The Sauda Voice includes links to other sites/blogs operated by third parties. These links are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. As such, the information, opinions, products, and/or services contained therein do not reflect the views and opinions of or represent endorsement by The Sauda Voice.
All images that appear on The Sauda Voice are under the copyright of their respective owners. The Sauda Voice does not claim credit for any image unless explicitly stated. If you own the rights to any image appearing on The Sauda Voice and do not wish for it to appear, please notify The Sauda Voice immediately and the image shall be promptly removed.
BEAUTIFUL BLACK London native Naomie Harris, 35, has been tapped to play the iconic Bond girl in the 23rd installment of the popular 007 franchise entitled, "Skyfall." She stars alongside Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem and Bérénice Marlohe (the other Bond Girl).
Ms. Harris will play M16 field agent Eve who somehow becomes Bond's foil Miss Moneypenny. She will be the FIRST black woman to play the role.
Check out what Ms. Harris had to say about her new role (here and here).
CONGRATULATIONS NAOMIE!
| | | |
|
On September 12th, Miss Angola's Leila Lopes, 25, was crowned Miss Universe 2011, making her the fourth woman of African descent to win the coveted title (following Trinidad & Tobago's Janelle Commissiong (1977), Trinidad & Tobago's Wendy Fitzwilliam (1998) and Botswana's Mpule Kwelagobe (1999)).
Check out brief clip of Ms. Lopes' "crowning moment"
BEAUTIFUL BLACK Leila Lopes is a native of Benguela, Angola. The country of Angola is located in south-central Africa and bordered by Namibia. The nearly six-foot African beauty is a business management student currently studying abroad in Great Britain. It was there where she was crowned Miss Angola United Kingdom 2010 on October 8, 2010 and then Miss Angola 2011 in Luanda, Angola on December 18, 2010, paving the way for her admission to the 2011 Miss Universe pageant.
At the finale of the Miss Universe pageant, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ms. Lopes beat out 88 other contestants to win the coveted title. Shortly after taking the crown, Ms. Lopes had this to say about her plans:
"I've worked with various social causes. I work with poor kids, I work in the fight against HIV. I work to protect the elderly and I have to do everything that my country needs. I think now as Miss Universe I will be able to do much more."
Interestingly, when asked about racism, Ms. Lopes said the following:
"Any racist needs to seek help. It's not normal in the 21st century to think in that way."
When Ms. Lopes became one of the top five candidates, she made perhaps the most impressive statement of all. In response to being asked what physical trait she would change if she could, she said:
"Thank God I'm very satisfied with the way God created me and I wouldn't change a thing. I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life."
Check out a brief clip of her response.
Now, these are the words of a genuine role model, especially for women of color who sometimes - unrealistically - aspire to look like their Anglo-Saxon/European counterparts rather than value and appreciate the obvious beauty they were born with.
As a quick footnote, a few of Ms. Lopes' competitors have been crying foul, claiming Ms. Lopes doesn't deserve the Miss Universe crown. Perhaps most notable are Miss France's comments (as made to France's Premiere magazine):
“She was the only girl I didn’t know very well. We didn’t see her much; she was very discreet. She was often in jeans and not wearing makeup. We were all surprised by her win. Many girls made efforts that were not rewarded. I don’t know, something is missing in her temperament. The fact that the competition was held in Brazil surely played a role.”
Um, so let me get this straight. Miss Angola, according to Miss France, doesn't deserve the Miss Universe title because she had an understated, more private persona (as compared to the other women) and wore comfortable clothes and no make-up? And, because Ms. Lopes spoke Portugese in a Portugese-speaking country, she was somehow given an "advantage"? Really, Miss France? Nonsense. It is beyond obvious that Miss France is simply jealous of Miss Angola's natural beauty and unwilling to give her credit for rightfully earning the Miss Universe title (hence, the "held in Brazil surely played a role" comment). Talk about catty!
Other criticisms include Ms. Lopes "isn't really black" assertions (this silliness doesn't even justify a response), criticisms of her use of an interpreter (seriously people? it's an international competition), and a claim that she falsified documents to enter the qualifying competition in England (still unfounded as of this reporting). I can't help but wonder if this is simply a reflection of certain people's inability to accept that a black woman won Miss Universe. What's next? Asking for her birth certificate?
CONGRATULATIONS LEILA!!
| | | |
|
For those of you who may not be aware, I am a huge fan of Kathryn Stockett's debut novel The Help. I discovered it back in 2009 when a dear friend of mine (Hey Liz!) suggested I read it. I'll be honest, without my friend's enthusiastic endorsement I may not have picked up this book on my own. Why? The Help was a story about black domestics living in the Jim Crow South as told by a white woman.
That little, but very important fact was enough to make me very skeptical about the contents of the book, namely how the black characters in it were portrayed. Would they be yet another Mammy caricature in which the black slave or maid was all-too-happy to serve - and be subservient to - her white master or employer? Think Gone With the Wind and virtually every book or film with black characters written by white authors and storytellers. Sadly, there IS a pattern.
In addition to the stereotyped portrayals, these stories often contain "white savior" themes in which the white hero or heroine saves the "colored" folk from themselves, their "savage" way of life or some other bad circumstance. Yep, I had my reservations. Luckily, the book did not have any of these typical pitfalls - a very pleasant surprise. (You can read more of my thoughts here).
So when I heard The Help was being made into a movie, I vowed to see it the weekend it opened. Well, family, The Help hit theatres Wednesday, August 10th and I saw it Saturday night at the popular Third Street Promenade here in Santa Monica, California. While I was excited to see the movie, my old reservations creeped back in. I worried that the movie would focus entirely on the white character Skeeter while simultaneously minimizing the primary black characters, Abileen and Minny, and the reality of their lives in the Jim Crow South. Without knowing it, I was holding my breath.
As the large theater filled to capacity, mostly with white faces and a few brown ones like mine sprinkled throughout, I felt my heart pound faster. I silently prayed, "Please don't let this movie reinforce stereotypes, dehumanize or minimize the black characters or play up the "white savior" theme." As the first ten minutes turned into the first half-hour and then the first hour and finally the second, I exhaled. Really exhaled. Quite simply, the movie was poetry, a beautiful tapestry of truth and inspiration. No one character was sacrificed for the other.
The movie remained true to the book and, above all, the maids' stories remained full and intact. I fell in love with Abileen and Minny (my favorite character) all over again. I cried and laughed and then cried and laughed some more. At the end of the movie, Abileen's character (portrayed by Viola Davis) said something that resonated with me. She said, "No one ever asked me what it felt like to be me."
As a black woman, I understood all too well what Abileen meant. The Help is a story about what it feels like to be Abileen....what it feels like to be Minny....and the countless women who look like them. I hope this film (and book) is one of many more like it. So long as the storyteller remains true to telling the stories of these women from THEIR perspective, I have no problem with the color of the storyteller.
Check out The Help trailer.
One More Thing:
Viola Davis deserves to be nominated for AND WIN an Oscar
for her performance in The Help. Spread the word if you agree.
| | | |
|
(by TSV Guest Blogger Juliette Samuels) - The thing about aging is that it can't be stopped regardless of your race or color. African American skin goes through the same process, aging that is, as other skin tones. But it appears that luck is on your side, because those with darker skin tend to deal with aging at a later time in life than those with a fairer complexion.
Thanks to melanin, the pigmentation of the skin that is undoubtedly higher in black skin, there is better protection against the harmful effects of the sun. Melanin in black skin contains as much as four times the sun protection compared to fair skin. Melanin is not enough, though. A darker complexion, coupled with a good black skin care regimen, will give you a better fight against aging.
Make your beautiful black skin last longer with these Black Skin Care Tips.
Soften Your Skin
Aging can easily be detected by touching your skin. In fact, your skin’s texture is one of the first signs that aging is on its way. Does your skin feel rough? Bumpy perhaps? Touch your skin, especially the parts frequently exposed to the sun, for signs of roughness.
To keep your skin soft, exfoliate as needed. Do not overdo this, however. Use an exfoliating cream especially made for your skin type. You can also consult your dermatologist or a black skin care specialist regarding chemical peels and microdermabrasion. Natural skin softeners, like shea butter, are also recommended to soften black skin.
Keep Your Skin Supple
Sagging skin is the next thing to watch out for when birthdays already worry you. You can easily spot this in the cheeks where hollowness can be visible, as well as in the jaw line and neck areas. This is due to deterioration of collagen, a natural protein responsible for your skin’s volume, as you age.
Cosmetic surgery can easily answer the problem of sagging through dermal fillers. However, this can be pricey and some people do not really want to go through cosmetic surgery procedures. Find a black skin care product with collagen instead if a visit to a cosmetic doctor is not an option.
Even Out Your Skin Tone
African American skin is prone to changes in pigmentation, as the person gets older. This causes darkening of your skin in certain areas like your neck or face and an uneven skin tone in general. Chemical peels and microdermabrasion, if done by a black skin care specialist that understands your skin, can remedy this problem. But you can also try black skin care products that contain natural skin lightening ingredients.
Get rid of DPN
DPN or Dermatosa papulosa nigra is a group of benign growths that are noticeable as dark bumps (often mistaken as moles). This condition is most prominent on black skin and caused by exposure from the sun, genetics, and aging. Although benign, or harmless, this is unattractive and can make someone uncomfortable with his or her appearance.
There is no topical solution for this problem. The only way to deal with it is to see a qualified doctor. A dermatologist can burn, freeze or cut them off easily with very minor discomfort to the patient. Healing doesn’t take much time. You can usually get back to your usual routine within a week on average.
While expensive anti-aging black skin care products or plastic surgery might help you maintain your youthful looks, it can only delay or mask the signs of aging but not eliminate the process totally. Use these black skin care tips to boost your confidence and keep your glow longer but accept the fact that aging will come no matter what we do.
While wrinkled skin can be unappealing, there is still a good side to it; it is your body’s way of telling the world that there’s much wisdom learned from battling with life and time. So age gracefully, and be beautiful from the inside out.
Juliette Samuels, TSV Guest Blogger
Juliette Samuel is a person who definitely knows beautiful when she sees it. Juliette has had a very eclectic career working in and around the beauty industry. She has worked as an instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She has also been a Professional Image Consultant.
Currently Juliette works as a Skin Care Therapist, acting President and Chief Nose for NYRAJU Skin Care. As such she is in charge of product formulation and development of all scents produced for the line.
Juliette is also a member of NAHA-The National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy, The Society of Cosmetic Chemist and is the Fragrance Editor for BellaOnline.
What does that do for you? It keeps Juliette on her toes when it comes to the type of information that she’ll be able to share with you as readers of her blog or articles that she publishes on and off the web.
| | | |
|
BEAUTIFUL BLACK Stacey Dash covers the February/March 2011 issue of Heart & Soul Magazine. Like Halle Berry, Vanessa Williams and Sade, Ms. Dash doesn't seem to age. In my opinion, the 44-year old stunner doesn't look a day over 30. This is why the oft-repeated saying, "Black don't crack" came into being in the first place. When we take care of ourselves (i.e. don't abuse our bodies), good genes will do the rest of the beauty "longevity" work.
Okay, time to go work out now. I suddenly feel the need to tighten and firm.
| | | |
|
