See Oprah Stepping Out Looking Fit and Fly at Paris Fashion Week
All The Fabulous Black Style Seen At Paris Fashion Week
How the Hanifa Brand Upheaval Started a Viral Conversation About Black Brands and Customer Service
Did You Know JFK Jr.’s Iconic ’90s Style Secretly Came from Black Icons Like Denzel?
-
The 4th of Who? On July 3, We Celebrate National CROWN Day
With Juneteenth hitting the national radar this year, I think it’s finally safe for us to give up all pretense of actually celebrating America’s independence (gained while we were still enslaved), and instead enjoy a long weekend full of socially distanced, dutifully masked fun! (Besides, we’ve already had our fill of fireworks, no?) But that…
-
Amid a Firestorm, Essence Appoints an Interim CEO, Promising an Independent Review and 'Transparency' [Updated]
The pioneering and still most prominent media brand for Black women will once again have one at the helm—at least, for the immediate future. This is just one of the announcements Essence Communications made in a statement emailed to The Glow Up on Tuesday night, just two days after a now-viral open letter was published…
-
Mr. America: Billy Porter Covers Essence's July-August Issue [Corrected]
It’s unfortunate that in the midst of celebrating its 50th anniversary, Essence has also been implicated in a rising controversy as past and current Black female staffers have anonymously launched a campaign to #TakeBackEssence. But as we also commemorate 50 years of Pride and the closing of Pride Month, we can simultaneously celebrate another milestone…
-
Big Beauty Tuesday: Supermodel and Activist Joan Smalls Explains Why She Launched 'Donate My Wage'
If pretty is as pretty does, perhaps we should expect exceptional behavior from the women who hold that rare title of “supermodel.” But in the wake of the protests that have swept the country and the resulting calls for accountability across industries, Joan Smalls asked her industry to think bigger than the performative black box.…
-
As Pride Month Comes to a Close, Google Honors Pioneering Activist Marsha P. Johnson With Her Own Doodle
If you happened to venture to Google this morning, no doubt you caught a glimpse of an American hero—one who is largely responsible for instigating the LGBTQ+ liberation movement as we know it today. Marsha P. Johnson was one of the leaders of the Stonewall uprising in 1969—50 years later on June 30, 2019, she…
-
Yeezy's Collaboration With Gap Grabbed Headlines—but Its Other Black Designer Collab Has Sadly Been Shelved
When Kanye West’s clandestine 10-year deal with Gap for an ongoing Yeezy collaboration (which was reportedly years in the making) was announced last week, it seemed like a match made in overpriced basics heaven. The fact that Nigerian-British female designer Mowalola Ogunlesi is onboard as design director of the upcoming Yeezy Gap line (due out…
-
#TakeBackEssence? As Essence Celebrates 50 Years, Explosive Allegations Against Its Leadership Spark Controversy
This past weekend was intended to be a landmark one for Essence. The beloved Black legacy publication celebrated its 50th anniversary amid a pandemic, pivoting its 26th annual Essence Festival of Music and Culture to a virtual format spanning over not one, but two weekends, culminating in its traditional Fourth of July weekend festivities. Instead,…
-
From Black Designers to Drugstore Brands, Meg Thee Stallion and Amanda Seales Served Accessible Beauty for the 2020 BET Awards
The culture could not be canceled on Sunday night, as the 20th—and entirely virtual—BET Awards set a new standard for quarantine entertainment. As was to be expected from the pioneering Black entertainment network, the evening was Black Lives Matter-themed—and the stars did not disappoint. Perhaps the best example of social justice-meets-social distancing came from 2020’s…
-
Talking Loud and Saying Nothing: Unilever Will Strike ‘Fair’ and ‘Lovely’ From Its Branding—but Will Continue to Sell Skin Lightening Products
Spurred by increased attention to racism and racial justice, brands across all industries have scrambled to do the right thing by Black consumers. Among these companies is Unilever, which recently pledged more than $1 million in donations to social justice organizations. But the multinational conglomerate, which owns Dove, Palmolive, and L’Oreal, has made much, much…
-
Kanye's Spaceship Flies High: Kanye West Inking a Deal with Gap for Yeezy Gap Line Makes All of the (Dollars and) Sense to Me
Per the New York Times, Kanye West has inked a 10-year deal with Gap to create an iteration of his Yeezy branded clothing line for the retailer. And anybody who is (or has been a fan of Kanye) knows about his relationship with the store. Specifically because the entire first verse of classic record “Spaceship”—it…