The Isley Brothers and In Between Your Sheets

I love the Isley Brothers. They get me through the grind of grad school and stay in heavy rotation on my Zune and computer. My favorite songs by the Isley Brothers are Between the Sheets, Voyage to Atlantis and Summer Breeze (I love the guitar solo on this track). As you can see, I have a thing for the "dusties" as my parents would call them. Tracks by the Isley Brothers are called baby-making songs and if they can't get you in the mood I don't know what can. You might want to have your libido checked out. I've posted videos of all three songs below.



If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say Maybe You Should Shut The Fuck Up!

I only want to see Pippa's ass damn it.

I was perusing the abominable abyss of online news the other day when I saw an article about Chanel's designer, Karl Lagerfeld, commenting on the looks of Pippa Middleton. For all who may not know Pippa Middleton is the sister of Kate Middleton, the wife of Prince William of England. This is what Mr. Chanel had to say:

"Kate Middleton is a romantic beauty. On the other hand, her sister (Pippa) struggles," "I don't like the sister's face. She should only show her back." *Shots Fired* Ummm...we know you like the ass in more ways than one Mr. Lagerfeld but that does not mean everyone should walk around backwards for your viewing pleasure.


Pippa Middleton

Apparently, Mr. Lagerfeld thinks a woman should only show her face when society deems her to be beautiful. When she isn't found to be gorgeous she should cower in shame and show only her backside, lest she inconveniences the public with her appearance. Mr. Lagerfeld's comment is beyond offensive, objectionable and is just downright sexist. The way in which women are judged for their beauty and attributed a value according to whether they can live up to these standards is one of the main problems in our society. I wish I could say that this is the only disparaging comment Lagerfeld has made about women but it is not. Mind you, Mr. Lagerfeld recently criticized the British singer Adele for her appearance saying:

“She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice,” he told Metro Paris in February."

He basically said Adele was fat, however, she compensates for this deficiency by having a beautiful face and a divine voice. I guess if Adele didn't have a pretty face or her iconic voice she would be another fat girl unworthy of having any attention given to her.

His comments are unfortunate and represent a common occurrence in the critique of women. That no matter how accomplished a woman becomes she is still critiqued harshly for her looks. Her beauty is  elevated above her social contributions because this is the crux by which society judges women. Women can be talented and/or intelligent but they're bodies better be on point or they will face a harsh analysis of their physicality. The recent comments about Olympic winner Gabby Douglas' hair are a clear example of that. It was even more unfortunate that the criticism about Douglas came from women because unknowingly they perpetuated the patriarchal lens in which women continue to be physically assessed.

As a Black woman living in America I know all too well what it feels like not to be the status quo of beauty. Black women are rendered invisible and marginalized because of our inability to fit American standards of light or white skinned beauty predicated on a stick thin figure, long straight hair and fine features. We engage in habits that are destructive to our health while endeavoring to achieve or maintain these standards (particularly as it pertains to our hair).

So, when I hear Lagerfeld criticize any woman as if her looks are the only thing she has to offer to the world I cringe. The truth is men have always had the privilege of deciding what was beautiful on women because their desires take precedence over a woman's perspective of how she should look. What's more disconcerting is that Lagerfeld's opinion about aesthetics is viewed as important since he, as the premier designer of Chanel, has the power to influence beauty standards in the fashion industry. This inadvertently determines the beauty standards people try to mimic in society.

Karl Lagerfeld doesn't look like a beauty queen himself so how the hell can he call anyone else ugly. I bet he wish he had Pippa's ass too while he's discrediting her front side. His tendency to place women under a microscope is the type of scrutiny no one should be objected to. My mom used to tell me if you don't have anything nice to say you shouldn't say it all. Maybe, Lagerfeld should heed this advice and shut the FUCK up because no one really asked him for his opinion!