February 7th, 2010 / 2 Comments » / by Tayo
This is what I get for watching a marathon of Cycle 9 of America’s Next Top Model on Oxygen today.
Here’s Bianca Golden, one of the contestants in that cycle. I loved this picture of her and inspiration struck!
So.
Here’s the original:
Annnnnd….
here’s the vexel image that I did:
Whatcha think?
)January 6th, 2010 / 12 Comments » / by Tayo
Are Australians racist? I have no idea. There are camps that say yes. But that’s not why the only reason the ad failed.
The ad failed because it was seen in a market other than which it was designated for. Australians might have seen it, realized that this guy (who happened to be white) was a fan of cricket team X (because of the shirt/jersey he had on) and but was stuck in the cricket team Y side of the stadium (which happened to be West Indies and therefore all Black…. logical conclusion? You tell me…)
If the ad had been race neutral (all white or all black) this issue wouldn’t have come up. It would have been “Oh, ha ha, that was a cute ad” or whatever.
If the ad had been designated for an American market, it might have featured, let’s say a Dallas Cowboys fan all decked out in his blue and silver seated in a Washington Redskins side (yes, I had to ask someone for sports team rivals, don’t judge me), you would have chuckled. Or you would have been like “oh that was a stupid ad”… but you wouldn’t have said “oh that’s racist” (aside from the fact that “Redskins” is a stab to Native Americans, but that’s not the topic here either)
The fact of the matter is, the treatment of African descendants is ALWAYS going to be a topic of sensitivity around the world. That sensitivity is concentrated in the Western Hemisphere, the US mainly, let’s be sure. But it’s always going to be there.
For Austrailians to say to American “Hey, lighten up! We’re not racist like you are” is laughable to me. We see the image and it is like a slap in the face and dredges up those old but persistent stereotypes that we hate. Maybe, in the future, design your ad for your market, but be sensitive of the fact that due to the pervasiveness of the internet, other people will see it too (YouTube, anyone?). And these people may get angry… or may get sad… or may decide to sue… or may boycott your product or services or decide to boycott your parent company which has a ton more restaurants in the United States than in Austrailia, I’m wiling to wager….
Just a thought.
What do you think about this ad? Racist? Not racist? Or why the hell are we even talking about this? Comments welcome and adored (I’ll take care of them just like a new born puppy…)
November 17th, 2009 / No Comments » / by Tayo
Nifty ad from Nike for their skateboarding line of shoes. Yes, I said “nifty”.
Also, am I a little wrong for thinking the guy in the ad looks sorta kinda like Adrian Grenier?
Really? No chance, huh? Not even if you squint?
Anyway, enjoy.
Spotted at thenublack.
November 12th, 2009 / 3 Comments » / by Tayo
For the celebration of my 27th year of life, my mother decided to treat me to a spa day. My spa package included a 1/2 hour massage, a facial, and a mani/pedi.
The day of, my mom showed up with balloons and a card and decided that she would stay until the massage was about to start. Unfortunately, being the newbie that I am, I couldn’t figure out how to get onto the massage table. Um, duh, Tayo, just get on it, right? Well, it was more complicated than that, I had to figure out what that pillow at the foot end of the table was for… Well, let’s just say that in the moment, I was utterly confuzzled about it.
This is what I looked like... I assume...
Before leaving, my mom made sure the masseuse know that she needed to take a picture of me during the process. And promptly handed the masseuse a Kodak disposable. So, the incriminating evidence is on a camera that’s probably in my mom’s purse as we speak. If I ever see it, I’ll screen the picture to see if it’ll ever see the light of day again. Didn’t have the forethought to get the massuese to take a picture of me with my cameraphone, so you guys have to miss out on that pic of me with green goop on my face that I know you came here looking for (ha!!).
The massage felt good but I was cold so that tempered the warm tinglies that I was getting from it. The facial was good, but it was not as in depth as I thought it would be (I mean, c’mon! No cucumbers!!) And though I was “dewy” for a couple of hours afterwards, the effect disappeared sooner than I would have liked.
Next up was the mani/pedi. I have a confession that may forever scar your view of me. I hope we can still be friends after this. I hadn’t gotten my feet done (aside from a quick swipe with the pumice stone in the shower) in 3 months. Yeah, I’m hanging my head in shame. The pedi wasn’t the same as I was used to in the typical nail salons (with the bubbling foot spa); it was all manual! I felt sorry for the girl doing it! She was working it tho, and my feet was baby soft and smooth by the end. Fortunately, we bonded over Passions and other soap operas, so I didn’t feel so bad exposing my shame, lol. (BTW, stories of the roughness were greatly exaggerated for entertainment purposes <– covering my a$$!).
So anyway, after all was said and done, I had a great experience and I shuffled/duckwalked to my car to enjoy the rest of my day.
(P.S. The reason why I can’t have nice things: I removed the nail polish from the mani within a day or so… I’m weird like that…)
September 18th, 2009 / 1 Comment » / by Tayo
Don’t ask me why, but this song has been in my head for a while today. So today is Dancing Friday ( a new meme for me? Maybe…)
This video is proof positive that Mya will have an unfair advantage in the new season of Dancing With the Stars.
*proceeds to chair dance… not that type of chair dance!!! nasty, lol…*
September 10th, 2009 / No Comments » / by Tayo
Can’t you see the shame and sadness in my eyes? I promise, when I re-launched AllTayo.com, that I thought I would be giving you at least a post a week. How bad am I that I haven’t posted since July? Some of it is because Twitter gets most of my thoughts and along that reasoning, my ideas in short 140 character bursts. Some of it is new interests outside the computer world. A lot of it is wanting to give you guys ( the loyal readers *trying to say that with a straight face, ha ha*) more than just a bunch of random thoughts that are maybe a paragraph long.
Anyway, so, I installed Wordpress for the Blackberry and this is my test post. And maybe this will get me to write posts on my Blackberry instead of firing up UberTwitter. We’ll see.
In the meantime, bask in the “sorry” eyes.
July 28th, 2009 / No Comments » / by Tayo
For the last week or so, I’ve kicked around the idea of profiling an artist or designer whose works I like, but couldn’t really narrow it down. Then I came across a business card in my wallet that my friend, Jessica, had given me. And decided, that of all the people I could profile, why not give back to my friends first?
I’ve known Jessica for a couple of years now and I’ve know Jessica with a camera in her hand for just as long. I’m not going to ramble on and on, but I will say that Jess’s pieces are striking and great at capturing a moment, a feeling…
I’m including some pictures in this post, but I encourage you to take a look at more of her work in her Carbonmade portfolio: Jessica Noel.
July 15th, 2009 / No Comments » / by Tayo
Anyone who knows me probably knows that I’m a TV junkie. TV entertainment, it’s my getaway, my vicarious living, and the source of some of my knowledge about the world. A singular phrase uttered in the realm of a TV show can send me into a Google search in search of what it was about.
According to Nielsen Media, Black Americans account for approximately 13 percent of the over 100 million TV households in the U.S. Black Americans (and Latino Americans) also “generally watch more television than other segments of the population”. Additionally “the African-American TV population is estimated to increase between 5-7% every five years. The largest percent increase will be between the years 2010 and 2015, increasing African-American TV households by 920,000 households. At this pace, African-American households will increase to 14% of total U.S. TV households by 2050″ (TV Audience Special Study: African-American Audience) .
What are we watching? What portrayals of ourselves do we see on television? And when others watch, how do they see us? In an overly generalized personal opinion, I see a lot of the portrayals of Black Americans on television come mainly from reality show fare on VH-1 and BET, some of which is neutral and even positive, but most of which is negative. This is where much of America and the world get their perceptions of Black America from. Yes, there are plenty of supporting characters on network television that are Black. Two snaps for the networks. But I can only think of two current shows with majority Black casts (House of Payne on TBS, which I refuse to watch, and Lincoln Heights on ABC Family, which I have not yet had an opportunity to check out) but neither air on the major networks (that is, NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX).
Lincoln Heights is a TV show that features a predominately Black cast.
Let’s focus on Black portrayals in reality shows for a second. In this realm, Black Americans are usually only showcased and focused on if they are celebrities (Keisha Cole, Snoop Dogg, Deion Sanders) or if they are acting a fool for “love” or otherwise (Flavor of Love, I Love New York, For the Love of Ray J). Hmm. Seems like the only interest in Black people on reality shows is if they’re famous or if they are given or create opportunities to shame themselves.
Since we know that reality shows are quick and easy to churn out, it’s very likely that new reality shows will premiere on a regular and pervasive basis. So what about showcasing Black folk in “normal” situations? Is it not interesting enough to watch a Black family going through their day-to-day life? Where is the Black “Jon and Kate Plus 8″ (putting aside the recent controversy that has found that family for the moment)? I’m sure there’s a Black family out there who runs an architectural firm or a plumbing company or something that we could follow. Hell, there was a reality show that followed a family of tow truck drivers!! Well, normal Black people aren’t interesting enough, you say? The right editors could take my own boring existence and make you interested in it for a 30-minute time slot, ha ha.
And so if that hypothetical Black plumbing family got a show, by chance, what channel would they be on? Could a black-only or majority Black reality show make it onto the major networks? And again, I’m not talking about BET or TVOne or any specialty channels or targeted-audience channels; I mean mainstream channels that intend to cater to a mainstream audience?
Where is today’s Cosby Show? Good Times? The Jeffersons? Hanging with Mr. Cooper? Family Matters? New York Undercover? Living Single? Fresh Prince? Did all that die with the nineties? Are we in 2009 less open to see a “normal” Black family or “normal” Black people on TV than we were 10,15, 25, 30 years ago?
Cosby Show cast
Living Single cast
The Jeffersons cast
Black people… to all my folks with increased melanin in their skin… We consume the most media, we have a high amount of buying power (“total buying power expected to reach $1.1 trillion by 2012” according to The Nielsen Company) What are you doing to ensure that you see a more balanced and fair representation of yourself on television? I’m all for having Flavor of Love out there for me to shake my head at. But, where is its counterpart that I can raise my head high and feel the pride swelling in my chest about? Are you happy with the way you are represented on television? Is it accurate? If not, what do you think should be done to change that? Can anything be done to change it?
Tell me what you feel about this in the comments. Everyone, Black or not, is welcome to comment, but let’s keep things civil
July 8th, 2009 / 4 Comments » / by Tayo
Hi there. Wow, I’m glad you came by. Welcome to the first of many posts from me.
Even right now, I’ve got a notebook that I’m filling up with ideas of things I’d like to talk about and for posts that I think you might like to read.
And to welcome you to the wonderful world of AllTayo, I’d like you to watch the following video and let me know is it me you’re looking for? Tell me how to win your heart, for I haven’t got a clue, but let me start by saying…
Hit me up in the comments!
– Tayo
P.S. if you came directly here, you should check out my homepage, AllTayo.com and my portfolio, AllTayo Designs.
You know those blogs where you read them and come away with new knowledge or read a story that causes a lump in your throat and tears to come to your eyes? Or that make you laugh so hard that you spit out your drink on to the monitor? Yea, this isn't one of those.
It's the random musings of a self-professed dork who gets excited about the most random things. Who loves her family and friends. Who is still in the process of figuring herself out. Who loves to help people. Who is learning to tap into and harness her creativity.
This is my blog. I can't guarantee you'll love everything you read. But rest assured it'll be what Tayo says.
**NOTE** This blog isn't gonna be professional all the time. If you want the professional Tayo, you should check my portfolio or my resume.
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