A part of me is so happy to see 2012 leave, as long as it’s taking the “ChriannaRueche” love triangle,  Joseline Hernandez, the Romney family and the Twilight series franchise with it.  But seriously, something about 2012 made me completely disgusted with how African-American women are portrayed and more importantly what we prioritize.  This was the year of the booty shot fails, the stripper/sideline chick/baby mama, and the ratchet.  Sadly, it makes me wonder when we stopped wanting more for ourselves.  It’s like I looked up and one of the best things we had going for us was the cast and crew behind Scandal. Is that all we’ve got?  So not just for 2013, but starting right now, I propose our resolution be to stop engaging in the following ratchet behaviors:

1.  Knowing more about Basketball Wives than Obamacare.

If you can recite the names of all the characters on Basketball Wives, but can’t tell me any of the changes the Affordable Care Act made to U.S. health insurance, I’m going to need you to turn to CNN for at least five minutes a day.  When you become of age to vote, it’s definitely time to know how the economy, politics and world issues directly affect you.  You don’t have to break down the details of the fiscal cliff, but your knowledge of current events and economy should go beyond what you can write off come tax season.

Source: ddot010.blogspot.com

Protestors of “Basketball Wives” and “Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta” might as well keep their e-pens handy because if people are already on fire about those two shows, there’s no way they’re going to let this new reality show fly.

Several months ago, we mentioned rumors a reality show based on the King of Diamonds strip club in Miami was coming to TV and now MissInfo.TV says it’s so:

“This is the story… The story of the money, the girls, the people, the fame and the love. Taking a page from HBO’s hit series CATHOUSE, and FULL THROTTLE, MAKE IT RAIN will be an amalgamation of docu-drama and sexuality, but at the very heart of the piece is a real story. [Owner] Terry managing a thriving business and juggling his other business ventures. At the same time, being a father figure to his employees, giving advice, coaching, paternally guiding some of the girls, making sure that his team of managers (the four horse men) and his self are on the same page, keeping his “A” list celebs clients, music entertainers and athletes happy…and doing all of this as a happily married man with a family of his own”

The first reports about this show said that VH1 was picking it up, but from this NSFW trailer I don’t think they could get away with this. The latest reports simply say a “major network,” and from the looks of things that would have to be a channel like HBO or Showtime, which are mentioned in the description, due to the nudity and language alone. Either way, I’m sure none of us is thrilled about this little “docu-drama.” I wonder what it’s favor patrons, Rick Ross, Diddy, Lil Wayne, and Drake think?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

More on Madame Noire!

• True Life: I REFUSE to Do That in the Bedroom
• He Wrote That? Part II: More Surprising Songwriters Behind Some of Your Favorite Jams
• Strength, Great Skin and 5 Other Black Girl Privileges
• Looking For Trouble: The Day I Hurt Myself By Snooping on My Man…
• My Story: For Colored Girls Who’ve Considered Suicide When the Law Couldn’t Protect Them From Incest
• Ask a Very Smart Brotha Live: What’s With All the Diva Dudes?
• Noire Naturals, Episode 1: The Natural Twist Out

TMZ.com

Spending stacks on quality naked toe-touching is no longer just a man’s thing. This weekend, Evelyn reportedly made it rain “one George Washington at a time” at a popular Miami gentleman’s lounge.

While hosting an event at the G5 strip club, Evelyn spent around $2,000 on topless ladies, but to her credit it’s not as though she didn’t get anything out of it. The dancers were said to keep coming over to Evelyn and offering their services and some even showed her how to drop it like it’s hot for her (supposed) soon-to-be husband, Chad Ochocinco. Let’s just hope he’s not trying to invite any of the dancers into their bedroom after this.

Check out the photo sideshow of her night out here, if you are so inclined. Let’s just say she was awfully up close and very personal. She must be earning Nene’s “Real Housewives” money on “Basketball Wives.”

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

More on Madame Noire!

• Nip & Tuck: Women Who Slipped Their Plastic Surgery By Us
• There Goes the Neighborhood: 8 Ratchet Things You See When The Temperature Rises
• Convenience or True Love: Which Is Your Relationship Made Of?
• MAD MEN: Male Celebrities Who Always Look So Mean!
• Real Love: Weird Signs Of A Good Relationship
• You Can’t Handle The Truth! Things Men Lie About To Spare Our Feelings
• 7 Ways to Encourage Yourself
• Watch Your Mouth! Things You Should Never Say To Your Man

Source: http://www.cineplex.com

You and your man may enjoy a lap dance from time to time or get a kick out of tossing dollars (ones I hope) to Rick Ross’ latest mixtape but, let’s be honest, you hope to God never to see your daughter on one of those stages.

Strippers may be objects of infatuation in our hip hop-driven millennial culture, but the dark cloud of filth and (assumed) promiscuity still looms over the “profession.” As a parent, undoubtedly, one of your goals is to raise a daughter of whom you can be proud—which means you also want to keep her off of the pole.

Keeping your daughter off the pole in today’s society requires more than it did 10, 20 years ago. So, here are few tips to help you get a head start as a parent myself:

Build self-security rather than self-esteem.

Although all of us were created equally in humanity, each of us has been blessed with various talents and attributes in different ways. Some women are more physically attractive than others and garner more male attention as a result. Others are more gifted intellectually. And, the women who we like to deem the really lucky girls appear to have both. It is critical to empower our daughters to be comfortable in the skin in which God created them—nothing more, nothing less. She was given a unique set of DNA to be herself. Unlike self-esteem, self-security does not focus on empty compliments and vanity. Rather, it about inner beauty and self-assurance that translates into confidence and magnetism instead of cries for peer validation. The amount of substantial compliments given should greatly outweigh the superficial. Highlight her knack for organization. Build up her ability to solve problems quickly. Those traits matter in the long run. After all, what does the pretty girl who places all value in what people think of her outward appearance have left over in the case of a physically-altering accident?

Being booed up with your fiancee/baby daddy in the club is cool. Being booed up in a strip club after making it rain on naked women? I’ll pass. But for Ne-Yo and his girl, that was a great way to pass the time Saturday night.

Over the weekend the two went to Magic City and reportedly spent between $3,000 and $5,000 on dancers. At one point the club floor was nearly covered in ones that Ne-Yo and Monyetta spent on the ladies. You can’t even blame this one on the alcohol either, Ne-yo supposedly had absolutely nothing to drink and spent most of his time between midnight and 2 am keeping to himself in VIP.

They say it ain’t trickin’ if you got it but I would’ve preferred to spend time (and money) with my man differently. But, to each his or her own.

Check out the full picture slide show of their night out on TMZ. Warning: It’s raunchy.

What do you think about these two? Do you go to the strip club with your man?

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

More on Madame

• Boy, Bye!: 6 Stupid Reasons to Turn a Man Down
• Hair Raising: Iconic Women Who Changed the Standard for Black Hair
• Does Dating White Trump Your Black Card?
• 7 Things That Should Never Happen In The Bedroom
• Dangerously In Love: Warning Signs To Protect Your Heart From Harming You
• Are You A Coward When It Comes To Breaking Up?
• Can You Marry Someone You Don’t Love?
• So, What Do Their Moms Look Like

Popular stripper Blac Chyna

At this time last month, I was out of the country, disconnected from a bit of everything (the ability to call people was gone because of roaming, and I was not able to use the Internet). Therefore, I missed the big memo and the rumors that a show called Queen of Strip could be coming to VH1 sometime this year to let us know all we DIDN’T need to know about the ladies of famed Miami strip club King of Diamonds. You know, the one all the rappers are seen spending a year’s worth of school tuition in on lapdances and pole twerking.

So when I was updated on all the hubbub and rumors about the show, it was after I most recently viewed the video for Young Money rapper Tyga’s song “Rack City.” The star of his video, a lady named Blac Chyna, is a VERY curvaceous stripper at King of Diamonds, and is said to not only be Tyga’s girlfriend, but is also allegedly going to be one of the stars of the show. And if the show will be anything like the “Rack City” video, which features some exotic dancing entertainment, you’ll be subjected to a whole lot of booty shots, pole twirling and thirsty (I’m talking DEHYDRATED) guys going gaga at the club.

Let’s keep it 100: we’ve been exposed, thanks to VH1 alone, to everything from swinging and scratching Mob Wives, to trifling Basketball Wives from Miami to L.A. who aren’t actually wives but bitter exes. And don’t forget all the nonsense we get exposed to from video models and struggling musicians and girlfriends on Love & Hip Hop (yeah, I’m talking to you Erica and Kimbella). Is it just me, or does VH1 have a beef with women? Seriously, any and every program they have on their roster (with the exception of T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle) at this point does more to objectify women of all colors and backgrounds than it does to bring some sort of positivity to the world. And while I’m sure some of the strippers featured on the show (if it happens) will probably try and show what activities and things they have going on outside of the club, I can’t help but think this will be something better suited for a straight to DVD series (like Girls Gone Wild thing) rather than something young women are exposed to on the channel. I would hate for my niece to think that ditching the books for a pole can actually be a claim to fame. The other shows have already proven that being a naive girlfriend or baby mother to a narcissistic baller, rapper or mobster can do the same.  And chances are, this show would be centered around black female strippers, and that of course, would help to perpetuate many of the tired stereotypes and opinions about us. Yay.

I can’t hate on the ladies at King of Diamonds who choose to take the stripper route to pay their bills. I don’t know people’s circumstances, so to each their own. But honestly, I’ve always felt like this: if you’re going to be a stripper, that’s your business. Nobody has to see you stripping but the men who go to the club, and nobody has to be exposed to the things that can happen in the club but the people who choose to step in the club and get an eyeful. But to bring what needs to stay in the dark to the light of primetime television is something I’m not a fan of, and I can’t see the purpose in putting a show like this on the air. I mean, outside of putting dollars in VH1′s ever-growing pockets and painting another hot mess of a picture of us. While the men of the world might be giddy with excitement over the possibility of getting to watch strippers on television for free dance to “She Got a Donk,” I think I would much rather watch a third coat of paint dry on the wall. No thanks.

More on Madame Noire!

• We Are Family! Shocking Celebrity Relatives!
• Break Up To Make Up: Couples Who Just Couldn’t Let Go…
• 10 Artists That Blew Up…But Shouldn’t Have
• From Script to Song: Actors Who Can Actually Sing…
• Vitamin B(eautiful): Nutrients To Help You Stay Healthy and Gorgeous
• Switched At Birth: Celebrities Who Were Adopted

Reality TV is about to get much more interesting if rumors about a new show based on exotic dancers at the popular Miami strip club King of Diamonds prove true.

Although VH1 hasn’t confirmed anything, the show, “Queen of Strip,” is expected to air on their network, based on a YouTube video created by the club’s owners, Akinyele and Charles “Pop” Young (Trick Daddy’s father). There’s no word on who will be cast in the show but many suspect popular dancer Blac Chyna—the object of Drake’s rap affection, Nicki Minaj’s body double, and girlfriend of rapper Tyga—will be on the scene.

The possibility for the show doesn’t seem too far outside the realm of VH1’s budding reality portfolio targeted at African Americans. But personally, this show sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

Would you watch a reality show based on strippers?

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

More on Madame Noire!

• The TSA & The Fondling of Natural Hair Everywhere: Okay or Not?
• L is For Loser: Bros Who Mooch Off Their Celebrity Siblings
• 7 Ballsy Moves Every Woman Should Try
• Steal These Looks! Star Style For Less
• 7 Signs That You’re Ready to Move In Together
• Somebody Lied to You: People Who Swear They Can Sing But Really Can’t
• Is Social Media Killing Today’s Relationships?

I, for one, hate woman bashing. All women are different; but we all want the same things to some extent. Through life and experiences different women go through different trials which shape their decisions. Let’s take the most common example, strippers. Recently strippers have been taking over the media. Whether it’s a rapper talking about how he’s making it rain, a music video set in an actual strip club or actual strippers trying to make a name for themselves, what used to be frowned upon is now accepted. Even if you look past the black community, there are plenty of exotic dance workout tapes and housewives putting poles in their basement to spice up their marriage. Everyone likes strippers when they are confined to the walls of the club but once they try to integrate into society all hell breaks loose.

Take, for instance, Draya on Basketball Wives: LA. She caught the heat from the other woman on the show for her dancing past. They automatically looked at her a certain way. Now I can’t honestly say that if I met someone that was an ex-stripper that I wouldn’t have preconceived notions about them. The fact is they took their clothes off for money and God knows what else. But hey, maybe at this point in their life, they are past that. Who knows what happened in their life that actually brought them to that line of work? Maybe I’ve watched too many episodes of Law and Order: SVU over the years, but I am always interested in how someone got where they are. It is never cut and dry.  It must have been something really bad to actually make them get up on that stage. Do we give Draya credit for taking that step to get out of that life? Every woman has skeletons in their closet. Who are Jackie, Laura and the rest of the ladies to look down at Draya because of what she used to do? With the same token do we judge Gloria if we find out she really did cheat on Matt? Or do we judge Laura if she really did sleep with Shaq?

Look at Kimbella on Love & Hip-Hop. She is currently with Juelz Santana. Before him, she had relations with Fabolous. Before him…. Who knows? On the show, Kimbella looks like someone who was working in the industry as a model/whatever, and was going from person to person until she landed one, which happened to be Juelz. Does this make Kimbella a hoe? She is from a world where rich and powerful men will do whatever for a pretty face. She doesn’t even necessarily have to do anything special, but she is in VIP, has free bottle service and free admission to all of the hottest clubs. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of that? If they are giving it out, what’s wrong with taking it? Now I am sure that there are women who return the favor, but there are others who just enjoy the commodities that come with being beautiful. Do we blame them and call them names for accepting the silver platter? Of course we want to promote the image of the strong female, working hard for hers and not taking any shortcuts. But sometimes if you are in the right place at the right time, it would be a crime not to indulge yourself.

Rachel Louissaint is a graduate student and a blogger. Follow her on twitter at @rlovely_1.

More on Madame Noire!

• In the Spirit of Christmas: Is It Ever Too Late to Reunite with Your Father?
• Are You on a Real Date — Or An “Almost Date”?
• Get Choked Up: 10 Collar Necklaces Worthy of Happy Tears
• The Questions He Hopes You Never Ask
• Reagan Gomez’s Marriage Advice: ‘Keep People Out of Your Business’
• 9 Inconvenient Truths About Men and Cheating
• Caught Cheating? How To Move Forward After Being Unfaithful

There are countless women who look down on other women in the adult entertainment industry. There’s no need to point fingers. We all have something to contribute to this world. Instead of judging the women who are ogled by men, day in and day out, take the time to see what you can learn from them.

Your Tango.com put together a list of seven things we can learn from strippers.

Check it out, we know you’re curious.

TMZ is reporting that Chris Brown and Bow Wow have recently spent a night out on the town doing — what else — popping bottles of champagne and blowing money on strippers. Now, I am not one to judge. People need to do what they need to do in this world to enjoy themselves, and nothing these days seems to be as stressful as being Chris Brown, who can’t seem to keep himself out of the gossip headlines. I want to be understanding of his complex emotional nature that makes him sometimes act out explosively. Better to do it at the club than through violence in real life, right? But something about this story just irks me.  Here is what TMZ has to say:

Chris Brown and Bow Wow don’t take their hard-earned money for granted — and to prove just how seriously they take their finances … the rappers dropped $5,000 a pop on MULTIPLE strippers last week.

Bow and Breezy let loose at the King of Diamonds strip club in Miami last Wednesday — the largest strip club on the planet — buying untold bottles of booze for their entourage … and lining the floor with singles.

Sources at the club tell TMZ, at least three dancers walked away with $5,000 in tips … each.