Jennifer Hudson -- Naturally Lovely Lips

I’m a BROWN GIRL.  As such I have big hips, big lips and a natural tan. Those qualities are  intrinsically mine and ubuquitous to a whole lot of other women of color I know.  What gets my goat is that when it comes to moving up the ladder in the “Beauty” industry of Corporate America, I have been categorically denied passage to the next  rung because of my physicality.  Yet, those traits that identify me as a brown girl, is the stuff that is generating gazillions of dollars for those same companies.  And that whole scenario just kind of makes me mad.

Let me break it down for you.

1.  Big Lips

Du Wop Lip Venom -- The "original" plumper

I remember shopping for a red lipstick many years ago, and the perky girl behind the counter told me my lips were too big for red. That had me seeing red.  I picked out the boldest, brightest red she had and bought a few.  So what, now big lips are en vogue because of Angelina Jolie?  Every magazine editor is waxing poetic over “bee stung lips.’  What?  Bee stung lips are not cute.  What about Angie Stone, Jennifer Hudson, and other women with naturally plump lips?  Since when did a fair skin woman win in the category of best lips?  Gimme a break.

One of the best selling cosmetic products is lip plumper. Yup.  The stuff stings like the dickens and it only work temporarily.  But every cosmetic line has a lip plumper of some sort — lip gloss, lipstick, serum.  And what about the plastic surgery?  You can always tell fake lips — the upper lip curls out from inside.  It looks so weird and unnatural.  Check out Lisa Rinna.  EWWWWWWW. (more EWWWWWWW here.  I mean really ewwwwww)

2.  Big Hips

I have had big hips all my life.  For years I had to buy jeans too big in the waist to accommodate my hips.  Except for Gloria Vanderbilt jeans back in the day….I did everything to get rid of these hips.  But then I had children and I was thanking God for those child bearing hips.  I had minimal labor; as a matter of fact I barely made it to the hospital before I spit my last one out.  J Lo made a splash with her gluteous maximus, so did Beyonce’, but this latest chick, Kim Kardashian shows up with her big hips and whooaaaaa, let’s get on the big hip trip.  Gimme a break.  So what makes Kim’s hips better?  The air brushing?  Keep reading and check her out.  You tell me. (more…)