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You know, sometimes we have the one that we just don’t want to get away.  Maybe we think they’re our “true love” or maybe it’s the “blinding” sex but we’ve got to keep that “one” around.  Celebrities are no different and they want to keep that “ol’ thang” around them.  Check out some celebs who go back and forth to their flames. What other celebs keep breaking up and making up?

It seems as if every week a Hollywood star gives birth then pops up on a magazine cover or runway a few months later flaunting their slender frames and sleek abs. Although some women lose baby weight faster than others, here are 15 celebs that snapped back to their pre-baby bodies in no time.

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Mariah Carey

Diva and R&B singer Mariah Carey shocked the world when she announced she married her husband rapper, actor and entertainer Nick Cannon. After struggling to conceive, the happy couple surprised everyone one more time when it was revealed that Carey was pregnant with twins. Once Monroe and Morocco were welcomed into the world, the “Butterfly” singer went to work right away to lose the baby weight. Because she gave birth via Cesarean, Carey was unable to exercise right away. The current “American Idol” judge signed on to be the spokesperson for Jenny Craig and ended up dropping 70 lbs. in six months. “I realize that 90 percent of losing weight is my diet,” Carey said in an interview with Shape magazine about how she lost the extra pounds.

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Not long ago, I was sitting at a local bar enjoying a quick bite with a friend.  As he and I dished about life and sports as guy and gal pals do, a lady comes over to our table and she says to me, “You’re beautiful.”  Flattered by her words, I tell her thank you and let her know that I really appreciate the compliment.  I intend to get back to the conversation with my friend, but she continues.  “And you’re very graceful.  I noticed you when you first walked in.  Are you a dancer?  You have the body of a dancer.”  At this point, I’m still flattered but I’m definitely getting a little uneasy.  I politely thank her again, and let her know that I am in no way a dancer and that I could only dream to have the body of one.  Surely our quick exchange would be over at this point and I’d be able to go on with the conversation I was clearly having when she walked over.  Yet, she continues: “May I ask what kind of skin care products you use?”

It is at that point it hits me and I could hear the voice of Florida Evans crying out in the background, “Damn, damn, damn!!!”…I’ve been caught by a freakin’ Mary Kay lady.

Is it just me, or are Mary Kay consultants highly aggressive?  As the young lady starts to explain to me that she owns her own Mary Kay business and would love to talk more about the products the company offers, I know instantly that it will NOT be easy to get rid of her.  Even after explaining to her that not only do I rarely wear make up but that I also have a really simple and natural skin care regimen that doesn’t involve a lot of products, she refuses to give up.  Now, I’m the kind of girl who rarely gives out my information.  I think long and hard about giving my number out even to men I’m actually interested in.  But the Mary Kay lady walked away with my phone number and email address.  That’s how aggressive she was.

I can think of at least three other separate occasions when I have been borderline accosted, in very similar fashion, by Mary Kay consultants.  Walking down the street, shopping, dining out, I’ve been blindsided by members of the pink brigade while doing all of these things.  It always starts out innocently, usually with a compliment, and just when you start feeling yourself and plan to give a quick “thank you” and strut off—they go in for the hard sale.  They do not take no for an answer.

I recently found out that I’m not alone.  A number of my friends have had very similar experiences with consultants.  In fact, one friend compared the tenacity of some Mary Kay business owners to that of followers of a certain religious faith who are usually very eager to share their beliefs.  We’ve decided that of the two, Mary Kay is definitely more aggressive.  They’re gangsta.  I respect it, but I’m simply not about that life.

While I’ve decided to, henceforth and forevermore, run in the opposite direction when a Mary Kay lady makes her presence known, I know that the company offers some very positive incentives for women.  Mary Kay allows women to go into business for themselves and to do so in a way that affords them the flexibility that many other careers fail to offer.  In an economy as tough as the one we’re currently enduring, that’s nothing to smirk at.  Consultants are able to take advantage of a 50 percent discount on products, making a 50 percent profit on all products sold.  There are leadership opportunities that allow women to transition into director positions and help other consultants build their businesses. And we all know about the infamous pink Cadillacs that Mary Kay Consultants can earn; add diamonds and luxurious trips to the list of enticing incentives as well.

For some, a Mary Kay business may be just what the doctor ordered.  Lots of people are searching for the perfect way to create additional streams of income for themselves.  For me, I’ve been scarred and I am indeed scared.  I like to tell a woman she is beautiful and keep it moving, but that doesn’t seem to be the Mary Kay way.  Eh, different strokes for different folks I suppose.  Since I have yet to find a successful way to emerge from an encounter with a Mary Kay consultant without giving her some sort of information, I’m just going to try to avoid these saleswomen at all costs.  What about you?

Have you been in any situations when you’ve come unsuspectingly face to face with a Mary Kay lady?  How did it go?  If you are a Mary Kay lady, have you enjoyed your experience working with the company thus far?

Sheena Bryant is a writer and blogger in Chicago.  Follow her on twitter at @song_of_herself.

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Source: blackisblack.ca

When I was younger, I once told my friends I wouldn’t change the way I dressed. I exclaimed, “I’m gonna rock Pepe all the time.” Thank goodness I grew up. Part of fashion is growth and exploring different styles, but what happens when we reverse the cycle? We have moms who hide in the clearance section in Forever 21 and at Pink in Victoria’s Secret, and fifteen year olds who shop at Cato. The reversal is both ways and here are a few ways to help you step your style up and still look age appropriate.

• Don’t look for size, look for fit: When you normally go shopping, you’re probably looking for something your size. Take into consideration that different brands run either smaller, true to size or larger. It all depends on the demographic that they’re catering to. For instance, H&M blouses run small along with PacSun clothes (every time I’m in those stores I always see older women shopping).  Also, many brands are going for the “bigger is better” look right now, selling blouses and tunics that are meant to be worn loosely, so it really doesn’t matter what size you get because they’re all going to be big! Before you assume something is too big or too small for you, it doesn’t hurt to make a date with the dressing room first to get a dose of reality.

• Realize that you’re getting older: This isn’t a slap in the face, just a little reminder that you aren’t 17 anymore. The things you wore in your heyday won’t explain the life you live today. Once you see that, you will start to explore different types of clothes and styles.  Remember, just because those Real Housewives of Whatever wear those skin-tight party dresses, that doesn’t mean you should. In fact, they have editors, producers, and really good makeup artists to hide what they’re really looking like, so don’t make a fool of yourself.

• Buy for quality, not for quantity: We all love a good bargain, but sometimes we have to spend a little more to get longevity in our clothes. Also, most of the clothes seen on the clearance racks are either out of season or just extra stuff that just didn’t sell. There is always a reason it’s there. So just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean that it’s something you have to add to your collection of clothing. Sales in department stores happen almost every other weekend, so sign up for email alerts and get apps like Mobo, Weekly Ads and Sales, or your favorite retailer’s applications so that you can get things that are made better and look better for less.

• Ignore Fashion Trends: The best thing you can do to avoid being that mom at parent-teacher conferences in sequins and skinny jeans is to ignore fashion trends. I know this sounds cliché, but it’s the truth! We wear what we want to express ourselves and that’s just spiffy, but when you follow a trend you’re not expressing how you feel, but how everyone feels. Plus, spending money on what’s cute right now but might go out of style a few months from now is not really a good look for your style, or your wallet, is it?

All in all, you can do whatever you want. Just because you get older doesn’t mean you have to put on turtlenecks and start searching for orthopedic shoes, but dressing like a teenager in a Justin Bieber video or overdressing to look older isn’t all that good of an idea. Don’t be afraid to grow up and step up your style.

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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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Before you knew about their profiles, many of these celebrities gained popularity first from their weird, yet awe-inspiring hairstyles. Others, of course, were already household names before their hair became a fashion trend with fans and media experts alike. And as odd as they appear to be, no one can rock Amber Rose’s dyed blonde buzz cut or Janelle Monae’s updo better.

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Every once in a while, it’s fun to get super girly. Pink always makes me feel super feminine and flirty. Blame it on Barbie. Don some of these accessories to get your pink fix!

With the magazine industry putting the hottest celebrities on their covers to sell copies and the surge of celebrity gossip blogs, it’s easy to think you can identify and relate to the famous ones. Any little piece of information makes them seem more like a cool chick or that one broad you’d shoulder check in the club if she got too close. For the celebrities we like, we want to “share” in their joys, including their pregnancies. Check out this list of celebrities who are pregnant, or were recently, whose babies we’re curious to see.

While there is no such thing is “talking white” it would be hard to deny the fact that there is such a thing as “singing black.” Sure the logic is a little backward and potentially racially elitist but truth be told, historically, there is a soulful tone associated with music performed by black artists. Do we agree? Good. But as with every law of the universe, there are exceptions. Here are some women, past and present, who may lack melanin but certainly not soul.