Hmmmm.  Turns out that the first lady got this dress from Target.  What ya’ll think?

That wasn’t always the case. The cover of her new book, ‘Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat,’ tells it all. Jagged black scribbles cross out a childhood photo, which is set against the backdrop of a stark yellow cover. But the most striking image, also on the cover, is of two fingers-the index and middle fingers-both used to induce vomiting by sticking down the throat.

They symbolize bulimia, which is characterized by binge eating and purging either by throwing up, laxative abuse or over exercising. A compulsion, it is usually done to numb feelings of anxiety or pain, experts say.

"My childhood picture is crossed out because it’s about my self-loathing phase,” she says in a reflective voice in a telephone conversation from her home in Los Angeles. "The two fingers, well, they are about bulimia. It resonates for me.”

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"The sex is better! I have so much more energy. I can move around better, and that’s what it’s all about. I want to lose more, so I’ll just keep eating better and exercising, and the weight will come off. It took time to put in on, and it will take time to take if off. It’s still okay to be big, but let’s be big and healthy. I had to lose some weight to get healthier because I want to be around for a while. I have twin sons who are 3 and a son who is 19, and I want the opportunity to meet their children."

– Actress/comedienne Mo’Nique talks about her 40-pound weight loss in the new Life & Stylemagazine.

The full-figured talent, who penned a best-selling book called ‘Skinny Women Are Evil,’ went from 262 pounds to 220 pounds.

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From TheGrio.com

A California mother allegedly carved a letter "S" onto her 15-month-old’s buttocks, Sacramento police said.

Sergaye Lafayette, 23, remained in custody at the Sacramento County Jail on Thursday afternoon.

A doctor at the UC Davis Children’s Hospital’s CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center called officials about the scar.

The mutilation appears to have taken place about a week ago, according to a police report.

The child has been placed into protective custody, police said.

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One could say that she’s been campaigning as hard for this as her husband did for the presidency, but Michelle Obama did it with a lot more ease. After nearly two years of wowing the fashion world, the first lady has earned an honor she so rightly deserves — landing on Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed list.

From Jason Wu to Michael Kors, Obama’s chic-clectic choice of designers anddesigns has set her apart from just about every other first lady in U.S. history. Below are a handful of legendary looks worn by Mrs. Obama that have solidified her as an icon in my book:

The cream-colored frothy one-shoulder Jason Wu stunner she wore for the inauguration galas was regal and feminine — and just right for the occasion.

Her dual-toned knee-length Narciso Rodriguez sheath dress, which she paired with flats on Independence Day, screamed sleek, smart and totally sophisticated.

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Grand dame, great beauty and pioneer in the fashion industry Naomi Sims has died of cancer. She was 61 years old.
"Naomi Sims was an incredible role model – a trailblazer who helped to define black beauty and open the doors for all of the African American models we see today — and a savvy businesswoman," a shaken Beverly Johnsontold Black Voices. "Mostly, she was a friend and someone I greatly admired. We lost a truly dynamic woman."
Sims was born in Oxford, Miss., on March 30, 1948. An awkward teen — 5-foot-10 by the time she was 13 — Sims and her family left the segregated South and moved to Pittsburgh, where she completed high school.

Sim’s mother took ill, and the gangly teen and her two sisters were placed in foster care. After graduation, the ambitious beauty moved to New York City to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Because of financial constraints, Sims left school and began modeling in the big city. She broke through at the age of 18 when she appeared on the cover of Ladies Home Journal. She was the magazine’s first African American cover model. In 1969, Sims appeared on a simple yet striking cover of Life magazine.

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Shanelle Walker is the former student body President at Kentucky State University. She wrote this amazing poem to encourage African American youth to get out and vote for President Barack Obama. Not only is she a political activist, she is a writer, leader and emerging media personality. Is she one of the dopest young black poets in America? You be the judge! Rather than reading the poem, I recommend that you watch her perform it. The performance is on the video link below.

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Members of the country’s oldest black sorority are suing to remove their president, alleging that she spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of the group’s money on herself — some of it to pay for a wax statue in her own likeness.

In the suit filed in Washington, D.C., the Alpha Kappa Alpha members also alleged that international President Barbara McKinzie bought designer clothing, jewelry and lingerie with the sorority credit card. She then redeemed points the purchases earned on the card to buy a big-screen television and gym equipment, the lawsuit said.

"This is extraordinarily shocking if not illegal conduct," Edward W. Gray Jr., an attorney representing the plaintiffs suing the Chicago-based sorority, said Wednesday.

McKinzie denied what she called the lawsuit’s "malicious allegations," saying they were "based on mischaracterizations and fabrications … not befitting our ideals of sisterhood, ethics and service," according to a statement issued this week by the sorority.

The lawsuit also accused the sorority’s board of directors of signing off on spending funds on McKinzie without the required approval by the group’s membership. For example, the lawsuit says the board approved a monthly "pension stipend" of $4,000 for four years after she leaves office and purchased a $1 million life insurance policy for her. The suit demands McKinzie be fired and return money to the sorority.

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by Dr. Deborah Stroman

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Get Real! That’s my kind response to the critics of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) recent academic reform policy that eliminates the minimum SAT and ACT scores for admission. This well-thought out and crafted course of action finally gives colleges the academic freedom and independence to do what they do best – make decisions as to which students they want on their particular campus. Not the NCAA, the athletic leagues, or any other sport-related governing body has the right to tell an academic institution who is most deserving of the opportunity to sit in their classrooms and learn. Although our country promotes a spirit of education for all, the reality is that higher education is for the privileged. And those with the financial resources receive more access and resources. With a wink and a nod though, the student-athlete can oftentimes bypass this necessity if one possesses the talent to throw a tight spiral or shoot a silky-smooth jumper.

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Group holds a conference to promote Black Marriage.  Click here to watch the video trailer!  You can learn more by visiting their website at HappilyEverAfterTheMovie.com.