"Where Is the Class?"

In today's society, we have become accustomed to glamorizing women and their ways. Decades ago and even further back than that women were seen as the vessels of life and were glorified for their beauty and grace from the inside out. Some of those glorified women span back as far as Queen Cleopatra to as current as First Lady Michelle Obama. In between those years we have seen women that have graced runways, red carpets, stages, silver screens, and even in corporate offices with a phenomenal and undeniable attribute that we know as class and timeless beauty. Those women have come in all colors, races, shapes and sizes. Yes. Such women as Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Josephine Baker, Lena Horne, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King have demonstrated these attributes and so many more.

But what happens when you push the time forward to our present day, add sexuality, take away class, and add the ever-budding reality show phenomenon? You get a world of women that are glamorized for who can scream the loudest, fight the hardest, sleep with the most men, and put it all on the line just for their 15 minutes of fame.

I found myself watching a reality show that is becoming the talk of the town on the network Oxygen. This show is appropriately called, "The Bad Girls Club". You can catch a sneak peek at the show here

The show puts 7 self-proclaimed "bad girls" in a mansion and they are expected to live with one another while trying to change their ways. Honestly, what happened to the days where parents raised their daughters to be young ladies and carry themselves as such? When I watch this show, I can't help but wonder where did we as a society go wrong? Where did the class that was once admired get lost amongst the television generation? This show displays the outrageous behavior of women that party, drink, exploit themselves, and become monsters just ready to explode at any given moment. How is that such women can be glorified and the much classier women are looked over as boring? More importantly, how is a young girl growing up today supposed to understand what is an acceptable and respected young woman when such outrageous behavior is glamorized?

When I was growing up, I remember seeing images on television and in magazines that made me think that the only way to be seen as a glorified woman was to wear the least amount of clothing possible and be the center of attention no matter what it took. However, I also had a mother that directed me in a way so that my mind would not be tainted by such images. She helped me to understand that ladies do not carry themselves in such a classless manner and you respect yourself because you are a woman of God.

Now, not every young girl was taught such values. But that is when we have to reach out to our troubled young girls and help them to understand that class and self-respect is what separates the girls from the women, and the trash from the class.

If you see a young woman handling herself in a way that is otherwise, help her to understand that she is too beautiful to display herself in such a lewd and disgusting manner. Each one should teach one. Help her to know that she is truly a queen no matter what. It is our job as women to uphold ourselves in a respectable manner and we have to help pave the road for upcoming generations of women. The women of decades past knew their worth and it is important for us as women to remember their legacies and know our worth and value as well.

The Black Superwoman

"Even when I'm a mess I still put on a vest with an 'S' on my chest oh, yes. I'm a superwoman. Yes I am."

These are the beloved and powerful words of R & B sensation Alicia Keys in her hit single, Superwoman. Who can forget the strength and inspiration behind the lyrics of this powerful song? Indeed, the lesson of the song is very inspiring and has actually encouraged me during times when I feel like I can't go on. But how many of us actually try to live up to the standards of the modern Superwoman? Actually many of us, and sometimes we don't realize our own kryptonite.

As black women, we are taught to take on the world one day at a time. We wake up, cook, clean, go to work, get the kids to school, pay bills, pick the kids up from school, make dinner, bathe the kids, wash the dishes, pay more bills, get the kids to bed, and finally try to get to bed at a decent time. All this just to wake up the next day and start all over again. Even within those daily tasks, other objectives can be squeezed in, such as dating, tending to friends and family members, and running other errands as well. But there is one objective that we tend to neglect while we are handling those tasks: ourselves.

So often we as black women tend to put others before ourselves. We have been raised to believe that we are the superwomen of this world and we are to be independent and take care of all other things that may concern us with a smile on our faces and through all the stress. But we forget to realize how important it is to take care of ourselves. We often become so engrossed in our daily lives that we forget to take the time to truly appreciate who we are from the inside out. We never think twice about putting ourselves last and consistently put others before us, not knowing that we are wearing ourselves and our health down.

Essence.com reported on a woman who went through the same ordeal. You can read her story here.

The fact of the matter is that as women, we need to remember to take time out for ourselves, even if only for a few minutes a day. Try meditating in silence for ten minutes at least. Read a book in a relaxing setting for a half hour here and there. Try picking up a new craft or activity and doing such a few times a week. And if you really want to spoil yourself, try heading to your nearest spa and just relax a little or take a mini vacation someplace new and exciting.

The bottom line is to always remember that being a superwoman doesn't mean ignoring yourself all the time. It simply means finding a balance in your life so that you can appreciate who you are from the inside out. Even Superman took a break to renew himself. Why shouldn't us Superwomen do the same?