BAPs....

I was reading this article one day as I was sitting in a washerteria waiting on my clothes to wash. It was one of those fashion mags that advertises outrageous clothes. The clothes of course are absolutely fabulous and sooooo expensive. Now, I also must mention that I love the magazine even though I can't afford anything in it. I like to look at the trends and fashion.

Anyway, there was an article written by a young African-American lady who had was living a fabulous upper middle class lifestyle. You know the lifestyle where you dress up in stilettos just to go shopping and grabbing a lunch with the girls is an event 'cuz you dare not go into the restaurant without the $1000 bag that is NOT a knockoff. She mentioned something in the article about telling a young lady that getting regular pedicures is not a luxury but a necessity.

Now, I'm not knocking the sista'. I am a true believer in playing as hard as I work and enjoying the fruits of my labor. Also, I have an appreciation for some of the finer things and I allow myself to indulge when I can. Here's my problem:

After reading the article, I couldn't help but think "Who are you trying to impress?" Why is getting pedicures every two weeks a necessity? Can't you just get one say, once a month, and then make sure you put lotion on your feet at night and put them in white socks? Then, you can take the money you would have spent on a pedicure and give it to UNCF. That way, you are fabulous and uplifting at the same time.

She also mentioned that she had been to Europe several times but had not been to Africa. Why aren't you making plans to visit the home where your ancestors were robbed from their homeland and brought here as property so that years later you could walk in SoHo with your Jimmy Choos on your feet, your Gucci bag on your shoulder and your Prada on your back.

Why do you have to dress up when you go a restaurant frequented by upper-class white patrons so they will know that you 'got it goin' on'? When you go to the Soul Food restaurant in the 'hood, do you do the same? Of course you do, the poor pitiful blacks need to know that you represent also. Why is there a need to advertise that? It's one thing if you decide to do it because you just loves those Charles David's and you just want your feet to look fly as you walk down the street. But when has our insecurities gotten us to the point that we have to hide it under designer labels and advertise in a magazine that is not marketed toward African-Americans? When are we going to be comfortable in our own skin?

JustThrowingItOutToThe Universe