Source: Austin360.com

Apparently the folks over at HBO decided not to wait until season 2 to get around to adding some diversity to the cast of its new show “Girls” after all. Jezebel uncovered a casting notice for the new series and it looks like execs plan to add a little black and Asian flavor to the all-white mix. Here’s what they’re looking for.

[TAKO] FEMALE, AFRICAN AMERICAN, 23-26 years old. Adam’s best friend. A tough, tiny lesbian. RECURRING. Likes: biking without a helmet, making her own soap and preserves, bar fights, Brigitte Bardot. Hates: needy girls, most of Manhattan, the messages her mom leaves on her machine, when Adam lames out and stays home.

[SAKE BAR WAITER] MALE, ASIAN, 20S-40S, delivers sake that Marnie and Jessa did not order…(1 LINE)

[JUNKIE WOMAN] FEMALE, PLEASE SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES, WORN 30S/40S. Woman yelling loudly in the Emergency Room, demanding vicodin for pain. (1 SCENE)

[GAVIN] MALE, CAUCASIAN, LATE 20S, BURLY GUY, plays Adam’s overacting scene partner in his play. (2 SCENES)

Jezebel writers went in pretty hard on the not-so-outside-the-box casting of an Asian serving sake and a tiny butch black lesbian but I’ll just leave these details as they are and see what you think. One thing that seems to be apparent is HBO heard the cries for more color and they responded—quickly. Now we just have to see how its executed.

What do you think about “Girls” adding these characters?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source: Jillstanek.com

The media and tons of critics have taken HBO and Lena Dunham to task for its new series “Girls” which is essentially a younger, broker 2012 “Sex and the City,” for its lack of diversity, or as Slate contributor and cultural critic Debra Dickerson put it, having “an abundance of chicks with normal bodies, but somehow no negroes.” The issue is that the plot centers on four white main characters who are surrounded by white people in the midst of the melting pot mecca of New York City. I get the absurdity of women being in NYC (and in their residence of Brooklyn) and not ever coming into contact with any people of color—or the three that one writer counted in one episode—but I also think we’re grasping for straws by making a big deal out of the so-called whitewashing of this show.

We live in the world of niche media and though the broad use of the term girls would suggest you could turn the show on and see the girl you are on-screen, that’s not the case as far as skin tone, although interestingly everything else seems to be there. Rebecca Carroll, wrote on The Daily Beast:

“As relatable as I find ‘Girls,’ I can’t also help feeling, well, left out. There are no black girls in ‘Girls.’ I feel somewhat cheated. While I have decided that the show is for me, it has decided that I am not for the show.”

I wouldn’t take the omission of black characters quite so personally, although having seen the backlash the series has created, I wouldn’t be surprised if the show did try to ignore race altogether to avoid the inevitable criticism it would still receive. If this show were to throw in the token black girlfriend we’d still be having a fit about her skin tone, her hair texture, the lack of a developed storyline, etc., and I actually respect the fact that the network didn’t even go there if they weren’t going to execute it well. Furthermore, I find the mention of the women in the series having “normal” bodies as evidence that this show aimed to be sort of the anti-thesis to the “Gossip Girl” type of NYC shows we see on-air and everyone knows there’s just as much work to be done on the representation of healthy bodies as there is black women, this just isn’t the show that will break down the latter barrier and that’s OK. We can’t expect every show to be all things to all people.

Furthermore, it’s not our job to say what’s real to some people and not to others. I’m pretty sure the white circle of acquaintances shown in “Girls” is the reality for the creator Lena Dunham. If these girls were black, the immediate people around them would be black as well, despite whatever multiculturalism is in their backdrop. Yes, diverse cultures are all around you in NYC but that doesn’t mean everyone lives them. That’s not the focus of this show and I would venture to say that that’s not inherently problematic.

Others have argued that a simple change in the name could have made all the difference; that had the show been named “Some girls” or even “White girls” then there would be nothing to argue with. By the very appearance of four white women and the obvious realization that all girls are not a monolith, we know this depiction is only some girls. And calling the show white girls would place unnecessary emphasis on the women’s race much like the criticism against it has.

I’m fully in agreement with Ta-Nehisi Coates of The Atlantic  when he suggests we shouldn’t be asking for inclusion on this show but to be represented on our own version of ‘Girls’” because after all, the response from the series’ writer, Lesley Arfin, to the criticism on Twitter was “What really bothered me most about Precious was that there was no representation of ME.” As he states:

“I think it’s only right to ask whether you really want black characters rendered by the same hands that rendered that tweet. Invisibility is problematic. Caricature is worse.”

Maybe HBO missed an opportunity with “Girls” and maybe it didn’t. Diversity isn’t on everyone’s agenda and that’s because white people simply don’t have to think about it. I’m sure if we were coming up with a series we wouldn’t think to throw in a token white character; the same is true for the other side. And while I know the history of exclusion is far deeper for us, I don’t think it runs that deep for this show. Debating “Girls” is a lost cause and a battle that really doesn’t need to be fought. The bigger picture is to create our own narratives and find a place for them on television not be threaded into a white one.

Do you take issue with the lack of black characters on “Girls?”

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Current Occupation: Senior Biotech Manager/Founder BlackGirlsCode
Favorite website: www.BlackGirlsCode.com
Favorite read: The Alchemist
Recent read: The Hunger Games
2012′s ultimate goal: Grow and expand Black Girls CODE to three cities.
Quote Governing Your Mission or a Quote that Inspires You: “I come as one, I stand as 10,000″ Maya Angelou
Twitter handle: @Blackgirlscode

Welcome back to another installment of the largest running profile series on African-American women in technology.  I have a very special entry for you this time readers!  Ever met an extremely successful executive holding  it down who also runs a robust philanthropic endeavor ? Well, let me introduce you to Kimberly Bryant.   This biotechnology/engineering professional is changing lives in a profound way through her organization BlackGirlsCode that is fast becoming a premier collective that introduces young Black women  to technology and computer programming.  I am so glad to have caught up with this colleague.  Here’s a bit of our recent encounter:

LDC: So Kimberly, what was it like growing up in the South and what led you to pursue a career in engineering?

KB: I grew up in Memphis, TN which is a small metropolitan city in the South.  Although I was not surrounded by technology, I was lucky to grow up during a time when it was cool to be smart and at least for me I had many opportunities to strive and achieve throughout my K-12 academic career.  My strong focus in math and science led me to a career in engineering at Vanderbilt University at a time when the recruitment of women in STEM paths was at an all time high.

KB: I have worked in the Biotech/Pharma industry for more than 15 years in a variety of leadership roles in engineering management.  My current role is a Senior Biotech Project Manager.  In this role I get the opportunity to work with a multiple of clients on projects ranging from IT and infrastructure upgrades, manufacturing design projects, and technical transfer projects.  Because of my diverse background in engineering and IT, I have an opportunity to work in multiple business functions which makes my current position both challenging and exciting.

KB: After many years of working in Corporate America, I decided that my skills and abilities could be transfered to an entrepreneurial endeavor in the rapidly exploding mobile health field.  I began to network in the tech community and attend technical events where I found myself one of very few women and minorities.  My focus shifted at this point.  I felt a very strong drive to reach back into my community and help other young women of color discover the many opportunities for career growth and achievement in technology and decided to create Black Girls CODE as a vehicle to expose young women of color to the technical space and introduce them to computer programming and digital technology.  I feel strongly that it is our mission to “change the equation” so that more women and minorities enter the IT field as creators.

KB: From the start of our program, we made a commitment to be a part of our community and to offer the Black Girls CODE programs to the youth who were least likely to have similar opportunities or programs available to them.  The Bayview-Hunters Pointe community is one of the oldest and still largest African-American communities in the Bay Area.  It sits literally right at the footsteps of technology and discovery being less than an hours drive from Silicon Valley and at the foot of the biotechnology hub in the bay.  Yet most young people in the community have very little to no insight into biotechnology or computer programming and little exposure to these STEM areas as potential career paths.  We were very blessed to find a strong community partner in the Bayview Youth Organization- 100% College Prep Institute , who literally opened their doors and their rolodexes to help us get our program off the ground.  They allowed us to launch our pilot program from their new computer lab and actively recruited students from their existing programs to our pilot class.  We have maintained a strong commitment to Bayview-Hunters Pointe and will continue to reach out to these students and the community as we grow and expand.

Photo courtesy of AllHipHop.com

Once Too Short’s “Fatherly Advice” video went online last week, the viral disgust spread like wildfire. Later the same day the video was removed from XXL’s site, but many said that wasn’t enough and they demanded that the publication’s editor-in-chief, Vanessa Satten, be fired. So far that hasn’t happened, but the staff responsible for uploading the video has been suspended.

On Monday, XXL and Too Short issued an apology for the clip which went up last Friday. For XXL’s part, the EIC stated she agrees with those who were angered by the video and relinquished responsibility for the posting:

“I do not see all content before it goes live. When I saw this video, I was truly offended and thought it crossed the line. I had it taken down immediately. I am disappointed that an employee decided to post it and I am putting internal procedures in place to make sure content like this does not go on the site. The video goes against my value system and represents poor judgment on behalf of the individual who posted it.”

And Too Short was basically, Too Short:

“I want to apologize to anyone I may have offended with the XXL video interview I recently did. When I got on camera I was in Too $hort mode and had a lapse of judgement.I would never advise a child or young man to do these things, it’s not how I get down. Although I have made my career on dirty raps, I have worked over the years to somewhat balance the content of my music with giving back to the community. Just coming from a man who wants to see young people get ahead in life, I’m gonna do my best to to help and not hurt. If you’re a young man or a kid who looks up to me, don’t get caught up in the pimp, player, gangster hip-hop personas. Just be yourself.”

Since issuing this statement, the internal procedure has meant suspension for those who were responsible for producing and posting the video, and development of a new method of uploading to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Vanessa Satten also wants to make it clear that she is in no way down with the “fatherly advice” that was shared, saying in another statement that as soon as a reader made her aware of the video she had it taken down.

“As a woman, I in no way find the content of the video acceptable. To think I would ever approve anything that would harm women or endanger children is absurd. Under no terms should sexual assault be tolerated, nor do I endorse making light of it.”

Since comments are closed on both statements, it’s hard to say whether this will satisfy the public, but I’m curious why the content of the video wasn’t discussed before production began anyway. Sounds like someone is passing the buck. I vote no more Too Short videos period.

Do you think Vanessa Satten should be fired over the Too Short controversy? Is suspension enough for the XXL employees behind the video?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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There was already plenty of controversy surrounding the lack of black women in the George Lucas Tuskegee Airmen film “Red Tails,” but now a school district in Dallas is catching heat, and possibly, a case for sending about 5,700 fifth grade boys on a field trip to see the movie, and excluding girls.

According to a teacher, the trip was a part of black history month, and the film was chosen because it was something that boys would be interested in, as the movie is about historically significant African American men. Of the choice to exclude girls, Independent School District spokesman Jon Dahlander, said:

“There is only so much available space at the movie theater, so the decision was made for boys to attend the movie. Girls stayed at school but principals were given the option to show them ‘Akeelah and the Bee.’”

Title IX funds were used to cover the cost of the nearly $60,000 field trip, which included $32,000 for the cost of movie tickets and an additional $25,000 for bus rentals, not to mention paying substitute teachers to instruct the girls who were still in the classroom. Title I money is used for educating low-income students, but because Title IX prohibits schools that get federal money from gender-based discrimination, outside groups are questioning whether the provision has been violated.

The American Association of University Women told the Dallas Morning News that the field trip was a case of “separate but unequal,’’ and a statement by the Dallas district’s board of trustees saying that they thought boys would enjoy the combat movie more than the girls doesn’t do much to to nullify that stance.

I actually think sending black boys to see the film as a way to instill pride as African American men would’ve been a great idea, but the fact that the district didn’t even think that deeply and made the trip more of a “boys play with guns, girls play with barbies” situation, makes it hard to justify the exclusion of female students. What year is it, 1950?

What do you think about this “Red Tails” field trip? Should the school district be held accountable for excluding girls from seeing the film?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Too Short never claimed to be a role model and I’m not sure why XXL is making him out to be one, but for some reason the magazine has given him a platform for “fatherly advice” and in his third lesson on the birds and the bees, he’s giving middle school boys some disturbing tricks on mind manipulation to “turn little girls out” and essentially take advantage of them sexually. Here’s what he said:

“When you get to late middle school, early high school and you start feeling a certain way about the girls… I’m gonna tell you a couple tricks. This is what you do, man. A lot of the boys are going to be running around trying to get kisses from the girls, we’re going way past that. I’m taking you to the hole.

There’s a general area down there, a little spot that girls have that feels really good to them. Don’t kiss them down there yet, that’s later in life. But this is what you do. You push her up against the wall or pull her up against you while you lean on the wall and you take your finger and put a little spit on it and you stick your finger in her underwear and you rub it on there and watch what happens. It’s like magic. You gotta find her spot, they all have a different one, but it’s somewhere in there. Just go for it. When you feel like it becomes a little more moist that’s when you know you’re doing it right.”

I personally think his advice is pretty irresponsible, yet somewhat expected from a raunchy rapper such as himself, but XXL really shouldn’t promote this type of foolishness for young boys, particularly when he’s leaning heavily toward aggressive sexual behavior played out against pre-teen girls.

Check out the clip and see what you think. Should XXL take this down?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Another interesting trend may be on the rise among teen girls—sexual contact with other girls. In a comparison of data from 2002, a new analysis of the U.S. National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) from 2006-2008, found that 17-year-old girls were significantly less likely to have been heterosexually active (63% v. 46%) but more than twice as likely to have had same-sex contact (5% v. 11%).

While this trend likely explains why these same girls were less likely to be pregnant (18% v. 12%). The fact that this group of teens was also more than three times as likely to have used emergency contraception (5% v. 17%) doesn’t quite fit the same-sex contact finding. But the drop in the percentage of 17-year-old girls who had ever been pregnant does, although this stat could also mean girls are waiting longer to engage in heterosexual activity.

Given the small sample size in this study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior—roughly 200 teen girls—the researchers say that more data is needed to determine whether this is a trend that is expected to continue, and what factors may have contributed to the change within the four-year span. They do note, though, that fluidity in sexual behavior and orientation is particularly common among young women and this finding may be an example of just that.

I think it’s also possible that girls may be more open to admitting same-sex contact now, as the idea has become increasingly less taboo within a very short period of time. Plus the percentage of girls who engaged in same-sex contact was still quite low.

What do you think about the idea that girls may be having more same-sex contact?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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On the surface, the change from pink and blue labeling marking girls and boys toys to red and white signs; and the organization of toys by interest rather than gender inside Hamley’s toy store in the UK, looks like a simple store remodel. But a gender equality movement is staking a victory claim in the store’s facelift, claiming that their internet campaign is what motivated the store to remove its stereotypical labeling.

Gender apartheid is what blogger Laura Nelson said Hamley’s, which she also referred to as “shamleys,” was previously guilty of as she explained the horror of a pink girls floor “filled with fluffy objects” and a boys floor that was “all action and adventure.” Citing the dearth of women in leadership positions in the UK, Nelson says it all starts with toys:

“There are many contributing factors, and one is conditioning of children from an early age. Deep-rooted in our society are stereotypes that dictate to women and men and influence them on the roles in society that they are expected to fill.

“There is an underlying current of expectation, tradition and what is accepted as the norm, and it sets

down different paths for different genders which often becomes a reality.

“The toys that children are exposed to play a major part in this. From birth, boys and girls are bombarded with stereotypes; boys are allowed to be more aggressive and climb trees, while girls are encouraged to be passive and play with plastic teapots.

“Even the name that Hamleys uses for its beauty salon, ‘Tantrum’, is consistent with the stereotypical ‘hysterical’ woman – unsuited to leadership and far better aligned with the domestic role and fussing over home and appearance.”

Nelson considers the gender-neutral color scheme that now characterizes Hamley’s to be a “milestone,” tweeting: “Still can’t quite believe it, the campaign worked!!!!!!”

But she says she’s not done yet, “We still have work to do on the nature of the toys themselves.”

Nelson is right, there’s still a lot to do to achieve her group’s mission because even Hamley’s denies that her campaign had anything to do with their store’s redesign. It’s somewhat hard to believe as Nelson’s campaign has garnered quite a bit of attention, but a store spokesperson insist consultants and customer surveys revealed the store’s directional signage was confusing, therefore their intention was merely to improve customer flow. If that claim is true, should stores be listening to the gender apartheid campaign?

Dwindling the lack of women in corner offices down to the root cause of receiving an Easy Bake Oven at the age of 5 is a stretch, but the idea of socialization that it speaks to certainly is not. There are several cultural norms perpetuated on boys and girls that have long-lasting effects. Still, I’m not sure the responsibility of that socialization lies with toy stores. After all, it is parents who purchase toys for kids and who decide whether a video game is too violent for their child or the clothes that come along with a Barbie doll are too revealing. Several parents in Jezebel’s write up of the story even commented that they’ve purchased toy kitchens for their sons and don’t pay attention to gender labels anyhow.

Hamley’s caught some bad press for its store design as a result of Nelson’s efforts labeling it “sexist” when I don’t think that was necessarily at the root of its design. What I see happening is a trickle-down effect that will find any store with a boy/girl toy aisle guilty of gender discrimination when ultimately it is parents who will have the greatest influence on their child’s balance of femininity or masculinity and there’s not much you can do to police that. If you’re going to attempt to get at the root of gender roles in society you have to start with patient education about their influence on their child’s view of male-female roles.

What do you think about the connection between sex-assigned toys and gender inequality later in life? Should stores like Hamley’s be pressured into removing gender labels? Will it make a difference?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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We know, you’re refined. You’re well traveled, well-read you’ve even been known to speak a little French on occasion. And you like to present that image for your co-workers, your parents and random strangers to see. We know girl, your mom raised you right. But if truth be told, every once in a while you’ve almost broke your ankle rushing to the floor to dance to some foolishness that doesn’t even represent what you’re about…most of the time. It’s ok, you can admit it. There are support groups for your kind. (Actually, I’m sure there aren’t but it’s still ok.) Don’t deny the fact that a little foolishness (in moderation) is good for the soul. Really. So with that being said, check out these ig’nant songs you still find yourself dancing to.

*Author’s Note: I know you’ll be looking for Khia’s “My Neck, My Back” to be on this list, but I hate that song with the fire of a thousand suns; so you won’t find it here. While I do acknowledge it’s affect on some, this girl wants no part of it…proceed.