Dawn Richards- If I Could

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Role Models...

I get a call from my older sister about 2 days ago asking me if Rihanna and Chris Brown got back together. Now I'm a little thrown off by this because my sister could care less about what goes on in the entertainment world, she lives in a world of her own. I reply, "Yes, I believe they are back together" and I hear creams into the phone. I pull the phone away from my ear, look at it like it's a monster and then go on to ask my sister what her problem is. She says we need to call my niece, Talhia, who is 15.

Now at this point I'm a little thrown off and I ask her why. She says to me that Rihanna has just given my niece an inappropriate view of what happens when a man puts his hand on you. It is unacceptable and therefore she is setting a poor example to young girls around the world. I have a totally different viewpoint. Rihanna, Chris Brown, Puff Daddy, nor Denzel Washington will ever be the example for my children. Celebrities are not role models, I repeat, celebrities are not Role models. They are people who are fortunate enough to have became famous and be rich and be plunged into the limelight whether they like it or not and guess what not all of them are good people to begin with.

There are tons of women who get beat every single day, they dust themselves off and continue on with their lives with their abusive spouses. Those are their choices to make and we don't control those decisions, nor do we control the decisions celebrities make. Rihanna is no different from that abused women, what's wrong with her is that she doesn't have the self worth to realize that a man has absolutely no right to lay his hands on you. That is the lesson to be taught to young girls everyday, not just when a celebrity figure gets a beat down from her boyfriend. Young girls need to know that they are valued, loved and cherished and deserved to be treated accordingly. These celebrities are human. So again, I reiterate celebrities are not role models, please be the example for those young impressionable minds that are in your presence don't allow the media to taint there vision.

Interesting...

So my friend and I were having a conversation a couple of weeks ago and we were talking about a dress that I wanted to get. Of course women must be very meticulous when picking out clothing for a special event because our first goal is to make sure that what we have on is "original". Who wants to have the spotlight shared? We go to extremes to ensure that our ensemble is like no other. Going to little boutiques, special ordering dresses or even taking our shopping spree miles away from where we live.

My male friend brought up a very good point. He said "Who cares." As per him, if a man were to go to a gathering and another man had on the same shirt, tie or even the same outfit, it would be a compliment and the conversation would go like this "You've got good taste"...lol. A woman on the other hand would try to hide herself in a little corner, upset that the outfit that she tried so hard to put together, was sharing the spotlight with another.

I used to have a friend that would ask me before we were going out what I was wearing, only to go pick her up to look like the bopsie twins. It was annoying! We all know the saying, "we weren't born together" and I certainly don't want to have everyone thinking I'm in elementary school trying to match outfits. So how did I deal with this situation, I started lying to her. She eventually got the point. Woman are attention seekers, at least most women are and when that attention is being diverted especially because the outfit you are wearing is being outworn by someone else it can be a little disturbing...lol.

Def Poetry Jam- "Hit Like A Man"

This speaks for itself....