Oh Hell No

Posted on March 4th, 2009 - By Bossip Staff

Categories: Alicia Keys, News, Paula Patton

Posted by Bossip Staff

alicia-keys-as-michelle o

Apparently the folks at Glamour Magazine must think we all look alike if they thought posing Alicia Keys as Michelle Obama was a good idea. Peep more glam shots of Paula Patton as Billie Holiday and Chanel Iman – with smashed down titties – as Althea Gibson when you

paula-patton-as-billie hollidaychanel-iman-as-althea gibson

  • Joline

    Life needs passion.

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  • LaLA

    It looks nice

  • http://www.bossip.com K.D

    it does look quite nice .. get down a.keys show em how to do it

  • She 4 real

    they just wanted a whiter version….dayum them! Top 10

  • Resurrected

    Alicia Keys diffintely has the class to be first lady if I had to pick from an entertainer.

  • Nubia

    I love Alicia to death but come on Glamour…..give some chocolate sistas a chance!

  • Beyonce Hater Stan

    I guess. why not just get Michelle Obama?

  • U2know

    Are you kidding me? Nothing of the kind. Alicia Keys know better.

  • Lady Architect

    Alici Keys was not a good choice for MRs. Obama, but I guess they were looking at the fact that Alicia is incredibly intelligent and very much involved like MRs. Obama. I still think someone like Beverly Johnson should have been chosen. Paula makes a beautiful Billie Holliday and Chanel looks nice as Athea. They should’ve just had Alicia as Lena Horne. Isn’t that whole she’s playing in a biopic?

  • Wenzel Dashington

    Obama’s eyes just perked up a bit. Nah.

  • Sharpton’s perm

    first Tyra did this now this singer?

    GET YOUR OWN IMAGE. WE ALREADY GOT A MICHELLE OBAMA.

  • lamissrox

    man ya didnt know all black ppl look the same !!

  • honest

    eww, that HOMEWRECKING HOE should not be portaying the greatness that is michelle obama.

  • Hannibal

    SKIN BLEACH IN THE WHITE HOUSE

  • Meme

    Alicia has class? You mean being the other woman gives her class? Please.

  • http://mockrockstar.ning.com Mock Rock Star

    I love it Alicia
    I love how she looks with the little girls
    Beautiful!!!

  • i’m like wtf?

    wait… none of these people are the right skin color! they are MARKEDLY LIGHTER than the people they’re “tributing.” WHY glamour, WHY?!

  • BSStinks

    So, what’s the problem with getting Alicia Keys to portray Michelle Obama?

    The point of this issue is to have celebrities pose as great American figures; also, many of the celebrities have a lot in common with the figures that they are paying tribute to.

    But, you all think that because Alicia is a fairer skin tone that she isn’t allowed to pose as Michelle Obama? And because it’s been said, not proven, that she was allegedly involved with a married man that all the positive work she has done doesn’t count?

    Really, those things are personal issues, they have nothing to do with what she has brought to the table as a humanitarian and a very popular American figure, herself.

    And another thing, the magazine chose her, as well as all the other ladies in this issue to pay tribute to these people; so I don’t understand why one of the posters said that Alicia needs to get her own image. It’s one photo for one magazine.

    Oh, and to the poster who said that Alicia is playing Lena Horne, no, Paula Patton was chosen to play Lena Horne. Alicia playing Ms. Horne was one of the first ideas, but the filmmakers decided to go with Paula instead.

  • haha

    I think A. Keys and Tyra posing as Michelle Obama is an affront.

    No thank you. We have our Michelle.

    Have they ever posed white stars as Laura Bush or Nancy Regan?

  • http://www.gravatar.com FatSTateofMind

    LOVE THE PIC

  • Aunt Viv

    Love it!
    Surprised they didn’t ask the go-to negress Beyonce…or maybe they did…

  • ShavonDenise

    Well to be honest Althea Gibson wasnt light either. Billie Holiday was so thats the most accurate. I think the question is whether Glamour thinks darker Black women are pretty. I’m not faulting Alicia because I think the pic is lovely yet I believe Glamour got 3 mixed chicks to represent Blacks. Like Alicia is Black yet it took the fair skin to get her to be an “acceptable” Black???Smeels fishy.

  • BSStinks

    You all really need to get the magazine so that you can understand the point. The magazine is highlighting great American female figures.

    Michelle Obama is the latest great American female figure, so this is why they chose to add her to this issue.

    I’m sure if the other First Ladies had as much appeal as adoration as this First Lady does, then they would’ve been included as well.

    But, I guess you all don’t understand that:
    (1) our society is obsessed with celebrity culture.
    (2) Anybody who is a public figure is a celebrity.
    (3) The Obamas are huge. They are known everywhere. And they were a huge part of not only getting regular people across the world involved with politics, but they also got several truck loads of celebrities to jump on board to.

    So, if those things aren’t enough to get Michelle Obama recognized in Glamour Magazine, I don’t know what is.

  • BSStinks

    ShavonDenise, what do you think about Barack Obama? Is he black or mixed?

    I only ask because non-biracial people like to use that “biracial” card whenever it suits them. Not saying that’s what you are doing; but, I just find it interesting that, for a lot of people, they say that Barack is black, period; but, when some people, who are also mixed, do something, people are so quick to throw the “they aren’t black, they’re mixed” thing in their faces.

    I mean, I know that white media will choose a lighter skinned person, black or not, quicker than they will a darker skinned person; but in this case, these women identify themselves as being black, and they are being given the opportunity to be in a magazine that doesn’t always give that spot to them, or any other person of color. So, why not just be happy for them, and be proud that the women they are paying tribute to are being highlighted?

    I mean, we will applaude Barack all day, but any other biracial person doesn’t always get that same support.

  • madbrooke

    She looks beautiful. BIG Up’s for them recognizing sistas the way they never have before.

  • JUJU

    @honest…….I co-sign!

  • reddnwood

    I respect all those sistas but some of the other posters were right in that light skin is definitely more “in” for the white media & amongst our own people as well!

  • Lady J

    I like it!!

  • Why So Ignant!?

    Why is Bossip so openly racist?

    Its not cool, nor is it funny in the least … yall need to cut that mess out

  • LeeLee

    Alicia looks lovely. She’d make a great First Lady. Paula and Chanel look good, too..

  • i dont care

    light skin FTW! holla

    but paula patton and a keys are just down right gorgeous

  • Queen NZinga

    Where are my beautiful chocolate fudge and caramel brown sugar black people?

    Was there a consensus within the collective black consciousness to have a newly created buffer race of light-skinned, mulatto and mixed race subjects to “represent” the original seed of Africa?

    Does anyone appreciate authentic, natural, unadulterated, black beauty anymore?

    What has happened to the authentic black man and woman? Why are you hiding? Why do you wish to remain invisible? Where are your voices?

    Those who genes have not been watered down with melanin-recessive traits know that your souls are still intact. The ancestors live through you.

  • 2dimplzs

    I think folks are missing the point. They didn’t pick people who looked exactly like the people they were portraying. We all can be Michelle Obama’s in our own little ways but that doesn’t mean we have to be the spitting image of her either!! People take things so literally and are so color struck! “She’s too light, she’s too dark, her hair is too nappy, her hair is too straight.” Crabs in a barrell.

  • BSStinks

    1000% co-sign with 2dimplzs.

    You cleared things up nicely.

  • Leelee

    All the people behind the Keyes pic is probably high yellow too. There is nothing wrong with the pic, the chick is hot. The problem is…there is a mass of chocolate women they could have called for that shoot. I’m sure Kerri Washington would have no problem doing that shoot, but I’m sure she’s too dark for them as well. This is the reason why you have little darkskin children ordering bleaching cream, because they can’t even be proud of their own color. This is what considered beautiful to the public…high yellow chicks.

  • come on

    100% co-sign with leelee you really cleared up that real nice.

  • jena4rmthablock

    Least they gave her Light skinned kids, would have been f-ed up if her kids were the color of darkness, since she is so light. But then again I have alot of friends who are no where near the color of there parents…cute pic non the less.

    Tyra aint no red bone and she did pictures of Michelle Obama.

  • come on

    No one is hating or taking away from the beautiful A. Keys she is stunning, our point is …….. That’s like lil kim asking christine A to play her in the biggie movie, “catch my drift”?

  • Good For Them

    Of all people, why?

  • tj

    WTF. See that’s why I really really have a problem with mixed people hopping back and forth and this way and that. There is finally a beautiful accomplished powerful black woman in the world and the first thing they do is go find some mixed person to portray her. WTF. Why couldn’t Gabby Union do it, what about Kerry Washington? Hell even Venus Williams would have been a better choice.
    I love Alicia but she should have declined this. This feels almost blasphemous and I don’t even worship at the church of Obama.

  • Pam

    thats cute..stop trying to make everything about race and skin tone.

  • UMMM..

    they all look nice, it would of been nice if they chosen a dark skin person but a. keys looks nice and im really feelin paula pic–very nice

  • CallieD

    This is not about skin color, the point of this photoshoot was to show celebs recognize female icons of the past and present, because it is Women’s history month. Alicia looks great in the picture and she exudes class like Michelle, people we got to stop making everything about race and color, when this is just about recognizing beautiful women

  • niasia

    I think she looks beautiful. And what’s wrong with her portraying Michelle Obama? Black is Black! What is up with you people? The people who are so incensed by this must be dark skinned. And I swear I think you all think being light skinned is some type of honor. Well it is not. White people don’t really like us and dark/brown skinned blacks don’t like us! I swear I wish black people would let it go man let it go. We are all black in this together regardless of skin tone! Geez we are not in the 60′s anymore! And to the person who said they are tired of mixed people jumping back and forth. What the hell are you talking about? We can never ever be white. Know that! And trust me they let you know that you are not white as well. It is really sad though to have your own race disavow you like they do!

  • http://www.madamethejourney.com Madame

    I have that quasi-pic of Billie in my dining room … Paula looks great!

  • I LUV RAY LEWIS

    nice pictures

    WHATSYOURSECRETDESIRE.COM

  • Hotstuff

    I’m digging Paula’s and Chanel’s photos, but that damn homewrecking Alicia…the photo is nice, I just cannot stand her anymore…hypocrites are not my cup of tea

  • BSStinks

    TJ, you really think that Alicia Keys should’ve said to Glamour Magazine, “No, I can’t do it, I’m not dark enough?” lol

    If that would’ve happened all kinds of drama would’ve arose from that.

    I get what a lot of you are saying about dark-skinned people not being represented a lot in the media; but what Glamour Magazine is doing actually goes far beyond that.

    And similar to what Callie D wrote, this photo spread is a celebration of the beauty of women; so, let’s just applaud each other’s strength and beauty, period.

    I mean, there is a time and place for pulling the “race” card and the “people think that light is better” card, but I really think that this isn’t one of them.

  • This I Know

    @BSStinks

    Oh well, at least it is not Beyonce playing Lady O. I’ll take Alicia Keys any day.

  • AKeysFan1981

    What’s wrong with Alicia protraying Michelle Obama? We really need to get off that color issue for a minute an recognize that imitation is the best form of flattery. Newsflash! Kerry Washington and Gabrielle Union are not that dark. They don’t resemble Michelle either. Why should Alicia decline any opportunities? I’m wondering how Beyonce didn’t get her hands on this gig. I think that all three ladies took some beautiful photos. And if I was Alicia I wouldn’t have turned the gig down. Those girl in the photo look like they can be her real daughters. At least these ladies except the fact that they are black. Unlike people like Tiger Woods.

  • Tuesday’s Child

    Why aren’t we just happy that Glamour showcased ‘us’ in a good light?! Why does the topic have to be downgraded to this level of absurdity?

    Oh the complexion issue is sooooo ancient. Bossip staff loooves to fuel the nonsense. Some ppl aren’t very intelligent and will fall into the light/dark trap and Bossip just loves that shit, dontcha? Love seeing the ignoramus spew stupidity.

  • leeha

    I’m all for racial unity. After all, all our families come in different hues, and with inter-racial marriage, in different ethnicies. But its obvious that hollywood loves light skinned women. Its all suspect. Dark actresses are pushed to the back. –here is some examples: 1)Why when they show a black family, the man is dark and the wife is light or bi-racial. And the kids are either bi-racial or light, just peep. 2)Dave Chapelle said on the actor’s studio that the producers wanted him to change his black romantic lead in half baked to a more ‘universal beauty’, they settled on that adorable bi-racial girl. 3)Jill Scott didn’t include her picture while shopping for her record deal. 4)Why all new black pop princess’ are very light, how many dark girls rise to the top. 5)Maya Rudolph said in that HBO special that Lisa Bonet being casted as Denise, i think the oldest sister Sandra is too, was suspect. Realistically, Bill and Claire are dark, why are their kids bi-racial? because they are suppose to be america’s sweethearts.–Now if we want true unity in our race, we as a people have to acknowledge that white people who consume and create black pop culture is giving us a massive, collective makeover, they are forming us into the image they want us to be. We have to demand that our spectrum from snow to crow, which is really our true beauty be reflected to the world.–i have no problem loving and admiring light or bi-racial people, thats our family. But if we don’t start shaping our own culture, we will end very divided like Brazil and Cuba. With being pure black at the bottom. And everybody else bending over backwards to run away from it. We will have a class system. –the best thing that white racism did for us was they took away the rights of free blacks or creoles in the deep south. When they did that, they forced us to come together as a community and fight collectively, despite our differences. That racism against all black people unified us with lighter folks. Some of our heros are darn near bi-racial, Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall. Now we can’t let them divide us again.–Now Glamor is suspect after they called the afro a beauty don’t, yes with the black strip over the eyes and all, ladies u know what I’m talking about. They said “Its political hair”.

  • sexclez

    I have read everyones comments and I am appalled at how we as a race cannot support one another. These woman have accepted jobs that required them to be photographed in someone elses image fair skinned or not anyone of you would have done the same thing. I dont care if they asked me to look like Brittney Spears I will stand proudly in front of a camera and do the best Brittney I know. The shade of the skin doesnt matter it was a job and they accepted and they got paid! In all honesty this is not that serious. They are pictures people…no one said A Keys is trying to be Michelle Obama and its not A Keys fault that society is so jaded that the only way they will accept black people is for them to be fair skinned. But my problem isnt with society its with my own race. I am a fair skinned female and I have listened to negative statements all my life because of the shade of my skin. And you know the majority of the negativity comes from my own people. This is sooooo sad people its 2009 we already deal with ignorance from other races its time to unite and be supportive of our own. We cant depend on society to teach our children that their skin is beautiful that lesson needs to comes from home. But if your one that is full of self hate and have a jealous spirit you cant teach the next generation anything! I cant believe how ignorant some of you sound regarding these pics. Except for a few of you some of you are just jealous or you hate the skin you were blessed with. Give these ladys props for doing a dayum good job at portraying awesome images of awesome black woman. Its not about the skin its about the message that is sent…and like 2dimplzs said the message is Michelle Obama is in all of us her strength, her self respect, her positivity, her endurance, her intelligence shall I go on. They are showing other black woman that she is all of us fair skinned, dark skinned, carmel whatever her image is in all of us. Stop looking at the superficial crap and focus on the accomplishment of these well know black woman that truly make a difference in our community just by being successful black woman.

  • sexclez

    AMEN AMEN AMEN @ Tuesday’s Child

  • songbird

    I love a keys and this is nothing against her but why couldn’t they have had a more chocolate skin women to portray Michelle?

  • Don’t Stay in School…..GRADUATE

    @ sexclez

    written any novels lately?

  • leeha

    to everybody on this thread that is telling other black people to get over the dark vs. light, good vs. bad hair, could u tell hollywood to stop trying to fit ALL OF US into their white image? –Its dividing us. we don’t control our own culture, hell look at rap music.

  • Elana

    We need to stop the hatred of our own people. We come in all shades and hues. Light skin does not make one any less black. This is our sister portraying another sister. Let us love each other(light skin, dark skin). Whatever! It is 2009, and it seems that our race is becoming more divided, and racist toward each other. We are all black people.

  • http://www.myspace.com/jdubbthayounghectic j-dubb

    Alicia is the finest chick in the game

  • JCo’ B’klyn

    Chanel Iman needs some hard cock; I don’t care about her flat chest.

  • chloe

    alicia keys portraying michelle obama is like india arie portraying etta james… its just not right!!!!
    You would never see a dark skinned black woman portray a lighter skinned black woman. I know this photoshoot was about celebrating women but, people especially dark skninned people can’t help to think.. why as soon as there is a beautiful dark skinned black woman in the spotlight, why can’t another dark skinned actress or singer portray her. We can go back and forth about colorism all day, but the truth still remains and is evident is this picture that if you are light you’re right and if your black get back!

  • chloe

    and I’m not hatng on the beautiful and talented alicia keys.. it is the white media who chose her to potray michelle, and she accepted and I don’t fault her for that, i would have done th same!!

  • BSStinks

    Actually, Chloe, Diana Ross portrayed Billie Holiday in “Lady Sings the Blues”, and Diana is darker than Billie.

    But, most importantly, as some others probably stated already, it’s not about getting someone to look exactly like the person they are portraying.

    The fact of the matter is that these three strong women are women of color and they are paying tribute to other strong women of color—so, that’s a good thing not a disgrace and a travesty.

    But, it’s okay, one day, we, blacks, will finally become a unit.

  • Jaden

    CallieD is correct, these young women are simply representing women they respect. It has nothing to do with the color of their skin it has everything to do with respect. Bossip sometimes you totally miss the point or are either too young or ignorant to find out about certain things before you comment. If YOU want to stay revelant, you need to step up your game.

  • YeahOk!

    It’s just a tribute, damn! If anyone were to look at the whole magazine they would see that none of the celebs look like the people they are paying tribute to. Go to glamour.com and look at all the pictures the subject is called Glamour’s Style Icons. Damn bossip get your shit together before you try and pull the race bullshit. Alicia Keys and the others look just fine.

  • shonda

    Much love to Alicia keys i love u to death ma. But that mag could have got a darker sista

  • chloe

    @bsstinks
    but shouldn’t the people resemble each other just a little bit even if it is by skin color. believe me I love alicia keys and want us as a people to be united.. but why every time a color issue come up dark skinned people always have to shut and just be thankful at least someone black is being recognized. That’s all fine and dandy but i am waiting fo the day when all black people of all didfferent colors are being portrayed.

    Oh and you are right about the diana ross thing LOL

  • Queen NZinga

    @Leeha – You are one smart cookie. I’ve been checking out your posts. You have immense practical intelligence (aka ‘common sense’). You are the only one who recognized the psychology behind colorism and saw how it’s manipulated through the media.

    That was the point of my original commentary. You got it. I love you for it, my sistah.

  • Queen NZinga

    @Leeha – You are one smart cookie. I’ve been checking out your posts. You have immense practical intelligence (aka ‘common sense’).

    You are the only one who recognized the psychology behind colorism and saw how it’s manipulated through the media.

    That was the point of my original commentary. You got it. I love you for it, my sistah.

  • 2dimplzs

    People are up in arms about the racial divide that the white man has used since slavery. We all know it existed then and it still exists now. The question is when will we as BLACK PEOPLE let go of that separate and divide by light skinned versus dark, house negroes versus field negroes SLAVE MENTALITY??? How can we as a people get mad at white folks or any other race when we can’t seem to move forward and stop being so color struck ourselves??

    We still call nappy hair bad and wavy hair good, we still think that light or white is good or beautiful but black is bad or ugly. We may not come out and say it but we show it with our ACTIONS towards one another. Don’t yall think white folks see how we treat and talk to each other too? What incentive do they have to treat us any better or different when we don’t even treat each other right??

    Yall bring up these race issues, the skin color issues and point the fingers at white folks but when are we going to let go of the slave mentality that still hovers over our race like a fast spreading cancer? When are we truly going to be united as a race and help each other when we need it, congratulate and encourage each other when we come up and help others to come up too versus being crabs in a barrel?

    Let’s be real about all of this and look at ourselves and take responsibility for our actions. At some point we have to take it upon ourselves to break the cycle and stop the slave mentality and progress in all aspects of our lives. Until we do that we will never progress. We will continue to have the mind set of our enslaved ancestors who, because of their white slave owners, treated one another according to their skin color and ended resenting and hating one another. The house negroes looked down upon the field negroes, and the field negroes couldn’t stand the upidy house negroes.

    White people still feel entitled, they feel they deserve everything, own everything. Many of them still have the Massah mentality too, but today we as black people know better. We’re not slaves anymore and we know their games but yet we seem to keep falling into that slave mentality by continually separating ourselves based on skin color! Chocolate, coffee brown, honey, brown sugar, caramel – all the colors of our race are beautiful and WE should celebrate our various skin tones REGARDLESS of who happens to be representing us in the media. I too would love to see more darker skinned people period on tv shows, movies, magazine covers, etc. But if the person happens to be light skinned I’m going to celebrate that too!

    We just celebrated Black History month people…..have we learned anything from it yet???

  • Elle’

    I agree with she 4 real…they wanted something whiter version! What was wrong with asking Mrs.Obama to do the shoot or getting an African-American woman that was the same complexion???

  • The Third Eye

    I love Alicia, but she shouldn’t have done this shoot. She should of known better. She doesn’t resemble Michelle at all. I’m all for breaking the color barrier, but we all know what this magazine had up its sleeves when they suggested she do this shoot. They didn’t want a African American celeb with darker skin who actually resembled our first lady in their magazine.

    I’m not even saying every darker skinned celebrity resembles our first lady, so I’m not on that dark skin versus light skin agenda. We as a people need to move past that. I see that this colorism is still alive and well and it mainly affects the women in the African American community.

    You don’t hear people trying to get Denzel to play President Obama in his bio pic. No, they’re looking toward Will Smith, someone who looks like the President.

    On a side note, Alicia and the girls look beautiful.

  • marsk

    not to be another crab in this already crowded barrel, but simply put:
    (and after many outbursts and rants),
    the whole glamour photo shoot for this article, “American Icons” was really off if folks were expecting their favorite actress or celebrity to accurately portray a prominent female status figure. Example: Lindsay Lohan as Madonna…eh.
    That being said, I see where those among us are going off on the hue of Alicia Keys and stand-in daughters’ skin tones. It is inaccurate.
    I don’t agree with it, either.
    But, this is Glamour Magazine we’re talking about.
    You don’t see women of color on every other page, even in the ads, and when you do….many times, they are of a lighter hue or “bi-racial”, for lack of a more PC term down in the crab barrel here.
    Doesn’t make it right.
    Doesn’t make it fair.
    Yes, Alicia Keys and the girls are pretty.
    But, sure, we can name a few other “rising stars” of a darker complexion similar to Michele Obama’s who would have foot the bill, but then would the complaint still be the same, except, “Why so dark”, or “Lighten her up?”
    This topic brings up a whole other subculture of the print media industry that would frankly go over many of the audience’s heads or bore them to tears.
    There aren’t that many representations of women of color in general, still, in 2009,in mainstream print media, so when we do get them, we often get them the same ol’ prepackaged modeling agency way.
    Light with that springy, curly hair that only seem achievable either by inheritance or in Pantene ads, or Alek Wek dark, straight from the motherland Black, perhaps with a straight black weave or a tiny bob. There are countless hues in between that frankly, mainstream mags like Glamour simply don’t have the time or the conscious thought to put any energy into changing. Doesn’t bring in the ad dollars, unfortunately. I don’t like it.
    So, for now, we have a “mixed-race” woman portraying a non-mixed race woman in a “tribute piece”, and the crabs in the barrel are going on about President Obama’s racial background….not to interrupt, but did he suddenly turn into his wife Michele? Did I miss something here?
    Last time I checked, yes he had a white parent….Michele does NOT, so leave him out of the barrel. That’s a whole other conversation entirely on if he is really “black” or “biracial”…we’re talking about Michele.
    I just think in 2009, there ought to be more thought put into the choices we make and who we get to represent us, the figurative “us” being black people, especially when there is a celebrity figure close enough to Michele’s complexion who could have been given this opportunity to portray Michele Obama out there somewhere…Alicia Keys is a great cover girl, but isn’t she always? It’s like seeing the same black actor in every movie. It’s somebody else’s turn. Sorry to be long-winded. Hope some of what I said reaches someone with some sense of rationale. These comment boards can be crazy at times!

  • marsk

    and yes, I dropped an “l” in our First Lady’s name…here it is…..l
    don’t crucify me:) just had to get my point across, too.

  • Queen NZinga

    I just think in 2009, there ought to be more thought put into the choices we make and who we get to represent us, the figurative “us” being black people, especially when there is a celebrity figure close enough to Michele’s complexion who could have been given this opportunity to portray Michele Obama out there somewhere…Alicia Keys is a great cover girl, but isn’t she always? It’s like seeing the same black actor in every movie. It’s somebody else’s turn. Sorry to be long-winded. Hope some of what I said reaches someone with some sense of rationale. These comment boards can be crazy at times!
    ——————————–

    Good post, Marsk!

  • ysr

    Damn, i guess our girl in the office is TOO dark for the mag. SMH

  • whitey

    could she be more white looking? damn can’t we have nothing

  • 2dimplzs

    @ MarsK

    You brought out some very valid and good points. I agree with what you said and some of the other posters. The media and entertainment industry is still trying to appease those who are still closed minded and scared of anything black by choosing the light skinned or “mulatto”, “mixed-raced” (whatever term is acceptable)models to be in their magazines, commercials, runway shows. It is what it is and unfortunately many are too stubborn to change their racist views of people with color.

    WE know we come in beautiful shades and hues, WE know we are a beautiful people, so while others continue to shut us out and not represent us then we have to continue to support those who do represent us.

    We must remember that the majority of these magazines aren’t even geared toward us. I applaud Vogue Italy for having an entire issue celebrating black women and women of color. It’s a shame that America (and some other European countries)still can’t let go of their hatred for anything non-white.

    I feel bad for people like Alicia Keyes and Paula Patton because they know and see the racism on a daily basis because of the industry they are in. They see and hear about the darker skinned actors and actresses not getting roles, they see the darker skinned artists not getting the record deals or not being marketed properly or as equally as the lighter skinned counter parts. At least they feel the need to try to make it right by accepting these jobs that they know a darker skinned sister would not get. At least a black person – regardless of whether they are mixed or light skinned – got a chance to represent us. People can’t seem to grasp that thought because they feel her skin tone is too light to represent us and I think that’s sad. Black is black people. Stop segregating ourselves with light versus dark. Let go of that slave mentality!!

  • TastesMinty

    That’s some ridiculous foolishness!

  • s3ximami116

    c’mon bossip if u read what the article was for it wasnt about we all look alike the article was for them to pose as the people who inspire them the most READ

  • white is right baby.

  • rachel

    this is a really stupid debate, damn it does not matter we are all black . Your sister and or brother could be much lighter or darker than you and you both come from the same parents is that person any less your sibling . Come on you all know damn well in the black community we have like a million skin tones . Point is We are Black and Alica is proudly displaying. That is what we should be supporting FOR A CHANGE. Btw , Chanel Iman is NOT light skin.

  • blondie

    WOW
    THEY GOT A HOMEWRECKER POSING AS OUR FIRST LADY???
    THEY GOT A HOMEWRECKER POSING AS OUR FIRST LADY???
    THEY GOT A HOMEWRECKER POSING AS OUR FIRST LADY???

    DAYUM.

  • BEE

    I like the pic with Alicia, it looke regal but they could have found a dark skinned woman to portray Michelle Obama. Chanel Iman pic was shockingly close to Althea Gibson. Patton pic was cool, she could pull Billie off. I think the Billie pic could have been stronger though.

  • kissofdanger

    Great job Leeha for spitting out the truth.

  • Allie

    I love it, i cosign with 2dimplzs, and paula patton looks absolutely stunning as billie holiday goodness gracious

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