Dark Girls Premieres on OWN



 

Tonight, the documentary Dark Girls will premiere on OWN at 10 PM Eastern.  Dark Girls explores the bias in the black community against women with darker skin.  For my husband (who is white), colorism is a concept that is difficult to grasp.  To him, any black woman - whether light hued, dark or in between - is simply black!  The tone of her skin doesn't matter.  It doesn't speak of the character of the person.  Certainly, not their level of attractiveness.  As a dark-skinned black woman, I understand the pain that stems from colorism.  Growing up, I knew I could be anything, with hard work and good grades!  Anything that is, but beautiful, attractive, desirable.  Pretty was not the domain of girls like me.  While there should be more to a girl's life than her looks, we all know a certain degree of a young girl's self esteem comes from validation of the external.  For me, it took moving away from familial circles and into more diverse environments to find a space where my dark skin (and even my weight) were not a mark against me.  And, more importantly personal healing and self acceptance. 

 

It saddens me in this day and time, when we have a gorgeous, dark-skinned woman as First Lady, there are still little girls feeling and experiencing the hurt of colorism.  That don't want to exist in the beautiful, brown skin that God so wonderfully made them in. 



Mary Ellen

I Enjoy Being A Girl!

Yes, indeed - I do enjoy being a girl! :)  Thanks to BB&W poster Capt. Smooth for sharing this vintage gem.  He thinks it would make a good theme song for yours truly!

Nancy Kwan - I Enjoy Being A Girl

Flower Drum Song (1961)

Mary Ellen

On Wifely Submission & Working Outside of the Home

The following excerpts are from the blog, Sunshine Mary:

"My great-grandmother worked, but she was not a career woman.  Her purpose in working was to serve her family, not to serve her own ego or materialistic desires.  The Proverbs 31 woman worked both inside and outside the home:

She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. (verse 16)

She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant. (verse 24)

She worked outside the home, but this was her motivation in doing so:

She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness. (verse 27)

A woman’s primary concern, whether she is working at home or outside the home, is for the well-being of her household."


"A Christian wife is concerned with pleasing her husband, not herself; she is concerned with her family’s well-being, not her own preferences.  She doesn’t fight against her husband; she submits to him."


"Your obedience to your husband is more pleasing to God than whether you spend your day at home or in the workplace."


I encourage you to read the post in its entirety - Traditionalist Marriage versus Christian Marriage Exemplifies Selfish Rebellion versus Selfless Obedience.

~

 As a Christian and (far from perfect!) submitted wife that works outside of the home, the above really resonated with me.  I'm not working to climb corporate ladders or to maintain a lifestyle.  I work simply because my husband feels it is best for our family to have two incomes at this time.  In the Bible, Ephesians 5:22-24 speaks of wives submitting to their own husbands in everything.  For me the "everything" includes working outside of the home!  It should also be noted, the passage says, own husband.  While one husband may feel that it is best for his wife to be at home, another may feel differently.  However in each instance, the husband is doing what is proper for their household.  It is challenging at times to be somewhere other than where your heart desires.  Yet, I know in doing so, I'm honoring my husband and looking well to the ways of my household.  

Mary Ellen   

My Super Cute Tee from Dress United

I was thrilled when the fine folks at Dress United invited me to try out their customized t-shirts!  With Dress United, you can make your own personalized t-shirt - for your team, business, special event or just to express your creativity.  The Dress United easy to use design tool makes creating your custom t-shirt a breeze! 

Select your t-shirt from a variety of styles (ladies, they have girl cut tees for a more stylish, feminine fit!).  Choose your color (pretty pink for me!). 

Add a graphic - upload your own or select from the various image categories on the site.  Add text and that's it! 

For my tee, I went with a simple monogram.  And when it arrived, I could have not been more pleased with the quality of the shirt and the finished product! 

With Mother's Day right around the corner,  Dress United would be perfect for creating one of a kind, personalized t-shirts for the special Moms in your life!  Or maybe t-shirts for little league teams, your small business, or family reunion.  The possibilities are endless!        



Now, something for my great readers -  Go to http://www.dressunited.com/redeem and type in the code

BLOG30OFF4U 

to receive 30% off your order and free shipping within the US.

Mary Ellen

Disclosure:  I received a free shirt in exchange for my review.  All opinions expressed are mine.

  



My Favorite Red Lipstick...For Valentine's Day & Everyday!

For a long time, I shied away from red lipstick.  As a dark-skinned woman, I worried red would look  too clownish with my skin tone.  So, I stuck with safe colors - burgundy and corals.  But, I finally found a red that would add to my retro/vintage look and compliment my skin tone!  And, in a most unexpected place - Wal-Mart!



#5016 Eldorado Red 

I was prepared to venture to the mall and spend big bucks finding the perfect red for darker skin. But, while browsing the makeup aisles at Wal-Mart, came across Black Radiance cosmetics. At only $1.72 each, I bought several tubes of lipstick to test out.  I found the red lipstick of my dreams with "Eldorado Red".  It has great coverage - I don't even use liner with this lipstick.  And, you can't beat the price!

Smooches! xoxo

Mary Ellen