Source: TongRo Images Inc / Getty The death of a 14-year-old girl who committed suicide has sparked outrage in Kenya. According to The Guardian , the girl took her own life after a teacher allegedly embarrassed her for having her period during class. The girl’s mom said her daughter died last Friday after she got her period in class and stained her clothes. The teacher allegedly called her “dirty” and sent her away from the classroom in Kabiangek. According to the girl’s mother, it was her first period and she didn’t have a sanitary pad. The girl’s death has sparked protests from women parliamentarians and reignited national talk about “period shaming” and access to menstrual products. A 2017 law requires the Kenyan government distribute free sanitary pads to all schoolgirls. However, poor execution of the law has been the subject of a parliamentary investigation. On Wednesday, female MPs took over the education ministry to protest the girl’s death and to discuss the program, said MP Esther Passaris on Twitter . More than 200 parents also made their outrage known outside the school in Kabiangek this week, according to local media. They condemned both the teacher and the alleged lack of action from authorities. Cops used tear gas to break up the protestors and they arrested at least five people. The school has been temporarily closed and a regional police chief, Alex Shikondi, said the girl’s death is being investigated. Access to menstrual products is a big issue across sub-Saharan Africa due to an inability to afford sanitary products. This causes girls to avoid school during their periods. A 2014 Unesco report estimates that one in 10 girls are absent from school during menstruation, which means they’re not present for 20% of their schooling year. Kenya was considered a leader to addressing this issue, especially when they passed their 2017 law requiring the government give out free pads to schoolgirls. However, some people question whether the $4.5 million set aside for the program has helped with access to sanitary products and increased school attendance. Passaris said on Wednesday that the program’s budget would have to be “at least 10 times” larger than it is now if all Kenyan schoolgirls were to get free sanitary towels. The education ministry and Teachers Service Commission of Kenya are carrying out their own investigation into the schoolgirl’s death, according to Passaris, and the report is scheduled for publication in the coming weeks. “We had a candid discussion about sanitary towels, the little girl who died, and the investigation that is ensuing,” she said. “We need to make it so that girls aren’t ashamed of their periods, and I don’t think we’ve won that battle yet.”
Source: Amazon Music / Amazon Music As the 25th anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G. ‘s debut album Ready To Die looms, a new documentary takes a look early days of the late Brooklyn rapper’s career. Amazon Music’s T he Birth Of Biggie: 25 Years of Ready To Die gives viewers an inside look at the creation of this classic piece of music. Featured in the mini-documentary are biographer Cheo Hodari Coker, album producers Easy Mo Bee, DJ Mister Cee, and former Arista/Bad Boy executive, Rob Stone. The featurette also displays photos from Chi Modu, Hawkins and others. The mini-documentary plays partner to a long-form audio documentary that shares the same name and is exclusively featured on Amazon Music by way of Amazon Prime. The audio documentary dives deep into the early days of Biggie Smalls as he was still forming his style, image and firming up his legacy. Check out The Birth of Biggie: 25 Years of Ready To Die below. — Photo: Amazon
Source: ERIC BARADAT / Getty Popeyes Introduces A New “Bring Your Own Bun” Option For Sandwiches Just last month, Popeyes was on top of the world. The famous Louisiana Kitchen fast food was already a wildly popular restaurant, but no one could have imaged just how much havoc a chicken sandwich would cause. A menu item that’s already available at pretty much every other drive-thru like McDonalds, Chick-fil-A, Wendys, etc, it’s not really very groundbreaking to serve a fried chicken breast on a toasted bun–but once Popeye’s announced their take on the classic, people immediately flocked to stores and caused a nationwide phenomenon. View this post on Instagram Chicken. Brioche. Pickles. New. Sandwich. Popeyes. Nationwide. So. Good. Forgot. How. Speak. In. Complete. Sandwiches. I mean, sentences. A post shared by Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (@popeyeslouisianakitchen) on Aug 12, 2019 at 4:29pm PDT The consensus all around was pretty much the same: Popeyes made a damn good chicken sandwich. Not only that, they were cheap enough to buy 3 and still come out with a bargain. It’s pretty safe to say that the people over at Popeyes weren’t prepared for how wildly popular the sandwich would be, and less than 2 weeks after the menu item became available nationwide, it was pulled away from us. Probably disappointed over their decline in customers, Popeyes came up with a way to bring back their loyal following for an….interesting take on their own chicken sandwich. And honestly…people are not happy about it. The restaurant posted a video to their Instagram page announcing their new BYOB chicken sandwich. Popeyes is urging their customers to order a 3-piece chicken tender, bring their own bun, and assemble the item themselves–which is technically still a chicken sandwich, but obviously, not the same. View this post on Instagram Our new BYOB is basically The Sandwich! Just no mayo. Or pickles. And you bring the bun. Ok, so it’s really just three tenders… A post shared by Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (@popeyeslouisianakitchen) on Sep 12, 2019 at 5:05am PDT The video is clearly meant to be comical, but at such a sensitive time for those longing for the sold out menu item, it wasn’t really taken well by fans. Here’s how people reacted to the news that Popeyes is trolling us all by encouraging BYOB tender sandwiches instead of just bringing back the sandwich we all really want. wtf is this spirit airlines energy https://t.co/JWtTLNUUTO — Steadman (@AsteadWesley) September 12, 2019 Popeye’s asking you to assemble a chicken sandwich at home like IKEA furniture. Wow. Chick Fil A would never. — Angela Davis (@TheKitchenista) September 12, 2019 Me, everytime I get caught leaving Popeyes after bringing some Sunnbeam white bread to make my own chicken sandwich. pic.twitter.com/vfHWSx9Nfx — X (@XLNB) September 12, 2019
Source: Brian To/WENN.com / WENN Girlfriends is back! According to Entertainment Weekly , the hit sitcom went off the air eleven years ago and now the cast is reuniting for an episode of Black-ish . The whole squad is back including Golden Brooks, Persia White, Jill Marie Jones and of course Tracee Ellis Ross who also stars on Black-ish. “The timing was perfect to be able to bring Girlfriends to a whole new audience. We haven’t all been together on camera since 2006,” Ross told EW . “ Girlfriends ran for eight years and was important to so many people. Being able to merge the worlds of black-ish and Girlfriends was surreal for me — and so much fun. These are women I grew up with and love deeply and it was easy to tap back into the magic of our chemistry and how much we love each other. It was giggles on top of giggles on top of giggles.” Surprise!!! My giiiiifriends are guest starring on an episode of @blackishabc this season! #blackish @RealPersiaWhite @therealgolden47 @MsJillMJones https://t.co/Capmlsc9SC pic.twitter.com/4J4Y3iASlC — Tracee Ellis Ross (@TraceeEllisRoss) September 12, 2019 The reunion will air on October 8 in a Black-ish episode called “Feminisn’t,” in which Bow (Ross) learns that Diane ( Marsai Martin ) and Ruby ( Jenifer Lewis ) don’t believe in feminism. Yup, this will be great. Meanwhile, another blast from the past is coming back to Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim with the return of Black Jesus. The show, created by Aaron McGruder , has been off the air for four years and now the show will make a comeback with its third season. Unfortunately, the show will be returning without co-star Charlie Murphy who passed away in April 2017. Co-star Corey Holcomb told Comedy Hype in an interview, “It’s gonna be weird without Charlie Murphy on set. We’re gonna get this thing going without him, and I’m sure we’re still gonna make the show good, but it will be different not seeing him on set.” You can check out the trailer for season three of Black Jesus below and be sure to check it out when it premieres September 20.
Source: John Parra / Getty Keke Palmer Takes A Lie Detector Test With Vanity Fair Strahan, Sara, and Keke cohost and Hustlers star Keke Palmer is the latest celebrity to stop by Vanity Fair to take their famous lie detector test. Is Keke her real name? Where is she from? How long has she been acting? What are her dating preferences? Check out the video below to find out the answers to these questions and so much more as Keke takes her first lie detector test.
Castro seeing Biden pic.twitter.com/hogF9o5QBr — Paul McCallion (@OrangePaulp) September 13, 2019 Funniest Tweets From The Third Dem Debate Ah yes, another mildly entertaining Dem Debate with wayyy too many questionable candidates and that one viral moment everyone’s buzzing about. This time, it was Julian Castro bullying Joe Biden (loudly and wrongly) that set the tone for a night with a loopy Kamala , aggressive Bernie, lovable Lizzy and, well, Andrew Yang basically promising to make it rain on Americans. Here's the moment from the #DemDebate that made everyone tweet, “is Kamala Harris drunk?” pic.twitter.com/dsA32rIlBk — Eddie Zipperer (@EddieZipperer) September 13, 2019 Peep the funniest tweets from the third Democratic Debate on the flip.
Source: @JustInMyView / R1 Digital There was never any doubt that Tekashi 6ix9ine would be singing like a bird once the Feds got their hands on him. Considering how tattletales are treated in crime circles ( his own family sees the jig ), the Brooklyn rapper is being housed with other snitches for his safety. In fact, Tekashi is probably doing better than most inmates. Reports TMZ : Fact is … the feds believe Tekashi is already safe and secure in the facility he’s called home for nearly a year. The joint houses other snitches, all of whom have the same problem … certain people want to kill many of them and are willing to pay a hefty price to get the job done. The facility has a unit where a bunch of the snitches live. They spend all of their time with each other … no other inmates allowed. They have a common area where tables are set up for meals. It’s strictly a catering-in unit. Food carts come and go all day. They have exercise equipments and a TV in the common area and they sleep in a dormitory setting. Tekashi is facing 47 years in the bing if convicted of his crimes. However, prosecutors recently detailed how he will be basically pointing the finger at everyone in his crew, as well as admitting to his own crimes. The result is he’ll do significantly less time, while his rap career is basically a wrap. He may want to lose the face tattoos sooner than later, too.
Source: TV ONE / TV One Brand Nubian member and Hip-Hop veteran Lord Jamar is no stranger to controversy, so his latest statement regarding women in Hip-Hop doesn’t come as a surprise. During an interview with Bosschick Raine for the online show “Battle Code”, Lord Jamar stated that he doesn’t feel women rappers aren’t appealing as artists because he can’t relate to their subject matter, despite having the first lady of Flipmode, Rah Digga , as his podcast cohost. “I don’t f*ck with female rappers,” he said before elaborating. “The same reason I don’t f*ck with white rappers or wack rappers: I can’t resonate with what a woman is talking about. Now listen, can I appreciate a sista that can rhyme good? Yes. Rah Digga can rhyme. She’s dope. Bahamadia, dope. But do I wanna listen to a female rhyming about female sh*t? It doesn’t resonate with me.” When asked about female rap legends like Lauryn Hill and MC Lyte , Lord Jamar revealed that he holds those two ladies at a different standard than most. “I love Lauryn Hill, but some people will say that’s not Hip Hop,” Lord Jamar continued. “You got some people that’ll say [ The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill ] was damn near an R&B album. I loved Lauryn Hill. She was one of the only female albums that I actually really did listen to on some ‘this is the soundtrack for a minute.’” In regards to fellow pioneer, MC Lyte, Jamar stated that her “tomboy” persona allowed him to bypass her gender and listen to her rhyme before stating the obvious that his point of view like his music choice is very misogynistic. “Lyte was different because we were younger. It was a different time and Lyte was almost like a tomboy at that time, so you kinda knew girls like Lyte, but Lyte’s music was more harder too,” Lord Jamar explained. “I like real Hip Hop. Like I said, I’m an alpha male. So, certain themes are not gonna resonate with me. Female themes, themes of sucker sh*t, white people themes. There’s a lot of shit that I wouldn’t resonate with. But I resonate with positive, militant, gangsta, sometimes misogynistic music. I’m just keeping it real. I’m just telling you what I like.” Check out the video below:
Source: Sean Drakes / Getty When I found out that I was going to Kerby Jean-Raymond’s Pyer Moss show, I couldn’t feel my legs for a minute and it felt like the room was spinning around me at 100 mph. Granted, I had been to one of the designer’s shows a few seasons ago and had loved every single second of it, but this time, it was extremely different. In just two short years, Kerby has gone from a Black designer to watch to the designer of the moment, and dare I say, a designer of the century. He’s the type of public figure that urban kids can quickly identify, among the Off-Whites and Balenciagas splattered on every streetwear roundup. He’s the fashion designer whose clothing is clean and respectable — he’s not really gimmicky or peacocky just for the sake of show, but his clothes pack a bunch and are well-tailored. He’s the Black designer who straddles this fence between resources and talent, one minute discussing in magazine spreads how he received death threats for his Spring ‘16 show, and then the next minute taking out Kings Theater to well over a thousand spectators as the entire fashion world stopped for a moment in time. Attempting to write about the Pyer Moss S/S 2020 Collection feels like trying to explain what water tastes like to the malnourished, or what love feels like to one who has only known trauma. I suppose I should also point out that other than the extraordinary rise in Kerby’s career over the past few years, the other reason why the invitation to his show was downright unbelievable to me was because I wasn’t being asked to attend as press. I was simply being asked to attend on my own accord. Working press during NYFW is a marathon, indeed, but it’s also exhausting as hell. Fighting to get quotes, to snap photos, to ensure you’ve received all the assets you need before jet-setting off to the next show or to your laptop to sit down and write, write, write, can feel emotionally and spiritually draining. There were moments throughout the season I had to work press for shows, and that was totally fine: Building TheBlondeMisfit.com has been the act and labor of love that I have sought to create space in, but being Black media and press is also a who’s who game. Sometimes you don’t get the quote, or you don’t get the angle. Sometimes the larger outlet does steal your material and you’re not acknowledged, or everyone else’s team of five has the same responsibilities as your team of one. So to know that for one night, the show of my dreams only asked for me to sit back and enjoy without the added responsibility of work afterwards? I was moved, and after seeing the show, I was thankful. Source: Sean Drakes / Getty There are a lot of show reviews on Pyer Moss’s latest collection, and honestly, I stand by them all. There’s interviews, backstage looks, features, and so much more. This third collection focused on the contributions of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, also known as the Black woman who invented Rock’N’Roll. With jewelry done by Johnny Nelson, an entire choir named “The Pyer Moss Tabernacle Drip Choir Drenched in The Blood,” parts of design by Christopher John Rogers, and more, the show was not just Black. It was undeniably Black. The choir sang hits from influential Black women in music, from Lil’ Kim to Tina Turner, as beautifully dripped clothing walked the runway. We saw tailored suits, pleated asymmetric skirting, plunging necklines, and evening wear ready for the red carpet. We saw the color block moto jackets in partnership with Sean John, and the iconic “Vote or Die” T-shirt re-emerge in today’s troubling political climate. But throughout the show, I couldn’t help but find myself putting the phone down in an attempt to just enjoy this moment — it wasn’t the Black models, or the Black clothing, or the Black choir, or the thousand people filled into this theater for this Black man and his team. It was the message of what fashion can be and what it should be. View this post on Instagram At @pyermoss last night. I never thought I could belong in fashion, and I still don't think that I do. I'm hypercritical of myself and my talents, and I oftentimes wonder if I'm taking on too much and if I will fumble the bag. But I have had so many people, family, friends, and you all, who have loved me from near and far, who have poured into me and have affirmed me in this space. To know that wherever I plant my seed, it blossoms. Whatever I touch, it gets to grow. That the work I've put in hasn't gone unseen, and that I have little angels all around me working those overtime hours. This is because I have given God all of my gifts, and have asked Him to order my steps and my anointing. I've asked Him to show people that TheBlondeMisfit isn't on man's timing, but on God's. HE will put you in the presence of great men and women, and to be in the presence of the impact that @kerbito brought to fashion literally made me cry. It is divine orchestration that proves I was meant to be there. That I am doing fine and that God is making a way. I may not always know what's on the other side of fear, but I know who holds the keys. It was an honor to wear THREE black designers last night to the most undeniably groundbreaking, thought-provoking, memorizing, and Blackest show I have ever seen. Thank You Kerby for letting God use you as a vessel for the people, and for reminding me how powerful purpose truly is. A post shared by Jamé Jackson (@theblondemisfit) on Sep 9, 2019 at 11:13am PDT Friends and family know I believe I’m a fashion ‘outsider’, thus the ‘misfit’ misnomer. Even as I learn and meet more people, take up more space, and fill more rooms, I learn that the collective thought of fashion has changed over the years, and that there are still misunderstood misfits in fashion. There are still people who are thinking in colors, and shapes, and hues, whereas the majority are still thinking about what they had for breakfast that morning. As the models did their final walk and the choir belted out a gospel song that’s lyrics sought for God to make one over again, tears streamed my face as I realized I was sitting in on a moment of history. A reclamation of Black women and our bodies and our narratives, not just in fashion, but in history, was taking place right on the stage in the presence of a multicultural and multidimensional crowd. I felt the spirit in the theater, the same spirit I feel on Sunday mornings when I head to church and reconcile that God’s gotten me through another week, or the same spirit I feel when I give honor and praise in the wee hours in the morning when I know I am spiritually under attack. It’s the same spirit I know my mommy and grandmommy felt walking the floorboards as they prayed to a Creator to make a way out of no way, and surely, He always did. I felt God’s face shine upon us and confirm that we, as a people, would be alright. But more importantly, I saw what divine manifestation can look like for another when you walk in purpose. That is what is missing from these show reviews I’ve been reading, who have accurately discussed the beauty of the clothing, or the choir, or the resounding speech that started the show. The show reviews that probably gave you the backstory of how droves of people were standing outside the Theater for blocks and blocks, hundreds, if not thousands of people there just to see if they could buy a ticket. I’m sure you’ve read the reviews of people discussing the power and the magnitude of Kerby’s show, some even calling it his “church” and what’s next in fashion. But walking away, I saw the purpose of something so much more than clothing or a review. Sunday night is a hope for anyone out there with a dream and a prayer, with faith the size of a mustard seed, that if it’s of God, He can truly change the game with your gifts. He can change the industry with your talents. The clothes and the music and celebrity sightings are all gravy to the entré, which brings us back to center and makes us question for the rest of our lives are we operating in purpose or are we solely skating by. I want to thank Kerby for relighting a fire within me and all who attended. For honoring the Black women who have come before, and will undoubtedly come after us. And for all of those who understand now more than ever we can reclaim that power and use it to channel true change in the industry. I never want that feeling I felt to die, nor the feeling that being an ‘outsider’ is wrong when God is using your vision for a larger purpose. The world stopped for Kerby, they can stop for us as well. DON’T MISS: #NYFWNOIR: Studio One Eighty Nine Brought The Motherland To New York Fashion Week #NYFWNOIR: Maki Oh Continues To Define Afromodernism To The West #NYFWNOIR: Here’s How This Black Designer Got Beyoncé To Wear Her Shoes [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”3058068″ overlay=”true”]
Source: GP Images / Getty When we think of celebs debuting a new hair lewk, The Weeknd is the last person that comes to mind. A true fly below the radar type of guy, the singer mostly gets attention for his soothing voice and high-profile relationships. Many of us know the Canada native for his chunky locs and cropped cut styles. So, once we found out that the “ Try Me ” singer was generating buzz in the hair department, we were immediately intrigued! The true epitome of the saying “new hair, who’s this?,” the singer debuted his new TWA at the TIFF premiere of his upcoming film, Uncut Gems . The star hasn’t been in the public eye lately so once the photo made its rounds, it’s safe to say we were all shook. If you ask us, the star is serving major Lionel Richie meets Tito Jackson vibes with this mane move. It’s definitely out of the box for the singer (real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye), but in true creative nature, there is absolutely nothing wrong with changing up your look. While we’re still getting over our shock of his head-turning new ‘do, Black Twitter has been having a field day! From hilarious jokes to predictions of a new album on the way, we can always count on our Twitter family to give us a good laugh. Keep clicking to check out some of the funny and lowkey true tweets about The Weeknd’s hair transformation.
