If I lived my life according to the imperatives of women’s magazines—and their frequent exhortations on brow upkeep—I would find myself guilty of gross neglect. I’ve never had my eyebrows shaped, plucked, threaded, waxed, filled in, tinted, drawn on, or otherwise groomed. And I’m OK with that. More than OK—I’m downright happy with it. It’s other […]
I reject the insistence that a woman can’t choose what makes her feel beautiful without regard for the judgement of others. 1997: The girls at school collect Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers. We line them up on one of our desks, form a circle, compare. The most basic come in standard fruit flavors like lime and […]
Growing up, I learned that if you were a black girl with a wide nose, full lips, dark skin, nappy hair—you were doomed. At 8 years old, I knew how to turn my parents’ bedroom into my music video sanctuary. It was easy: They had all of the necessary equipment to fuel my young imagination. […]
