tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65574310071899559432024-03-13T03:17:10.090-05:00The Pop Culture MomI'm a part-time writer/full-time mom-at-law.
The Pop Culture Mom blog covers pop culture, politics, celebrities, race, LGBT issues, iOS apps, product reviews, and everything in between.Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-19027507235735860212017-06-12T20:22:00.001-05:002017-06-12T20:22:22.828-05:00Bachelor in Paradise and Rape Culture Some of you need a refresher on the issue of "consent."<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/2svIha5" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-2796635371837345112016-11-11T19:16:00.001-06:002016-11-11T19:16:12.627-06:00My How Far We’ve Gone (Back)This time eight years ago, I was filled with so much hope and joy. I was expecting the birth of my first baby girl. We had just elected our first black president. Although the economy was tanked due to eight years of failed Republican policies, things were looking up. The stock market had begun to … <a href="http://ift.tt/2fJsCNR" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">My How Far We’ve Gone (Back)</span></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/2fsuB6e" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-49167000132343249472016-11-11T11:16:00.001-06:002016-11-11T11:16:03.952-06:00My Inside-ish Out-like Font for anyone who can’t get…My Inside-ish Out-like Font for anyone who can’t get enough of Disney/Pixar’s #InsideOut Go to: http://ift.tt/1LLyzTY via tumblr http://ift.tt/1GTbYNYFiled under: Uncategorized Tagged: Front Page<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/2eKp5dS" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-55579038461302018132016-02-01T18:46:00.001-06:002016-02-01T18:46:58.649-06:00Please Stop Saying Ted Cruz’s Daughter “Hates” HimThe media has finally done the impossible—make me feel sympathy for Sen. Ted Cruz. Sure, the guy is a psychopath and creepy as all hell, but “even his daughter doesn’t like him” is a pretty cruel indictment, especially when we’re talking about a little child, and not some teenager or adult who has given a statement […]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1RWxSdW" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-69657668995847059882016-01-26T14:49:00.003-06:002016-01-26T14:49:08.102-06:00Gov Abbott: End your sham Planned Parenthood investigation today!Gov Abbott: End your sham Planned Parenthood investigation today! https://t.co/vvH5RggGZj [green_message]Source: https://t.co/vvH5RggGZj [/green_message] If you like more things like this, follow me on Facebook at http://ift.tt/1plYy9zFiled under: Uncategorized<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1NypY2E" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-21104336158970752112016-01-26T14:49:00.001-06:002016-01-26T14:49:07.159-06:00Gov Abbott: End your sham Planned Parenthood investigation today!.@GregAbbott_TX and @KenPaxtonTX: End your sham @PPact investigation. #txlege #standwithPP Source: If you like more things like this, follow me on Facebook at http://ift.tt/1Upp7H0 [green_message]Source: http://ift.tt/1Upp7H0 [/green_message] If you like more things like this, follow me on Facebook at http://ift.tt/1plYy9zFiled under: Uncategorized<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1NypWrA" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-23239928308232923152016-01-26T08:18:00.001-06:002016-01-26T08:18:51.804-06:00Her Name Was Janese Talton-Jackson. And She Was Killed Because She Said “No” | VSBMen, you do not have a right to any woman’s company or her life. No woman owes it to you to reciprocate your advances. [green_message]Source: http://ift.tt/1K6BhEn [/green_message] If you like more things like this, follow me on Facebook at http://ift.tt/1plYy9zFiled under: Uncategorized<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1nvSyNq" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-30144251310934989002015-12-11T10:27:00.001-06:002015-12-11T10:27:45.624-06:00Season 9 of The Big Bang Theory is NOT for PreggosThis should go without saying, but if you haven’t watched the latest episode of The Big Bang Theory, this article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk. But, seriously, you should’ve been able to figure that out from the title. The Big Bang Theory has been one of my favorite shows since it first aired. Dr. […]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1meX3v0" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-47138029501472234782015-12-04T18:00:00.001-06:002015-12-04T18:00:46.240-06:00Sometimes I Really Love Four-Year OldsSuper Girl is a natural-born comedienne. Just when I thought nothing could top, “You giving me side-eye??” this morning… ♬♪♩ McDonald’s 🍟 had a farm. E I E I O. And on that farm he had a dog and Bingo was his name oh. B-I-N-G-O. B-I-N-G-O. B-I-N-G-O. B-I-N-G-O. And Bingo was his name oh ♩♪♬ […]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1NMNXlc" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-36107233346632611262015-10-02T08:28:00.001-05:002015-10-02T08:28:37.468-05:00Mass Shootings… I’m ConfusedThe Oregon shooter was a British, IRA-supporting, biracial, neo-Nazi, anti-theist, self-proclaimed conservative Republican… Color me confused. And this obviously mentally ill person was allowed to purchase three handguns and an AR-15. There have been 45 school shootings this year. Texas Legislature recently voted to allow guns on campus (idiots) and other Teapublican law makers don’t […]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1WBuMLZ" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-84927977050819982892015-09-02T22:01:00.001-05:002015-09-02T22:01:29.716-05:00I am Officially a Narc… And I’m Okay with ThatI’m now officially that mom who calls the police non-emergency number on other parents. Some woman was going 40 in the school zone this morning, weaving in and out of traffic. I tried honking at her and flagging her down several times. All that got me were dirty looks from the driver. I assumed she […]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1OaUQsD" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-45982743851858932052015-08-13T02:57:00.001-05:002015-08-13T02:57:20.119-05:00Undercover Sistah Day on SuitsOn Wednesday night, two of my guilty pleasures came together… well, three, actually. Suits + Pretty Little Liars + two of my favorite undercover sistahs, Meghan Markle and Troian Bellisario. I know I’ve mentioned many times how I enjoy being the Biracial Whisperer. PLL‘s Troian Bellisario and Suit‘s Meghan Markle are two of my favorite…<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ift.tt/1P8zRqs" width="1" height="1" />
Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-49398769054106725162015-07-08T22:57:00.001-05:002015-07-08T22:57:37.519-05:00Why I'm Now (Probably) an Ulta Fan For Life<div style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-align: justify;"><p style="text-align: start; outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When you're a woman of color, particular if your skin tone skews more brown than beige, shopping for makeup is exhausting, frustrating, and sometimes even humiliating. Even though it is 2015, many makeup companies haven't attempted to make many shades for us darker ladies. Even those that make darker shades make far less of those hues than they do beige, and they often get the undertones completely wrong. Many beige women of color aren't completely exempt from the awful makeup-buying experience either. The problem here is, again, undertones. Well, <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">really</i>, the problem is bias.</span></p><label class="wp-temp" data-wp-temp="caption" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-user-select: none;"><span class="wp-caption" data-caption-id="attachment_417" data-caption-align="aligncenter" data-caption-width="300" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; font-style: italic; cursor: none; width: 300px; max-width: 100% !important; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="https://thepopculturemom.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/img_4130.jpg" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-417" src="https://thepopculturemom.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/img_4130.jpg?w=300" alt="Just a typical day of buying makeup for women of color. Let's see... there's super light beige, kinda light beige, and beige. Um... is this what passes for diversity these days?" width="300" height="119" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; width: auto; height: auto; margin: 0px; min-width: 30px; min-height: 30px; max-width: 100%; opacity: 1;"></a> Just a typical day of buying makeup for women of color. Let's see... there's super light beige, kinda light beige, and beige. Um... is this what passes for diversity these days?</span></label><p style="text-align: start; outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This isn't a new problem, really. Ask any brown woman about her experiences with buying makeup or using makeup artists, and you're bound to get an earful.</span></p></div><div style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-align: justify;"><p style="text-align: start; outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Enter Nykhor Paul. She's a South Sudanese model, and she's <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><strong style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">gorg</strong>. </i>She's also dark-skinned. On Monday, she posted this (much warranted) rant on Instagram:</span></p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; padding: 0px; margin: 1px; border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.498039) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.14902) 0px 1px 10px 0px; max-width: 658px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; padding: 8px;"><div style="text-align: start; outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 40px; padding: 163.5px 0px; width: 327px;"></div><p style="text-align: start; outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 4px;"><a href="http://instagram.com/p/4zVonor-ox/" target="_top" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">Dear white people in the fashion world! Please don't take this the wrong way but it's time you people get your shit right when it comes to our complexion! Why do I have to bring my own makeup to a professional show when all the other white girls don't have to do anything but show up wtf! Don't try to make me feel bad because I am blue black its 2015 go to Mac, Bobbi Brown, Makeup forever, Iman cosmetic, black opal, even Lancôme and Clinique carried them plus so much more. there's so much options our there for dark skin tones today. A good makeup artist would come prepare and do there research before coming to work because often time you know what to expect especially at a show! Stop apologizing it's insulting and disrespectful to me and my race it doesn't help, seriously! Make an effort at least! That goes for NYC, London, Milan, Paris and Cape Town plus everywhere else that have issues with black skin tones. Just because you only book a few of us doesn't mean you have the right to make us look ratchet. I'm tired of complaining about not getting book as a black model and I'm definitely super tired of apologizing for my blackness!!!! Fashion is art, art is never racist it should be inclusive of all not only white people, shit we started fashion in Africa and you modernize and copy it! Why can't we be part of fashion fully and equally?</font></a></p><p style="text-align: start; outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A photo posted by nykhor (@nykhor) on Jul 6, 2015 at 9:55am PDT</span></p></div></blockquote><p style="text-align: start; outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Her message resonated very deeply with women of color, famous and not so famous alike. My pal from law school, <a href="https://instagram.com/robinnelee/" target="_blank" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none;">Robinne Lee</a>, expressed similar sentiments on her Facebook page about her frustration of dealing with on-set makeup artists who are not prepared for women of color:</span></p></div><blockquote style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; padding: 10px 10px 10px 20px; margin: 10px 0px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px;"><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">"<span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">I never ever show up on a set without my own foundation and powder. Never ever. I've been in this business for twenty years and you only need a couple of bad experiences to learn a lesson..."</span></span></em> <em style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">(reprinted with permission from Robinne Lee) </span></em></span></p></blockquote><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">All over Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, black women, celebrities and non-celebrities alike shared stories of makeup artists, hairstylists, and stores that treated our blackness—our black hair, our black skin—as an inconvenience. Like nearly every other brown woman of color in this country, I have been there before. This May, when I was browsing through Ulta, looking at aisle after aisle of "30 shades of beige and two of brown, but not YOUR brown" and "our colors only come in light, light/medium, and medium. 'MURICA!", the frustration was just too much for me. I tweeted the following, not really expecting anything to come of it [because nothing ever does]: </span></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; padding: 10px 10px 10px 20px; margin: 10px 0px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px;"><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Shopping for makeup is just depressing when you're a WOC. <a href="https://twitter.com/ULTA_Beauty" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none;">@ULTA_Beauty</a>, why don't your stores in diverse areas carry diverse products? <span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">— Pop Culture Mom (@popculturemom) <a href="https://twitter.com/popculturemom/status/601154357422239746" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none;">May 20, 2015</a></span></span></p></blockquote><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So imagine my surprise when Ulta actually responded:</span></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; padding: 10px 10px 10px 20px; margin: 10px 0px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px;"><p dir="ltr" lang="en" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="https://twitter.com/popculturemom" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none;">@popculturemom</a> hi there, we'd like to hear more about your experience in order to improve. Please email us the details at gethelp@ulta.com.</span></p><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">— ULTA Beauty (@ULTA_Beauty) <span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><a href="https://twitter.com/ULTA_Beauty/status/601409620696014848" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none;">May 21, 2015</a></span></span></p></blockquote><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So, I took this open invitation, and I ran with it. Below is the part of the very long e-mail I fired off to Ulta the next day: </span></p><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; padding: 10px 10px 10px 20px; margin: 10px 0px; border-top-left-radius: 2px; border-top-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-right-radius: 2px; border-bottom-left-radius: 2px;"><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In response to your request to me on Twitter ..., here is the recurring problem I have in Ulta's stores ... :</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As is evident by my signature line, I am a woman of color. Now, it's hard enough being a woman of color and trying to find makeup. Most brands, unless they are minority-owned, simply just don't make enough colors for women of color. So I'm not going to fault Ulta for not carrying more colors if the brand itself doesn't carry them. However<i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">, if a brand </i>carries a more diverse line of makeup, I would expect that your stores—particularly those in diverse neighborhoods—would. I can't tell you the exact demographics for ... However, just looking at the schools zoned in the areas near this particular Ulta, this neighborhood is about 40% non-white. Looking around, I can tell you that there is a heavy population of black, Hispanic, Indian, Vietnamese, and Filipino. Although there are huge variations of colors within those communities, we tend to have a lot of tan-to-brown people. So I would expect that for brands that actually carry makeup in brownish colors, Ulta in our neighborhood would have them.</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">No, it doesn't. I have requested several times. I have been in the store when other customers have requested more colors (and have been told, sometimes mistakenly, that the brand doesn't carry them. I've looked online, this isn't true). I've even had people who work in the store complain to me that they can't find colors for themselves either. So, obviously, this is either a management or corporate problem. And, from what I can see on Ulta.com, this is a <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; font-weight: bold;">corporate</i> problem.</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Yesterday I was looking for Dermablend. From their color match system, I know that my concealer color is Cocoa. Looking at Ulta.com, "Cedar" and "Cocoa" (the only two brown concealers) are listed as "online only," which means <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">none</i> of your stores will carry this. Similarly, every brown color of Dermablend's Cover Creme except for the <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">very darkest brown</i>, which is a good 8 shades or so darker than the darkest beige you carry (which means you've missed pretty much every tan or brown woman who isn't extremely dark with red undertones—a description which actually matches exactly <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">no one</i> I know), is listed as online only. I looked for the color of Smashbox Photo Filter Powder Foundation that matches my tone per Smashbox's website. That, too, was available online only. You used to carry Iman (a brand for women of color) in stores. Now it's online only. The Smashbox Try It Kit: BB+Halo comes in a "Dark" variety, and Ulta doesn't even <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">bother </i>to carry that one online (but Birchbox does, and so does Amazon.com...).</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Basically, everywhere I look in the Ultaverse for colors that might fit me, Ulta has deemed that these colors are "online only" and not fit for store shelves—if it carries them at all. While I love very much to shop online, the one thing I <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">loathe</i> buying online unless I absolutely have to is makeup (foundation and powder, at least). This is for obvious reasons. I mean, how do I know that a foundation or powder is going to actually <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">work</i> for my skin without trying it on? Is it really necessary to have space for 25 shades of beige but only 1 shade of brown (if any)? This is ridiculous and <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><b style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">biased</b></i>. It's also <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><b style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">demoralizing</b></i>. .... I shouldn't feel like a second-class citizen when simply trying to buy <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">powder foundation</i>.</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm sure your response will be that these colors just don't sell and that's why you can't stock them in store, but how could they if, based on experience, women of color don't actually expect to find colors in your store? Honestly, I didn't even go looking for foundation/powder yesterday ..., since every time has been a disappointment. But I looked anyway, and, as expected, I was disappointed.</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">You may not realize this, but blacks have <a href="http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/african-american-consumers-are-more-relevant-than-ever.html" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none;">the most purchasing power of any single ethnic group</a> in the United States. Combine us with Hispanics, Indians, and certain Eastern and Southeastern Asian groups, and are you really prepared to say that our purchasing power isn't worth a little bit of effort to make some room on your physical shelves to make our shopping experience more pleasant? I really like Ulta's branded products, but I can't continue this game of purchasing in store and then having to go home to complete my makeup purchases online. And I know a lot of other women who feel the same way.</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In closing, I would like to add, I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to give me a thoughtfully crafted response rather than a canned "Thanks for your input. We're looking into it." In addition to it being insulting to the intelligence, the fact is, you guys <i style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">reached out to me</i> after my small 140-character rant on Twitter. I obviously took the time to send you a detailed response of the problem, and I would appreciate some reciprocity.</span></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;"><span style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Regards, [Pop Culture Mom]</span></div></div></blockquote><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Honestly, I really expected that all I might get out of this very long, soul-bearing e-mail was a bit of catharsis. So imagine my surprise when the next day, I received a voicemail from the Ulta corporate office.</span></p><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Now, my phone number was never on the e-mail. However, I'm an Ulta rewards member (and, despite my difficulty finding makeup in-store, a platinum one at that), and the Ulta Guest Services Manager [shout out to Ron!] was able to get my phone number and purchase history from my account. The message let me know that my e-mail had been received and was being taken very seriously and let me know that I could expect a response after the Memorial Day holiday. I was also given a direct phone number in case I wanted to talk before I had gotten a complete response.</span></p><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After the holiday, Ron and I touched base to schedule a call to discuss his findings in more detail. Honestly, even though Ulta corporate had reached out to me and was clearly making a concerted effort to keep the lines of communication open, I was not expecting much to come from the call. So when Ron started out by telling me that the various corporate heads he had spoken with to inquire as to why there weren't many products available in store for women of color had responded that they also didn't understand why that was the case in this day and age and saw it as a problem, I was shocked. But then when the blame shifted to the corporations manufacturing the makeup, my shock waned, and I expected another conversation reciting business as usual. But I shouldn't have, because Ron continued to surprise me.</span></p><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Among other things, Ron explained to me that Ulta's old corporate model could not allow for stores to be diversified, and the result was that every single Ulta store carried what was basically the national average in terms of sales. So the Ulta store in, for example, Sandy, Utah carries exactly the same merchandise as the store in Atlanta, Georgia, even though the demographics of those cities are vastly different [Sandy, Utah is, by the way, 86% non-Hispanic white per Census data; Atlanta, on the other hand, is 36.3% non-Hispanic white and 54% black]. And because this nationwide data is collected based on a country where the vast majority of people are white and where non-white people (particularly those that are either darker than "honey beige" or don't have pink or blue undertones) don't actually expect for most cosmetic stores to service them, you can pretty much guess which way the data skews. [<em style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">And, unless you're bathing in a sea of privilege, you can also see where the problem lies.</em>] But Ulta is now in a position where it can customize its offerings by region. So in areas like mine where dark people of various ethnicities abound, come early 2016, we should expect to see more of our hues offered not just "online" but also in-store.</span></p><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ron also informed me that this "bigger and better" Ulta extends not only to their technology and inventory tracking but also to their ability to court more diverse brands and put some pressure on those brands who haven't caught up with the times to join the rest of us in the ultra-diverse 21st century. That pressure has apparently worked on some brands, and a few are now expanding their offerings to add several new shades. There were more details, more happiness to share about Ulta's coming changes to accommodate its customers of color. But the bottom line is that Ulta isn't just giving lip service; it clearly cares about customer satisfaction—all customers, not just the beige and pink-undertones ones. And as if all of these changes and all of this time spent meaningfully addressing my concerns wasn't enough, Ron also arranged for the Prestige Manager [since my purchase history is primarily of those cosmetics they consider their "Prestige brands"] at my local Ulta store to meet with me one on one and introduce me to some of their newer lines and colors that might work for me better. The P.M. totally hooked me up, and I have found a new foundation to love. <a href="http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod10921064#" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none;">Her name is Becca</a> (one of Ulta's newer offerings), and, miracle of miracles, <a href="http://www.ulta.com/shade-finders/becca-foundation-finder/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none;">there are</a> several shades of brown with various undertones available.</span></p><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The sad fact is, beauty woes are just one source of the microagressions that daily confront people of color with white privilege in this country. It may not seem like a privilege to buy makeup, but when you're a person of color denied the simplicity of that experience that others feel, it is evidence what a loss of privilege it is for makeup purchases to become an <em style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">ordeal</em>. For anyone who would respond, "Well, then don't buy makeup" (ignoring the flippancy and ignorance of such a comment), the simple fact of the matter is that for many women, buying makeup isn't really an option. Yes, it would be great if we lived in a perfect world where sexism didn't make work life easier for women who wear at least natural looking makeup or if women were imbued with so much self-confidence that we didn't feel the need to wear makeup ever. But this isn't reality. Additionally, when we live in a world where models and actresses of color feel compelled to bring their own makeup kits to their jobs—a job necessity that is automatically provided for their paler skinned counterparts—or otherwise risk re-inviting the feelings of despair and embarrassment experienced after someone has half-heartedly attempted to do their hair or makeup without putting in any real effort to account for different skin tones or hair textures. It is absolutely galling that someone would think this is equal, fair, or trivial.</span></p><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This world is diverse. This country is diverse. On most continents on this planet, you can find people ranging from the palest of pale beiges to the darkest of dark browns. There are many different hair types and shades. It shouldn't be asking too much for professionals be able to do their jobs for <em style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">every</em> person who might sit in their chairs, and not just the white ones. And it isn't "baiting" to require that stores selling beauty products be able to service the clientele present in the areas where they chose to setup shop.</span></p><p style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px;"><em style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none;">Note</strong>: Ulta did not ask me to write this post, nor is this an advertisement for Ulta. However, I'd be lying if I said that, given their stated commitment to improve diversity, I'm not interested in ringing the bells and sounding the alarms that Ulta is a store women of color need to add to their rotation. I will always be of the firm belief that the same way we should buycott those brands who have absolutely zero interest in tolerance and diversity [I'm looking at you, <a href="https://twitter.com/popculturemom/status/557743358308020226" target="_blank" style="outline: transparent solid 0px; -webkit-touch-callout: none; text-decoration: none;">Almay</a>, Simply Aryan], we should similarly reward those who do.</em></p>Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-11421276731331828902015-07-02T20:19:00.001-05:002015-07-02T22:37:23.419-05:00Inside-ish Out-like: A Pop Culture Mom Font<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k9SNfPH8Cgo/VZXjBNbV5II/AAAAAAAAA-k/6M3sHHhBz8E/s1206/Photo%25252020150702201848016.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k9SNfPH8Cgo/VZXjBNbV5II/AAAAAAAAA-k/6M3sHHhBz8E/s500/Photo%25252020150702201848016.jpg" id="blogsy-1435886550833.0103" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="440"></a></div><p> Two of the things I'm totally addicted to now, the iFontMaker app for iPad and Disney/Pixar's <em><a href="http://movies.disney.com/inside-out/">Inside Out</a></em>. So I've decided to marry them.</p><p>For those who don't know, iFontMaker is an app that allows you to draw your own fonts. The <a href="http://2ttf.com">website</a> says you can draw a font in 5 minutes. This is probably true for some people, but I'm Type A and complicated when it comes to anything creative, so for me, it's often the equivalent of five <em>days</em>. The font that appears on the web version of this site is my handwriting. This font was probably redone, oh, six or seven times. I have various fonts I've created for the purpose of one-key shortcuts (for example, a private signature font I use at work to sign PDFs), fonts of cartoons of my family just because I ran out of ideas, chalkboard fonts, fonts to make diecuts for my Cricut (also in the top five on my current addictions list) and of characters my kids love. That's where <em>Inside Out comes in.</em></p><p><em>Inside Out </em>is easily one of the best family movies I've seen in a long time. It has unseated <em>Frozen</em> as far as the Pop Culture Girls' obsession meter goes. You heard me, Disgust is more popular than Elsa. Seriously.</p><p>So after we saw <em>Inside Out </em>the first time, I started working on a font. I'm not exactly sure what we'll do with it other than using it in the Cricut and basically just randomly inserting it in documents just because we can [fan art made easy!], but my kids were super excited when I finally finished it today.</p><p>I'm not selfish, so I'm sharing it with you all. All I ask is that you let people know where you got it. So Inside-ish Out-like is all yours for the low cost of attribution.* Just <a href="http://2ttf.com/L2wZplOioY4" target="_blank" title="click here">click here</a>. I hope you experience lots of Joy and make Core Memories using it!<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">*<i> And it should go without saying, but DUH! no commercial use! Personal use only. </i></span></p>Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-69341218470654018972015-06-15T20:17:00.001-05:002015-06-15T21:13:51.820-05:00Rachel Dolezal and the Problem of Colorism
<p> Like many people, I've been fascinated (in horror) watching the Rachel Dolezal "passing" story unfold. I'm not going to rehash the various layers of how what she did was <em>so very wrong</em> or why "transracial," as it has been used with respect to this story, is not a thing and should not be compared to Caitlyn Jenner or any other transgendered person. Those issues have all been artfully discussed and dissected ad nauseum, and there is little more I could add to them that hasn't been said before. One thing I have seen very little discussion on, however, is how the discussion regarding Rachel Dolezal's deception relates to colorism.</p>
<p>"Colorism," for those who don't know, is an <em>intra</em>racial form of bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, or supremacy based on the lightness or darkness of skin tone. Colorism does not really exist within the white community as an intraracial issue (as there is not as wide a range of skin tones among whites as there are in other races and ethnicities), though whites may exercise some bit of colorism against other groups, where they prefer the lighter-skinned of those groups to the darker [however, I would still classify that as just "racism," rather than "colorism"]. Although the roots of colorism in the black community can be traced back to the benefits and status afforded blacks during slavery and Jim Crow, colorism continues to persist to this day. And it is a two-way street.</p>
<p>In 2013, OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network) ran a documentary called "Dark Girls," in which dark-skinned black women discussed the ways their skin color has affected the way they have been treated and perceived, largely hurtful. This documentary was followed this January by "Light Girls," which shared the stories of hurt and rejection experienced by light-skinned black women by questioning the belief that light skin makes for an easier life. Both documentaries have their fair share of acclaim and criticism, both of which is beyond the scope here. My issue is the idea of questioning someone's "blackness" based on his/her appearance.</p>
<p>Let me make it crystal clear from the outset that<strong><em> I am in no way arguing that Rachel Dolezal can consider herself black</em></strong>. <a href="http://www.popculturemom.com/2012/11/keyshia-cole-and-one-drop-rule.html">As I have previously stated</a>, self-identification is important, but that <em>self-identification must be rooted in reality</em>. Unless Rachel Dolezal presents a 23andMe or <a href="http://Ancestry.com" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">Ancestry.com</a> DNA report verifying some African ancestry [doubtful], there is no reality in which she can be considered a black woman in this country. I am only discussing those people who self identify as black or part-black whose reality and ancestry would support that claim.</p>
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<p> Moving on...</p>
<p>One of the things that has disturbed me the most as this story unfolds is watching the amount of colorism spewing forth. From the black men who make comments insinuating Rachel Dolezal "can stay" because she's hotter than most black women to the comments that people "should have known that she wasn't black," because she doesn't look the part, this story has brought forth my uncomfortable feelings with colorism.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.3em; text-align: justify;">The latter charge feels like an assault on the claims of blackness by those who don't pass a color check. During slavery and Jim Crow, lighter blacks exercised colorism against darker blacks by way of the "paper bag test" (those whose skin was darker than a paper bag were not allowed to enter) and the "comb test" (you "pass" if a fine-tooth comb can go through your hair without stopping). I don't know where the color line is allegedly drawn by those asserting Rachel Dolezal doesn't look black by any reasonable standards of blackness, but it appears that some combination of beige skin + light eyes + fine-ish hair + European features = you fail the Blackness Test. It is not 100% clear to me if, say, Rashida Jones fails because she's more olive than tan or she passes because her dad is Quincy Jones. Or if she is over the color line, do we get to welcome Catherine Zeta-Jones to the tribe, too? Pete Wentz, yay or nay? How about Mariah Carey? What are black people going to do if we lose Mariah Carey? Does her 20+ year career now become cultural appropriation? And does Amber Rose retain membership to the black community based on that fantastic ass alone?</span></p>
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<br><p>You see where I'm going with this. The possibilities are endless, numerous, and <em>utterly ridiculous</em>. It's also hurtful. How dare someone else decide that your black isn't "black enough." If someone (rightfully) self-identifies as black or part-black, how messed up is it to say that they just don't look the part enough to be who they were raised to be? And how ironic is it that the same people who would deny membership in Club Black because someone's hair or nose is too straight or eyes are too light usually flock to those articles and <a href="http://www.popculturemom.com/2013/12/i-am-biracial-whisperer-or-maybe-i-have.html">blog posts</a> about "people you didn't know are black." I guess now some of us are ready to kick them all out until we can further investigate their claims of blackness. Oh... We are...</p>
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<p>Look, I'm not denying that someone who appears white to most white people is enjoying a great deal of white privilege that darker people of color will <em>never</em> share; but that doesn't mean we throw away someone's ancestry, their culture, their life experience, or their identity, simply because they have those privileges. Does it mean there are certain discussions to which they can't relate because they have never and will never have those experiences? Of course. Does that make them any less black? No.</p>
<p>I guess the only solution here is we're just going to have to start issuing Black Cards. If your children, siblings, or other loved ones are too light to pass the Black Test, make sure they know to carry their cards at all times when they are not with you until we can get this whole thing sorted out.</p>
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Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-27140639231566628982015-04-24T10:45:00.001-05:002015-04-24T17:42:40.652-05:00Spoiler Alert! There are Spoilers on Social MediaAll morning, my social media feeds have been filled with people upset that they saw spoilers on Facebook and Twitter about last night's episode of <i>Grey's Anatomy</i>. Everywhere I look today there are a lot of "Thanks a lot!"s and "You guys suck"s and "Whatever happened to warning 'SPOILER ALERT!!!' first???"s. Sorry, my beloved friends and family members. I can't believe I still have to explain this to adults in 2015, but...<br />
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There are spoilers on social media. This is especially true on Must-See-TV nights. And this is most certainly especially true on nights of shows where the network and the show's creator have not only foreshadowed the "shocking ending" for weeks, but they have repeatedly run ads on television and social media warning you that something huge was going to happen and just how big it was going to be. Heck, it's not even that hard to figure out from the promos <i><b>what</b></i> was going to happen.</div>
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But you didn't know anything was going to happen last night, right?</td></tr>
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Not to mention, anyone who's paid attention to media reports already knew that a certain someone committed a cardinal sin in Shondaland—the kind of thing that almost always gets you booted off a Shonda Rhimes show. Apparently, this person didn't learn any lessons from Isaiah Washington (who at least managed to get himself not killed and was invited to guest on a subsequent episode), Katherine Heigel (don't let the door hit, you Izzy!), and Columbus Short (RIP, Harrison!). Anyone who is a fan of Shonda Rhimes's shows know that she does <b><i>not</i></b> suffer fools lightly.</div>
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But, apart from this one incident in particular, how—seriously, <i>how</i>—do people not know <i>in 2015</i> that the last place you need to hangout, if you're the type of person who hates spoilers, is on social media??? Complaining about seeing spoilers on social media when you <i>voluntarily</i> have looked at your newsfeed on an immensely popular television night—particularly one that has been advertised as "changing everything"—is like bitching about getting your hair wet because you left the house without an umbrella when you knew the forecast showed a 90% chance of rain. I repeat:</div>
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Sorry, but this one isn't on your Facebook friends and Twitter follows. If your enjoyment of one of your favorite shows was ruined because you looked at your newsfeed before you watched the episode, to quote Raven Symone, "That's your fault, boo-boo."</div>
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One of my friends (probably the only one with a potentially palatable excuse) runs her business off Facebook and explained to me this morning that as much as she tries to avoid social media on nights where spoilers are heavy, it's hard to do that and run a business. I get that, I do. But (as I explained to her) you can use Facebook and Twitter without looking at your newsfeed. Maybe this is conceited of me, but I've had entire weeks where I've been active on Facebook and haven't seen my newsfeed once. I go straight to my own profile page, my groups, or the pages of people I feel like seeing that day. Same with Twitter. You can search for hashtags or certain Tweeters or simply just post your own updates and never look at anyone else's. You can answer Facebook messages without ever looking at a newsfeed, and, in fact, if you are using Facebook Mobile, you don't even have a choice in this matter, because Facebook now forces you to use the Facebook App and Facebook Messenger separately. There is absolutely <b>no excuse</b> in this day and age for being outraged by spoilers on social media when you have voluntarily put yourself in a situation where spoilers abound.</div>
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Some of the comments I saw this morning had people claiming they saw 12 (you heard me, <b><i>12</i></b>) spoilers on their newsfeed last night. Assuming this number is true and not an exaggeration, that person went <i>trolling</i> for spoilers on her newsfeed. In fact, anyone who saw more than three spoilers went trolling for them. With the way Facebook is setup these days, it is impossible to see more than three alerts on your newsfeed at a time (yes, even without pictures). One person even claimed she clicked a link to an article about the episode and was "so upset" that the headline after she clicked spoiled the episode. <i style="font-weight: bold;">SERIOUSLY???</i> Look, if you don't like spoilers, then <i>avert your eyes</i> when it becomes apparent you're in dangerous territory. Continuing to scroll through your newsfeed just hoping and praying the next post won't be a spoiler or, goddess forbid, <i>clicking on news articles about episodes you haven't watched yet</i>, isn't the smartest way to avoid something you allegedly hate.</div>
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This is social media, folks. Social. Media. The entire idea is for people to interact and engage about their interests, and, yes, sometimes that means they are going to be reactionary about what they are watching on television as they are watching it. If you don't want to engage, then, until you're prepared to have that discussion with the rest of the world, maybe you need to unplug?</div>
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Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-2393232758247728372015-02-07T17:16:00.001-06:002015-02-07T17:23:31.968-06:00Dear Reality TV and Other Camera-Whoring Celebs—Cut the BullshitEarlier this afternoon. Bruce Jenner was in a car accident that proved fatal for at least one person. While causes of the accident are still under investigation, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/07/bruce-jenner-car-crash-malibu/23046701/">there has been some speculation that the accident occurred when Bruce was trying to get away from paparazz</a>i. If this is the case... <i>Are you fucking kidding me</i>???<div><br></div><div>I'm sorry, but you don't get that right. Sure, any other oerson walking down the street, even kids of celebrities or celebrities who (other than red carpet or multi-celebrity events and parties) generally seem to avoid the limelight—we all get that right for a life free of paparazzi intrusion. But reality TV "celebrities" and other stars who constantly pimp their mug for camera time? Nope, not you.</div><div><br></div><div>I mean, we are talking about someone who has voluntarily spent several seasons having cameras follow him and his entire awful family around, a man who is currently whoring himself on camera through one of the most difficult life experiences a person can have (and who all but called a national press conference to announce he was doing so). <i style="font-weight: bold;">Now</i> someone in the Kardashian/Jenner clan wants to hide from cameras? </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-H8-aR7NUr9hypbgGKdGGC62lCntW1TKPZCLeoBeVk6h0FUilCGuRKCZZ7W5GATmSiy8Ycxn3kL6EpmcfHKIFoq_yS3P4sbRsZlFG8Ua-eia8GM_kELM5JGx4sBr_Vfc7gEyTrd95TU/s640/blogger-image--686240774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-H8-aR7NUr9hypbgGKdGGC62lCntW1TKPZCLeoBeVk6h0FUilCGuRKCZZ7W5GATmSiy8Ycxn3kL6EpmcfHKIFoq_yS3P4sbRsZlFG8Ua-eia8GM_kELM5JGx4sBr_Vfc7gEyTrd95TU/s640/blogger-image--686240774.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hmm... Not hiding here...</div><br></div><div><br></div><div>No. Not this time, buddy. </div><div><br></div><div>You already thrust yourself upon us, practically ramming the life of the Kardashian/Jenners down our collective throats. You wanted fame and 24-hour, around-the-clock cameras? You got 'em! And now you need to take your celebrity (as we say in the legal field) <i>cum onere</i>. You can't have all the benefits and ignore the burdens. No cherrypicking! You get the entirety of this in-your-face star status you so desperately wanted. You don't get to run from the paparazzi, no matter how despicable they are.</div><div><br></div><div>You signed up for this. You weren't a royal who was forced to deal with the media. You aren't the child of a celebrity who didn't ask for any of this. You aren't even one of those celebrities who basically stays as far away as you can from cameras until it is time to promote your next movie or album. And you definitely aren't the other people who were just on the street, minding their own business. And now, because you were (possibly) outrunning those few cameras who were going to sell your picture without the profits coming back to you, someone has lost a life.</div><div><br></div><div>Not cool. Not cool at all.</div><div><br></div><div>So to the Kardashian/Jenners, the Real Housewives of Wherever USA, and every other actual real celebrity out there who likes to throw his or her face (boobs, abs, and whatever else) in front of the camera at every turn [say, for example, a Justin Bieber-type], you don't have the right to endanger the lives of civilians simply because a camera who actually didn't call (this time) was thrust in your face.</div><br>Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-6832222048888553712014-12-31T18:02:00.000-06:002015-01-01T14:29:54.728-06:00Walking the Walk and Talking the Talk (AKA How I Spent My Winter
Vacation)<br>
I know it's been a slow year on this blog, so for those of you who have stuck around, let me first thank you. Whether you're old or new here, welcome (welcome back) and Happy New Year to all!<br>
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Honestly, it's been hard to write more than rants on Facebook walls or quick blurbs on Twitter. My heart has been really heavy. There have been times where I have just been at my breaking point. I'm fearful of the world we are leaving our children. I truly am. And though I've kept on a brave face for my girls and even still found time to find some levity in the world [moment of silence for<a href="https://twitter.com/popculturemom/status/549748595554267136" target="_blank"> Joe Manganiello's singlehood</a>] and have kept myself busy with <a href="http://www.popculturemom.com/2014/06/do-you-wanna-build-snowman-hell-yeah-we.html" target="_blank">craft project</a> after <a href="http://www.popculturemom.com/2014/12/it-hard-knock-life-for-us.html" target="_blank">craft project</a>, whenever there was silence I couldn't fill, one thought always came back: <i>we are fucked</i>.</div>
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So I could just keep being afraid of the silence, or I could do something.</div>
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Pop Culture Dad is from St. Louis. <i>[Yeah, I know]</i>. Between the events in Ferguson and some <a href="http://www.popculturemom.com/2014/11/the-state-of-missouri-got-what-it.html" target="_blank">other things</a>, the likelihood of us making it to our annual Christmas trip this year was low like a girl in a Flo Rida song. But... it's family, you know? And we only get to see them twice a year. But PCD and I decided that if we were going to go into the belly of the best, some good was going to have to come of it.</div>
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I had been following the action on Twitter and Facebook since the very beginning, but realized as Christmas was approaching that I didn't actually know where to find information on how to get involved. I asked around and got several references for groups looking for lawyers to help out. I got in touch with those groups, and they all said they would get back to me... Then we got to St. Louis and... I just waited. No calls. I called again. I was told they would get back to me. My plan to be part of a solution was being thwarted. And, quite honestly, I felt a little depressed about it. In my head, our entire week in St. Louis was going to be filled with one rally or jail visit after another with us shouting to the family, "Come along or we'll just have to catch you later!" In reality, it was basically like any other trip to the city: family, food, movie, Magic House. Then <i>finally</i> the morning before we went home to Texas, my phone rang with a text alert:</div>
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TODAY (SATURDAY), 2PM: STL's United We Stand Silent March. Meet at Union Station downtown (18th and Market).</blockquote>
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<i>Finally</i>! I informed Pop Culture Dad that, despite all the things we needed to do that day and all the promises we made to family, we were going. He was totally game, but we were also unprepared. On the way there, we ran into Michaels and grabbed posters and markers. The Pop Culture Girls decided they wanted to do their own posters. They did not, however, know how to spell "Black Lives Matter" on their own. So I wrote it out for them and told them they could follow it. Little Diva (being six and all) did a pretty great job. Super Girl got all of the letters, buuuuut, well, they weren't exactly in any particular order. So she allowed me to make her a new sign, and she decorated it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super Girl and Pop Culture Dad</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Diva made her own sign ("MY LIFE MATTERS"). Mommy probably should have told her yellow on pink doesn't really show from far away.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the adorable sweatshirt hiding under those huge coats. It was far too cold to show them off.</td></tr>
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Despite our rushing, we made it to the meeting place in time and ready to go. It was cold (particularly for us Southern folk), and it was rainy. However, this group of a little over 100 people was not deterred. We walked arm-in-arm, <i>silently</i> (except for the children...), with our mouths covered with the names of a victim or victims of police and para-police violence, down Market Street toward the St. Louis Arch. As you can see in my pictures, this isn't just a group of black people. This is <i>truly</i> St. Louis UNITED. There were people of various races and ethnicities. The ages ranged from 0 to somewhere in the septuagenarian range. There were people of various physicalities and physical disabilities.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You notice how that microphone says "5" (as in "News 5")? The same reporter during those interviews later stated during the 5 p.m. Channel 5 newscast that he could not confirm that there were protesters in the area. Apparently the fact that he was with us from beginning to end was not enough to confirm our presence. See, people? This is why you need to have a healthy skepticism and distrust of mainstream media.</td></tr>
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Now here's where trolls on Twitter and people within the Arch who have unrecognized and unresolved race bias issues differ from what people outside the Arch will tell you. Trolls on Twitter who were never there have been arguing that the group was violent, raging, and vandalized the Arch (seriously). Anyone with half a brain knows that isn't true. In fact, you can witness it for yourself. I <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOGFbNs8eaM" target="_blank">videoed various parts of the protest</a>, and if you look on Twitter for #STLunited, you will see several people who live-blogged or later videostreamed parts of the protest. In addition to what you can see for yourself, here's what I can tell you: three of the protesters actually went inside the Arch <i>to use the restroom</i>. Once inside, security had noticed there were protesters, and those women were locked inside. When you hear us chanting "Open the gates!" it started because people were asking for security to let those women out. By the way, the Arch is a free, federal landmark open to the public. Can they restrict entry and exit for security concerns? Of course. Is prohibiting a group from exercising their First Amendment rights in a nonviolent manner in a way that doesn't otherwise violate laws something that can be done at a federal landmark? Honestly, I don't know [I haven't done the research on that yet]. It's a non-issue anyway. Because I think there is reasonable disagreement as to whether there would have been a security risk (probably something as little as a fire hazard) from allowing a marching, chanting group of 100+ people inside. I'm not saying I agree that there was a risk; I just agree that I see both arguments, and so we don't even really get to the First Amendment issue. </div>
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What I can tell you, however, is that this protest was most certainly non-violent. As I mentioned, this was a varied group, which included a lot of <i>families</i>. We had a woman in a wheelchair, a man on crutches, etc. This group marched in total silence [again, minus the children, who don't really get that whole "silent" part of the silent protest] for nearly two hours before we reached the Arch. Yes, there were guys in Anonymous masks. And, honestly, the most annoying thing they did the entire time was smoke in close proximity to children and senior citizens. There was only <i>one</i> person in this entire group who raised my antennae, and I was side-eyeing and closely watching that guy the <i>entire</i> time. And, yes, this guy was the one who, after chants I wasn't too uncomfortable having my children hear, decided to lead a <i>much smaller group</i> in a round of "Fuck the Police." That's one guy, out of over 100. There's always one. And that one person is not the group. He was not representative of the group at all. In fact, he didn't even march in close proximity to the rest of us (and I have the picture to prove that too). [<i><b>ETA:</b> I suppose I should clarify, I case I get another troll like the one who thought I would publish his comment (WRONG) that we left the area as soon as that started and that several people told that person and his small group that it wasn't the time or place for that</i>]</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEu91nmtKY48FHs2vsuLvuDAVV-4Tqf-4Z9cFhz-NHThl9lfFsRJdzReW3RHCJhAGFT7XZNF3pdBN0PVDkSWcn-KJmHkyrpSy0Y9jQsMkXjWP1DYjYidhWLLBgk2UM0RU2nWTnxcWjSs/s1600/IMG_1538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEu91nmtKY48FHs2vsuLvuDAVV-4Tqf-4Z9cFhz-NHThl9lfFsRJdzReW3RHCJhAGFT7XZNF3pdBN0PVDkSWcn-KJmHkyrpSy0Y9jQsMkXjWP1DYjYidhWLLBgk2UM0RU2nWTnxcWjSs/s1600/IMG_1538.JPG" height="320" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The police, who kept a safe distance from the group (because no crimes were broken, HELLO) stay close to the guy I was side-eyeing.</td></tr>
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The Arch was not vandalized. We created a "memorial" using the pieces of colored tape that had previously been on our mouths. Easily removable. Does not destroy property. It is no different from when people leave signs, flowers, and other memorabilia on public property. Anyone who calls that vandalism is a moron (and probably also an overreaching racist, but I digress...). As I mentioned on the Pop Culture Mom Facebook page, I'm a government attorney. Do you really think I would participate in or encourage any sort of activity that would violate federal law? Of course not. Any suggestion otherwise is preposterous.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKPhd3pUK3JKw3CGnIXZk1WazUDwVS8KCBxRgPY0DxlDVkrrVXBJlenK4f6CVHLKEywcHcHsB7sfrqhFpUxERtgZ1lmUb8PDL9PYtPErx6FltV9K5ITX6aiyp61f6rx0V2OUuU4BoXlA/s1600/IMG_1568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKPhd3pUK3JKw3CGnIXZk1WazUDwVS8KCBxRgPY0DxlDVkrrVXBJlenK4f6CVHLKEywcHcHsB7sfrqhFpUxERtgZ1lmUb8PDL9PYtPErx6FltV9K5ITX6aiyp61f6rx0V2OUuU4BoXlA/s1600/IMG_1568.JPG" height="320" width="180"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tape bearing the names of victims of police violence</td></tr>
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Correction of some of the falsities I've heard aside, this was a beautiful moment. I actually cannot find adequate words to express how moved I was by the entire experience. Seeing all of these different people come together was amazing. People who didn't even know each other and hadn't even learned each other's names, were linking their arms and hands to stand united. People were helping each other (picking up the wheelchair together, offering food, holding things to allow someone to tend to children, checking on the children and talking to them, etc.). This total group of mostly strangers came together for one common reason—wanting to make sure that law enforcement and the general citizenry realize that black lives matter too—and it was <i style="font-weight: bold;">amazing</i>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbZ-bvPlONjRYPXaQ5eQX43Uo5UKRmuGyW6n907GCv6FlcgwB0-498FtvZyie10qACGrG622I3jsjL7nu4SXClyJQqR4N_h6TSepxY-ROCwDqhM2-miqAZejZ0zg1176GS3jhSYbNcrQ/s1600/IMG_1526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbZ-bvPlONjRYPXaQ5eQX43Uo5UKRmuGyW6n907GCv6FlcgwB0-498FtvZyie10qACGrG622I3jsjL7nu4SXClyJQqR4N_h6TSepxY-ROCwDqhM2-miqAZejZ0zg1176GS3jhSYbNcrQ/s1600/IMG_1526.JPG" height="320" width="240"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super Girl has the best seat in the house</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arms linked marching toward the Arch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strangers united for a common good</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7EMIWZsHhC_i2kqlIbZyLQ3cSlIhyApGAAltibAp-io9dmVDUuvFZ0oGhHbqfvh6lxO-1nRC6L7N9CnItzVAZzumD4iPHj42qeqHrmgyiUYiW7MwmefxEMyt81_CpBgeHSiYBGrW7Bc/s1600/IMG_1552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7EMIWZsHhC_i2kqlIbZyLQ3cSlIhyApGAAltibAp-io9dmVDUuvFZ0oGhHbqfvh6lxO-1nRC6L7N9CnItzVAZzumD4iPHj42qeqHrmgyiUYiW7MwmefxEMyt81_CpBgeHSiYBGrW7Bc/s1600/IMG_1552.JPG" height="240" width="320"></a></div>
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Even more than the experience itself, I was so glad to have shared it with the Pop Culture Girls. Due to all of the craziness going on and the unavoidable conversations in our house that Little Diva is entirely too smart (and too nosey) to miss. I had to have "the talk" with her earlier than anticipated. We had the talk over Thanksgiving. More on that later. But suffice to say, even at six, she understands the gross unfairness in treating people differently because of their skin color, and she can't believe that there are adults who think it is perfectly fine to support a broken system that <i>systematically</i> treats "the other" unfairly. So, despite the fact that she was not exactly down for all that walking (and none of us were down for the cold and the hail), Little Diva was glad she did the protest. One of the gentlemen who had been gathering everyone together when we initially arrived asked Little Diva at the end what she thought of everything, and she answered "Pretty good. Pretty good for my first protest."</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Pretty good for my first protest."</td></tr>
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I'm proud of my kids for sticking with the elements and trudging along. I'm proud of my oldest daughter for understanding these issues that are so much bigger than anyone should have to understand at six years old [and, sadly, it turns out she "gets it" a lot better than many adults I've seen online]. I'm proud of my husband (and his <i>entire </i>family, amazingly) for recognizing and trying to fight against his white privilege to make a better world for, not just our children, but every child in this country. I'm proud of everyone who was there. </div>
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Every time I get overwhelmed with despair, I look at the pictures from this march and I realize that there are people out there fighting to make a difference. I'm not sure if their work will change everything, but they're bound to change some minds. Every little bit counts!</div>
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Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-7404517591272885892014-12-19T06:50:00.001-06:002014-12-19T07:17:09.331-06:00It's a Hard-Knock Life for Us!Is anyone else as excited about the new <i>Annie</i> movie as <s>I am</s> we are? The Pop Culture Fam won't be able to see the movie on opening night, but we are going to see it Christmas week.<br><br>To get ready, I made the Pop Culture Girls dresses inspired by both the <a target="_blank" href="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131010014013/disney/images/0/0a/Annie_Sandy.jpg">traditional Annie</a> dress and the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.blackcelebkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/annie2.jpg">new one</a>!<br><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJQ4FnEI5vwbC8IXKbhh29S5rsd-T3dtng8vEKJk13Ll5Hz7np98owIo3epkh5JLpd5cVDgilZx4zhod-EvYFdMZUHh3YNvlte5cDbtiIGAaUYHKGSt1XupPr4y_ZWmLuDdmU9LyEUEo/s640/blogger-image--1152555828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJQ4FnEI5vwbC8IXKbhh29S5rsd-T3dtng8vEKJk13Ll5Hz7np98owIo3epkh5JLpd5cVDgilZx4zhod-EvYFdMZUHh3YNvlte5cDbtiIGAaUYHKGSt1XupPr4y_ZWmLuDdmU9LyEUEo/s640/blogger-image--1152555828.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Old Annie in the front </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_K3l4ZAWybmie5FTkQW89l4D9rE8VieFx-9DimOBra56Hp6Pj8AuB5Ip9JeJ467IEbwsi2eEVc-fqanpjGXgtHaH92cqibidigRNvrXWanRft48c2kRIZNP_ctbu8aC4pwn4KdKByb8/s640/blogger-image--1289924861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_K3l4ZAWybmie5FTkQW89l4D9rE8VieFx-9DimOBra56Hp6Pj8AuB5Ip9JeJ467IEbwsi2eEVc-fqanpjGXgtHaH92cqibidigRNvrXWanRft48c2kRIZNP_ctbu8aC4pwn4KdKByb8/s640/blogger-image--1289924861.jpg"></a></div>New Annie in the back </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">For the pattern, I used look C on New Look A6335. I used sateen polyester fabric ("new Annie" shine) with the red and white combination of the traditional Annie dress. Instead of the recommended leather belt, I made a ribbon sash out of same white sateen. To reflect the new Annie dress style, I made a large bow out of the same sateen material [if you look closely, you can see that the inside of the bow is white—a "traditional Annie" throwback], but put it on the back instead of the front. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Construction wise, the dress is pretty awesome. My favorite thing about this pattern is that it is fully lined (not something you often see with girls' casual dress patterns!) and has netting to give the A-line skirt that adorable poof. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The pattern includes sleeveless options, too. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHv19wQDXSjPxdaw72xeNTTjSJCxuJ2Q9s1a8ZgKxW6bQE_xdms810KDN0YwCZT8CGJAshRtzSd1Wav4NM6ltw7eHEuP-Hm5srGinZyzS8R21OPwGB1PGWrseYbaENillIGNHWUn4cng/s640/blogger-image-1736673957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHv19wQDXSjPxdaw72xeNTTjSJCxuJ2Q9s1a8ZgKxW6bQE_xdms810KDN0YwCZT8CGJAshRtzSd1Wav4NM6ltw7eHEuP-Hm5srGinZyzS8R21OPwGB1PGWrseYbaENillIGNHWUn4cng/s640/blogger-image-1736673957.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">The girls are excited about their Annie dresses, and I can't wait for them to wear them to the movie!</font></div><br></div><br><br>Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-7790582864078490292014-11-25T06:29:00.001-06:002014-11-25T10:56:48.440-06:00The State of Missouri Got What It Wanted. All I Got Was a Case of the
Sadz.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7dlNN7fJKK88mqCOuop25IG0NODD48SE2kOpRqRi39B7XaVieHHhpZQosO3DI58R9dgGD4cZdyxSWcHig_Rlcs7QE_zAT5tJZiSbl_sxEi7mQBuaTnVAAYMOqPaIV_m70c9NY3nloS8/s640/blogger-image--1655276077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7dlNN7fJKK88mqCOuop25IG0NODD48SE2kOpRqRi39B7XaVieHHhpZQosO3DI58R9dgGD4cZdyxSWcHig_Rlcs7QE_zAT5tJZiSbl_sxEi7mQBuaTnVAAYMOqPaIV_m70c9NY3nloS8/s640/blogger-image--1655276077.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div>It took three and a half million minutes last night for the DA to slip in the words "no bill" somewhere. I'm still not even 100% sure where. He bullshit through a plethora of explanations of why this is a purely rational result, even though a no bill, particularly where there is so much conflicting evidence, <a target="_blank" href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/ferguson-michael-brown-indictment-darren-wilson/">happens less than .001% of the time.</a> The State backtracked into the decision it wanted all along. And they forced us to eat it. I, as a black woman in this country with brothers and cousins and friends and sons of friends—all of whom were just given proof that their lives don't matter—am just depressed and scared. And angry. I'm so very angry about how this was conducted.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctndgDTKcXr1nxy3RtvvCJGh1sdVyRXYp8HfQPIqAW0lgsG2P9xtZA8o10s5JnbQc5MRkErMrdcDCvkJvz2SyEiy5J-r_lrylEMW9Vuz5Kdrij8LlHLFLaxw4wR4uVSx2P_979NS9PBc/s640/blogger-image-823246146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctndgDTKcXr1nxy3RtvvCJGh1sdVyRXYp8HfQPIqAW0lgsG2P9xtZA8o10s5JnbQc5MRkErMrdcDCvkJvz2SyEiy5J-r_lrylEMW9Vuz5Kdrij8LlHLFLaxw4wR4uVSx2P_979NS9PBc/s640/blogger-image-823246146.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div><div><div>The State called a state of emergency two weeks prior, loaded up the army gear, and then announced at 2 pm they weren't giving the results until 9 pm. They WANTED riots. They wanted to be able to say, "See? Black people are just animals who cannot be reasoned with. We gave them 45 minutes of explanation."</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknAt_AbljhWJpmO0je1AsTOUtRdCYPMb8biNO8tVxzlxcT0vhe-5o9IypzqXvohvptzXPyfBGkXUGHko8o0GLgaqr7UlTJZMwkay6tw8P5oRWc8Ky8YBbjtP14qdgN3y4yrx2wX00yfw/s640/blogger-image--1372449190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknAt_AbljhWJpmO0je1AsTOUtRdCYPMb8biNO8tVxzlxcT0vhe-5o9IypzqXvohvptzXPyfBGkXUGHko8o0GLgaqr7UlTJZMwkay6tw8P5oRWc8Ky8YBbjtP14qdgN3y4yrx2wX00yfw/s640/blogger-image--1372449190.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>And all the while they will ignore that the city basically poked and prodded to get this result. They will ignore people's frustrations, because the very reasons McCullough gave for the no bill (all that conflicting evidence) is the same reason MOST grand juries decide there needs to be a trial. They will ignore the fact that in a town that is more than 60% black, this grand jury was somehow magically 75% white and that the number of white people on the grand jury just <i>happened</i> to be the same number you needed to get a no bill. They will ignore the fact that the grand jury listened to Darren Wilson for <i><b>hours</b></i> (an unprecedented move) including his testimony that "it [Mike Brown] looked like the devil"—you read that correctly, "it." They will ignore the fact that the looters are Not. In. Any. Way associated with the protesters and that the protestors have been holding classes and seminars and handing out flyers for <i>weeks</i> on how to peacefully assemble. </div><div><br></div><div>But, most importantly, they will ignore the fact that this is <b><i>so</i></b> much bigger than Michael Brown. This is about the pain and anger we feel that time and time again, black people—black men especially—are being hunted down like dogs because we merely <i>look</i> scary to white people who can't process their own internal prejudices and white privilege and refuse to (because they assert it's <i>our</i> fault for "making everything about race"). This is about the fact that every black mother around this country is holding her son so very tight right now, knowing that even her five- or six-year old could be shot at any moment, with no repercussions for his killer. Because, you know, a water gun in the hand of a black kid "could be real," but a water gun in the hand of a white kid is so obviously fake, because kids (white kids) wouldn't dare shoot anyone. </div></div><div><br></div><div>And meanwhile, I have to deal with white people, even some in my own family, telling me that <i style="font-weight: bold;">I </i>need to be more empathetic to how <i style="font-weight: bold;">they</i> feel, because they live in St. Louis and might have to keep their kids home… on Thanksgiving week, when the schools were closed anyway. Gee, sorry if I can't process sadness over your few days on inconvenience when my entire life as a black woman in this country with black men in my life I love dearly, is <i>one big goddamn inconvenience. </i>No feels given. </div><div><i><br></i></div><div>I'm just truly done. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UMM8rZq2WJAZ3Qd2rBRsVDq7-xnqYUErpxwSW7kNTZBp4xPksnH4yQtD3i0sjYIbbZzz36zXOQv5t617j7fJygtC8ekozQ8EAwUekHJnihFbmU4F-ptJyZ7G9neIeqtClXevo9uMeic/s640/blogger-image--1672546903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UMM8rZq2WJAZ3Qd2rBRsVDq7-xnqYUErpxwSW7kNTZBp4xPksnH4yQtD3i0sjYIbbZzz36zXOQv5t617j7fJygtC8ekozQ8EAwUekHJnihFbmU4F-ptJyZ7G9neIeqtClXevo9uMeic/s640/blogger-image--1672546903.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-20815429726025389732014-11-04T12:10:00.001-06:002014-11-04T12:10:42.063-06:00Nice Try, Target and Campbell's (Frozen-Themed Soup)<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">These days, everyone is trying to capitalize on Disney's </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Frozen</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">. I mean, I get it. It is the highest grossing animated film of all time. It has been nearly a year, and </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Frozen</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> mania is still going strong. But at what point does capitalization become just fraud?</span></div><div><br></div><div>Recently, Campbell's put out a "Target exclusive" <i>Frozen</i>-themed chicken noodle soup to join Campbell's line of other Disney/Pixar-themed soups. Personally, I think the shaped noodles taste like crap, even by overly-processed-and-likely-to-kill-you-slowly food standards [which reminds me, let me cut the Pure Foods Brigade off at the pass. Yes, yes, I know none of this stuff is good for you. Spare me the sanctimommy]; but the kids like it, so… whatever. </div><div><br></div><div>However, there is absolutely nothing different about this soup from the regular Disney Princess soup. Observe,</div><div><br></div><div>Normal Disney Princess soup can:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMl1PVEtaNHWRazfDFrzwsa8EjPGPRBnnhU1RV0u2ED7COp3OxqGaXLw-gnMt-8rKNsOvCBRm9t__98u6tdown7eHovXqusPgVU7eeoBxL7NLBb8Qx_IOuc4whx4qLjCTX7-MARaQEbw/s640/blogger-image--1437371122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMl1PVEtaNHWRazfDFrzwsa8EjPGPRBnnhU1RV0u2ED7COp3OxqGaXLw-gnMt-8rKNsOvCBRm9t__98u6tdown7eHovXqusPgVU7eeoBxL7NLBb8Qx_IOuc4whx4qLjCTX7-MARaQEbw/s640/blogger-image--1437371122.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><i>Frozen</i> soup can:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazzIjrZgtZ3y9W7IQ1vQdP-t0laqb04mwhcYOGb0yJR71R-ejDKla-S-Bmh5BX1zlsE5RD9CvBNxXXBNXoVTcjOXtDoh9bHZhZfVxcAmAwP3iLnDbMD4sBSBRb14LCKppIvFO8T9Tf_s/s640/blogger-image-592476388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazzIjrZgtZ3y9W7IQ1vQdP-t0laqb04mwhcYOGb0yJR71R-ejDKla-S-Bmh5BX1zlsE5RD9CvBNxXXBNXoVTcjOXtDoh9bHZhZfVxcAmAwP3iLnDbMD4sBSBRb14LCKppIvFO8T9Tf_s/s640/blogger-image-592476388.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>It is exactly the same. They didn't even try to pretend to change the contents (other than the misleading front label). They couldn't even <i>pretend </i>that Arial shape was Elsa? What does a carriage or slipper have to do with <i>Frozen</i>? Campbell's can figure out how to shape an egg white like a castle, but a snowflake is beyond their design capabilities?? </div><div><br></div><div><b>C'mon now!</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Maybe I'm exaggerating, but this one is straddling the line between fraud and laziness. These "enchanted shapes" are no different from the "cool shapes"—not even a little bit. </div><div><br></div><div>Am I the only one who thinks they barely phoned this one in?</div>Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-60975672704989060892014-10-30T12:57:00.001-05:002014-10-30T12:57:04.523-05:00A Frozen Over Halloween in Texas??The Pop Culture house is slowly being <i>Frozen</i> over for the <i>coolest </i>Halloween/joint birthday party in the Lone Star State. <div><br></div><div>Stay tuned for pictures after the party, but for now, here's a little taste of Halloween, Arendelle style!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqiYH8iGzKUJpfy8aKI9s7VawUEe2OgBV0Sc59OMXX0UeX-j9zE75O3CSL4zWUpRQcUXjkTR8LPEPNsrM0hFhVMJBEXER-YwtvcSaYbBFoYX16_8Ag5CHl-nkDyKDnhJDLVeGikVa-1M/s640/blogger-image--2073257527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqiYH8iGzKUJpfy8aKI9s7VawUEe2OgBV0Sc59OMXX0UeX-j9zE75O3CSL4zWUpRQcUXjkTR8LPEPNsrM0hFhVMJBEXER-YwtvcSaYbBFoYX16_8Ag5CHl-nkDyKDnhJDLVeGikVa-1M/s640/blogger-image--2073257527.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqayWVs5JlMTTnHk6Xe-ueNSPpU7uWEeGo8UeWjbn_lWek3FqSFY5s7Nvhztk8SwGfte6f50sIwDvghYxAfKT99dnNL8WlgKNLwGCbWS6iMq7LD0KDmWi4afln9THDFuRA6DjAdkZ4zc/s640/blogger-image--268772876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqayWVs5JlMTTnHk6Xe-ueNSPpU7uWEeGo8UeWjbn_lWek3FqSFY5s7Nvhztk8SwGfte6f50sIwDvghYxAfKT99dnNL8WlgKNLwGCbWS6iMq7LD0KDmWi4afln9THDFuRA6DjAdkZ4zc/s640/blogger-image--268772876.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-52122159229763855572014-10-11T23:05:00.000-05:002014-10-11T23:05:14.375-05:00I am SO not the Early Adopter Type (Anymore)<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I used to be the ultimate techno geek. If I didn't buy a product first, I darn sure knew about it before anyone in my circle. And then… life happened (I got one, I guess?). Kids happened. And then iPhone happened. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was told very early in my Apple <strike>indoctrination </strike>induction to never buy the first generation of Apple <i>anything; </i>always give it a couple of months for them to fix the bugs. Every iPhone and iOS release has proven why this rule exists. Apple gets a little twitchy with the releases. Things slip through the cracks—major things (<a href="http://theamazingios6maps.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Apple Maps</a>, anyone??). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And iPhones are expensive, yo. When you have two kids and a whole grownup existence to support, $400 every year [which, really, is a conservative estimate, because if you're buying a new phone every year, you're paying full price, so it's more like $800 every year] for a phone seems a little crazy unless you just have money to burn. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So once I switched from a non-Apple existence, I never again felt the need to be the first to have something new. Good thing, too, because I'm not the type to camp out for <i>anything</i>, let alone a phone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I held on to my 3S until the iOS upgrades became unsupportable. Even then, I didn't switch to a 4 until I switched cell phone providers and didn't have a choice (3S wasn't an option). I didn't switch to a 4S until my trust old 4 flew out of my hands on an escalator and landed two stories below me, face down. That also wasn't my choice. Some 17-year old "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT9VNdgKnI4" target="_blank">Genius</a>" forced me into it after he sarcastically informed me that they didn't even carry refurbished 4s anymore, so I was going to have to take a 4S. I skipped the 5, the 5S, and the 5C. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In fact, the main reason I decided to buy a 6 is because my trusty old 4S wasn't so trusty anymore. Somewhere around iOS 7.0.whatever, it decided that it would be fun to freeze crash every hour or so. And then that hour became 30 minutes. Then 10. This should have turned me off Apple completely. Instead, it made me crave a new phone. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Indoctrination. Complete. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even with my constantly crashing phone, I didn't camp out or pre-order an iPhone 6. I (semi-)patiently waited a couple of weeks until Verizon gave me those magic words, "<i>Eligible for an Upgrade</i>." I waited another week or so for the phone to come off backorder and ship (two weeks earlier than projected). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And now I have my phone. And I love it. But I also remember <i>another</i> reason I don't like iPhones within the first couple of months of release. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This baby needs protecting. And, so far, the contenders aren't cutting it.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If that "phone flying off an escalator" reference wasn't a hint to you, I'm kind of a klutz. Yes, I may be only on my fourth or fifth </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">model</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> of an iPhone, but this is easily my 20th iPhone. I'm not really sure how long my record is for keeping an iPhone without submerging it, breaking it, or having my screen shatter to bits; but I know that record is held by my last phone, which was lovingly protected by a Lifeproof case [suggested by the "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT9VNdgKnI4" target="_blank">Genius</a>" who was no doubt looking at my replacement history when he made the suggestion]. My other phones weren't case-less; their cases simply failed them. Miserably. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And here I am with a brand new phone, and Lifeproof <strike>can't even give me an estimate of when </strike>is making me <a href="http://www.lifeproof.com/shop/us_en/iphone-6/" target="_blank">wait another month</a> before I can breathe a sigh of relief. There's not even a waiting list; just a "leave your email address here if you want us to notify you when we are close to maybe someday in the near future releasing a case." Sigh. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have had my new phone for one week, and I have tried out three cases. Three. All bought after hours and hours of<strike> wasting time I don't have</strike> research. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hate them all. <strike>And I hate every stupid blog, article, or Amazon reviewer that led me to them.</strike></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There isn't a single one of these cases that gives me the confidence that if I drop my phone while exiting the car, my phone will survive the concrete. I have already dropped my phone four times (FOUR) and consider myself lucky that each drop has been on laminate rather than tile or pavement. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm a nervous wreck. I'm on edge. Even Pop Culture Dad has said, while staring down Case #1, "That thing will be broken by end of the month." And he's probably right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is no room for error here. If this phone breaks, I'm looking at the end of a wait list to get a replacement. And then there's *gulp* the money. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hmm... Maybe I should just get a <a href="https://www.jitterbugdirect.com/" target="_blank">Jitterbug</a>?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><b>Case #3</b>: Pretty and pretty pointless. No screen protection whatsoever. And it doubled the weight of my phone. Doubled. Yeah... </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;">That's </i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;">not going to make me drop it faster. </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Case #2: </b>I don't even know WTF this is. It's practically paper. </span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Case #2: </b>Sadly, I probably never should have abandoned my first "love" [okay, not really. Not fan-girling this one either]. It also lacks screen protection, but at least it was solid, leather, and weighs nothing.</span></span></td></tr>
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Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-72748779626799210492014-08-31T23:42:00.001-05:002014-09-01T00:00:23.360-05:00'Thanks for Sharing' May Have Ruined My Favorite Animated MusicalSo Pop Culture Dad and I were watching <i>Thanks for Sharing</i>, which is a movie about sex addicts, and there's this one character who's just royally messed up (yes, even more than the other addicts). He's also a food addict. Without spoiling the movie, let's just say he's (initially, anyway) disgusting and an ass.<br><br>I remembered the actor was in this show on NBC where he was the president's son, who was a complete screw up; but couldn't remember what else. An hour into it, Pop Culture Dad exclaims, "Holy shit, I just remembered! That's Olaf!" That's right. Josh Gad. We watched most of the movie and couldn't remember the name/previous characters of <i>Book of Mormon</i>'s Josh Gad. We've seen <i>Frozen</i> half a million times but hadn't placed the voice. Maybe it's because I cannot even begin to think of Olaf doing the things Josh Gad did in this movie.<br><br>After Pop Culture Dad made his revelation, it killed every scene with Josh Gad. Everything he said or did, I just pictured Olaf. Frozen is never going to be the same again.<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBf5kuj7X3NXvDeNpuoJazIv5rrXPCPMOwjW-ToKgmE6DQl4qmhyphenhyphen3d4urMNWZUOJ1Z21CX-GrRJaq0JwHZSOWIJ4fcSWKI4lwzLOMBFOfFjKEoTQPXNHlDfP8nabtapscvD0Uk3eWS7k/s640/blogger-image--1583562735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBf5kuj7X3NXvDeNpuoJazIv5rrXPCPMOwjW-ToKgmE6DQl4qmhyphenhyphen3d4urMNWZUOJ1Z21CX-GrRJaq0JwHZSOWIJ4fcSWKI4lwzLOMBFOfFjKEoTQPXNHlDfP8nabtapscvD0Uk3eWS7k/s640/blogger-image--1583562735.jpg"></a></div><br>- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br>Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6557431007189955943.post-13756590858220946662014-07-11T19:01:00.001-05:002014-07-12T09:31:14.738-05:00Bobby Brown: It Turns Out His Services Weren't Need AnywayOn Tuesday, TMZ circulated a video of Bobby Brown stumbling, huffing, and puffing his way through "If It Isn't Love," before eventually just walking off the stage promptly after "I really love her/Love her?/WHAT??". If you aren't familiar with this 80s classic, that isn't the end of the song. It was, however, the end for Bobby. <div><br></div><div>Since I had tickets to the Thursday night show in Houston, all day Wednesday I had co-workers telling me to make sure I brought a camera just in case Bobby had some crazy antics on stage… or, you know, just keeled over. </div><div><br></div><div>Before I left to meet my friend for dinner, Pop Culture Dad called me and said I should be home early, because there's no way Bobby Brown was showing up, "The concert should be over in an hour." I declared him wrong. So imagine my surprise when I saw this tweet while trying to figure out the best place to park for the concert:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOgoU6gdW68uOsb4z0u6az9kwOBPr7OSNLTp6w32SG0DePh5-JoD3dOkfMr1ZrQEJgYJlufIezmzspzj2yNVoXFRF1PEyOWnuA4ACoy6ROvbCKDrV4DBLA3iGydh4O3kPnOihK79lLeA/s640/blogger-image--1085359585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOgoU6gdW68uOsb4z0u6az9kwOBPr7OSNLTp6w32SG0DePh5-JoD3dOkfMr1ZrQEJgYJlufIezmzspzj2yNVoXFRF1PEyOWnuA4ACoy6ROvbCKDrV4DBLA3iGydh4O3kPnOihK79lLeA/s640/blogger-image--1085359585.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I assumed it was all Pop Culture Dad's fault:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPG0cVLZ7plAO085A9bzDlgwWd4NeBX_YAKLFJLYaRyHsSpcoEviD8vTpMfCuYCycGjDqHJjunnyLt2NK6uaNomHPMRQX0AKdVBBjCmKFb0OjBvvXISXIY2bcbxsZkvXJMPbNTHVFpOpQ/s640/blogger-image-343549189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPG0cVLZ7plAO085A9bzDlgwWd4NeBX_YAKLFJLYaRyHsSpcoEviD8vTpMfCuYCycGjDqHJjunnyLt2NK6uaNomHPMRQX0AKdVBBjCmKFb0OjBvvXISXIY2bcbxsZkvXJMPbNTHVFpOpQ/s640/blogger-image-343549189.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>So imagine my non-surprise when I <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tmz.com/2014/07/11/bobby-brown-quits-new-edition-concert-tour-health/">found out yesterday that Bobby Brown quit the tour.</a> </div><div><br></div><div>Here's the thing, though: just like when they booted him out of the group in 1985, New Edition doesn't need Bobby Brown. </div><br>Sure, I was disappointed Bobby wasn't there, but why was that? It wasn't that I missed his singing. He was never the best voice in the group; that honor went to Ralph Tresvant and was tied with Johnny Gill after Bobby left the group. It isn't that he's the best or most entertaining dancer. There may have been a time that was (partly) true, but it hasn't been true for decades now. Bobby is the youngest member of the group (though not by much), but looks and moves like the oldest. The honor of most entertaining dancers goes to BBD (Ricky <b>Bel</b>l, Michael <b>Biv</b>ins, and Ronnie <b>DeVoe</b>). Hell, BBD has been making appearances everywhere this summer, and it is almost like it is the summer of 1990 again, with "Poison" being on everyone's playlist. It was featured in <i>Think Like a Man, Too</i>, complete with its own new video. They performed it at Kandi Burruss's wedding reception, which aired on Bravo last week. In fact, everyone there was waiting to hear "Poison," which is probably why <a target="_blank" href="http://youtu.be/rQN54akeSRs">it is performed very near the end of the set list</a>. <br><br><br><p align="center"><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/JjYX7XOVgwY" width="400" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JjYX7XOVgwY"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><!-- Fallback content --><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjYX7XOVgwY"><img src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/JjYX7XOVgwY/0.jpg" width="400" height="300">YouTube Video</a></object></p><br>Really, the only reason I wanted to see Bobby Brown was for the sheer spectacle of it. Just like when he and Whitney Houston had their reality show, <i>Being Bobby Brown</i>, Bobby B. remains a fascinating trainwreck. And, to be honest, I didn't miss it all that much.<br><br>New Edition sans Bobby <a target="_blank" href="http://youtu.be/NyorzS96f6k">performed Bobby's biggest hit</a>, "My Prerogative", and dammit if they didn't do it better. In fact, "Prerogative" was the only time during the concert that they mentioned Bobby's name at all. He Who Shall Not Be Named is the new Voldemort, and it appears his former coworkers weren't missing him one bit.<br><br><center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQpcK7hAUPJ5AQ1z8tcmwjH7TeDmcRW_ldpaDWHCjY6cWD-271Afqy7chlk4EIS5kmns0AjBsU1uemdtmbMW-vkTdLkbhekEkbV23tRSXn69KeyHu7TVBeMTj330wE2Yael1O-9XmOx8/s288/iphone_photo.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQpcK7hAUPJ5AQ1z8tcmwjH7TeDmcRW_ldpaDWHCjY6cWD-271Afqy7chlk4EIS5kmns0AjBsU1uemdtmbMW-vkTdLkbhekEkbV23tRSXn69KeyHu7TVBeMTj330wE2Yael1O-9XmOx8/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" border="0" width="280" height="209" style="margin:5px"></a></center><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">No Bobby, no problems</span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjul2yPWB7N_-WZ6tc6bZse4VExHjJ1MZWoAixdCWBsUbouGMJMyxPdQxGyTourrTfnQtEIGPEj2oi0jasHVuNrllqeEMmuqDWe4W6_9JiayDUhC8ajZPzQhQpURU6oq5BQuG3a-Y8bmQw/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjul2yPWB7N_-WZ6tc6bZse4VExHjJ1MZWoAixdCWBsUbouGMJMyxPdQxGyTourrTfnQtEIGPEj2oi0jasHVuNrllqeEMmuqDWe4W6_9JiayDUhC8ajZPzQhQpURU6oq5BQuG3a-Y8bmQw/s288/iphone_photo.jpg" border="0" width="280" height="209" style="margin:5px"></a><br><br>Bobby Brown missing the Houston concert for mystery "illness" [drug addiction is an illness... but being old and out of shape because of long-term drug and alcohol addiction is not] just emphasized how extraneous he was to the group. Once the concert was under way, nobody missed that fool at all. </div><div><br></div><div>I wish Bobby Brown luck in his recovery from whatever he is recovering, but I'm not shedding any tears or demanding any partial refunds because of his absence. I'm sure DFW didn't miss him one but last night either.</div><div><br></div><div>Here are some fun photos from the concert. If you want to see more video clips, head on over to The Pop Culture Mom YouTube channel.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1oJMN6LJC5hOL9cvuMzbtJyKK1EFmSaIRvVYBi2hhyrVsf8rU3VcR8qlibfcrjlGjjlZYrwAu3Pohz1RFcnpuNM4G2BUQ-NeABBI9j7KtAvTQsSIxCO0NKUB1qhqLhZagwh8lyKU8pUg/s640/blogger-image-535462539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1oJMN6LJC5hOL9cvuMzbtJyKK1EFmSaIRvVYBi2hhyrVsf8rU3VcR8qlibfcrjlGjjlZYrwAu3Pohz1RFcnpuNM4G2BUQ-NeABBI9j7KtAvTQsSIxCO0NKUB1qhqLhZagwh8lyKU8pUg/s640/blogger-image-535462539.jpg"></a></div>Hmm... There seems to be a spacing problem. Were y'all expecting someone else?</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-GY7JavKYhgPWM4fl_zIZQ54N6_AOZjNuiyiDXPQ-MjYdttVYLUYeUlhstvRlHXJgd4ijCGfIRD5vSbyYHWCQjDL_6tBp_lnakCS_R3WHTtCjTPhPrgK4TaDW2dkmyviAm_z-UtDi3s/s640/blogger-image--135966849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-GY7JavKYhgPWM4fl_zIZQ54N6_AOZjNuiyiDXPQ-MjYdttVYLUYeUlhstvRlHXJgd4ijCGfIRD5vSbyYHWCQjDL_6tBp_lnakCS_R3WHTtCjTPhPrgK4TaDW2dkmyviAm_z-UtDi3s/s640/blogger-image--135966849.jpg"></a></span><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-GY7JavKYhgPWM4fl_zIZQ54N6_AOZjNuiyiDXPQ-MjYdttVYLUYeUlhstvRlHXJgd4ijCGfIRD5vSbyYHWCQjDL_6tBp_lnakCS_R3WHTtCjTPhPrgK4TaDW2dkmyviAm_z-UtDi3s/s640/blogger-image--135966849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64zpEAOXLSbaqEUa72f6QXHPz4LaY4VXPv_3VnKe7w28GZpA8lP_eR_O3reRoZl5c5kd2ih5r5nnXCmZAccTKbcdCrojaHjRdmB4bftSzcRd2lFWQ6AEndIzO2E4699Kkv2c1fjEncXo/s640/blogger-image--500900554.jpg"></span>Ralph T. still won't wear a shirt. Still doesn't need one.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-GY7JavKYhgPWM4fl_zIZQ54N6_AOZjNuiyiDXPQ-MjYdttVYLUYeUlhstvRlHXJgd4ijCGfIRD5vSbyYHWCQjDL_6tBp_lnakCS_R3WHTtCjTPhPrgK4TaDW2dkmyviAm_z-UtDi3s/s640/blogger-image--135966849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6xpGotlLjAPUFtBx-nBXiYoeK_guVRuyK35Q-Axb0Bbx_wASs76M7gKT3EHn9EfW3npuAHF2p6WacF9EZbGPt1NpXeIam4_IphV9oBvdg9Y8LwtuRsGxc4crbyRbzIDk4ybA0cB4JrM/s640/blogger-image--2068012752.jpg"></span>Ah! Memories!</a></div></div></div></div></div></div>Pop Culture Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12378959789042639999noreply@blogger.com0