Back when I started Afrobella, there weren’t nearly as many other natural hair blogs or websites on the scene, and there weren’t that many sites that specifically sought to celebrate the natural beauty of women of color.
Please feel free to step in and correct me for any oversight. Back then I remember regularly reading Motown Girl, Nappturality, and perhaps Going Natural was around at that time too. Beauty bloggers I remember regarding as my peers were The Makeup Girl, All About The Pretty, 55 Secret Street, and the Organic Beauty Expert.

YMIB started around the same time that I did, and I know she’ll agree it’s been an amazing journey indeed.

Since I started this here blog, it’s evolved into much more than just an outlet for personal expression, and much more than just the online version of the print magazine I wanted to read but couldn’t find anywhere. Afrobella has changed my life completely.

Initially this was an outlet from the box my job had penned me into, a platform to share the ideas that my former editor in chief wasn’t trying to hear. Flash forward to 2009, I’ve quit that job and left those restrictions behind. Now I’m trying my damndest to make this the thing that I do full time. I moved from Miami to Chicago, and have found a new outlook on life. So far, so great!

When I look back on my earliest blog posts, I see how far I’ve come and how much I’ve changed. There are things I regret, series of posts I started passionately then lost steam on, and experiences I’ve learned from. Through it all, my mission remains the same — to shine a positive light on the lives and the beauty of women of color, to inform and uplift those of us who find ourselves outside of what the mainstream magazine industry chooses to continually feature. My mission is to encourage more and more women of color to love ourselves as we are. I’m gonna keep on keepin’ on!

This morning I woke up to amazing news — I’m a finalist for the Best Culture category in the 2009 Black Weblog Awards. I’m psyched to be nominated alongside so many of the friends I’ve made in the blogosphere, and it’s a true honor to have made the list. What a wonderful validation. Click here to vote!

To celebrate this anniversary, I’m getting back to Afrobella basics. This month is entirely devoted to celebrating black beauty in our glorious variety. Like I always say, all shades of beautiful. And like the other thing I always say, the best is yet to come!

Thank you all for reading and supporting my blog. It means the world to me!

Related posts:

1. Black Weblog Awards Winner – 3 Years Running!
2. Afrobella, Interviewed!
3. Ask Afrobella – Avoiding Eyeshadow Creasing

This August, I’ll celebrate my third bloggerversary, and believe me when I say it’s gonna be a special month. When I started Afrobella in 2006, I wouldn’t have even dreamed it would find the kind of reception and regard it’s managed to find. I am truly so blessed, and so grateful to all of you who read my blog.

Recently Konector, a site that ranks the online impact factors and audience profiles of blogs around the world, ranked the top 50 Beauty Blogs. The complete ranked list hasn’t been released yet, but I’m so proud to report that Afrobella is number 7 on the list, and “has set itself up as the beauty site for African Americans.”

Can you see me, smiling from ear to ear?

I am so thrilled, and I plan to continue doing the best that I can — celebrating you and you and you and you, women all shades of beautiful.

In other happy happy news, I was recently named #12 on ChicagoNow’s Top 25 Twitter Users in Chicago list. And I just got here!

Needless to say, that’s tremendously encouraging news for this recent transplant. Every day in every way, Chicago proves to me that I made the right move at the right time. SO happy to be here, and SO happy to be on the list. Thank you, ChicagoNow!

Whew, that’s enough good news for one post. Stay tuned for more wonderful things this month — August is going to be beyond fabulous for Afrobella readers, TRUST!

Related posts:

1. Three Years of Afrobella
2. It’s That Time Again

I grew up a Sesame Street junkie, and this song was always one of my favorites. The empowering message resonated with me at an early age — “just look around you, it’s easy to see. There’s NOTHING we women can’t be!”

This year, Sesame Street celebrates 40 years of excellence, and according to that Newsweek article in the previous link, it’s ranked #15 in popularity of the children’s shows on air. That’s terrible news and I blame Elmo. Just kidding (I’m a Grover stan, for the record)!

It’s true, the Sesame Street nowadays isn’t quite the show I grew up on. But it’s still awesome and the messages of inclusion, equality, and respect remain. And for classic Sesame Street fans of my generation, all isn’t lost. You can get
Sesame Street – Old School, Vol. 1 (1969-1974) and Sesame Street: Vol. 2 – Old School (1974-1979). Your kids will LOVE it. And so will you!

Related posts:

1. Happy Birthday, Sesame Street!
2. Afrobella of the Week- Dr. Loretta Long
3. Calling All Beautiful Black Women in NYC!

Red Hot Chili Peppers

2009 just started, and so much has happened so far. I quit my job, and my husband quit his job. We appeared on the cover of the Miami Herald. I was chosen as blog of the day by the Sun Sentinel, and featured as a VIP beauty blogger in Glamour magazine. In the Spring we’ll be moving to Chicago, and settling into our new place, new jobs, new life.

But before then we’re taking a little break, and getting off the beaten path.

For the next few weeks, Afrobella will be on the road, heading up along the east coast to stay with old friends and meet some new ones.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any new posts — I’ll do the best that I can to keep the reading coming, and I even have a giveaway in store! But I can’t promise a post every day, because I’m not sure where I’ll be blogging from or what we’ll be up to. I’ll be too busy living my life away from the confines of a computer screen!

I plan to document the experience via Twitter, and keep all you bellas and fellas in the loop with lots of photos and updates from the road.

So whaddya say, want to go on a vicarious road trip with me?

Below, you’ll see a Flash Twitter window, and above that you can check out my pics from the road via Twitpic.

Let’s go get lost, let’s go get lost…

Related posts:

1. The Perfect Road Trip Album (For the Roots Reggae Lover)
2. Now I’m Back
3. Road Trip Beauty Must-Haves

So today I bought three copies of the April issue of Glamour — the one with Katie Holmes on the cover — the “special super packed 70th anniversary issue,” and my words of wisdom are featured right there on page 83, 5 Genius Tips from Beauty Bloggers.

Thrilled is NOT the word!

If you’re a brand-new reader of Afrobella fresh from the pages of Glamour, there’s more in store. And to long-time Afrobella readers, those beauty tips are nothing new! I extolled the benefit of pre-pooing with coconut oil, I discussed using a wide-toothed comb to detangle hair as versus a brush (hat tip to Curly Girl Lorraine Massey for that knowledge), and the tip on moisturizing your neck came straight from Mama Bella.

Glamour has always been that magazine for me, the one I’ve always picked up first at the hair salon, one of the ones I fantasized about someday writing for. I still do fantasize about that, but for now this feels really incredible.

Thanks to Glamour for the opportunity!

And in other great news, just today I was featured as one of the Sun-Sentinel’s Blogs to Read in South Florida. LOL at their description of the blog as “a bit ad heavy.” A full time blogger’s gotta do what a full time blogger’s gotta do!

All this has resulted in a truly delightful feeling, like my hard work is finally paying off. I just turned 30 on Sunday, I left the safety and security of my job to blaze my own trail… and right now it all really feels right and meant to be and wonderful. 2009’s going great so far.

I have a lot to be thankful for.

Thanks to the respective journalists for reaching out and featuring me, and thank you all for reading and supporting Afrobella as much as you do. I promise to keep up my end, and keep providing you all with beauty tips, honest reviews, great interviews, and fabulous giveaways!

Related posts:

1. Guess Who’s a Glamour Magazine VIP Beauty Blogger?
2. Ask Afrobella – Holla! Great Beauty Buys for Under Five Dollars!
3. Vote For Them!

Remember the New Year’s post I wrote, 2009 is mine? I wrote words that were meant to inspire and electrify, but I didn’t explicitly state the kind of changes I had in store.

When I said: “2009 is MINE.

My year to grab life by the reins. My year to be the change I’ve been looking for. My year to stop wishing and hoping and praying for things that are within my grasp. MY. YEAR.”

I meant every word of it.

The time has come. I’m taking what I said to heart, and I have a big announcement to make.

I put in notice at my day job last week. My last day will be in mid-February.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you all (or go into details about) the whys and wherefores of my decision. Just know that it wasn’t an easy one.

This August would have been five years that I worked as an editor of the calendar section of the Miami New Times. While I was at this job, I’ve enjoyed some wonderful opportunities, interviewed celebrities I admire, and even managed to have two cover stories. They’re framed and hang in a place of pride in my living room.

Because of my job, I learned how to drive, bought a car (that’s since been discontinued by the automaker, but I digress), and became a stronger, more confident person and a better writer. I made amazing friends, had crazy experiences, and discovered new things about myself and the world. There are many aspects of my job that I will sincerely miss.

So why am I leaving all this behind? Why trade a secure thing for an unknown quantity, especially in a season where job numbers are in the toilet and the economy seems way too shaky?

Quite simply — it was my time. And that’s not all.

My husband and I have made the decision to leave Miami. We’ve called the 305 home for ten years now. And we’re ready for new adventures and opportunities in another great American city. Which brings me to announcement number two!

Afrobella’s moving to Chicago!!

If you’ve been reading for a while, you already know I love the city. My in-laws live there, we’ve got wonderful friends who live there, and I honestly see it as a city of opportunity.

With journalism taking the tragic downslide it has taken, I’m considering all kinds of ways to reinvent myself and make use of the valuable skills I gained through working for a newspaper. In Chi-town, there are so many places, people, and organizations I’d love to work with — obviously there’s Oprah (hello!) and EbonyJet.com. Then there’s the Shedd Aquarium or the Field Museum, the Lincoln Park Zoo, or PAWS Chicago, the city’s largest No Kill humane organization.

Right now, Nas’ I Can feels like my theme song. I know I can be what I wanna be. If I work hard at it, I’ll be where I wanna be.

In the meantime, I’m job hunting, working on some really exciting Afrobella projects, and actively seeking paid freelance opportunities. If you’re a magazine editor, blogger, or just in need of a strong, professional writer with proven skills, drop me an e mail at bella@afrobella.com.

I can’t lie, bellas and fellas. This was a big, scary decision that took a long time to make. This isn’t advice I’d give to anybody right now. But it was time for me to stop talking about it and start being about it. I figure, I’m young enough, talented enough, and I have a lot to offer the world. And gosh darn it, people like me. So screw conventional wisdom and conservative advice — right now, I’m rolling the dice! And I feel lucky. And brave.

Thankfully, I’ve got the complete and unwavering support of my husband and our families. And you. Yes, you. Because without those of you who click on those ads and leave comments and come to visit and drop knowledge on this blog every day… without Afrobella being the strong, empowering community that it is, I couldn’t have made this leap of faith. And finally, I can take Afrobella to the next level. 2009, I’m gonna shine!

Wish me luck!

Related posts:

1. Contest News and Ch-ch-ch-changes
2. Mama’s Got a Brand New Blog
3. Today = The First Day of the Rest Of My Life

I started hot and heavy in 2006, but I found myself becoming overwhelmed, which resulted in a feeling of inability. I had a vision of a YouTube Channel where I could upload concert videos, beauty tips, and especially, especially awesome interviews with celebrity bellas who inspire me through their style, their music, their hair, and their personalities. Like my Esperanza Spalding interview, but better. Seriously, that one YouTube clip took me forever to complete, and I still see SO much room for improvement. So anyway, I kept getting these opportunities to interview people, and I didn’t know what to do with them, and…you get the picture.

I had a project in mind, but I knew I couldn’t undertake it alone. So I put out a Help Wanted blog post back in November, and that, bellas, is how I discovered Gisele Parson, a video editor and motion graphics designer in NYC who reached out and wanted to bring my vision to life. Check out her demo reel and her portfolio page, and you’ll see why I went with her. Gisele is crazy talented! And I knew with talent like hers, she could help to realize my dreams. I am so happy to be working with Gisele!

I am honored and thrilled to kick off the new year by bringing back the Afrobella of the Month series, by honoring a previously celebrated bella. I’m talking about the lovely and talented Miss Janelle Monae!

To me, Janelle is one of the ultimate symbols of what Afrobella is all about. She loves her all-natural pompadour, she is unafraid to speak her mind or express her personal style, and she most certainly marches to her own funky beat. Fiercely creative, bold, and beautiful. You can either get with Miss Monae, or make way for her. I interviewed her right around my second anniversary, and finally, finally I can share that interview with you all!

We chatted for over 40 minutes, and with Gisele’s editorial eye, we whittled the interview down to three video clips. In part one, we got the hair questions out of the way. Everything Janelle does, she does with purpose — her hair is an important part of who she is.

In part two, Janelle puts the smackdown on dudes yelling in the studio while she’s doing an interview (LOL!). She doesn’t skip a beat while addressing questions about her role in the music industry. Janelle explains Wondaland Arts and her relationship with Big Boi, Diddy, and Bad Boy Records.

In part three, we talk about her look, and the fact that she’s frequently compared to male musicians as versus females. Janelle cites some of her female influences (hello, Grace Jones!) and her goals.

“I’m trying to help redefine the way a woman can perform, the way a woman can wear her hair, the way a woman can dress. I’m so tired of the stereotypes that women have.”

I cannot tell you all how wonderful it was to speak with Janelle, to hear her express admiration and respect for Afrobella, and to find out what inspires her, and to hear about her plans for the future. Keep an eye on her news page to see what she’s up to next — and if you haven’t yet copped Metropolis: The Chase Suite, what are you waiting for?

So bellas, what’d you think? Gisele and I will be working on more exciting videos in the months to come, so keep your eyes on the Afrobella channel!

Related posts:

1. Afrobella of the Week: Janelle Monae
2. The Glorious Return of Worth a Click
3. Afrobella of the Month – Amanda Diva

Thanks and respect to my BFF Lauren — my college partner in crime, friend for life, and self-described “Jewbella” always sends me great Afrobella articles and suggestions. And she totally knows about my affectionate obsession with Miss Zahara Marley Jolie Pitt. The beautiful little Ethiopian girl that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie adopted has more personality than both her parents put together, if you ask me. And she’s only three years old!

My amiga Laurencita sent me a link to this interview with Angelina Jolie with the Australian Herald Sun, wherein she discusses her new film The Changeling and the usual topics — life, love, and her ever expanding family. This reply caught my eye:

What about teaching your kids about religion and culture?

I want to teach them about all religions, and I’m trying to find a way to do that. And when it comes to the subject of adoption, like when my daughter, who’s African, wants her hair to look straight like mummy’s . . . and I look for a Barbie that’s African, and the African Barbie has straight hair! And you know, why has Disney never made a film with an African-American princess?

I’m gonna need Angelina to get caught up with Afrobella, mkay? I’ve been looking out for Baby Z and little bellas like her for a while now.

Also, someone might want to let Angelina know that Disney’s first African-American princess movie, The Princess and The Frog, will be released in November 2009. And her name has been changed from Maddy to Princess Tiana. So that’s something to look forward to for next year. And in the meantime in-between time, there’s absolutely no reason to get Baby Z a Barbie or Bratz doll that just reinforces the unbeweaveable standard of beauty for little bellas. There are some afrobella-positive dolls, toys, and accessories to be found. You just gotta look!

A first good port of call is the black dolls list, which mostly features fancy collectors type dolls of the sort that terrified me as a child. But there are some cute ones to be found there, like the
Cecile doll. $31.95, and she’s got awesome hair and style for days.

Wouldn’t you know it, someone’s got a doll named Zahara — but it’s of the lifelike and collectible type that just reminds me of that terrifying Twilight Zone episode with Telly Savalas. My name is Talking Tina! Nooo thanks.

Some African American dolls are beautiful, but not so fun to play with. Take the American Girl’s Addy Walker, a beautiful history lesson who comes complete with a book and accessories for $105. Addy is incredible, but if I was a little bella, I wouldn’t know what to do with her.

I was big into stuffed animal collecting and dolls I could hug and love and brush the hair of. And I’ve always loved Cabbage Patch Kids — their African American dolls are adorable. Like this 25th anniversary baby boy. I grew up in the era when Cabbage Patch Kids were new on the scene and a very big deal, so there’s a nostalgia value for me.

I think BlossomBabies just as cute as Cabbage Patch Kids — these cuddly German-made soft toys are made in Germany and are said to be ideal for kids with allergies. I think Lana is the cutest! She’s $64, and because she’s wearing a satin kimono, she’s described as “more of a cuddling, sleepy-time kind of girl.” That sounds like me! Awww. I might have to get Lana for a special little bella in my life.

If Baby Z is like my niece Dominique, she would love a baby doll like the Little Mommy Yellow Sleeper doll, or the Little Mommy Bedtime Baby, or the Middleton Little Bailey Doll. Too cute. Then there’s the dolls that give your little bella something to do, like the Baby Alive Learns to Potty, Wets N Wiggles, and Fisher Price Baby Gotta Go dolls.

Little bellas who are old enough not to put small objects in their mouths will love My First Dollhouse, an adorable little Fisher Price setup that comes with an African American family living happily inside it.

Older girls might like the Madame Alexander 18″ doll, but I distinctly remember a time in my youth when big dolls were NOT COOL anymore, and I rebelled against them. I wanted to play with little dolls, like the bigger girls did. So Angelina — if you’re reading — you can still get Baby Z the Barbie she craves when she’s of age for Barbies. She can get her Michelle Obama on with Barbie For President.

And if your little bella isn’t the sort who likes to play with dolls, you can reinforce a positive self image with the Whimsical Whitney tee over at Mosaic Mix — Whitney is adorable and described as “fun, bright, and absolutely sure of herself,” just as any little afrobella should be. And I’m bummed this super cute Sephora Girls travel pouch isn’t available anymore — I want one for me!

Have you seen any afrobella-positive gifts for little bellas? What do you plan on getting your little ones for their holiday gifts?

Related posts:

1. I Ain’t Saying She’s a Gold Digger…
2. Team Zahara!
3. First Look at The Princess and the Frog

40 years is no joke, especially considering my parents’ unusual romance. As my dad himself disclosed in an awesome comment on my Vegas post, he has “also experienced some negative reactions from family, friends and even people who do not know me at all, because I married MY soulmate, who was older than me with two children. I said ”was”, because now she is much younger that me….. at least, that is how she looks to me.”

I must say, Mama Bella does look stunning. And not a lick of plastic surgery or cosmetic injectables on her, for the record. She’s an obsessive water drinker, and that’s one of her beauty secrets I need to work on if I want to look like her when I’m in my Tina Turner years.

My parents were both born and raised in Belmont, a suburb of Port of Spain in Trinidad. My mother was 29 and divorced, raising two kids on her own — my sister Petal and my brother Clint. My father was just 19 years old, the best friend of her baby brother, my uncle Rhoden. My father recounted the relationship for me on the phone today.

“The circumstances that brought us together were not the best. There were so many people who weren’t ready for us, who tried to interfere in our lives. The world wasn’t ready for us, and those difficulties made us stick together. Because of all of that, we bonded, and we became best friends. Not everybody was supportive, from family right down. People just stop talking to you, everybody makes your business, their business. Your mother is an extremely courageous woman to have stuck through it with me. She got it from all sides, from her parents, her sisters, her brother, her friends. She saw gold in me. What I had in me, I didn’t even know yet. But she saw gold.”

My parents eloped, and famously, Mama Bella wore a white leather mini dress to her wedding. Hey, it was the Sixties!

They had three children of their own, my brothers Patrick and Dominic, then me almost ten years later, long after they assumed no more kids were in store.

I’m not going to sit here and pretend that it’s been a seamless and idyllic 40 years. My parents have been through just about everything. “We have withstood things that have led many other couples to divorce,” my dad informed me today. Watching my parents marriage – the loving moments and the arguments, the lofty ambitions and the crushing disappointments, struggles over money and the rewards of hard work, and between it all managing to raise five children and realize quite a few of their shared dreams — has been an invaluable education for me. Without all of that, I wouldn’t be the Afrobella you are reading today.

When I asked Mama and Papa Bella their secrets to lasting love, their answers were unsurprisingly similar.

“Prayer first, and compromise. And prayer to help you through the compromise. Unhesitatingly, I will tell you that,” my mother said with a hearty laugh.

My dad replied, “Prayers. And luck. Finding the right person has a lot to do with it, and most times people choose the wrong person. So there’s an element of luck. Marriage can be heaven or hell. But once you find the right person, you live a good life, and you pray, and you share everything the good and the bad, in sickness and in health – you good. I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like, without your mother. I can’t even imagine. I don’t think anyone else in the world could have been as compatible with me.”

As their youngest daughter, I gotta say that I agree. Despite so many odds — a ten year age difference, being practically excommunicated by their families (most everyone has come around, I’m happy to report), and some really trying times and marital obstacles, my parents have stuck it through. Forty years! That deserves some kind of reward, and they’ve found that in each other. Mom and Dad, I love you very, very much. Here’s to many, many more wonderful years to come. I learn more and more invaluable lessons in life and love from you every day — thank you so much for allowing me to share the lessons I’ve learned from you, with so many people around the world. Love! What a beautiful thing.

Hey bellas — Feel free to wish Mama and Papa Bella a happy anniversary — most of you who read this blog regularly know that they’re reading and will most likely leave a comment of their own somewhere!

Related posts:

1. Happy Anniversary, Afrobellas!
2. Mama Bella Says – Protect Your Neck!
3. An Interview With Mama Bella

“Wow. There’s so much here to respond to.
First of all, thank you, Afrobella, for being so wonderful in your response, and dedicating the time to doing this.

Again, thanks, to everyone, for your support and advice.
Chia (C)”

I was super happy to hear that “C,” now Chia, was ready and resolute for whatever lay ahead.

I was even happier to hear from Chia again this weekend, this time with a new photo, a new hairstyle, and new experiences. The photo on the left is the first one Chia sent me, when she was understandably shy about posting photos on the internet. Now, check out Chia with her fly twists — this is a recent passport photo, so that explains the expression, or lack thereof. And she shared a sweet story about going back to school.

“There have been a couple of comments, but only from the younger years, and nothing openly hostile. I’m definitely feeling much happier, and people have been generally accepting and wonderful. A genuinely heartwarming example of this is as follows:
A small child – year 7/8 (that’s about 11 years old) – came up to me after school the other day and asked “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but is it true that you had a sex change?”. So, I explained about my situation, and when I had finished, he replied “Is that all? Why is everyone making such a fuss then?” I found that lovely.”

I do too, Chia. And I hope that’s the norm rather than the exception. Hearing that story lifted my spirits, and gave me a little more hope for a more tolerant future — life is too short and too beautiful for hatred, judgment, and phobias against people in general, I say. Thank you so much for approaching me with your question, and I sincerely hope by you being so open and allowing me to share photos of you with other bellas and fellas out there, others can learn from you.

I wish you the best of luck, and I know the rest of the Afrobella family does as well!

Related posts:

1. A Most Unique Ask Afrobella
2. Catching Up With Rachel Roy
3. Natural Attitudes — Taking the Plunge