Semester Wrap up

This semester has reintroduced me to the joys of blogging. As a result, I have come up with a really exciting idea for a website that will celebrate individuality in a new way. I have since purchased the domain name for Iletitfly.com and I am currently working in developing what I hope will be a really cool site.

Also, I have learned that I need to continue to hone my writing skills and will continue to do so. I want my writing to be clear and concise so I will keep working to speak with authority in my writing. I will continue to use this blog as well!

New iletitfly.com fan page!

Visit fan page HERE.

Let it fly style star: Willow Smith

I have to say that when I first caught wind of little Willow Smith's futuristic style, I was a little taken aback. At the tender age of nine, her parents Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith have allowed her a great deal of freedom of self expression that a lot of little girls her age don't enjoy.


How many of us can say that our parents would have allowed us to shave half of our heads just to make a fashion statement? I couldn't even choose my own nail polish color at that age...red was out of the question!!

That stated, I think that something must be said for this little fashionista's bold approach to personal style. During a recent appearance on the Oprah show, Willow was asked to share her feelings on some of the harsh criticism she receives and she made it clear that she was unphased by it, good or bad.

At an age when most kids are trying to fit in, she surely stands out when she step out in bold colors and edgy styles. I do think that she is a little young for make up but she finds a way to wear a little while maintaining a fun childlike spirit which is important for all of the nine year old girls out there to see.

In a world of celebrity worship little Willow wants everyone to focus on being themselves. Her hit single "Whip my hair" is a song about letting go and owning your unique nature and this is a message that all young people can relate to.

With her good looks and Hollywood royal roots, I truly believe that Willow Smith is bound to be a pop star and I am excited to see how her free spirit evolves.

Nicki Minaj Afro Shoot!

As if to answer my "nappy headed hoes" rant, Nicki Minaj poses for a very colorful and fun shoot for which her doned a kinky wig! What would her "Did it on em'" hype man say?

I am so glad that she made this hair style choice because it goes along with her carefree style. She does not wait around for approval when she reaching into her closet and I think that is something that her young fans really admire.

As women we spend a lot of time and money on out appearance but how much of that is honestly for us? Nicki is one of the few who dresses to gratify herself and what she thinks is pretty. (Along with a little bit of shock value attention seeking.)

New way to view power point!!

Really bad power point-Seth Godin
I loved this article! I have never really thought about modifying my power point style that I modeling after that of professors and community organizers past. Usually I have seen power point as a means of outlining key points in presentation similar to the way that resumes outlines experiences but to think of it as a means of conveying emotion via images and six words or less is a fresh perspective to say the least.
I think about the important presentations that I have made in the past and I wonder if this approach would have gone over well. I wonder if my audience would have thought that I skimped on creating my PowerPoint or if they would be able to appreciate this concise approach.

Dunkin Donuts Social Media Campaign

Dunkin Donuts has been noted for thier "Keep it Coolatta" facebook campaign that encouraged facebook fans to take pictures of themselves with their Coolata drinks. In an effort to promote their coolatta drinks select fans with the best coolatta pictures received giveaways daily.

I think that this was a successful campaign because it allowed people to interact with their drinks making the product come to life. They could pull their phone out and share a small piece of Thieu experience with other people while entering a contest to win prizes like a flat screen tv.

Blogger Jennifer Van Grove pointed out that twitter was not included in this campaign as she was very curious about that and I have to say that this is where this campaign fell short.

Twitter is the perfect place for people to share small bites of their day with others. If their where to choose only one major social networking website to include Twitter may have been a better choice. I personally do not interact with the companies I am fans of on facebook so I do not think people like me could be reached by this campaign. On the other hand, think Tweets have a ripple effect that would have gotten a lot of people mobilized with their coolatas

Pitch Presentation

Click here for link to presentation.

Man I just did it on em!

Nicki Minaj is the new face of girl power! She wears what she wants and prides herself on empowering young women. She has even said that she sacrifices her love life to continue to be show women that they don't need a man to feel whole.

She recently said:
"I want them to feel like they don’t have to play second fiddle to a boy."

If her Minajness feels this way,I wonder then why she felt the need to put out a song that demeans women like her Pink Friday album cut "Did it on'em"? This song is particularly offensive to black women!



Let me say first that I understand that this song was probably intented to answer Lil Kim's very public attacks. However, I think it's a little hypocrital to talk about women standing on thier own while putting out a song that features a MAN screaming insultes towards "these bitches" and putting women down.

He says:
"You crazy stupid ugly looking monkey bitches!"
"You got me mistaken with your mother ho!"
"You bitches at the bottom of the totam pole."
"You nappy headed son of a bitches! Imma start throwing just for me perm at your head"

Who exactly is he talking to Nicki? Is'nt lil Kim's hair is relaxed?

This is just some of what he says throughout the song and when I heard it I thought to myself not only is this offensive to all women but also that some of this is straight up racist! Not to mention rap's president of the heman woman hatters club eminen's lyrics in her other Pink Friday selection "Roman's revenge".

Here's a very explicit exerpt:

"I ain't into S&M, but my whip's off the chain
A little drop of candy paint drips off the frame
Twisted-ass mind, got a pretzel for a brain
An eraser for a head, fuckin' pencil for a frame
You don't like it then peel off, bitch
Every last woman on Earth I'll kill off, and I still wouldn't f*ck you, slut
So wipe the smile on your grill off, I swear to God I'll piss a Happy Meal off"


I have to say that I am not pleased with Ms.Minaj but luckily I am always willing to give second chances. Now that she seems to have everyone's attention, she has a really good opporunity to say something new or she can settle for the same old womanizing nonsense hip hop is known for and continue rapping about her money and how skilled she is sexually. In the words of Lauren Hill "Come on baby light my fire, music is supposed to inspire." How about it Nicki?

Pitch

I would like to start a campiagn for individually and self love for everyone. It will focus on every aspect of a indivual lives including personal style, careers, different ways of thinking and body image.
The success of this campaign will depend on people sharing thier stories that really speak to loving one's self and abanoning the cookie cutter mold. Each stoey will be featured in an article on my blog along with interesting pictures and videos when possible. I hope this will become a movement!

Midterm Proposal

When it comes to writing about entertainment, lifestyle and fashion, there are a lot of voices out there to contend with. What I think many of them lack is a critical view and the ability to approach topics in a unique and distinct way. On any given day, each entertainment blog talks about the same topics making each of the articles interchangeable. The main thing that sets my writing apart is that I tend to follow my nose and simply write about whatever interests me personally, that way I can bring new topics to the forefront without regard for what everyone else is talking about.

When people read my writing, I want them to be able to relate to what I am talking about while recognizing my ability to say something new. Similar to debating an interesting topic with a friend, I want people to respond and challenge my experiences and views on things. Dialog is very important to my writing process because it motivates to continue to find new topics to write about that will get people talking. Operating with little to no feedback is challenging for me.

Some of the steps toward achieving a unique voice online include refining my writing skills, creating an interesting design for the layout of my blog and honing my ability to select topics that get people talking while staying true to my own interests. I have recognized that at times my writing style has a passive tone and I will practice speaking with clear authority about each topic. Entertainment blogging is harder to write about with authority when I can almost never witness a lot of what I am writing about and at times the information that I have is based on speculation. I think this is a challenge for many entertainment writers.

Successful blogs should have custom layout and I plan to create on for my blog as well. The process for creating this layout will be a process that will parallel with the content of my writing. At this point, developing the writing is key and the design will follow. I want to create a feel in the writing and then enhance it with the layout sometime later.

While selecting topics, I like to write about anything that makes me think. If I see something on TV or the internet that interests me I go with it. The only downside to this is that there are times I believe readers may not share the same passion about the topic I am writing about and I lose people. In order to maintain interest, I try to stay within the confines of people, events and fashion that is someone relevant right now. If I choose a topic that is not necessarily hot at the moment I try to tie it into something that is fresher and more relatable.

I have confidence in my ability approach any topic with a unique eye and once these skills and steps are pulled together; I believe that my specific presence will be realized in the world of entertainment writing.

Cited Argument

A couple of weeks ago the internet was buzzing about a new music video from The Floacist, former member of soul group Floetry. Upon first sight, the video is kind of shocking as she is almost completely nude with nothing more than a loin cloth and pasties. It’s safe to say that where ever there are pasties there is trouble and people went crazy with comments after viewing the video.

A lot of the comments on the video were mainly harsh critiques about her body and whether or not she was wise to bare it. Many did not seem to be offended by the nudity in general but by this particular case of nudity. Youtube user screamatmebreazy made a comment that I found very interesting. She said “i feel sorry for this society! Men and young boys are used to seeing fakeass women. Even women made fun of her breasts. i will admit i fell victim to this thinking cause i looked at my own breasts couple years ago and felt like something was wrong with them because they sagged.. They’re SUPPOSED TO. I realized that 90% of women in Hollywood have fake breasts. There is nothing wrong with me... I’m supposed to look like this.lol”

Needless to say, this video has sparked a heated debate about the female form and the standard of beauty. To me it is clear that today’s woman is competing with a standard of beauty that is not attainably for many. In fact, past studies have shown that “during the period from 1979 to 1988, 69% of Playboy models and 60% of Miss America contestants weighed 15% or more below the expected weight for their age and height category. The researchers note that according to the DSM III-R, maintaining body weight of 15% below one's expected weight is a criterion for anorexia nervosa.” This is an issue that is only getting worse as the images of these abnormal women are distorting the average person’s view of what women look like.

If you ask me I thought The Floacist looked great in this video! She probably looked better nude than most of critics. My ideas about modestly aside I was disappointed to read the comments about this video because it is telling of the dissatisfaction many woman probably have with their own bodies. In a study done among a group of college freshmen is was found that “85% wished to lose weight.” Sadly I don’t think that the self-esteem movement headed by Dove is improving body image issues among girls because they have too much to compete with. Many of the bodies we see on television these days are enhanced on way of another and lucky for us many stars are coming forward with their so-called “beauty secrets”. We can be sure that many celebs that we praise for their good looks have had plastic surgery and/or rely on retouching to look the way they do and not even they can keep up!

Kim Kardashian has been one of the few celebrities to be more open about her flaws. As a full figured women, she has in some cases insisted on her photos not be retouched. She was featured in an issues of Life and Style magazine which was publicly “100 percent unretouched” but she has also been very public about her desire to lose weight as well.

I think of this when dealing with my daughter and I try to instill in her a high regard for herself. I try not to speak too much about my discontentment with my flaws in front her because I don’t believe that you can pass on something to your children that you don’t have for yourself.


Cited:
The Influence of Fashion Magazines on the Body Image Satisfaction of College Women: An Exploratory Analysis
Journal article by Sherry L. Turner, Heather Hamilton, Meija Jacobs, Laurie M. Angood, Deanne Hovde Dwyer; Adolescence, Vol. 32, 1997

ERIC WILSON, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/fashion/28RETOUCH.html

ADAM DREWNOWSKI, PHD, AND DORIS K. YEE, MA; Men and Body Image: Are Males Satisfied with Their Body Weight?

How To

Kerry Washington is known for her elegant style and grace on the red carpet but you don't have to be a celebrity to look fabulous. You too can achieve this sexy, edgy look on a budget with common drug store products.

To re-create this look you will need:
Products:
Liquid Foundation (suggestion:Maybelline Super Stay)
Concealer (suggestion: Beneifit Bo-ing, or whatever you use as a highlight)
Brow power: (Any)
Brow gel: (Any)
Blue Eye Liner: (suggestion: Wet N Wild Coloricon Deep Blue)
Blue Eye Shadow:(suggestion:Wet N
Wild Coloricon eyeshadow palette)
Blush: (suggestion:Nars, Taj Mahal)
Bronzer: (Nars Bronzing Powder)
Nude Lip stick: (Any)
Chocolate shade lip liner: (Any)

Tools:
Foundation brush
Concealer brush
Make up sponges (I like the egg shaped sponges)
Eye shadow brush
Eye shadow blending brush
Blush brush
Angled eye shadow brush

Step 1:
To begin this look, dab in brow power to shape brow and set with brow gel. Then, use your concealer brush to apply concealer to problem areas to even skin tone. Also, use concealer to highlight and contour nose, brow and just under the eye.

Step 2:
With blue eye liner, line bottom lid just under lashes from corner to corner. Then color in entire top lid with eye liner until it is coated with a rich deep blue. Smudge blue color on top and bottom lid with blending brush.

Step 3:
Use eye shadow brush to lightly pat on blue eye shadow on top lid just to make the color pop.

Step 4:
Next, apply foundation using foundation brush with short strokes in up and down motion while avoiding highlighted areas.

Step 5:
Apply chocolate lip liner and then nude lip color and press lips. A nude or light pink lip gloss can also be added for shine.

Step 6:
With sponges, blend in highlighted areas, hairline and neck line to soften lines and avoid a mask like look.

Step 7:
Smile! Then pick up your blush brush and apply blush to apples of cheeks. Mix in concealer with blush and streak under cheek bone to create contour.

and you're done!

Cover Letter

To whom it may concern;

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to discuss my qualifications as they relate to the position of fashion columnist for your magazine. I believe that fashion gives people a unique opportunity to express themselves in their everyday lives. It allows them to speak about who they are without saying a word or roll play for a day and escape the mundane. With the proper tools each person can put their best foot forward by defining their unique style which can ultimately enhance their lives.
My past experiences include writing for the Hartford Women’s Style Examiner and owning a Vintage Clothing Boutique which have allowed me to hone my distinct voice in the fashion world as well as my eye for up and coming trends and designers. Most importantly, in these tough economic times I understand that what women want most is to continue to maintain their fashion sense while remaining budget conscious. I understand today’s woman.
I look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate my skillset as a fashion and lifestyle journalist. Please contact me via phone or email for any additional information regarding this promising opportunity.

Sincerely,
Tiffany BrickWallVintage

Devil's Advocate

In a recent Interview music legend Sir Elton John expressed his opinion about a new kind of celebrity perfected by Paris Hilton; the reality TV star.
In Elton John’s words

“Video killed music. Reality has killed talent.”


When I first read this I thought “Right on!!!” but then on second thought that’s quite right because many reality personalities are talented to the point of sheer genius if you ask me. You may not agree with me but if you disagree it’s probably because you think of talent as a skillset that is positive, distinguished and wholesome but you have to remember the hot dog eating champs and the Kim Kardashians of this world.

There is a scientific formula to becoming a reality star and without it the average person could not have a successful reality show by simply being themselves. I challenge any old school fans of MTV’s show The Real World to think of the names of the Real World Miami cast…take your time, I’ll wait.
The reason why you can’t remember these people is because they may have done some wild things that were interesting for the moment but they missed their opportunity to really make their 15 minutes count.

Branding:
Memorable reality tv stars can turn a 2 minute American Idol interview into so much more. If I say William Hung many automatically think of his intoxicatingly terrible performance of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs. I heard a comedian speculate that he was probably an evil genius that knows he can’t sing but still managed to get a recording contact and make several paid appearances following his very brief appearance on American Idol.

One cast that will go down in the reality TV branding hall of fame is the cast of the Jersey Shore. Each personality has cute nicknames like “JWOW” and “the Situation” that can’t help but entertain when coupled with their train wreck lifestyles.

The Jersey Shore also has quite a few catch phrases that people everywhere are repeating like “The cabs are here!” ,“D.T.F” and “G.T.L”. It was even reported that cast mate nicknamed “Snooki” was paid a pretty penny by the company that makes silly fuzzy house slippers that she wears on the show.





Honorable mention goes to Natalie Nunn of the Bad Girls Club who coined the phrase “I run LA” and is known for her loud mouth and prominent chin.










(Photo:Natalie Nunn)

Character:
All of the wild people of the reality TV world can’t possible carry on in real life the way they do when the cameras are rolling or they would be hospitalized regularly. Based on that reality, they must be really turning it up into over drive for the cameras. Sometimes it even seems that they are actively trying to make sure that their show is interesting. No one wants to be the one that no one remembers at the reunion.

Some reality stars have chosen to appear loopier and air headed, mean, delusional or straight up skanky just to stand out and boy does it work! It gets people talking and tweeting and like the age old saying goes no press is bad press. If being infamous gets people to come out to a club and by drinks, (even if they just want to throw them in your face.) it’s worth the negative attention to collect a fee for an appearance to some.

Think of the reality personality “New York” from the flavor of love or reality couple Spencer and Heidi Pratt A.K.A” Speidi” who have been featured on several shows obviously staging arguments and saying the most ridiculous things ever heard.








(Photo: "Speidi" Pratt)

They have had to calculate and develop their characters over season after season. It is no different than playing a role in a film, in fact, I would argue that it takes more guts to assume a character and portray it as your actual personality as most people are not going to attack the villain from the movies on the streets but I am sure that Natalie Nunn has to watch her back!
Is that not talent? To create a controversial persona that people can’t help but talk about is a skill! Many of us working Joes are not willing to sacrifice our self-respect for a little fame or money but no one should ever say that reality stars don’t earn their money. Many of them are simply modern day jesters and being a good fool takes talent…so there Sir Elton!

My topic

I like to read a lot about music and entertainment so for the purpose of this course I would like to focus on those areas. There are no shortages of those kinds of blogs but I think that I can bring a unique perspective by discussing themes and artists that are not necessarily main stream. I find that when it comes to entertainment blogging, people tend to just jump on bandwagons of what everyone else is talking about. If I read three blogs in one day they are all usually writing about the same stuff and begging readers to remember that they “heard it here first.” A lot of times I find myself wishing that they had given more meat in their article that just simply stating that something occurred.

I would like my blog to look more like the comment sections of many on these blogs with interesting opinions and perspectives that people can build off of when commenting. I won’t just talk about what an outrages occurrence on a reality show. I plan to g a step further and actually give an opinion about it. Also, I look forward to the opportunity to talk about topics and people that other people are not writing about in the entertainment world.

There is a lot of interesting interpretations of movies and music on the internet that range from secret society claims to other claims of corrupt messages for the masses and I would like to discuss some of these as well. Thinking critically about the things we watch and listen to is a right that many people forfeit so I would like to get a dialog going about how some may be affected. For instance, The Bad Girls Club is a show all about women living in a house and acting more like they live in an insane asylum. They have achieved record rating during their most recent seasons and I can’t help but wonder if they are affecting the behavior of young girls who sadly don’t have the guidance at home that would prevent them from watching in the first place. Don’t get me started on MTV’s new show Skins!!

What I hope this blog will be is “Talk Soup” for the thinker. I hope to offer a fresh perspective and interesting point of view on this topic.

Night Writer

Most of my best work is done between 10pm and 2am and this has been the case since I had my first child in 2004. For me this is a time when I can be sure that everyone is asleep and any requests can be met with "Go to bed!!!!" I am very easily distracted so I need quiet to focus and I can take breaks through out the night while brain storming. Sometimes I wish I could avoid sleeping all together...ohhhh the things I could accomplish with that kind of time.

The Expert

Many of the blogs I follow are about very specific topics like cooking, knitting or hair care. I very rarely read those stream of consciousness style blogs as they tend to bore me. When I consider the type of blog I want to have and the topics that inspire me, I wonder if I would be able to write about one topic with the same passion over time.

I read "black girl with long hair" regularly for hair care tips although I would not say that their voice is consistent. It seems like there may be a few different people writing the blog and they all have different points of view. For instance, they do a lot of product reviews on the site but one writer decided to review a list of her favorite drug store products in a way that her audience found inconsiderate. Her review was really one sided and self serving resulting in a very colorful discussion. (By colorful I mean heated at at times unnecessarily disrespectful!)
The original writer began deleting comments and even scolded a few readers for getting too emotional about this particular post. I don't know if she continues to partner with this particular writer but clearly in the case of this particular post, her readers where not getting what they came for.

I wonder if the reason the original writer of "black girl with long hair" found co-writers is because she was finding herself a little bored with her blog. I imagine it's a little difficult to write about hair all the time when there are so many other parts of your life that you want to share. I notice at times there is a little room to talk about your day when working with a specific topic but you have to be very careful not to ramble.

No matter what the topic, I like to writers that can teach me something new with almost every post even if it's just a fun fact or a small piece of trivia.

About me

My best memories are of living in Queens, New York as a kid and walking to the edge of the world and back with my sister Melissa. We would talk about everything we could think of with bus after bus passing us by, not even realizing how far we had made it. Now that we are older and live in different states I think of those days and how they have shaped me today.

Growing up in New York City is a special experience. There is so much life and culture that I can remember being on the train and a group of boys getting on the train one day and doing flips and tricks turning my afternoon commute into a day at the circus! Or the day I walked down 165 Street on Jamaica Avenue when some middle aged men were huddled in a group singing “You make me feel brand new” by The Stylistics and they sounded just like the real thing! (Now that I think of it, maybe it was them…)

I have lived in very rural towns since then and now I see that I was a bit naïve to believe that if I could make it there I could make it anywhere. I am currently living in Enfield, CT with my husband and three kids and I still have not gotten used to it. Most of all I just don’t understand how people can live without sidewalks. Then again, I know people around here that drive from store to store at a strip mall. I’ve got the cure to obesity…use your legs!
I have not lived in New York since I was 18 years old which is about 10 years ago but when I cross that Throgs Neck Bridge I feel a calm come over me kind a like when you’re a kid and you have a bad dream and you jump and your mother’s bed and sink into it like “Ahhhhh…”.

These days I am a busy mother of three which keeps me on my toes to say the least. My dream is to make a living while being a cookie baking, homework helping, swing pushing, recital watching mom. The idea of owning my own business has crossed my mind several times as I have a lot of different ideas about different things I would like to do like a children’s clothing line or even a food truck. Whenever I have those thoughts I can hear the cynic in me shout “Oh shut up and get a real job!” which scares me straight!

I believe that there is a thin line between giving up on your dreams and giving into delusions and I struggle to find balance between the two. As a first generation American, it was always instilled in us growing up that education was the key to success which was defined by how much money you could make and the kind of possessions you could acquire. There was a lot of talk about this or that person’s accomplishments or failures since their arrival to the United States. This kind of thought did not leave much room for dreaming because the image of the starving artist was not one of promise or success.

My parents are hardworking people who never finished high school. My father in particular was a truck driver for years making it hard to spend quality time with him. However, he was able to support my chronic shopping habit and gave me an American Express card at 16. He asked me one day if I wanted the things or if I wanted to see him more. When I told him that I wanted to see him more instead, he told me that money makes the world go round and that I did not know what I was talking about. He is one of those people who believe that if he can obtain a certain dollar amount, he will finally be happy. I know better.

So this is my dilemma, should I risk loss of money I don’t really have to pursue something that won’t make me rich and may pay less than a “real job” but will make me happy every day? I have had a few real jobs that have made me absolutely miserable for 40 hours each week and left my bank account just above empty but I want more for myself and more importantly I want to teach my children to work hard at finding their own way in this world.

An article I wrote...

Click here for a more formal writing sample.

BACON AND EGGS

Two years ago I found myself at a conference for health policy executives in Texas where I attended a seminar meant to encourage young health policy professionals of tomorrow. Needless to say I did not belong there because I was NOT going to be a health policy executive. However, I did take away some thought provoking information and experiences from my time at the conference.

The main thing I could not stop thinking about was an idea that one speaker presented. He said the key to success is all about hard work and sacrifice, not a revolutionary idea, I know, but what got my attention is when he blurted out "It's like bacon and eggs."

"Huh?" There were confused looks all around and a few laughs. He clarified by explaining that in bacon and eggs the chicken sacrificed it's egg, "but that pig" he said with his southern drawl, "that pig sacrificed on another level."He looked around at the silent students and repeated "Bacon and eggs." as if he aimed to coin the phrase.

Are you the Chicken or the PIG?
I wondered how he or more importantly, my future employers would want me to answer that question. I answered it in my mind....the chicken. I always wanna be the chicken. Is that wrong? Should I want to be the pig? No. Never.

I probably sound like an underachiever but let me explain.

If you're into bacon and eggs and you view the bacon and eggs as two separate products/outcomes then you'd have to agree that neither animal produced more actual product. The pig, assuming the pig agreed to this whole process, gave it all it had which sounds great but what does this pig know about balance?

The chicken, however, has contributed it's egg and will go on to create again as it will still be around for the next breakfast. More importantly, the chicken lives. I want to live.


Get Real!
Is is possible to live and be a success?
Can I be a good employee if I insist on clocking out when it's my time? Is it possible to be present with my family without being dead weight at work?

As a mother of three I find myself wondering what will be expected of me once I secure that well paying job that I have been waiting on. I watched an episode of Oprah recently where she applauded an employee of hers for never missing work despite some deaths in her family and other serious personal issues but I thought that was awful.

True balance for me is knowing when to call out and when to clock out. I guess I could never work for Oprah.