After people were either raving or complaining about Beyonce being picked as the most beautiful woman in the world by People Magazine, scientists in Britain have another another person in mind for title of most beautiful woman in Britain: Florence Colgate.

Colgate is an 18-year-old white woman from the UK with blue eyes and blonde hair, but she isn’t considered the most beautiful woman in the world because of her typical European features according to the scientists. She is praised for having a very symmetrical face, going by the European standard.

Don’t get me wrong, she’s a pretty girl…but “science” is saying she’s the most beautiful woman in the world? You can’t scientifically prove beauty as it is totally subjective. Someone can think I’m the most beautiful person the world, and the person who communicated that sentiment wouldn’t need to go through an assessment process to come to that conclusion.

It’s obvious that they only looked at one part of the world, the Western world, because I really don’t think Colgate is a full reflection of the beauty that is present throughout even the diverse territory of Britain which boasts large populations from Africa, India, and the West Indes.

Women like Florence and Beyonce make me wonder, are these are the only examples of what society deems as beautiful? Here we have a normal plain Jane white woman being given this title, and then we have a black woman who is closer to the white standard given this title as well.

Should we be happy enough that at least a shade of black beauty is being recognized? Or should we be more critical since this shade of black beauty seems to be the only one being celebrated in mainstream culture? Beyonce’s light complexion, long straight honey blonde hair, and multicultural background make her a safe bet.  She is closer to Florence Colgate than we like to admit.

Source: Passion4food.ca

Then we have women like the Kardashians. They get a pass because even though they are “exotic” looking, they are still white. Their features are praised in the fact that they have black girl or Latina looks without having to deal with the consequences of being black or Latina. It’s sad and crazy how that works. It’s not fair to them and it’s definitely not fair to the girls they are misidentified as. Yet, no matter the mainstream controversies over the standard of beauty, one truth continues to resonate: beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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The hit reality show, ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ certainly took its name from the infamous phrase ‘keeping up with the Joneses’.  As a large number of women, and some men, aspire to look and act like the three reality stars, it seems as if more people are attempting to ‘belong’ by buying their way into a social class, even if they can’t afford it.

The phrase, which originated in the early 1900’s from a comic strip in newspapers, used the name ‘the Joneses’ as a generic term for neighbors. The phrase simply meant to strive to keep up with your neighbors in both spending and in social standing. And while this phrase was coined years ago, it’s probably more relevant now than ever with the obsession of celebrities and reality stars’ lives; but  possessing a ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ mentality isn’t limited to your obsession with your favorite Basketball wife. It could be the woman at your job (who clearly earns more money than you), but you somehow feel compelled to outshine her.

This mentality usually leads to living above your means in efforts to buy your way into not just approval but to gain some sort of admiration. While most of us won’t admit that this behavior is a result of the need of approval, it surely isn’t an attitude of the most confident, content person.

So how do you tell if you’re trying to keep up with the Joneses?  Here are seven signs that you’re living a life that is way above your means.

So I found out some very interesting news today that I’m sure you might have heard yourself: Kourtney Kardashian is pregnant. Again.

It wasn’t long ago that the oldest Kardashian sister found out she was first pregnant with the now very adorable Mason (you saw that episode, right?). While her sisters were off running behind ballers, getting engaged and hitched quickly and getting divorced even faster, Kourtney was always somewhere in the corner–chill and content opening boutiques and being a good mommy. And now she’ll have double baby duty with her long-time boyfriend, the oh so incredible (NOT) Scott Disick. While I’m happy for her if she is happy, her situation has me thinking: how many kids should you be laying down and having with a man before he finally puts a ring on it?

Let me first say that I’m not trying to be a hater. In fact, I like Kourtney most out of all the girls in the clan. However, there comes a time when everyone has to get a little real. She just had her first child with Disick in 2009, and here we are at the end of 2011 with news that another little one will be on the way. This is the perfect time for Scott to wed the woman who has and will bring his children into the world, who has stood by him when everyone else in her family was trashing him (which he deserved most of the time), and stood by in general when he did many a shady and immature thing. Being a ride or die chick on paper is cool, but if after all that and two babies you all haven’t even had a serious conversation about marriage and where your future is headed, then that’s a problem. Well, at least to me it is.

I know that Kourtney shouldn’t rush into anything if she isn’t ready, and neither should Scott. I also know people say that a child shouldn’t be the reason people get married if they aren’t really prepared for that leap or truly down for one another. Yeah, I’ve heard that. But let me say then that a child isn’t something they should be bringing into the world again if they really don’t see a lasting relationship in their future. So bullcocky for that excuse. If she’s good enough to push out his babies, then Kourtney should be good enough to be a wife and want to be a wife as well.

There are way too many folks out here laying down with people they are not serious about, and a lot of the time the end results are multiple children by a man who they’ve dated for years, who one day decides that the life he’s living with you and your new family just isn’t working for him anymore. Sure, a man can pick up and start over with a new lady or live the bachelor life while seeing his children every week (if they’re lucky) since it’s always assumed that the kids will be the woman’s responsibility first. But of course, it will be harder for the woman to pick up and start over because she now has children that she has to raise, love, nurture and protect on the daily. Children are in no way some sort of negative baggage, but we all know that once they’re out, if things go bad, it’s very easy for the lady to end up being both mommy and daddy while the psuedo-father smooth sails through the club and bars on the regular. Trust, I’ve seen it.

As I stated before, I think we live in a society that’s a little bit too comfortable with having flings, having children and raising them around “maybe circumstances.” Maybe the relationship will work, maybe it won’t. Maybe we’ll get married, maybe we’ll break up. We’ll just see what happens. Maybe. WTF!? I guess I look at it like this: if you can’t be committed to after having a child with the man in your life, then you might want to at least STOP having more children with him. One child with Scott is one thing Kourtney, but TWO? AND he’s crazy? Now that’s another. If you’re already living together and sharing these responsibilities, these bills and a bed (obviously), then what’s the deal with the ring? Let’s work that out folks…

But what do you think?

By Alexis Garrett Stodghill

Kim Kardashian might be famous for dating black male celebrities and flashing major cleavage, but her business sense is sharp and also to be applauded. No stranger to selling herself well, the sex tape scandal star turned reality TV queen has worked her marketing magic yet again through her love life. Capitalizing mightily on her recent marriage to Kris Humphries, it is estimated that Kim was able to produce most of her $10 million celebrity wedding for free. She (and the corporate interests behind her) also stand to make $17.9 million off the nuptials — in profit. If you look at the total value raked in by the Kardashian clan for her heavenly union, that’s almost $30 million in cash, goods and services. How was a relatively talent-free but very pretty woman able to do this? There is something to be gained from mimicing Kim’s self-promoting genius. Her wedding is a case study of business wisdom we can apply to everyday scenarios.

Tap Your Personal Life to Promote Your Business

Kim Kardashian and her entire family have built their empire on over-sharing the intimate details of their lives. Her wedding is no different. In fact, by exposing every element from the proposal to the wedding shower, Kim was able to build interest for the big event (and sell every moment in the timeline). In her article on Kardashian’s marketing acumen, Marianne Bickle writes: “One of the best marketing tactics is to… Let people and organizations know what your business is about, how you benefit the community and upcoming events. Toot your horn so that the entire world may hear the music.” Your level of sharing might not be as high as Kim’s but your brand will benefit from spreading knowledge of as much of yourself as you can in a positive way