On Celebrity: The Lupita Nyong’o Obsession

As a society, we are often fixated on the trends that Hollywood dictates worthy of our attention. Trending topics include fashion, personal style, talent and the people who embody these aspirational qualities. One such person who has come into the limelight recently is actress and director, Lupita Nyong’o.

  

Source: http://www.lovebrownsugar.com/lupita-nyongo-vanity-fair-skin-lightening/

Prior to her breakout role as Patsey in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, Nyong’o, a Mexican-born Kenyan artist, attended the Yale School of Drama where she received her Master of Fine Arts in Acting. The multi-talented actress received critical acclaim for her performance in the Solomon Northup biopic. She was nominated for such honours as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and, perhaps most notably, an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. With the Oscars set to air this Sunday night, I will be watching intently to see who wins in that particular category. Nyongo’o has the potential of becoming the seventh woman of African descent to receive an Academy Award. I might point out that, thanks to shows like Fashion Police, I will also be watching the Oscars to see what celebrities are wearing on the red carpet.   

  

It is this last point of interest that has catapulted Nyong’o into phenom status – a global obsession. From her stunning Ralph Lauren cape at the Golden Globes, to her winning blue Gucci dress at the SAG Awards, Nyong’o continues to top best-dressed lists. She is the subject of thousands of blog posts and has been featured in numerous magazines including W Magazine, Vogue, Vanity Fair, InStyle and New York Magazine. She was also recently cast in the Miu Miu Spring 2014 Campaign. On top of her raw talent, impeccable style and humble charisma, I am convinced that it is Nyong’o’s rich, flawless skin that attracts such intense admiration from her fan base. At times a point of controversy, it is Nyong’o’s dark skin tone that truly sets her apart within a North American and Western context in general. Women of colour have for too long been given a template of beauty that often excludes them or molds them to fit said template accordingly. Black models with conventionally “Caucasian” features are viewed as acceptable to an industry that typically favours a certain “look.” We’ve heard the phrase “like a white girl dipped in chocolate.” Nyongo’o breaks this mold with her edgy fade and ebony skin. Of course, there have been exceptions in the fashion industry with supermodels Alek Wek and Ajak Deng paving the way for a broader aesthetic; but the industry remains largely unchanged.  

       

But is all this talk of fashion and skin tone superficial? Is the obsession with Nyongo’s (and Wek’s and Deng’s) dark skin a form of exoticism? For all of the criticism that Vanity Fair received for allegedly lightening Nyong’o’s skin, have other magazines not overemphasized her dark tone for added impact (Dazed & Confused)? Have we not, as a Black community, begun moving beyond the constraints of shadism? Surely, a phenom like Lupita Nyong’o serves as a reminder that beauty comes in all shades. She serves as a reminder that talent is not confined to a single set of expectations. Most of all, I look forward to seeing how Lupita Nyong’o continues to hold our collective attention both on and off screen in the years to come.     

Cheerios Brings Back Biracial Family for Super Bowl Spot

Back in May 2013, Cheerios aired a commercial that featured a young, mixed girl and her Caucasian mother. In the spot Just Checking, the young character, who we would later come to know as “Gracie,” questions her mother about the benefits of Cheerios cereal on heart health.

As her mother dutifully reads off the copy which positions the brand as a heart-healthy breakfast choice, Gracie acquires a knowing expression and runs off with the box of cereal to her African American father who is asleep on the couch. The scene cuts to Gracie’s dad waking up to find a pile of Cheerios scattered across his chest (and heart) in an unexpected and cute ending.

Unfortunately, not everyone agreed that the commercial was endearing. After the spot aired on YouTube, the video received a slew of vitriolic comments that revealed the sad state of racial affairs in the United States and in the world in general. Many people took issue with Cheerios casting a mixed race family in 2013. People directed their hatred towards Gracie’s character, calling her every name in the book. Youtube was eventually forced to disable comments on the video, creating a media storm around the ad. The YouTube comments remain disabled to this day.

In the aftermath of the negative comments, a parody of the video was created to further push the racial message while addressing another hot topic – sexual orientation. Eat it Haters went viral and received an overwhelmingly positive response.  

  

On February 2, 2014 as part of the $4 million-per-spot media buy for the Super Bowl, Cheerios reintroduced us to Gracie and her family. The ad, simply titled Gracie was pre-released on January 28 and features Gracie sitting at the breakfast table with her father. Gracie’s dad uses Cheerios to illustrate the point that she is about to become a big sister. In the background, Gracie's mother looks up from the counter, revealing her pregnant midsection. While contemplating the prospect, Gracie confidently adds another Cheerio to the group of 4 to represent the puppy she hopes will join their family. As her father confirms that it’s a “deal,” her mother looks on skeptically. 

Bravo to Cheerios for revisiting a concept that had received such negative feedback and for truly owning their message!

The State of Blackness: From Production to Presentation

During the 28 days that make up Black History Month this year, I am looking forward to attending this free conference being held at the Harbourfront Centre on February 22. The list of participants looks too good to pass up on.

The State of Blackness: From Production to Presentation is an interdisciplinary conference taking place at Harbourfront Centre on February 22, 2014 in association with the OCAD University Faculty of Art Innovation Fund and in partnership with the Ontario Arts Council. The conference is generously supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Karen Miranda Augustine, Miranda and Child (RaRa Rah), 2007 Mixed Media, découpage, found metal, tires, sequins, acrylic, oil sticks, spray paint, speaker, blunt and Kanekalon fibre on wood, 2.5 x 3 feet. 

Part of the Mercy Me series.

The event brings together artists, curators, academics, students, and multiple publics to engage in dialogue and, in effect, problematize the histories, current situation, and future state of black diasporic artistic practice and representation in Canada. The conference addresses and seeks to shed light on the dearth of cultural production and in turn, presentation activities by black artists who because of racial difference have historically been at the margins of traditional visions of the Canadian nation and its art production – particularly within the past two decades.

This conference includes closed working sessions prior to the public events designed to provide opportunities for artists, educators, curators, scholars and cultural workers to engage in intensive and critical collaborative discussions about the current state of blackness and the challenges and strategies employed to increase visibility. Emphasis will be placed on developing networks of engagement and knowledge exchange while developing methodologies and practices that inform the future of black Canadian artistic production and teaching. 


Conference Participants:
Lillian Allen, Karen Miranda Augustine, Deanna Bowen, Sandra Brewster, Charles Campbell, Mark V. Campbell, Wayde Compton, Julie Crooks, Erika DeFreitas, PamelaEdmonds, DominiqueFontaine, HonorFord-Smith, Richard Fung, Sylvia Hamilton, JérômeHavre, EbonyL. Haynes, JohannaHouseholder, CamilleA. Isaacs, MichelleJacques, AliceMing Wai Jim, BettyJulian, Olivia McGilchrist, Anna Jane McIntyre, Megan Morgan, Charmaine Nelson, Abdi Osman, Michèle Pearson Clarke, SheilaPetty, Aboubakar Sanogo, Adrienne Shadd, Dionne Simpson, Rema Tavares, Camille Turner, GaëtaneVerna, RinaldoWalcott, GenevieveWallen, Syrus Marcus Ware, and NatalieWood.

Andrea Fatona, Conference Lead
Heidi McKenzie, Conference Coordinator
Ellyn Walker, Graduate Research Assistant

For more information about the presenters and a conference schedule, visit thestateofblackness.com.

On Mentoring

Apparently, January is National Mentoring Month in the U.S. I read a Forbes article yesterday titled The One Thing Female Leaders Should be Doing More Of, and in it, contributor Jan Bruce highlighted mentoring as a practice that fosters mutually beneficial professional relationships.

As someone who has recently taken on a mentorship role at work, I agree with Jan’s assessment of the benefits of sharing your time and experience (dare I call it wisdom?) with someone else. For my own benefit, I would like to review the reasons offered for why mentoring shapes better leaders – and future leaders.

Mentoring can relieve stress:

Aside from the fact that mentoring often involves assigning some of your own work load to a willing mentee (in the case of an intern or junior assistant), the act of mentoring itself is a “feel good” action. Mentoring provides you with the opportunity to get out of your own head for a few minutes and focus on someone else. You are devoting a portion of your day to another person’s personal and professional development. I am guilty of becoming so self-absorbed with my own stressors that it can become difficult to detach and re-align my focus on the needs of someone else. Mentoring also forces you to organize your thoughts and goals in a tangible and relatable way. Stress and anxiety are often a direct result of feeling “scattered” and disorganized. By having someone who relies on you for a calm and organized delivery, you are keeping yourself in check and essentially minimizing your stress levels.       

Mentoring can build resilience:

There may have been a time when you were in the position of being mentored by someone else. You may recall feelings of insecurity and incompetence. Although natural, these feelings diminish over time and with experience. Having the opportunity to mentor someone allows for a sense of confidence and resilience, not to mention the gratifying bond that is hopefully formed. As a mentor, you are a leader and leadership requires resilience in the face of challenges, big or small. 

Mentoring can remind you of how accomplished you are:

Sometimes we forget or minimize how much we’ve learned over the years. As someone who has many more years to learn many more things, I am definitely not overconfident in my level of expertise. Learning is a continuum. Still, it’s important to remember how far you’ve come. Mentorship allows you to share your knowledge and skill set with someone who is glad to receive them. It’s nice to be reminded of your value in that context.

Mentoring can give you a chance to learn, too:  

Although I am not much older than the individual I am currently mentoring (I was also a peer mentor during my undergraduate studies), sharing ideas is a great way to learn and grow. Sometimes, one method of doing things can be improved with a simple suggestion from your mentee. Being a mentor does not mean you are always right. You are, however, more accountable for your words and actions. Be open and willing to really listen to the person you are mentoring. That person's success or failure is in part a reflection of your guidance. Often, you will learn something about yourself and your leadership style in the process of mentoring another – such as that you are impatient, but thorough, firm, but fair (perhaps that’s just me).  

Mentoring can develop your sense of purpose:

Finally, mentoring reignites a sense of purpose. For me, that purpose manifests itself in the knowledge I continue to acquire and share. Without sounding too profound, your small contribution has the potential to have a lasting impact on someone else’s life and career – until it’s their turn to pay it forward.

Ad Review: The Sartorial Culture of the "Sapeurs"

While browsing through my LinkedIn home feed this morning, I came across AdWeek's 'Ad of the Day' featuring London agency AMV BBDO's spot "Sapeurs" for Guinness. Although I would not have readily associated this brilliant ad with the Irish beer brand, the spot is part of a larger series created by BBDO titled "Made of More."

The ad was shot in Brazzaville, Congo and features scenes of men hard at work who, by day, are the common labourers who form the foundation of an African economy, and who, by night and in their free time, transform themselves into immaculately dressed members of an exclusive club known as the Sapeurs — the Society of Elegant Persons of the Congo. I was immediately drawn to this refreshing portrayal of the African man as a sartorialist, a fashion icon within his community.

The ad features some powerful copy with excerpts from William Ernest Henley's poem Invictus:

"In life, you cannot always choose what you do.
But you can always choose who you are...
I am the master of my fate.
I am the captain of my soul."

 

I am a huge fan of African fashion. For that reason, my only wish for this commercial and for others like it (although let's face it, there aren't too many out there like it) is that it featured some of the beautiful, traditional garments that reflect such a diverse cross-section of the continent. I acknowledge that fashion is fluid and many trends are derivative in nature. As such, it is clear to see the Western influence on African silhouettes and tastes. In fact, the Sapeurs' style reminds me of a combination of a 1920s dandy and a much better dressed version of our society's grossly exaggerated caricature of a modern pimp (excuse the reference). Conversely, African textiles and fabrics are also being adopted and reproduced en masse in the West as commercial objects that feed our insatiable appetite for an ever-changing aesthetic.

Guinness: Sapeurs (2014) AMV BBDO

The Men Inside The Suits.

 

All images captured from YouTube, Guiness: Sapeurs (2014) AMV BBDO.

11 Tips for a More Productive Year – Remixed

As I start the new year and begin implementing my plans to become more proactive on a personal, social and professional level, I’ve noticed that organizing my time more efficiently has become both a priority and a challenge. I came across an article by Kathleen Davis for FastCompany titled 11 Expert Tips to Help You Be More Productive in 2014. I thought I would synthesize some of the lessons for my own benefit and perhaps for others as well. 

1.     Focus On One Big Task At A Time

Although it’s easy to become distracted by all of the finer details in a given project, it’s important to focus on the bigger picture and to make sure that progress is actually being made. As I begin two new blogs this year, Kanyika's Thoughts and LadyLoc, I'm realizing that there are a lot of small pieces that contribute to a successful post. However, I’m also realizing that none of those small details matter if I don't manage to publish anything. So here's to one big task completed!

2.     Organize Your Day Into Time Blocks

I'm such a night owl. I'm the furthest thing from a morning person and I’m convinced that I don’t truly hit my stride at work until some time after 11:00AM. Unlike a lot of people, I find that the later the day gets, the more energy I have and the more productive I am. Unfortunately, this typically manifests itself in a lot of late nights and later mornings. To combat this, I'm trying to organize tasks into time blocks that fit my periods of highest productivity (without going too late into the night). It’s also worth trying tip #6 to avoid getting distracted.

3.     Do Things You Don’t Want To Do

This is a big one for me. I’m a creature of habit and any task that seems too daunting tends to raise my stress levels. Despite this, I try to break projects down into smaller, more manageable pieces that some might argue is a form of procrastination in and of itself. I’d like to think otherwise. As I mentioned in tip #1, it’s important to make sure that progress is actually being made on said project. It’s okay not to feel like running, but you can still drag your feet to the finish line. Just be sure to move.     

4.     Don’t Get Paralyzed By Perfection

This is an even bigger point for me. I am hands down a perfectionist. I used to think that being a perfectionist could only be a good thing until I realized that it also means a lot of wasted energy and frustration. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Well, maybe just a little :)

5.     Stay In The Moment

Although I pride myself on being a multi-tasker, I notice that my productivity actually drops when I’m constantly switching focus. This also applies to simply being present in the moment. In our frenzied world, it’s difficult to remain present. Many of us are so busy capturing life on our phones and other devices that we're not actually living it! I digress. Although I’m not one to concentrate on my breathing or meditate to stay centered, whatever works to keep you in the moment at work or at play is good.    

 

6.     Put Your Brain On Autopilot For The Small Stuff

So I have this somewhat embarrassing (or brilliant) ritual of selecting my outfits for work the night before (I think I already mentioned that I am NOT a morning person). One of my friends asked me what I do when I wake up and feel like wearing something else – you know, because the sun is so bright and inspiring that day. I told her that I just don’t have the brain power in the morning to care, so I keep things simple by doing all of that tough mental work the night before. This also applies to those of you who pack your lunches to stay healthy and save money. I’m still working on that.   

 

7.     Write An Old-Fashioned To-Do List

This is perhaps the only tip that I mastered from an early age. However, there came a point during my undergraduate education where I took the lists thing too far and was writing notes for EVERY detail of my waking life. This was likely the result of juggling class schedules and assignments while trying to maintain some semblance of a social life away from home. It quickly went from being an efficient organizational strategy to feeling like a straightjacket on my every move. I think I’ve since found a good balance where I write down key tasks (emphasis on key) and check them off in my own time.     

 

8.     Get An Accountability Partner

Admittedly, I love the movie Yes Man with Jim Carrey. In the movie, Jim’s character Carl Allen attends a cult-like motivational seminar that encourages its members to say “Yes!” to every single opportunity they encounter in their lives. While Carl squirms uncomfortably in his seat, guru Terrence Bundley, played by Terence Henry Stamp, explains the consequences of being a “No Man” and uses the following quote to drive his point:

“We’re going to make a covenant, Carl. Do you want to make a covenant? The word is ‘Yes,’ Carl. Yes! Yes! Yes!..You’ll be making a promise to yourself. And when you break a promise to yourself, things can get a little dicey.”

I like this quote because it reminds me that, although having someone to check your work and ensure that it’s completed is great incentive to be more productive, you are ultimately the only person responsible for your own failures or successes. I apologize if this example was a stretch, but it works for me!

9.     Don’t Check Facebook

Really, don’t.

10.   Deal With It Only Once

This tip goes back to #4 and the struggle for perfectionism. I can’t say how many times I’ve completed a task only to go back to it in the hopes of perfecting it just a little more. At times, the effort is worth it. Most other times, it’s a waste of productivity. Do it once and do it well.

11.   Escape Into Single-Tasking

This last point is a culmination of all of the previous tips, but particularly tips #1 and #5. As an example, the time it’s taken me to write this post has been largely uninterrupted and I’ve managed to stay relatively focused on getting through this list. Of course I thought about checking Facebook (and Twitter and Tumblr and Instagram…), but now that I’ve finished the task of writing my first post, I think I’ll reward myself by doing just that.

On to the next!