America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments (by robertsyah)
What makes the Lotus Flower so special?
The lotus flower is one of the most ancient and deepest symbols of our planet.
The lotus flower grows in muddy water and rises above the surface to bloom with remarkable beauty. At night the flower closes and sinks underwater, at dawn it rises and opens again. Untouched by the impurity, lotus symbolizes the purity of heart and mind. The lotus flower represents long life, health, honor and good luck.
To me the lotus flower symbolizes everybody’s potential for buddahood.We can over come any obstacal . In fact the lotus comes from the mud.We can turn bad situation to benefit us. The more troubles we face the more potential for good karma.
(Source: , via v1ctims)
![b-sama:
Dapper Rapper Alec Lomami: “Fashion is Almost a Religion in the Congo”
Not to stereotype, but everyone we know from the Congo dresses to kill — is it something in the water there?
Maybe so! Fashion is almost a religion in the Congo. The iconic rumba artist Papa Wemba could be to blame for it. He popularized “La Sape” in the ‘70s. [Ed. note: La SAPE stands for “La Societé des Ambianceurs et Personnes Elegantes,” or Society of Atmosphere-Setters and Elegant People — a Congolese scene inspired by African Parisian fashion and glamour in the 1970’s.] However different aesthetically they might be, all Congolese fashionistas have – or attempt to have — elegance and class as a common thread in their style, which I think has a direct correlation to Wemba’s movement.
#I’ve never met a Congolese who doesn’t have great style . As for Monsieur Lomami, I’m looking forward to hearing more music from you.
True,they dress well and have awesome music. Some once suggested that the tribes in Congo would adorn themselves heavily or put an emphasis on “fashion” and that many tribes around Nigeria were dramatic and expressive when it comes to communication.I’m not sure it’s true but it would make sense. I think part of our tribal culture shows itself in our globalized new african culture.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ludrvyZplF1qd7grco1_400.jpg)
Dapper Rapper Alec Lomami: “Fashion is Almost a Religion in the Congo”
Not to stereotype, but everyone we know from the Congo dresses to kill — is it something in the water there?
Maybe so! Fashion is almost a religion in the Congo. The iconic rumba artist Papa Wemba could be to blame for it. He popularized “La Sape” in the ‘70s. [Ed. note: La SAPE stands for “La Societé des Ambianceurs et Personnes Elegantes,” or Society of Atmosphere-Setters and Elegant People — a Congolese scene inspired by African Parisian fashion and glamour in the 1970’s.] However different aesthetically they might be, all Congolese fashionistas have – or attempt to have — elegance and class as a common thread in their style, which I think has a direct correlation to Wemba’s movement.
#I’ve never met a Congolese who doesn’t have great style . As for Monsieur Lomami, I’m looking forward to hearing more music from you.
True,they dress well and have awesome music. Some once suggested that the tribes in Congo would adorn themselves heavily or put an emphasis on “fashion” and that many tribes around Nigeria were dramatic and expressive when it comes to communication.I’m not sure it’s true but it would make sense. I think part of our tribal culture shows itself in our globalized new african culture.
check out the Hairspiration at Curly Nikki’s NY Meet up! source
I love this. Not JUST because the styles are OMG-AMAZING - but because when I was growing up, I coulda sworn that black hair only came in two styles: “afro” and permed. [this could also totally just be because my mother, who immigrated here from Nigeria might not have known much else about black hair herself when I was growing up.] But now that women of color are starting to establish their own independent forms of media I can see an obvious difference in the imagery of WOC that I am presented with through video, art and photography.
I guess my point is… doesn’t anyone else find it interesting the ways in which hegomonic norms in mass media have shaped WOC and how we conceptualize ourselves [as a whole] for so long? Even 3 years ago I probably would never have occurred to me the things I can do with my own hair & the means in which I could express my own individuality because I was working off of a script that was written for and by the dominant culture. But now… there’s no longer a need to desperately try and make sense of these images and tropes written with white audiences in mind. Because “my audience” is finally being given the respect and diversity it deserves! Not saying that NOT having natural hair is bad, or that the simple presence of permed hair is some end all be all example of internalized hegemonic norms and oppression. If someone CHOOSES to perm their hair that’s fantastic and i’m sure they’ll be flawless regardless. But I do believe that limiting resources when it comes to black hair, and neglecting to invest time and resources into understanding natural hair - or just an understanding of the different shapes and forms black hair comes in - severely hinders a persons understandings about the ways they can express their own individuality.
I just love the fact that we’re beginning to acknowledge that 1) Black culture is just as diverse as “whiteness” or whatever that means and 2) we now have independent black sources of media that actually CARE about educating us about ourselves as oppose to “we’ll have a black section everyone once in a while and during february to talk about the same shit over and over again.”
I dont know if this makes sense but yeah. Its like you walk in the hair care isle and there are TONS of different types of shampoos and conditioners for all these different hair types. Then you walk in the “black” section and you have like 2 shampoos and conditioners to choose from, and chances are they don’t even work right with natural hair.
This became really long. I’m probably going to take these pics and post them on my wall…
