Fabulous Brown Girl Going Strong 2010!

My apologies for my recent lack of postings, but I am taking time out for the holidays to catch up on some rest and spend with my family and friends! With less than a week away from not only a new year, but a new decade let's wrap it up with much thanks and evaluation. Also, be excited because there will be major changes coming to Fabulous Brown Girl in 2010! So keep checking us out!!

2010 WILL and MUST BE GREAT! There will be tons of new features, tips, self development, encouragement and empowerment , and most of all PROGRESS! So please, please stay TUNED in to the FAB!



Oh! and sidenote: Go see AVATAR in 3D if you haven't already done so, it has been one of the highlights of my holiday so far! James Cameron is a bona fide GENIUS

FBG Spotlight: Anika Noni Rose: From Dreamgirl to Princess

Even though Anika Noni Rose has been in the business for over 10 years now, we were first introduced to this Fabulous Brown Girl when she played Lavelle Robinson on the the movies Dreamgirls, starring Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce' Knowles, Eddie Murphy, and Jamie Foxx.

Even though she was the least known of the cast, she has now formed her own path to greatness by making history by providing the voice and giving life to the first black Disney Princess.

Rose, born in1972 in Bloomfield, CT, has captured the hearts of so many people, young and old who treasure Disney and the magic the films bring us. She is a Broadway superstar with an amazing voice.


Many of us FBGs never really thought or expected to see ourselves as a Disney Princess. But now that it is here we now wonder what took them so long? I understand it be better late than never, but still almost every other ethnicity from Middle Eastern to Native American had a princess... why just now for us...? Did it take us having a Black President to have a Black Disney Princess.. Even though I know that is not the case because it takes years to development Disney movies, it still can not help to leave one unsettled about it all.


Nevertheless, Rose was honored and is on the cover of this month's Essence magazine and talked with them about her history making role and what she is doing now.

Here is a snippet of the interview:

ESSENCE.com: How did you feel when you saw Tiana on the big screen for the first time?
ROSE: When I saw Tiana, with my expression on her face, in color, standing in the moonlight, surrounded by sparkles--I was truly undone! I've been crying for a year-- seriously.

ESSENCE.com: What does it mean to you to be making history?
ROSE: The largesse of it all didn't hit me [in the beginning], but when they unveiled the doll to me, I remember thinking, "There's a doll, based on me and the work I've done, that's going to be here for these little girls--and she's glamorous." This movie is showing the world a different picture of Black America, which is phenomenal. It's just phenomenal.

Read more: http://www.essence.com/entertainment/film/the_princess_diary.php#ixzz0aXjf9pFn

Here is the some footage of her behind the scenes

Making Good Use of Your Words!

Hope everyone is having a great holiday! As 2009 draws to an end have you thought about how your words have affected people throughout the year.

One of my favorite quotes says:

"Words kill or words give life--They are either poison or fruit, which one do you choose?"

FABULOUS BROWN GIRLS as we enter into 2010 (not only a NEW year, but also a NEW DECADE) lets make sure we use our words in these kinds of ways.

• PRAISE -- This word literally means to commend. Try commending someone everyday. Thank them for what they are doing, have done, or are going to do.
  
• ENCOURAGE--As BROWN girls, we need to encourage each other daily by giving words of support. You never know what someone may or may not be going through so your encouraging words may be just what they need.
  
• COMPASSION--Be the one to speak confidence to someone who may be going through a difficult time

By doing these three things you are speaking LIFE into someone else!

Over time I have realized that negative energy is like a cancer.. if you are around someone who is always negative you begin to thing and behave that way as well. Instead of using your words to kill or as poison, always use them to give life to others as fruit.

You know the old saying However you want people to treat you, you need to treat people that way. Well, it is an old saying because it is the TRUTH!

So FBG's how did your words impact or affect someone else this year? Were they poisonous or were they fruit to others?

Are You a Honey Bee?

If you are a Fabulous Brown Girl then you definitely are a Honey Bee!

Honey Magazine is having an Ambassador Search for fun, flirty, and fashionable young ladies who want to represent their city at hottest events in your city.

Just send them an email of your photo and why you would want to be a Honey Magazine Ambassador. If you are a better talker than you are a writer put it in a vlog!

You must be 21 and up and available for the various trainings.

To learn more about this FABULOUS gig Click Here

Happy Birthday to Me!!

That's right!! This Fabulous Brown Girl turns 24 years old and I must admit it feels GREAT!! I feel so blessed that I have seen this day 24 times and get to spend it with special people!!

This is my last year in my "early 20s" stage before I hit the mid 20s and then .. knocking 30.

But like fine wine, trust and believe I will be getting better with age!

Have a FABULOUS Day!


HAPPY BIRTDAY 2 YA Stevie Wonder version!!

FBG Spotlight: Vanessa and Angela Simmons

How could you not love them? They could be compared to the Hilton sisters, but they are Fabulous and Brown so that makes them better ;)

As we all know, Angela and Vanessa Simmons are a part of the lineage of Hip Hop royalty seeing as their father was 1/3 of RUN DMC. They were first introduced to us through the popular MTV reality show Run's House that stole our attention and made reality TV a family must see.

Now these ladies are hard core entrepreneurs and socialites on both the East and West Coasts. They took their privileged background and made it work for them where they can now empower young girls through fashion and being positive role models.


I notice that the more these ladies become moguls the more I respect them for what they do and how they carry themselves. They are truly FABULOUS BROWN GIRLS because they still have fun, get their hair done, shop, but understand the importance of being strongbusinesswomen who acknowledge that they are role models and have younger girls who look up to them. They used their lineage to leverage their careers in the industry and own their own company all while being BFFs and sisters.


Here is a snippet of the interview:

Honey: Describe your style.

A: I don’t really have a set style because I don’t know how I’m going to feel in the morning.

V: You would be a very diverse dresser.

A: But that’s boring. I don’t want to say “diverse dresser.”

V: I made up my whole category. I’m versatile.

A: I don’t like to just go with what’s trendy right now. I’ll go back and pull stuff and say, “This was popular in 1995, I’m putting it on.” I’m all over the place.

Honey: Sneakers or stilettos?

V: Flats. Nice flat boots.

A: At this very moment, I would put on stilettos. That’s why Pastry is making heels.

V: But heels that can also be comfortable.

A: And I love sneakers. I’ve always been a sneaker head. But that’s what drives us to be able to do a line. We’re into that world. We’re into all of it. People often say, “I don’t understand why you don’t have your stuff on all the time.” Because I’m such a fashion-person that I could never limit myself to one lane. What I like to do is go shop and get inspiration to build up new stuff.

Check out their entire interview at Honey Magazine where they discuss their distinct personalities, being moguls, their style, and their relationships.

[Photos taken from Honeymag.com]

In Case You Didn't See It: Christmas at the White House with Oprah

Last night Oprah's prime time special Christmas at the White House aired where Oprah interviewed the president and First Lady to discuss how they are doing Christmas and his current over job as President.

First Lady Michelle looked ever so FABULOUS and chic in her holiday attire and their display of Black Love as a marreid couple is still tremendously inspiring. I love specials like these beacause it reaffirms the emotions of joy and happiness that they are really our PRESIDENT and FIRST LADY adn ti wasn't a dream but infact reality.

IF you did not get a chance to watch this great special FBG has the entire thing in 4 parts. Enjoy!

Congrats to the First Black Princess!!

Fabulous Brown Girl congratulates the first black Disney Princess, Tiana on being number one!

That's right! The new movie "The Princess and the Frog" is the number one movie in the US with with a box office opening weekend of $25 million.

Even though I have yet to had a chance to see it, I will embrace my inner younger FBG and definitely check it out! I am very happy to see that Disney has finally recognized how lucrative the Black audience is and that a princess should come in every color!

Even though it seemed Disney was moving away from full length 2-D animation musical films, most of us 80s babies grew up on these and we are so thrilled to see its return! Thankfully, Disney returned to its roots with a black princess from New Orleans. The movie is ranked up their with Disney 2-D animation greats like Little Mermaid (my personal fav), Alladin, and of course The Lion King and is already receiving great Oscar buzz!

So if you haven't gone to see it yet, take a young FBG and go check out the movie with its all star cast Anika Noni Rose, Oprah, Terrence Howard, and Jenifer Lewis

Here is the movie trailer!

FBG Photo of the Week! 12.11.09

Keri Washington rocked this fuchsia look out!

She is too FABULOUS for her own good! Keri was photographed at the after party for her Broadway play, Race, last weekend.

We love Keri because she is deeper than just being an actress. She is very involved in philanthropic efforts and is good friends with our president!



Thank you Keri for taking these haute photos and giving FBG a photo of the week! TGIF!

Obama Accepts His Peace Prize

Today in Oslow, Norway President Obama accepted his Nobel Peace Prize amid much backlash of him not being deserving.

This acceptance has even more irony that almost two weeks prior President Obama declared that he was sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

President Obama's humility knows that he doesn't deserve this award, but he will accept that in order to bring peace there must be war. He will do everything he can to bring peace to world.

For the full transcript of President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech Click Here

Once again, FABULOUS BROWN GIRL congratulates President Obama for all of his accomplishment and progress he has made for this country.


Check out this clip of President Obama accepting the award.

How We Missed Thee: Sade is Back!

If my Fabulous Brown Girls love GOOD music like I do, I am sure they are excited about Sade returns with her new album. Her new project is called Soldier of Love and it comes out February 8, 2010 just in time for Valentines Day!

Sade is one of my favs, she has a distinct voice that automatically soothes your senses and puts you in the mood for peace and relaxation.

Do yourself a favor and get up on her new song "Soldier of Love" It is the Sade we know and love so much! Can't Wait





And here is FABULOUS BROWN GIRL's favorite Sade song -- Smooth Operator!

Is Tiger Just Another Dumb Jock?

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger.. SMH

At first I wasn't shocked by Tiger Woods and him dipping out on his wife in the least. I mean real talk, most men cheat on their wives and have to find someone to pick up their jaws when they finally do get caught. I get that.. but to have ALL these women coming out the wood work like some cock roaches is just disgusting and repulsive.

How can you live such a double life like this?! How can you go to sleep at night and claim to be a husband, father, and role model? Part of me is glad that he doesn't necessarily claim his black side even though his father was black (and we all know that one drop rule), but whatever.. because I don't want that to be put on us because I don't have your back on this one Tiger. Nope!



And regardless of his personal live with his wife, I am 100% sure that Tiger knows he is ultimately a business brand that has heavy multi million dollar endorsements to protect. According to Bloomberg.com, all of Tiger's TV ads have ceased to run as of November 28th and it is speculated that he has officially lost Gatorade, one of his biggest endorsements.

Now if any thing else Tiger is a DUMB JOCK!! How dumb can you be to risk your money to be this irresponsible with your personal life? Not to mention the hundreds of people who work for his empire whose once credible positions are now tarnished because of his actions.

And I am sure my FABULOUS BROWN GIRLS won't take this the wrong way when I say M.O.B. Any real black man knows exactly what that means, and obviously Tiger does not! (if you don't know what that stands for just leave a comment and I will gladly clear it up for you!)

For a list of Tiger Woods' endorsements that are now in danger Click Here

Fabulous Fashion and Style: Holiday Parties!

Tis' the Season for... you guessed it Holiday Parties at work. This is a time when its okay for you and your coworkers to get out of the office and see how your everyone's act outside of the normal work environment.

Well just because you are not at work, doesn't mean that you should forget where you work. It won't be smart to act like you are having a night out on the town with your girls at your corporate holiday party. You still have to carry yourself with some sort of professionalism but still not be as serious as you would be at work

Here are some styles that balance appropriateness for your corporate holiday party while still showing your nightlife style.

• Black Dresses are always a go when you a dressing up for a holiday party. Just make sure they are not too little. Dress it up with fabulous jewelry and sassy shoes and you are ready to go.
  
• Sequins is a way to show your classy party style. Sequins is really hot this season and having different touches of sequins will make you sparkle in a fashion forward way.

Holiday parties are a great way to celebrate the holidays with your coworkers and show your personality, just remember to keep it appropriate and FABULOUS!

These outfits were picked from one of my favorite online boutiques LuLus.com. They're clothes are chic and their prices are perfect for us entry-level FABULOUS BROWN GIRLS.

"YOU'RE HIRED!": Ways to Make Sure They Love You During an Interview!

Hello FBGs! Happy Monday! I was reading an article about careers and interviewing and I ran across a pretty interesting one.

If you are on an interview and you want to make sure they like you and see how FABULOUS you are, try doing these four things and you should feel pretty confident about hearing those magic words -- "You're Hired!"

• Find a way to make them like you! -- This is great advice to those who are naturally not shy person and if you are an introverted person try to break out of that shell! Give them a reason to smile! Make a funny joke, tell a heart warming story, find a common interest/hobby to discuss, or give them a straight up compliment! Getting them to like you before your interview is over is a key way to keep your name at the top!
• Show that you have done you homework! -- When you show them that you have researched the company and care about their mission then you show yourself as a valuable asset ans a strong piece of the business' pie.
• Convey that you care! -- Nobody wants to hire someone who just wants a check. Be genuine in your interview. If you have researched the company don't just list generic facts. Show them that you are really excited about the opportunity because you LOVE the company!
• Talk about your past experience in story form! -- Instead of just spitting facts and statistics (which are great to know, but may sound boring ), share what you have done for your past employer in a story. It becomes more intriguing if your potential employer gets to know you through painting a descriptive story about how you handled a marketing campaign or how you redesigned a website!

So if you follow these tips, not only will you most likely get hired, your interview will seem more like a conversation with positive vibes, and all that nervous edge will go out of the window!

Share your interview tips with us too! We would love to hear them!

Source

FBG Photo of the Week 12.4.09

Taraji P. Henson (also fellow Howard Alumni) looks absolutely FABULOUS in this grey ensemble as she announced the nominations for the 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards. Even though Taraji outfits are sometimes hit or misses.. she is definitely a HIT in this!

This FBG is looking very classic and demure with her natural makeup and a classic hairstyle that looks great on most women. Taraji is glowing and I love how grey is such a refined and classy color, especially against brown skin! Her outfit is very simple, but does not look plain. This may be an inspiration for a work outfit or any thing that calls for the "sophisticated and chic" look. I love it!

Happy Friday Fabulous Brown Girls!!

Coming Soon: Oprah Winfrey Network

For sometime now Oprah Winfrey has talked about starting her own network, which will conviently be known as OWN (short for the Oprah Winfrey Network)

After announcing her departure in 2011, this network is now becoming more and more anticpated by Oprah fans and inspirees everwhere.

CEO of the Oprah Winfrey Network, Christina Norman, says the network will be about motivating self-discovery which is something Oprah has always felt is very important.

Even though she will not bring her sindicated talk show over to the network, she will give other women such as Laura Berman, Laura Ling, Suze Orman, and of course her BFF Gayle King opportunites to host their own show.

Fabulous Brown Girl will totally be showing the OWN network love and can't wait for its launch/premiere!

"When Will They Learn?": Tiger Woods Confesses

Tiger Woods released a statement after one of his alleged mistresses (yes, plural) released a voicemail of Tiger asking her to take her name off of her phone because his WIFE was looking through his phone and is starting to become suspicious.

Even though Tiger has been seen as the ultimate pro golfer role model and has literally made thousands upon thousands of people respect the game of golf, he still has what he calls "personal sins".

Here at Fabulous Brown Girl we are not shocked by this in the least. Some people will say if you are going to cheat, at least be smart about it. I say, there is nothing smart about cheating. In fact, it's one of the dumbest things you can do.

No matter how highly regarded of a celebrity you are, the media WILL bring you up to TAKE YOU down with the quickness! It never fails.

There are so many examples that the list will go on for days. Even though it is not fair that just because you are good at your God given talent and get recognized for it in the public realm that you and your personal life have to be subjected to a higher degree of scrutiny.

But my question still remains. WHEN WILL THEY LEARN?! You would think after Kobe's "rape" case in 2003 and Steve McNair's DEATH by his alleged mistress in 2009 that these athletes would have learned by now.

Check out the voicemail tiger's mistress used to expose him

Click here for Tiger's statement and confession about his cheating ways

Is He Right or Wrong?? President Obama to Send More Troops

Last night, President Obama gave a speech at West Point Military Academy to announce his disicions to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Many people are not thrilled about the desicion and want all troops to return home. OF course initially you think huh? But if you think about it, President Obama is doing the right thing.

President's Obamas mission is to finish what we originally said we needed to do and reverse the Talibans momentum.

After 9/11 happened it was clear that the Taliban were attempting to destroy the United States at its core. But instead of tackling Afghanistan head on, Bush created a decoy known as "weapons of mass destruction" and morphed a war that should have been against the Taliban into the War against IRAQ aka "Mission: Annihilate Sudam Hussein."

So do you really think President Obama is playing us by sending more troops and extending the timeline to 3 years or is he just further facilitating the war we should have been fighting since jump?!

One of my good friends and FBG said to me on Twitter: @CocoChrissy I dont know if they 4get that it literally took 8 yrs 2 screw things up. No good course of action can be implemented overnight

I agree.. people forget that the mess Bush created over 8 years is the same mess Obama is attempting to clean up in half that time. And to be quite honest, I don't know a better person for the job!

Check out a clip of President Obama giving his speech last night

New Atlanta Mayor is Howard ALUMNI

Fabulous Brown Girl wants to give a huge CONGRATS to Mayor Elect Kasim Reed of Atlanta! He is a fellow Howard Alumni (BA- Political Science '91 and JD '95) who campaigned very hard to become the new mayor of Atlanta. His Campaign was strong and he had numerous high profile endorsements.

Reed won the very close runoff race by 51% (a win is a win!) against rival Mary Norwood.

It is very interesting to see how closely the votes were split. Most of the precints who voted for Kasim were in the Southern part of Atlanta (which is predominantly black), while the Northern part of the city (predominatly white mid to upper class) voted for Mary Norwood.

With precentages so extremely close, it presumes the question is Altanta a racially divided city... Clearly, with the poll results it does not take a rocket scientist to figure that question out.. Things that make you go hmmmm.... right? Well with that being said, CONGRATULATIONS MR. KASIM REED! You deserve it! Like Jay Z and dem say "We (Bison) Gon' Run This Town Tonight! LOL!

To read an article about the Atlanta Mayorial race and the racial divide CLICK HERE

World Aids Awareness Day

Today is World's Aids Day. It is a day when we face the epidemic that a lot if people are living with and try to become more aware of what exactly is the virus and how to avoid contracting the disease and has been around since 1988. If you know anyone with the virus, I am sure you know that treating them differently or as if there an outcast is a huge NO NO! AIDS can happen to anyone of us. So what you should do and with everything else, before you develop a stigma, please educate yourself to make sure you understand it fully.

Here are a few simple facts about the HIV/AIDS virus.

• HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system
• HIV and AIDS are not necessarily the same thing. HIV is a virus that remains in the body. A person is considered to have full blown AIDS only when their immune system is so weak they can no longer fight of a range of diseases.
• The most common ways to contract HIV are through
• --> unprotected sex (without a condom) with someone who already has the virus
• -->sharing infected needles or syringes
• --> From an HIV mother during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

Red ribbons are worn as a way of showing support for people living with the virus and remembrance of those who have passed away from it. It is a very simple action that has been done for several years to challenge those with preconceived notions about HIV and AIDS.

We suggest everyone learns about the myths and what it really means to live with HIV/AIDS

Join FBG in wearing your bright RED Ribbon and show your support for those living with this disease.

SOURCE