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A-Tisket, A-Tasket, A-Barbie: Ella Fitzgerald Is One of Barbie's Newest 'Inspiring Women'
In life, she was known as the “First Lady of Song” and the “Queen of Jazz.” And though the world lost legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald in 1996, her legacy has, for the most part, survived through her incredible musical catalog, which includes her inimitable interpretations of the Great American Songbook (much of which this…
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Will the 'Royal' Go, Too? Meghan and Harry May Be Forced to Renounce 'Sussex Royal' Along With Their Duties
The newly liberated Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly embarking on a quieter and more peaceful life with their infant son in North America since stepping back from their duties as primary royals in January, following years of abuse from both the media and a portion of the adjacent public, and weeks of negotiations…
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Why Is Fried Chicken Fashion a Thing? KFC Makes Its Bid for Pop-Cultural Relevance With…a Croc?
Just when we thought Crocs had cemented their reputation as the ugliest (but supposedly most comfortable) footwear, the fried chicken industry’s oldest (but least delectable—fight me) fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken has told us to hold its beer because these two beloved staples of middle-America (again, fight me; I live there) have joined forces to…
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100% That Chocolate: Lizzo Served a Sweet and Sassy Look at the 2020 Brit Awards
What’s the best way to clap back at haters who act like what you eat gives them cellulite? Show up on the red carpet looking like a damned snack, which is exactly what Lizzo did on Tuesday night at the 2020 Brit Awards in London. Wearing a strapless Moschino gown designed to look like the…
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Rosario Dawson Purportedly 'Came Out' as Queer. Here's What It Can Teach Us About How We Talk About Sexuality
“People kept saying that I [came out]…I didn’t do that,” actress-activist Rosario Dawson recently told Bustle magazine, referencing a 2018 Pride Month post on Instagram in which she seemed to identify and align herself with the LGBTQ+ community—her “fellow LGBTQ+ homies,” to be exact. In the video accompanying the post, out-and-proud rapper Chika waxes poetic…
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Alive at 89: For Her First Posthumous Birthday, Toni Morrison Is Getting an Epic Party at the Brooklyn Museum
No one can say we didn’t give Toni Morrison her flowers while she was with us; prior to her death on August 5, 2019, the Beloved author had amassed a Nobel Prize in Literature, a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and countless other accolades. And today, Feb. 18, on what would’ve been…
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'The House Didn’t Define Us': Michelle Obama Talks Life Post-White House; She's Also Over Talking About Herself
Ever wondered what it’d be like to listen in on one of Oprah and Michelle Obama’s conversations? Well, thousands at Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Barclays Center had the chance, as the “forever first lady” recently sat down with the “queen of all media” for Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus tour, sponsored by Weight Watchers. Winfrey’s…
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The Truth From Ruth: As Her Collaboration With H&M Drops in Stores, Ruth E. Carter Drops Some Knowledge on Us
“I’ve never wanted to be a fashion designer, because I felt like I was a storyteller,” says famed costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who, in 2019, thrillingly added an Oscar to her many accolades for her work in 2018’s Black Panther. For many longtime film lovers (including this writer), Carter’s triumph was long overdue; since…
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Honest Question: Who Needs Fashion Week When We've Got Harlem's Fashion Row?
As I write this, Fall/Winter Fashion Week 2020 is in full swing in New York City, and I am happily sitting this one out. Between the events, the exhaustion, the expense, and the pure chaos, I really only have the bandwidth and stamina to brave it all in September. (Honestly, it takes all of awards…
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#IStandWithGayle Is Trending…But If We Really Believed in What Kobe Tried to Stand For, It Wouldn't Be Necessary
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done—or been implicated in? What’s the worst mistake you ever made? Were you entirely innocent, or at least, in some minor way, culpable? If innocent, did you let the anger at the injustice define you, or allow your goodness to speak for itself? If not, do you consider yourself…