Overheard Articulation...

"Note To Self: Assassinate Prime Minister"

High On Art...

Normally, I don’t promote anything other than music on my blog, unless someone asks me really nicely and/or I feel like it. However, I feel I must let you know about HAHA Magazine. HAHA Magazine is a fairly new arts and culture magazine that ‘celebrates art in all its forms’. Even though it is an American based website, there is so much content on there that it’s hard to know where to begin. There are photographs, blogs, exhibitions, videos and oh so much more. Check it out: http://hahamag.com/

A Music Moment...

Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine has had an amazing year. Her debut album, ‘Lungs’ has been critically acclaimed, gone platinum and was also nominated for the 2009 Mercury Prize (which went to Speech Debelle…I haven’t heard of her either). She burst into the mainstream with last summer’s hit, You’ve Got The Love (a Candi Station cover), which she then performed at the 2010 Brit awards with Dizzee Rascal. Florence + the Machine have sold out in every venue they have performed in, and it’s easy to see why. I went to see her this week, and she was amazing. Energetic and lively, she emerged from a giant disco ball and didn’t stop moving. She created an atmosphere that was electric and everyone in the audience felt the buzz. I was often lost in the melody provided by her live band and choir. I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.

‘Cosmic Love’ is the last song to be taken off ‘Lungs’ and it is released on July 4 in the UK.

Check out The XX remix of 'You've Got The Love'. Florence reminds me of this woman.

I'm Dark-Skinned... and What?

In our society, we place great importance on wealth, youth and appearance. However, it seems that we’re sliding backward towards a time where lighter skin is favoured over darker skin.

During the 1960s, the term ‘Black is Beautiful’ was banded about, aimed to celebrate black people’s features and make people proud to be black. But nearly fifty years on, we seem to have forgotten all of this as whitening cream sales rise as people become more and more desperate to have the ‘perfect’ caramel skin.

Darker skinned people have nearly always faced disapproval, openly portrayed as savages or buffoons in the media (e.g. gollywogs). But these portrayals have always been by ignorant white people during the days where racial equality wasn’t so high on the list. These days, it’s people who should know better, people who aren’t white who seem to be pushing light skin on all of us.

I’m a dark skinned teenager of Ghanaian heritage. I’ve heard positive comments as well as negative ones. Now, people who make negative comments are stupid and ignorant, and usually posses an ego that has been inflated to a point where it engulfs the person. However, ego and/or stupidity are no excuse. People shouldn’t have to put up with these sorts of negative comments. Everyone should be allowed to be comfortable with whatever shade they are, whether they’re as white as snow or as black as coal.

I have been wondering what’s brought this intra-racial contempt on. I Googled something along the lines of ‘dark skinned contempt’ and two interesting articles came up. Tameka J. Raymond (aka Usher Raymond’s ex-wife) and British journalist/author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown both wrote interesting articles on this topic. Both blame the rise in popularity of lighter skinned people on the media. Raymond says: ‘Reading magazines, social media sites, watching our music videos, and television shows feed our appetites for all things ‘beauty’. Rarely, however do I see depictions of grace and elegance in the form of dark complexioned women.’ While Alibhai-Brown comments: ‘The beauty and fashion industries still maintain a closed shop when it comes to the selection and promotion of models. In women's magazines, on catwalks, even shop dummies, dark skin is rarely seen… Exceptionally, Naomi Campbell and Iman are permitted to strut with their white peers. Let's pray no bus ever runs them over.’

Now, I try not to use the ‘media card’ too often, as I feel that it is the first thing people blame when things go wrong, however, I’m willing to make an exception in this case. In 2008, L’Oreal ran a campaign for its hair lightening kit, featuring Beyonce. The public were outraged when the picture was released. L’Oreal was accused of lightening caramel-coloured Beyonce’s skin until she resembled a white girl who had spent two weeks in Ibiza. Of course, L’Oreal vehemently denied photoshopping the picture to within an inch of its life, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether L’Oreal is lying or not.

Also in 2008, Italian Vogue created its first ‘All Black’ issue, where all the models used in that issue were black. This issue sold out world-wide. However, many darker-skinned models complain that they cannot find work. The fashion industry’s excuse? ‘Black models don’t sell.’ Well Vogue clearly decapitated that excuse. The projection of just one type of beauty in the media excludes the majority of the population. If you aren’t tall, thin, and have light skin, I’m sorry; you just don’t cut it in this society.

Some people are so desperate to attain this narrow view of beauty that they’ll result to drastic measures. As previously mentioned, sales of lightening creams are rocketing; however some of these creams are not safe. Indy Rihal of the British Skin Foundation says: “Unfortunately, many skin-lightening creams contain illegal compounds that can damage your health; the most common compounds are high-dose steroids.” Regrettably, some people don’t heed these warnings and still carry on applying these creams until their face is three shades lighter than the rest of their body, or the veins in their face become visible, or until their skin develops a grey tint to it, ruining their face forever.

What is even sadder is the prospect of having a generation of young dark-skinned people hating their own skin colour. I came across a Yahoo Answers question, with a seemingly young person (I’m assuming a girl) wishing she wasn’t ‘dark skin black’ and asking whether ‘you guys do any bleaching cream that will made [sic] me fair skinned?’ They go on to mention that they are teased at school, and they want to be none other than Beyonce’s skin tone (oh, the irony). This case of self-loathing is increasingly becoming more common.

I think it’s down to all of us to promote beauty in all its forms, but I also think that I can be our generation that breaks the mould and ends this ridiculous, narrow minded view on what it means to be beautiful.

I'm dark-skinned. And what?

(Image thieved from here. Sorry.)

Overheard Articulation...

"Alexander McQueen is dead... but maybe all his bags will go on sale?"

A Music Moment: Ones for 2010

It’s a new year so it is time for some brand new artists. First up is twenty-three year old Ellie Goulding from Herefordshire. After I initially ignored her first single, Under the Sheets, her second single, Starry Eyed grabbed my attention. Her voice sounds like she should be making folk music; however, when mixed with dance/electro beats the result is quite stunning. Starry Eyed is released in the UK on February 22nd, and her debut album, Lights is out on March 1st.

Next is twenty-four year old Marina Lambrini (LOL) Diamandis aka Marina and the Diamonds. The half Welsh half Greek songstress was second in the BBC’s Sound of 2010, only beaten by the above Ellie Goulding. Her first promotional single from her debut album, The Family Jewels, Hollywood, is full of clever lyrics about the American Dream. She has often been compared to Florence + the Machine, but the only thing they really have in common is the ‘and the’ in their respective titles. Hollywood is out now in the UK, and The Family Jewels is out on February 22nd (again, in the UK).

Lastly is twenty-one year old Swede Erik Hassle. After establishing a successful career in native Sweden, he’s now trying to conquer Britian. He’s already toured with Mika (erugh), Little Boots (meh), and Florence + the Machine (yay!). Even though I find him a bit creepy looking, and he looks like La Roux’s twin brother (don’t tell me you can’t see it), his debut single, Hurtful is a solid pop single. His debut EP, Pieces is also out now.

These girls debuted ten years ago. Click.

Overheard Articulation...

"Who says I can't take a dump in the urinal? I’m a temp and it’s my last day. I can do whatever I want!"