an indicator of the type of shape you are in or the knowledge you possess. We have a right to an opinion about who we want to be instructed by, but we might well be doing ourselves a disservice by not experiencing what they have to offer before we make a judgement as to whether or not they are “fit” to do their job. I have had some pointless, directionless yoga classes instructed by a tight bodied flexible instructors, and some very thoughtful and informative classes by people who are zaftig and full figured. The reality is, sometimes those who have to battle for their bodies have greater insight to the information, and have a broader knowledge of working with diverse body types, and “problem” areas, (after all they had to master their own) . Here is a video from trainer Cassey Ho that might make you rethink your perception of fitness professionals.

About My Body My Image, Uncategorized

Dove’s Newest Installment of the Real Beauty Campaign : Choose Beautiful …

April 16, 2015 truth

Well they have done it again! Dove has created a context that reveals the depth of the Body/Beauty image issues that plague women. Dove is a company that has launched a full on assault on marketing that feeds on, and creates the feelings of inadequacy that women harbor throughout our lives. Dove was one of the first companies to realize and address the damage that the beauty (and fashion) industry inflicts on their consumers in order to make a buck. Their success has prompted other companies like Aerie to follow suit, ditching photoshopping and telling women to “Love their real selfie”.

The Real Beauty campaign has always been well thought out and well crafted, beautifully shot, and always tugs at your heart strings. Honestly I can’t get through one clip without crying. There are several reasons I get emotional, the first is because of the subject, how can a women, any woman, (or man for that matter) not be moved by a human being’s deepest vulnerabilities, the bravery it takes to publicly express them, and then see them sublimated and transformed? It’s a tear jerker for sure. But I always have the Chicken or the Egg dilemma, am brought to emotion because I relate, or because it is crafted in such a way that it psychologically pulls me their, kind of like how Disney kills a poor creature off then there is some sort of redemption…I can never tell, THAT is the art of good marketing you don’t know where your thoughts or emotions start and their campaign begins…

There are some who are questioning the campaign, well not it it’s sentiment but let’s say it’s limitations. The idea that though Dove is asking, and challenging women to confront their perception of themselves, and their images, (all good) HOWEVER, there those who see the scope of “beauty” being defined solely in the physical manifestation as being too limited and ultimately sexist. The reason? Because the idea that being “beautiful” is still one of the most important things to women because the world has given it the highest value for a woman. Beauty has cache, it opens doors, creates greater possibilities for women, even more then being brilliant. the idea that a women can earn more on a stripper pole than she can with a PhD is a reality, one that men are not beholden to. The value of a man is not measure by the smoothness of his skin, the firmness or roundness of his buttocks, or the fullness of his lips or breast. It is not even measured by the hardness of his abs or the size of his penis but by his accomplishment and what and how he contributes to the world.

Susan Chumsky‘s commentary on Fortune speaks to this point:

Kat Gordon, founder of the 3% Conference, which advocates more female leadership in advertising, called the “Choose Beautiful” campaign, released last week, “heavy-handed and manipulative,” while Jean Kilborne, the filmmaker behind Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women, termed it “very patronizing.” Dove, The Guardian says, “has mastered the art of passing off somewhat passive-aggressive and patronising advertising as super-empowering, ultra PR-able social commentary.”

The article goes on:

Put aside the cinematics and girl-power uplift, and there are questions: What exactly made the women switch doors? Might it feel a bit immodest to tell the world, “I think I’m beautiful”? Why only beautiful or average—how about fetching or charming or magnetic? How is a beauty bar or body wash empowering? And what about men? Don’t they get a door?

Over on Buzzfeed an article by staffer Arabelle Sicardi was momentarily taken down then reposted (The site posted, then removed, and then reposted a piece about the campaign though not, the editor says, because Dove or other Unilever brands have advertised on his site.)

Sicardi made the salient point:

Dove is at it again with a viral beauty video meant to have women question the way they see themselves: beautiful or average.

Dove / Via Youtube.com

Because life is apparently defined by these two labels and nothing else.

Needless to say, women don’t expect to be confronted with such a scary, vague, and superficial question on their way to Starbucks.

Dove / Via YouTube.com

She came here to have some fun and is honestly feeling so attacked right now.

The video is based on a statistic from Dove that 96% of women wouldn’t describe themselves as beautiful.

Dove / Via YouTube.com

You know, maybe those women described themselves as smart, funny, generous, kind, but we’ll never know, because the soap manufacturer wants to tell us how we feel about ourselves. And then fix it for us. With soap.

The ad as already spawned parodies, a male version where the men are asked to choose which door represents them–and their penis size, “average” or “big”. When you see the “experiment” in this context it does change the way you see Dove’s commercial. It makes the very question seem…manipulative and limited to who these women are. check it out:

What do you think?

Uncategorized

Sound Off: Why Black people are not being “Sensitive” when we are pissed about Cosmo, Kylie Jenner’s “Black Face and the like.

April 6, 2015 truth

This weekend there was a slight dust up about Cosmopolitan magazine’s “Beauty Trends That Need To Die” list. Out of 21 beauty trends featured, about a fifth of the old “RIP” beauty trends feature models and celebrities of color. The “gorgeous” models all look very similar–White…. People saw this as a subtly racist message, the woman of color representing the “out trend” had a “RIP” on the forehead, the on trend face of the white model said “Hello Gorgeous”. Perhaps it had more to do with the lack of diversity on the “Hello Gorgeous” list. Some find it so distasteful that there has been talk of boycotting the magazine that has not featured a Black woman in its cover since 2011.

Then there is the Kylie Jenner “Black Face” fashion pics that went up this weekend. Some were clearly outraged, others didn’t see the “Black” of the face. Granted, the images resemble more of a darkened sparkling alien then the traditional “Al Jolson” Swanee River, minstrel Black Face,but I would say it would fall under the realm of Black Face “light”, a new millennium Black Face if you will. As a perused the comment sections of various blogs trying to decided if I wanted in on these hot button stories, I noticed that the on trend response was, “What’s the big deal?”, “Why are you always pulling the race card?”. Right before I got offended, I sat back and thought, if I step out of myself, my Black, female self, if I eradicate my point of entry I can see where these two instances, and the Zendaya /Guliania Rancic dreadlock comment, and Italian designer Claudio Cutugno sending models down the runway in Black Face this fall during Milan’s fashion week might seem like “No big deal”, perhaps I could be like Taylor Swift in some high waisted shorts and a pair of Keds and shake it off, but I am not, and I cannot.

I am a woman of color, a Black woman and I live in a society a culture where systematically my image, my likeness has been striped down to nothing. My body has been grotesquely sexualized, demonized and bastardized, it has been beaten, abused, raped, murdered and left for dead both figuratively and literally. It is My body, that nursed, cared for, raised and nurtured my suppressor and his children, as well as my own kin. My Image ,though shamed and shunned has been appropriated and commercialized, made money for all but me while I have been forced to live in the narrow shadow of my true self,existing only a sliver enough for the Mamie, Jezebel, Neck swiveling, finger wagging eye-popping, booty clapping version of my image to survive, thrive. I am force feed the high fructose, fatty images of what they have created as my image until it seeps from my pores and bleeds salty from my eyes…until when I look in the mirror I do not, can not see, nor recognize what or who I am…

So when I see things like the Cosmopolitan beauty trends list, or Kylie Jenner (the seventeen year old who comes from a family who career dates men of color, and are lauded black girl asses, Jenner who is rumored to be dating a 25 year old Black rap producer, who’s child’s mother is a Black stripper with the body of a modern day hottentot, who goes back and forth through social media about this man…)

who presents images of herself looking “colored” and captions it with “I wish I looked like this all the time” I, as they say down south “Catch feelings” about that. When your face, and your body are all but systematically negated from the cannon of beauty, and when the physical characteristic traits of your race (lips, our behinds, our complexion even our hair) are ghettoized fodder for mocker when in your possession, but regaled when grafted onto the fairest of them all…. When we see Lips and hatches show up on Goldilocks, we tend to get a little sensitive, it feels like we are strange fruit with bits of our bodies being plucked off. A gruesome picture huh? Well imagine what it feels like to be us watching it happen. Watching as your body, your vocal cadence and verbiage, your hair styles and what we call “swagger” gets bootlegged and though they are the things that you are told to eradicate in your being so that you can get ahead, those very things can make the fair a superstar, a fashion icon, it can make them beautiful, edgy..It just makes us ghetto. The things that we organically create have not value until they are co-oped and taken out of our ownership such that when we try to sing like we do, we, the original is…to ordinary but Blue Eyed soul…now you’re on your way. When faced with this double standard of beauty I tend to feel a pain and a rage and a sickening feeling so deep that connects with the emotional DNA that arrived here in the hull of a slave ship.

I know it seems far more emotional, and sensitive then these previously cited instances should evoke, but THAT IS WHAT I AM TRYING TO CONVEY…things like this land in this very tender place for a great deal of Black women AND men. It is the constant disrespect, negation, bastardization, sexualization, ghettoization, dehumanization of our bodies, our images of our selves that wears us down…. And when we do speak up (albeit in a very eloquent and educated manner), and make noise, and say no more,* then we are being sensitive, paranoid,” imagining” it, we did not imagine the video of The University of Oklahoma Sigma Alpha Epsilon Frat boys singing a no doubt long sung racist chant, that was real. Nor do we imagine unarmed dead men in the street…

These may feel like stretches to you, how is Cosmo’s beauty trend list connected to Mike Brown or Trayvon Martin- it ‘s all about the perceived worth of a human being. If you cannot see my beauty, or even acknowledge the possibility of it , then you do not see my value as a human being. If you do not respect my body, its shape, form and function you cannot imagine that it feels, hurts, bleeds. If you can see me as equal, the same – as human than you cannot see my as you Mother, Sister, Brother Father, Child you cannot see me as you. It’s called empathy.

We get tired of having to be better than those who hate and are hateful or exhibit bigotry towards us, but if we rise up we are “Angry Black Women/Men” we can’t win for losing. When we demand respect, people feel threatened enough to “stand their ground” so we can’t even fully have our rightful anger for fear of resembling the “boogie man” that society has made us. And I will say that we as Black people have played into it we have contributed to the perpetuation and the reality of the situation. Yes we do drink, drug, rob, cheat, kill, fight, cuss and more (just like everybody) else but the cards have definitely been marked and stacked against in many ways, albeit that is not my point. I just wanted to have my say about why We as Black people, and I will open it up to “people of color in America”, (because there is a sliding scale of prejudice and bigotry) feel a certain way when these types of things happen.

This is what LEAD SCIENTIST have to say about :What makes us beautifully scientifically….

About My Body My Image

Don’t Call Kit Harington a Hunk it’s Demeaning…

March 31, 2015 truth

Game of Thornes’ Kit Harington let it be known that the label “Hunk” is not desirable to him. He finds it demeaning. Here is what he had to say to News.com.au (via Page Six):

“To always be put on a pedestal as a hunk is slightly demeaning. It really is and it’s in the same way as it is for women. When an actor is seen only for her physical beauty it can be quite offensive. Well, it’s not just men that can be inappropriate sexually; women can be as well.

I’m in a successful TV show in a kind of leading man way and it can sometimes feel like your art is being put to one side for your sex appeal. And I don’t like that. In this position you get asked a lot, ‘Do you like being a heart-throb? Do you like being a hunk?’ Well, my answer is, ‘That’s not what I got into it for.’”

This brings light to the reality that double standards, tend to lean to one side, however the blade cuts both ways. When women are labeled a “Bombshell” or “Sex symbol” and most recently “MILF” we can certainly understand it as a reduction. We understand that she might feel a great portion of her being has been overlooked and negated, and we stand fist raised in solidarity to fight for her right to be acknowledged as a complete, thinking human being (albeit bent over in booty shorts, looking over her shoulder, with her finger in her mouth on the cover of a fashion magazine.. but I digress). Why is it that men who are branded with the male equivalent of these labels don’t have a force of opposition behind them. It’s just as sexist to call a man a “hunk”, and say that he’s probably “As dumb as a bag of bricks, but I wouldn’t kick him out of bed” . Hey dudes have feelings too, they are just not sinewy lunks of meat there for our visual pleasure (ok then there is Magic Mike, the Ugly Coyote for women)…

There are reasons why actors like Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp crafted their careers they way they have. These were “pretty boy” “hunks” who saw early on careers of being typecast in those limited roles, unless they took themselves out of the stud lane. Whether it was Depp’s entering Tim Burton’s wacky world, or Brad Pitt mixing it up playing a psycho killer in Kaliforna , the gritty detective in Seven or beating the crap out of people in Fight Club, both pulchritudinous actors stayed away from roles that had them shirtless, and mindless.Though blessed with leading man looks they took “character” roles (as leading men) and earned the respect of the acting community.

Pitts other half, Angelina Jolie…Pitt took a similar route, but it is Farrah Fawcett tho comes to mind when I think of beautiful women who repudiated their sex symbol labels. The thick maned Charlie’s Angels actress who’s nipples skyrocketed her to a level of fame that was unparallelled at the time actively worked against type later in her career. Though Fawcett was one of the most desired women in the world she desperately wanted to be recognized as a “serious” actress. She ditched the lip gloss and got “ugly” taking to Broadway in the play Extremities (where she held a man captive in a fireplace) and then starred in the legendary television movie The Burning Bed. The television special not only solidified Fawcett’s dramatic talent but shed light on the shrouded world of the women who suffer under domestic violence. There are others who have been able to rewrite the wording on the labels they have been tagged with early in their careers either through acting, or business…Think Jessica Simpson, the buxom blonde singer went from not knowing if tuna was chicken to creating a multi-million dollar fashion empire, how’s that for a dingbat?

The reality is, that though some actors and personalities may balk at being considered “hotties” or hucks” or “MILFS” ( and they have every right to) in truth those labels are is their tickets to the dance. Where it may be demeaning, and limiting even tiresome, they cash in on it, and rightfully so. You have to get in where you fit in! The more poignant question is: How long do you continue to cash those checks?

About My Body My Image

Bikini Mom Rachel Hollis let’s it all hang out!!

March 30, 2015 truth

I have stretch marks and I wear a bikini. I have a belly that’s permanently flabby from carrying three giant babies and I wear a bikini. My belly button is saggy… (which is something I didn’t even know was possible before!!) and I wear a bikini. I wear a bikini because I’m proud of this body and every mark on it. Those marks prove that I was blessed enough to carry my babies and that flabby tummy means I worked hard to lose what weight I could. I wear a bikini because the only man who’s opinion matters knows what I went through to look this way. That same man says he’s never seen anything sexier than my body, marks and all. They aren’t scars ladies, they’re stripes and you’ve earned them. Flaunt that body with pride! #HollisHoliday

Rachel Hollis runs the popular lifestyle blog The Chic Site and is a mom of three- that is how she earned her her flabby stomach and stretch marks, the ones that she posted on her Facebook page that went viral. Hollis told CNN that he first reaction to the photo was to crop it, but then she thought again, “gosh I have never seen a woman post a picture like this” and she is right the first reaction most of have it either to delete it, filter it, or crop it. We have become accustom to editing our lives to be better versions of the ones we are actually living, and you wonder why we feel inadequate most of the time. I think this is why a simple photo like Hollis’ goes viral, we are so used to the airbrushed images we see in advertising, and on our own social media sites that this shocks us back in to our reality. We suddenly wake up, like someone doused us with cold water when we see someone unabashedly shows themselves…we have taken to calling this “brave”. Sadly this is what a type of bravery in our world today. showing one’s authentic self has been put on par with jumping out of a plane, running into a burning building, or going into a war zone….it is brave because the media, and the world of social media has become a war zone, and we as women are often enemy #1, targets for attack. So rock on Rachel let it all hang out!!!

About My Body My Image

Speaking of Adjectives….Are these seemingly compliments veiled Insults?

March 30, 2015 truth

So just recently we were talking about defining your adjectives, the ones that other use to describe us, and how we describe ourselves and the power with them. I can across this great article that I can totally relate to . I remember being 18 years old and I wet to a party at a fellow dancer’s house, her brother kissed me…on the dance floor, jaws dropped. Well I was told by a mutual friend said that she asked later “Why her? She’s so….fun loving”…fun loving, doesn’t sound bad but what it sounded like is that she wanted to call me a slut but couldn’t muster the balls..

Via Huffington Post

by Claire Fallon

These words have positive meanings, at least on the surface. Probably you’ve used at least some of them with nothing in your heart but affection and sincerity. And yet… there’s an undertone of snide disdain just underneath. Perhaps it’s because they praise traits or behaviors that are perceived as more shallow or easily faked; if you call a prospective suitor “charming,” you’re stating that he’s capable of easily winning people over, but by using that word instead of calling him “a wonderful guy,” you’re implying that he doesn’t necessarily deserve such approval. Charm is something to treat with suspicion, like PR campaigns or Bill Clinton.

If you’ve ever been graced with one of these adjectives, only to find you feel unsure whether you’ve just been complimented or coolly insulted, you’re not alone.

charming: See above — though sometimes sincerely complimentary, it can make a person’s likability sound calculated and even a bit unsavory.

charismatic: Charisma is an intangible quality that draws people in, so it’s often applied to people who seem to attract people despite clear flaws. When someone says “He’s so charismatic!” it seems like they may as well be saying “Everyone seems to love him, but I don’t know why!”

clever: The word suggests smarts, but not wisdom or depth of understanding. It can be deployed to minimize intelligence by suggesting it’s no more than a surface-level quickness. An ironic “Well, how clever of you” is a great way to deflate someone who’s overly impressed with their own insight or ingenuity.

creative: Sure, we all want to be “creative.” But if your new necklace, hairstyle, use of punctuation, or reading of the instruction manual is in question, creative starts to sound more like “bizarre.” For example: “Are those new earrings from the folk art museum? They’re so … creative.”

well-meaning: It’s good to mean well! But if someone has to point out that you’re well-meaning, it’s probably because your good intentions paved a road to hell.

intense: If people frequently call you “intense,” consider that they may simply be afraid to call you “terrifying” or “high-strung.”

capable: It’s wonderful to be perceived as capable at your job, but it’s no “talented” or “brilliant.” “She’s capable” can sound a bit like a dismissive pat on the head at times, implying that higher accolades simply aren’t merited.

pleasant: Is there any more tepid compliment than “pleasant”? It’s not “fun.” It’s not “fantastic.” It’s just … pleasant. Enjoyable enough, but not exciting or noteworthy. Saying someone is pleasant carries a whiff of lukewarm approval, if not slight disdain.

About My Body My Image

Matt Daiz, Body Hero, for sharing what the end of his weight loss journey looked and felt like.

March 25, 2015 truth

“I’m really scared to put this up,” he says in the emotional video, “I’m scared people won’t find me attractive anymore. I’m scared that all the nice messages will stop. I feel this all the time.” ~Matt Diaz

“I think it’s important for me to share this with you guys … because this is who I am. I can’t preach body positivity and hide who I am,” I wanna control and like about myself the things that I can. But the things that you can’t fix you have to make peace with.”~Matt Diaz

You might have seen this video of Matt Diaz going around the web in the last few days. When he was 16 years old, he weighed 495 pounds. Over the last six years, he’s managed to lose 270 pounds, which is fantastic, for his health, and you’d think that it would also boost his body image. But the truth is Matt still hides beneath is clothes, not because of excess weight, but now because of the excess skin that was left behind after he lost it.

When a person is obese for a long period of time the skin has to stretch to accommodate the extra girth, it eventually loses its elasticity and when the extra weight is lost, the flesh no longer has the natural ability to retract. The person is left with the hanging skin that is impossible to get rid of but for surgery.

Matt was brave enough to make a video that showed what his unclothed body looked like, and shared the conflicted feelings that have come with it. Where he lost the weight and some of the body issues that came with that, he traded up, for the issues that come with his smaller frame and excess skin. Many people who have won the battle with obesity like Matt, find themselves on this fresh battlefield in the aftermath. This one however is harder to win as it is not just about portion control, working out, and discipline, this one boils down to financial resources. If you can afford the surgery, then you can cut away the constant reminder of who you were, the pain that came with it (physical and emotional) and start to heal, or you must face it every day and live in and with another form of “shame” and be judged once again in a different way.

I am so glad that Mr. Diaz was courageous enough to show and tell the world his body story, not because we need to see it, because in today’s fast paced media world there are so many spectacles and tomorrow the world we be on to the next one, no I am glad that he shared for himself. When he posted that video he came out of hiding and let light cast out the darkness of his self imposed shame. When he clicked “publish” he did not merely release a video into the world, but his fears as well, he will be able to heal by knowing through the responses that he is not alone, he is accepted, he is “Okay”, beautiful, handsome, sensitive, worthy of love and kindness, and support. Which he has received a great deal of, by the end of the week I am sure that he will have raised enough money to have the surgery, and that would be a healing. In my opinion by showing the world who he is, inside and out, he has already received the greatest healing of all.

Here’s to Matt Diaz our Body Hero!!!

If you would like to support Matt in his journey ~ click here GoFundMe

About My Body My Image

BuzzFeed is Brilliant! Average Women Get Photoshopped To Look Like Cover Models

March 20, 2015 truth

Buzzfeed proves that with the support of a photoshop expert anyone can be “cover girl” material. So they took 5 women who they deem “average” and enlisted Francesca Ling, an L.A.-based photo retoucher and owner of True You to do her magic and make them into cover girls! I think the best thing about this experiment is that they asked the women what they thought about their doctored images and their responses are the most moving part…

How Kristin felt about her original photo her confession:

I hate smiling with teeth. I have really high and pronounced cheekbones, so I feel like whenever I smile, my eyes get swallowed up into my face. But IRL I laugh so much. I think if you can imagine me also making some weird over-the-top hand and arm gestures, this is pretty representative of what I look like.

Kristin Retouched :Slimmer arms and body, neck, and face. Smoothed skin on arms and neck, erased lines, erased scars on neck. Reshaped lips, made fuller, and added some color. Slight teeth whitening. Minor reshape of nose, less shine. Bigger eyes, brighter, added eye lashes, added eye shadow. Filled in and shaped brows. Added blush. Hair smoothed, more volume, and reshaped. Smoothed skin on kneecap.

Kristin’s reaction to her retouched photo:

The lightning bolt scar on my neck has been erased. HOW WILL VOLDEMORT KNOW WHERE HIS LAST HORCRUX IS NOW?! This is like looking into an alternate universe where I am a real estate agent on a bus ad. I know that aesthetically I look much better, but to me I look like an animal that has been stuffed by a taxidermist. Like, it’s technically my (beautified) face — but it doesn’t feel to me like Kristin is actually in there. Also, my kneecap skin was apparently smoothed? What was wrong with my kneecaps?! That said, retouched Kristin has a lovely three-bedroom bungalow in Beverly Hills that just went on the market that she thinks you would just adore.

Allison's Original Photo — Allison’s Original Photo

How Allison felt about her original photo:

It’s not my favorite photo of me, but I definitely don’t hate it. I tend to prefer photos where I’m goofing around or pulling a face. But yeah, this looks like me and that’s cool.

What was retouched on Allison: Reshaped torso to hourglass shape and contoured camera-right breast. Slimmed arms, removed hair, and smoothed the skin. Took away some creases on hands. Lowered shoulders. Slight thigh reshape. Smoothed skin on neck and chest. Made the neck less wide on camera-right side. Smoothed skin on face and eliminated most lines/wrinkles. Narrowed face and jaw, smaller chin. Plumped lips. Fixed chipped teeth, whitened. Narrowed bridge and tip of nose. Larger, brighter, more even eyes. Added eyelashes. Evened and filled in brows. Gave hair more volume, smoothed, and reshaped.

Allison’s reaction to her retouched photo:

UM WUT. Who is this person? She’s so smooth and hairless and freckle-free. Kinda looks like a sex doll! It’s like someone else made a decision for me about what plastic surgery I should get and it’s way more intense than I could’ve ever imagined. I enjoy my chipped teeth and weird dimples. Without that stuff I look less human and my smile definitely doesn’t look as genuine. Overwhelmingly, though, I think it’s time I invested in some teeth-whitening products.

Lara’s Original Photo

How Lara felt about her original photo:

It’s certainly not my favorite picture in the world, but overall, it looks like me. I’m kind of an awkward person and usually don’t know what to do with my hands. If you looked up “Lara” in the dictionary, a picture similar to this would appear.

What was retouched on Lara: Reshaped thighs, hips, hip bone, and waist into a smoother hour glassshape. I brought the camera-right side of upper torso closer to center to make her body smaller. Smaller, lower shoulder. Also moved in cleavage accordingly. Smoothed skin on arms, eliminated shadow on forearm across her waist. Smoothed skin on neck, erased all lines. Smoothed skin on face. Reshape of jaw to be a little more pointed. Adjustment of nostril shape. Gave top lip more of a heart shape. Eyes brighter, added eyelashes. Filled in and shaped brows. Hair has more volume and shape. Took away clothing wrinkles. Minimized skin/fat at the crook of arm between arm and breast camera-right by adding some fabric and eliminating shadows.

Lara’s reaction to her retouched photo:

HOLY SHIT, who is that? Because it sure as hell isn’t me. What happened to my face? Where is my swollen stomach? Whose nose is that? HOW DID MY EYEBROWS GET SO FIERCE? A huge part of me wants to say that it makes me appreciate my body more — but I’m going to be honest, it’s hard to look at this retouched photo and not yearn for some of the aspects of it.I just want to get to the place where I can look in the mirror and love every damn inch of my body. I’m not there yet, but I’m a hell of a lot closer than I was yesterday. But also — I’m going to have nightmares about Lara 2.0 for weeks. She looks a bit CRAZY.

Sheridan’s Original Photo

How Sheridan felt about her original photo:

Shine bright like a diamond who sweats easily. I can see some beautiful zits that decided today was the best day to wreak havoc on my face. But I don’t think I look half bad, actually. I mean, this photo isn’t profile pic material, but it isn’t disastrous.

What was retouched on Sheridan: Body: Slimmed waist and thighs, slimmer arms, shoulders smaller and lower. Face less round. Smoothed skin on arms and hands, removed hair, and erased hair ties on wrist. Fixed collar of shirt. Erased lines on neck, smoothed skin, erased mole. Plumped and evened lips. Reshaped jaw to minimize double chin. Cleaned and smoothed skin on face, less shine. Narrower neck. Bigger eyes, added eyelashes, brighter, evened brows. Smoothed hair and gave more volume.

Sheridan’s reaction to her retouched photo:

LOL. Man, my skin hasn’t looked this good since I was 8 years old. It’s weird, I look at this picture and I know it’s supposed to be me, but something’s not connecting. It’s like I’m looking at someone who I’m supposed to be. This new Sheridan seems effortlessly flawless, like those girls in middle school who never got acne and somehow pulled off blue braces. Also, who the fuck has arms that hairless and smooth? I remember growing up and seeing photos of women and asking myself why I don’t look like that. Well, now I know, because I would have to skin a baby supermodel to have a face this smooth and flawless.

I think that I relate to Sheridan’s reaction the most, because it encapsulates how most of us feel when we see magazine covers or advertisements. Before photo retouching was common knowledge we actually thought that the women gracing the covers of our favorite fashion mags REALLY looked like that!! Now that we know the truth!!! And even though we are privy, as we look at those images part of us feels like Lara, yearning for that “perfection” even when we know that it doesn’t truly exist…

So what have we learned?

We are all cover girls, and none of us are average, we are all singularly FABULOUS!!!

To check out the other 2 women’s photos click to JUMP

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Creating a healthier body image through Acceptance, Appreciation and Respect