I love love love Zoe Kravitz. These new shots hit the web today. Here are my favs from her Eleven Paris shoot. (can not wait to see her rock XMen by the way!)
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these but…I had to take a second to share. So there’s a school of thought that says, “When we meet certain people, and we dislike specific traits about them, then what this really means is that those traits are what we dislike or are afraid of in ourselves.” Fast forward to my latest friend in my head, Kimora Lee Simmons.
I’m a huge huge fan of class and grace. And although, I may not always display those traits, I desire to be more ladylike (I equate class and grace to being ladylike). When I see famous women, especially women of color who are considered successful I expect them to be more elegant than I am. Well, for those reasons, I could not get with Kimora. She irked the crap out of me. Everytime I saw her, I felt like she was so loud. And when I saw her home on Cribs the first time, I thought I was going to throw up. It was so gaudy. She was too much for me to take. I don’t like the Baby Phat line in general for the same reasons-it used to always have some extra stuff going on-like really a sweat suit with a cat on your butt?!?! And as beautiful as she is, there was a spell when she was too hip-hop! She looked like a video chick more often than a mogul for a while there. Despite all that, the number one reason I couldn’t get with Kimora was while I know she was a successful model, I feel most of her success came as a result of her ex-husband, Russell Simmons. I am all about becoming whoever I shall become by the sweat of my own brow. I can be very judgemental of women who marry well then become a mogul-I typically credit their new success in their man’s field to the fact they were with their hubby.
So, one day I was watching TV flipping channels and had to watch her show. She was still all those things I felt she was before except now I saw it in a different light. She is a great, involved mother and she’s really involved with the aspects of her business. She maintains a great working relationship with her ex and seems to be in a loving relationship with her new man. She is a lot but most great women people are. Most of all, as I watched that episode, it made me less judgemental of myself-I may judge others, but I can crucify myself! I can not stand that I’m not always prim and proper being ultra ladylike. I can be super hard on myself for not being the way a woman my age “should” be. Kimora reminds me their are no rules and that is why today she’s a friend in my head. She’s beautiful, a great mother, a philanthropist and a businesswoman. Sounds a lot like what I want to be…lol we’d probably attract a ton of attention with our loud asses at any bar or restaurant but I think we’d have some good times!
(sidenote: my one friend Mistie has said for a long time we had a lot in common. I chalked it up that she was calling me loud or ghetto-words I’ve used to describe KLS-but I can see some similarities.)
My girlfriend Becky has these two adorable daughters, Dominique and Jaidyn. I’ve never met the girls but like most proud mama’s Becky always tells me stories about them. Dominique reminds me of me at that age – a little bit shy or seeking her place in the world; while Jaidyn reminds me of how I wanted to be – self assured, boisterous, owning her spot in the world. (Now this is not to say anything is wrong w/Dominique’s approach. She appears to be a sweet and lovely young lady but this post is about Ms. Jaidyn.) So the little miss decided to cut her hair because her older sister got bangs. Poor Becky was livid on Facebook – it was kind of funny though b/c she had no idea what to expect.
Yep it was pretty horrible. Her facial expression didn’t help matters much either!
Here’s the thing though, poor Becky was all upset as any mother would be, Ms. Jaidyn was just fine. Today she got herself together and was not concerned one bit about how jacked that haircut was!
Isn’t that what all the confident folk do?!? They do what they please in regards to their look/style and have no regard of how others view them. And the funny thing is that people respond to them in positive ways! We’ve all seen some person rocking some crazy looking gear or look but has so much confidence it doesn’t matter. (My fav Zoe Kravitz can sometimes appear a bit homeless!) On the other hand, we can see someone laid to death in the top designers around and not look twice – it’s all about confidence. Lil’ Miss Jaidyn’s confidence is just the boost my inner child needed. Sometimes she’s scared to express who she really is because of fear of rejection. Jaidyn proves that it doesn’t matter what others think as long as you like it rock it! I can’t wait to meet the lil’ diva and let her know I think she is awesome!
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times – social media networking is a great way to meet like minded people without all the bs that would sometimes keep us apart in “real” life. By reading people’s tweets, status-es or blog posts, you can really learn a lot about who they are at the core. You naturally gravitate towards like minded people. Ashlee Nicole is a lot like how I was at her age … well how I would have been had the web been like it is now. She’s has a strong work ethic and always abreast of what’s going on. She’s extremely supportive too, a characteristic not always present in young women. Ashlee’s blog shows her dedication to pubbing events-not just the ones she is promoting. And speaking of promoting, she’s ON IT! She’s had a hand in bringing some of the freshest acts to New Orleans (and not just the typical for a black girl in New Orleans – a convo for another day, but folk here still do a lot based on race. Not her, she’s into cool stuff, regardless of if it is white or black.) For these reasons, Ashlee Nicole is a friend in my head.
Like the
AyeLifestyle crew, I see her as an innovator and trendsetter. In my head we meet every so often at the coolest bars in the city and exchange war stories over the latest cocktails (I’d introduce her to Pimm’s cups in the summer and she’d put me up on the latest drink folk her age are indulging in).
More… I see myself randomly running into her on Melrose on a random day we both just so happen to be in L.A. When premieres and other Hollywood type events come to town, I see us sharing toasts at the bar. On a more serious note, I see her coming to me to get my “been there, done that, in my opinion” advice on the two fab career opportunities she’s torn between. I really believe NOLA is on its way to being the spot for entertainment – I see her being at the forefront of the movement, which of course is another strong facet of our friendship in my head. All in all, I think this chick is amazing and that’s why she’s a friend in my head! Don’t believe me, read her blog. WARNING: She’s going to end up being a friend in your head too!
As I’ve said tons of times before, I didn’t get into
Sex and the City until way later than everyone else. Once I did I was hooked. I gain new insight into myself all the time from this show. My latest friend in my head is none other than Samantha Jones from the show.
On first glance it may appear that Carrie is my prototype – she’s a great writer, fashion forward, and seeks to be in love. Well, what I’ve recently discovered (well more like accepted about myself) is that I have much more to learn from Samantha. Its easy to say that Samantha is a just some cougar in heat. That is so not the case! Samantha Jones is so much more.
She is a consummate business woman. Throughout the course of the show we saw her build her business into a power PR firm and she put her boo on the map by constructing a PR campaign revolving around some silly play he was in! Episode after episode, we see her set her sights on something (more often someone) and by the end of the show she lands her conquests. In my head I see us discussing strategies for promoting my business and building it as she did hers.
Samantha is not the typical prototype for a “lady”, but she’s all woman! There’s a quote that says, “Well-behaved women rarely make history.” I’ve been trying to follow so many self imposed rules for so long that if having a friend like Samantha in my head is totally necessary. Samantha is always confident and projects that confidence into everything she does – a quality I definitely need to develop! Also she’s not afraid of admitting what she truly wants. Sometimes I feel like a “bad girl” because at my age marriage is the farthest thing from my thoughts (and because I feel that way I tend to attract others who do as well). I’m really just trying to enjoy myself, date and have a good time. Samantha would be a friend that would encourage that type of behavior. We’d sit and share our exploits of whatever the new fab-o cocktail is at the new fab-o spot, while meeting and attracting new “boos”.
Samantha Jones is a friend in my head because I respect her authenticity and self acceptance. She’s obviously a fictional character but when there’s a quality in someone else you truly admire, then you embody that quality yourself. Inside of me lives a ball-sy, vibrant chick like a Samantha with enough confidence to achieve anything I set my mind to. I’m ready to let that woman come out and play. Only rule? There are no rules!
I was watching Wendy Williams the other day. She was talking about Jon Legend and how he was her “friend in her head.” She went on to explain that there are people that she does not really know but from what she sees of them, they’d be her friend. So she’s deemed these people as “friends in her head”. I’ve decided to get some friends in my head. (Don’t worry – this is totally cool in a non-stalker, no homo, so SWF type way. I’ve got plenty of real-life friends – you can read about them in
She Makes Me Wanna and throughout my blog. BUT my friends in my head are folks I read about online or follow in the entertainment world. The best part is I get to exercise my imagination – I don’t really know them so they can be whoever I make them up to be!)
As you know I recently moved to New Orleans. I love it here and the main reason is because I feel that folk are uniquely authentic. I feel there is numerous amounts of talent and very little inhibition about putting that talent out there. There’s this girl, Ally Bea-Bea Author that is TOTALLY my friend in my head, because she does her thing. I’m a huge fan of action and she appears to be a very active young woman. She’s found her voice and I can dig that.
Here’s what makes her my friend in my head.
More…First of all, she has a crew! I’m all about having a crew. One of my dreams is to “make it” as a film producer/personality and be featured in magazines w/my crew of equally successful friends. I get so excited when my friends and I get to collaborate on projects. It is so fulfilling to do the creative things I like but it becomes amazing when I’m creating with my friends. Ms. Bea has this super dope crew – they have a blog, radio shows (one is the Rat Pack, I mean really who wouldn’t like that?) and they do events. Not just regular events but real cool, hip events right here in New Orleans – how fresh? I am attracted to friends who are extreme individuals comfortable in their skin. My best friends and I are trendsetters – not because we set out to do that, but because when we let ourselves fully shine, people embrace it. This girl seems to be above all else an individual. Her blogs and tweets indicate that she has a very distinct fashion sense that isn’t the norm in New Orleans. On her radio show she makes it a point to expose folk to new and interesting music and artists (I first heard of Jay Electronica through their blog!).
We’re totally friends in my head. I see us meeting at cool alternative spots like random tea shops or bars on Frenchman and talking about how what’s new and fresh in the world – even though our worlds aren’t exactly the same (I feel like she’s got the music and street fashion covered, where as I’m more of a film/tv chick w/more of a boho meets classic meets glam fashion style). Our friendship in my head is very reciprocal – I’d share my L.A. experiences and she’d help me navigate my new life in NOLA. Even though I’m way too old, I’d come check out her events and support her endeavors. She’d come to my stuff when she wants to hang out with the “old folks” and she and her friends would be there when I do screenings of my film stuff (yeah, the DaVida Chanel stuff is going to appeal to all types of folk but I digress). We’d have silly girl convos about Trey Songz and Drake and other cuties. Oh and she’d try to influence my fashion choices – trying to keep my sneaker game up to date, while I encourage her to get more heels!
Click here to find my friend in my head, Ally Bea-Bea Author. When you enter her world, you’ll see why she’s a friend in my head, and she just might become a friend in yours.
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these but…I had to take a second to share. So there’s a school of thought that says, “When we meet certain people, and we dislike specific traits about them, then what this really means is that those traits are what we dislike or are afraid of in ourselves.” Fast forward to my latest friend in my head, Kimora Lee Simmons.
My girlfriend Becky has these two adorable daughters, Dominique and Jaidyn. I’ve never met the girls but like most proud mama’s Becky always tells me stories about them. Dominique reminds me of me at that age – a little bit shy or seeking her place in the world; while Jaidyn reminds me of how I wanted to be – self assured, boisterous, owning her spot in the world. (Now this is not to say anything is wrong w/Dominique’s approach. She appears to be a sweet and lovely young lady but this post is about Ms. Jaidyn.) So the little miss decided to cut her hair because her older sister got bangs. Poor Becky was livid on Facebook – it was kind of funny though b/c she had no idea what to expect.
Yep it was pretty horrible. Her facial expression didn’t help matters much either!
