Caucasian Woman And The Black Gyal.

At the end of the day! sometimes I wouldn't mind wearing a flip flop a rugged shorts, and a worn out shirt, without being frowned upon or treated inequitably. Being black in a postcolonial society where people love to judge you based on what you are wearing or how you look! aka skin color! Classism is such an issue in our Jamaican culture that is ever so often over looked, which by the way annoys the hell out of me. Here's an example! one day I was sitting in a cafe, you know , doing my thing writing, sipping on some good iced coffee, in came a beggar, he first went to a woman of dark pigmentation, then he proceeded on begging two foreigners. They were obviously foreigners given their physical attributes and accents. For some reason or another I started to psychoanalyze the situation as frivolous as is, and anticipated the outcome. Anyways from observation the workers recognized what was happening from the second the beggar entered and it was until the beggar approached the foreigners they intervened and escorted him out, only to return only to the foreigners and apologized for being harassed and reassured them that it wouldn't happen again, whereas the black lady, a local, did not receive siad hospitality.
And this got me perplexed , because that is exactly the kind of treatment I fight against! Not because someone does not appear rich or popularly known for their wealth and not because someone looks white means they're rich and should be treated better than the black person. What the fuck is this ! Modern day slavery, the rich live on the hills and "lessers" live beneath? the only difference in this age is you have one loop hole, and thats education. So basically, what I am saying without apology is ,if you're from a poor background, get educated, or else you will forever remain poor, (Unless you find a sugar daddy/mama lol) but in all seriousness, that is the social construct on which today's society is based upon, and to change this begins with you! yes it begins with you , not the United Nation or your Government, stop inequity and inequality in its tracks when in motion. We are all one we bleed blood, except me, I bleed moet and chandon lol. Keep beautiful.

Mental Health And The Home

When I was fourteen, I had fantasies of being taken from my home and being placed into a family where my new mother would never need me to accompany her to Ward 21 on a monthly basis. I imagined that I would stop being sad and ashamed because she wouldn't behave in ways that scared or embarrassed me.
There are many children in Jamaica who have similar experiences to mine. They are children who often have to deal with their realities in silence because of many reasons. Some, in fact, most of these reasons are ones that need to be urgently addressed in our society.
Jamaica needs to get to a place where people can talk about mental illnesses openly and without fear of stigma (in the case of those who have mental illnesses or have family members with mental illnesses). More Jamaicans need to learn how to talk about mental illnesses without feeling uneasy or simply writing off the mentally ill as 'mad'.
The government also needs to take more responsibility in providing support services for households in which one or more primary caregivers suffer from a mental illness. These services can come in the form of periodic household visits by social workers. They must also create media campaigns to educate Jamaicans on how to respond to not just the needs of people with mental illnesses, but their children and family as well.
Relatives of mentally ill persons must also take on some of the responsibilities in ensuring that children in these households are not adversely affected by their parents' incapabilities especially during psychotic episodes.

Of course, Jamaica has a long way to go in reversing the stigma attached to mental illnesses. But it is critical that is done. And if we truly believed the children are our future, we would want to play our part in making sure we have kids who grow up to be happy, healthy and confident adults. 

Fashion Chronicles Of The Gender Queer

Hey guys I am so excited to finally connect with you all and I hope we can be apart of the Blueprint that ultimately leaves our footprint In this world. Today I want us to talk about the burning issue of  "fashion in Gender queer spaces". First, Gender Queer are people who are non conforming to the labels such as "male" or "female". And being the fashionista I am, I thought it was high time that something was being said. Born and grown in a cultural society, where gender norms were either based upon male or female, a "man" must portray robust characteristics and wear loosely fitting pant, and "females" to be in heels and dresses. Sadly this is is not so, Some "males" wouldn't mind strutting around in a good pair of Christian Louboutin, a pencil skirt with a crop top and I am most definitely sure there are "girls" who would prefer a jacket suit and a tie every now and then without being labeled as a female/male! Because they are not! they  just happen to be a human being who appreciate the art of fashion and being "fashionably fluid" without being labeled and feeling  constant fear. At the end of the day we all just want equality and the respect we deserve, join the movement with JFLAG . And remember, keep beautiful.

You Cannot Be What You Cannot See

The importance of visibility and representation cannot be overstated when it comes to conversations about personal development. We live in a society where labels play a pivotal role in our understandings of reality. It informs us of who we are, those around us and the expectations that each label carries.

Understanding this, it is not difficult to imagine how misinformation about being labeled poor can be used to discriminate against groups of people for the gain of a few. This post addresses how hard it can be to aim for the highest version of ourselves when the requisite information is unavailable