I’m black & I love the color nude & Rihanna too!! October 25, 2012

There has been so much UPROAR from the black community over Rihanna’s new fragrance Nude, particularly regarding the advertisement campaign.

• Dear Rihanna, The Nude Fragrance Isn’t Your Nude
• What Color is Rihanna’s “Nude”?

People are upset because according to Merriam-Webster nude is the “color of a white person’s skin” and Rihanna is not white! However, flipping through searching for the word “nude” in various online dictionaries, you will come across two type of definitions:

1. definition of physical state
2. definition of color

The first definition is inclusive of all humans. We all can be unclothed, naked, in-the-buff, bare *ssed… need I go on? However, the second definition is exclusive to minorities culturally insensitive because it only describes a color of Caucasian skin tones.

For the purpose of the rest of my opinion, I will use this definition of nude:

Nude [nood,nyood]
—noun
6. a sculpture, painting, etc., of a nude human figure.
7. an unclothed human figure.
8. the condition of being unclothed: to sleep in the nude.
9. a light grayish-yellow brownish-pink color.

Origin: 1525-35; < Latin nūdus

Source Dictionary.com

Since we speak the Queen’s English, AKA  a language created in a homogeneous white-ancient-Europe, why do we expect nude to encompass every possible skin shade? Historically, the context of the color nude is heavily tied to the skin tone of nudes used in European art. These paintings usually depicted rosy, pale, and beige naked women **Do you see the physical and color definition of nude at play here?** Hence, the cultural context guided in the attribution of the word nude to a brownish-pink color—a color typical of the nudes’ skin tone—which is non-coincidentally the color of the people of European descent. Therefore, it can be assumed that nude in fashion and art refers to a pink-beige tone. Perfume is marketed as fashion. Hence, for Rihanna’s perfume nude = pink-beige. The name of the perfume is clever because many women like a “sheer” scent, or a naked scent. Therefore, the marketing of this ad not only cleverly utilizes the fashion context of nude >color< but the >physical< context of nude naked.

Sally’s UpDo Secret July 18, 2012

I have very thick, curly, long hair. I hate love wearing my hair in updos. HOWEVER, the process is a PAIN because no matter what style of hair or bobby pins I use, they either:

1. 1. Don’t secure the section… causing me to add 5+ pins to hold one section. End Result =  FABULOUS Updo = Scalp Pain & Irritation.
2. Snag my hair… the long pins violently attack me awkwardly bend yanking my hair.
3. Lose black coating over time… this TOTALLY defeats the purpose of being a ninja blending in with my hair. Seriously?!! What is the purpose of having different hair pin colors if they all turn silver after repeated use.
4. Lose the protective tip cover… who wants to scratch the skin off their scalps to acheive the perfect updo?? *looks around room and sees no volunteers*
5. Lose their shape…UGH!! Go back and read #1!!

On top of all that frustration, why do the manufactures insist to give you bobby or hair pins slided onto a flimsy piece of cardboard!!

-Christa

Well to all you girls who love to wear updos… I have the answer to your prayers: