Even though Dawn Richard has been hanging around the entertainment industry for a while now, one thing you can say for certain is she’s never been in any mess. Perhaps that’s because she keeps her thoughts to herself rather than her Twitter account, unlike some of her fellow celebs. *cough cough*

When Dawn dropped by the MN office yesterday to talk about her new album release, “Goldenheart,” we chatted with her about keeping her personal biz offline in a game of Tweet It or Not where the singer told us the things she’ll talk about on the net and the topics you’ll never catch in her timeline. Check it out here!

Source: Shutterstock.com

I didn’t watch the Golden Globes over the weekend. But if I knew how entertaining they were going to be… I was just about to lie; I still probably wouldn’t have watched them. But anyway, on Monday when clips of the most memorable moments from the show were being played, I noticed that there was a clip of Girls creator Lena Dunham hobbling up the stairs and across the stage to accept her award. As my coworkers and I watched the painful footage, someone mentioned something about the matronly nature of her dress; but all I could think about was her walk. No bueno.

I shook my head, knowing that the dress and certainly the shoes were just not Lena’s style. And not because I would argue heels aren’t her thing– but because if you’re visibly uncomfortable and uncoordinated in a shoe, then it’s not for you.

Aaah but as I write about Lena Dunham, I also speak to myself. As a woman who’s just over 5 feet, heels can seem like a necessity more than an accessory. When you’re as short as I am you don’t want to go to the club to be bumped and bruised as people, who can’t see you, try to move past you. So what’s the solution? Throw on some heels. Yes my toes will be a little numb by the end of the night but at least that way I can be at least shoulder level with most patrons, even if I’m  teetering the whole time.

Wearing heels for long stretcches–and maybe alcohol–is the reason we women have watched in horror or embarrassment as so many of our girlfriends, or we ourselves, have made contact with the sticky club floor or the unforgiving cement on our way home. Heels, unlike boots, are not made for walkin’.

And yet we still love them.

I remember the debate I got into with one of my male friends one night. We were on the subway one evening when we noticed a group of girls in short freak em dresses and high heels. He looked at them and sized them up before leaning over to suggest that women who step out in high heels were somehow desperate for attention, even at the expense of being unstable and therefore unsafe in case anything popped off.

Ummm… no.

Even though I can recall several instances where I almost busted my face open walking down cement steps in heels, I found myself getting very defensive. Because sure heels aren’t the best in a pinch but just because a woman chooses to wear them on a night out doesn’t mean she’s desperate. It means she wants to feel pretty. It means she doesn’t want to be the short one in her circle of friends. It means that she wants her freshly shaven legs to glisten when the street lights hit them. It means she wants to feel powerful. And yeah, she might even want to be noticed. I was defensive even though I knew and my feet confirmed that heels have never really been our friend. Instead heels are like that girl you call a friend who’s not so secretly jealous of you. You can’t stand her but you keep her around and always defend her because she’s fun and you need someone to hang out with on the weekends.

That’s probably what Lena told herself as she slid her feet into the $945, black, peep-toe Louboutin pump that had her wobbling last night. I want to feel pretty. I want to feel powerful and that’s what women are supposed to wear.

Honestly, for a lot of women, myself included, there’s a sense of unspoken shame about not being able to walk in heels. It’s somehow unladylike. A true lady knows how to not only walk but strut in heels. It’s a skill we’ve tried to master since childhood. Beyoncé brags about having her first pair at the age of 13. Men ask us to keep them on in the bedroom and shoes with no heels are often regarded as casual, dressed down. Comfort be damned.

I remember during my senior year of college, in my African Literature class, we read this book, Praisesong For The Widow. If you’re not familiar, basically it’s a book about Avey Johnson, a woman in her sixties, who has to disconnect from her pristine image and adherence to societal constraints in order to find her roots and discover who she really is. Several times throughout the novel, they make mention of Avey’s high heels and how when she’s wearing them, she’s really not herself, not really seeing and relating to the world as she should. “”Freed of the high-heels her body always felt restored to its proper axis.” 

If you’re one of those women who is as comfortable in heels as you are barefoot, then by all means continue to do you boo. But for the rest of us, let’s not always give in to the pressure to wear heels just because we’re expected to. There’s nothing wrong with staying grounded every once in a while.

While some of you were probably catching up on all the season premieres of your favorite cable shows last night, some of us were watching The Golden Globe Awards to find out who was going to win what, who was going to say what, and of course, who was wearing what! Pastel colors were huge, going sheer was the the thing to do, whether you were showing off tatas, or letting some skin peek through embroidered collars and colorful gowns. The looks were the talk of the town, aside from the awards, and we’ve pulled a few looks from the litter that definitely had us talking. Would you steal ‘em or stop ‘em? Let’s take a look and see…

If you’re into Idris, you know that the man knows how to dress. It’s no secret that the brother is fly. But you might be surprised to learn that he was anti-stylist for a while.

Check out him and the woman who made him a believer in the art of style at StyleBlazer.com.

Octavia Spencer is Hollywood’s “it girl” right now, riding the success of her Golden Globe win and anticipation of an Oscar nomination. With new fame comes the ability to demand more, and that’s exactly what Octavia plans to do when it comes to her movie roles going forward.

“The studios are still not going to beat down my door unless it’s a small part in a big comedy, and I’ve done those,” she told 24 Frames. “If you build it, they will come, and that’s what I’m doing, one brick at a time.”

Octavia says her role in the new movie “Smashed” is the first stepping stone. The film, which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend, stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as an alcoholic who is trying to get sober despite her heavy-drinking husband (Aaron Paul). Octavia will play a recovering alcoholic who serves as Kate’s sponsor.

“I get to play someone different than who I usually am,”she says. ”It’s nice to play roles when I’m not just a sassy black woman.”

That’s how her character, Minnie Jackson, was portrayed in “The Help,” but despite having to fill such a stereotypical role in Black Hollywood, Octavia says the opportunity was worth it:

“You do a movie like that to get a movie like this.”

Are you anxious to see where Octavia Spencer’s career heads next?

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

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People magazine chatted with Idris Elba after his win at the Golden Globe Awards Sunday night and came up with Five things to Know About Idris Elba, but there’s really only one thing most women want to know: Is he available?

From the sounds of things, Idris isn’t taken, given that he says he splits his time between Atlanta where his daughter and ex-wife (emphasis on ex) live, and his native London, but anybody thinking of taming this swexy Brit may have their hands full. He told the magazine:

“Never date a DJ or an actor. There are too many women around them.”

Hmm. So does this mean the fame could make things complicated or Dj Driis isn’t interested in resisting temptation? Perhaps he’s just channeling some of that bad boy charm he’s used to portraying in his characters like drug boss Stringer Bell on “The Wire,” which he said sparked “Stringer Mania:”

“Bad guys are attractive to women period, and most are not afraid to admit that. Guys respond to his stealth, his ruthlessness, and the way the man calculates every situation.”

While Idris may not be a total bad guy in real life, he does claim to be a “nightmare” to date. Somehow I think women could manage to get past that though, if he’s as much of a dream in the kitchen as he claims.

“I’m pretty decent. I like spices and I like experimenting with stuff. I love rice and vegetables but I love meat, spicing up meats.”

He likes to keep things spicy in more ways than one, he also told PEOPLE his favorite thing to wear is his birthday suit.

“It causes trouble walking down the street. But my birthday suit is my most comfortable,” he said. “I wear my birthday suit at home, in the bath or in the shower. Yeah, I’m pretty comfortable in my skin that way.”

Yeah, what was that part about being a nightmare to date again?

What do you think about Idris’s comment on never dating a DJ or an actor? Wise advise or would you take a chance?

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

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Did you get to catch the Golden Globe Awards last night? If you didn’t, you missed out on great and fun fashion. Yes, we know the main issue at hand is the awards but you know the designer gowns and dresses are a big part of the festivities. Check out what the few sistahs in attendance were rocking at the big Awards show. 

Octavia Spencer didn’t dazzle in her first turn at the Golden Globe Awards but she did rock it and stay true to her own style. Her gown is by Tadashi Sjohi and her peeptoe heels were by Christian Louboutin. Congrats to Spencer for taking home the award for best supporting actress for her role in The Help.

Last night was a good night for Black Hollywood. At the Golden Globes award ceremony in LA, Idris Elba and Octavia Spencer took home awards for their acting roles this past year.

Octavia Spencer won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the feisty maid Minny Jackson in “The Help,” putting her in a good position to earn an Academy Award at the Oscars next month.

Idris Elba was also noticeably ecstatic about his win in the Best Actor in a Miniseries category. The handsome British actor was honored for his role in the BBC show “Luther”—solidifying his place as a standout actor in Hollywood.

Viola Davis was beat out by Meryl Streep in the Best Actress category, but has already received tons of honors for her role as Aibileen Clark in “The Help.” We’ll have to wait and see who’s entered in the running for Academy Awards when nominations are announced Jan. 24.

Did you watch the Golden Globes last night? What was your favorite moment?

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

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“The Help” is swimming in award nominations right now. On top of the four Screen Actors Guild Awards announced yesterday, the movie has picked up an additional five Golden Globe nominations.

Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain will once again compete for Best Supporting actress, with Viola Davis picking up a nomination for Best Actress. The film could also take home Best Motion Picture Drama and Mary J. Blige may win for Best Original Song for “Living Proof.”

British fav Idris Elba, was also nominated for Best Actor in a miniseries or TV movie for his role as Det. John Luther in the BBC miniseries “Luther.” I may need to tune in for this.

The Golden Globes will be broadcast Jan. 15, 2012, do you plan on watching?

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

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The 68th Annual Golden Globes  took place last night and of course all the stars descended upon the red carpet in their camera-ready best. Who stole the show and who was just so-so?

Click  here to see all the pics!