Featured Posts

To top
Title Image

Black Tag

20 Dec

Larry Owens on Broadway’s beauty standards as a queer

Larry Owens on Broadway’s beauty standards as a queer
Fresh from his role as Usher, in Michael R. Jackson’s off-Broadway A Strange Loop, the musical comedian demands to be seen, heard and adored “I feel like I successfully created a latest form of leading man for the musical theatre.” These are the words of Larry Owens, the supernova comedian, musical performer, and, as of this summer, uncanny stage star. Owens has never played coy about his many gifts—the booming voice; the immediate, startling connection to his audiences; and his deeply articulate showbiz vocabulary. And he has never shied away from what sets him apart within the industry: He's black. He's queer. He's of size.  This summer, Owens starred in Michael R. Jackson’s off-Broadway...
Continue reading
12 Dec

Walmart, CVS, and more to stop locking up beauty

Walmart, CVS, and more to stop locking up beauty
US drugstore chains Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS Health have all announced they may not be locking up cosmetics and hair care products aimed toward black people and other people of color. This discriminatory practice, which didn't cover brands traditionally targeted towards predominantly white consumers, meant that these beauty products could only be accessed by having an worker unlock the cases, a few of which featured additional anti-theft measures. In an announcement last week, Walmart said the locked cases had been used to discourage shoplifters from stealing products including electronics and cosmetics. Nevertheless, it continued: “We’re sensitive to the problem and understand the concerns raised by our customers and members of the community and have made the choice to discontinue placing multicultural hair...
Continue reading
4 Dec

Savanah Leaf’s A24 debut spotlights the realities of Black

Savanah Leaf’s A24 debut spotlights the realities of Black
Ahead of the discharge of Earth Mama, the Olympian-turned-director speaks to Dazed in regards to the US foster care system and the unrelenting surveillance of Black moms Savanah Leaf’s tender debut Earth Mama begins with a lady delivering a monologue direct to the camera. “It’s my journey; it’s no person else’s journey. No one goes to walk with these shoes I got on my feet. You may’t walk in my shoes but you'll be able to walk besides me,” she says. These first lines sit on the core of Leaf’s directorial ethos – a type of cinema that doesn't intrude or pander to a pitiful type of empathy, but as an alternative observes...
Continue reading