Fifty years after Gloria Steinem helped to kick-off the Women’s Movement with her exposé about the horrors of being a Playboy Bunny, we are still debating whether or not it is demeaning to place emphasis on a woman’s appearance. And, a whole generation of women are inclined to distance themselves from the ideals of the Women’s Movement because of a prevailing belief that it’s necessary to choose between femininity and feminism.

As the tomboy daughter of a Playboy Bunny, I grew up considering these issues every day of my life. Unlike the Bunnies in Steinem’s article, who squeezed themselves into bone-crushing costumes and crippling shoes for a pittance, the women I grew up seeing in the Playboy Club dressing room were intelligent, confident and proud to use beauty and glamour as a means to provide good livings for themselves and often, their children. Yet, I also grasped the feminist belief that for women to achieve success on men’s terms, they had to be respected and valued for their intelligence, strength and ingenuity.

I’ve reconciled these sometimes opposing perspectives by admiring and emulating women who use their heads to control their bodies and their lives. Women who combine brains and beauty, refuse to adhere to any one ideal, make their own rules and set their own terms. Women like my friend, and teacher, Essence Revealed.

As a burlesque dancer, Essence mixes candor and artifice to create performances that not only please the eye, but challenge the mind about the place of women in society. When she takes off the sequins and high-heels, Essence continues her work, helping women find both beauty and strength in their bodies. And with the ability to make the transition from unassuming to spectacular in the span of a Brooklyn to Manhattan subway ride, Essence understands that every woman has a variety of dimensions and attributes she can control to build a well-rounded life.

When I look at the women rising to the top of popular culture, I think that Essence and I aren’t alone in appreciating those who take advantage of all their assets, both mental and physical. Teen girls will watch Jennifer Lawrence “Catching Fire” as the beautiful, kick-ass Katniss Everdeen again this year. Sheryl Sandberg has encouraged everyone to “Lean In”, and find ways for both men and women to achieve a work/life balance; and Kerry Washington has the whole country fixing their problems by asking, “What would Olivia Pope do?”

The reality is that Kamala Harris is beautiful, as well as brilliant, dedicated and tough, and I don’t see how it hurt women or feminism for the President to acknowledge all of her attributes. And Beyoncé can call herself anything she likes, but in my mind any woman who can control her image and her business is a feminist, especially when she can do it wearing corsets and heels that would make Gloria Steinem, or any Playboy Bunny weep.

For instance:

The United States Olympic Team brought home 104 medals. 46 were gold.

Lebron James became the youngest NBA player to reach 20,000 points.

Major League Baseball had 7 no-hitters; 3 of which were perfect games.

And Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco’s fresh-faced QB, parlayed an unscheduled, mid-season start into 2 scores through the air, 2 on the ground and 2 NFL records to win his first-ever professional playoff game.

Wow. We live in an extraordinary time.

But, the most remarkable thing about all of those achievements is that, by the same time next year, most of them will be forgotten.

Why? I say, blame it on the FOMO.

As incurable as the common cold, the Fear Of Missing Out is what’s given birth to a 24-hour news cycle and all of the media outlets that keep it churning.

Because of it, stats get reported instantly. Records get broken just as fast. And the fans’ expectations go along for the ride, rising at a meteoric pace until…

Good just ain’t good enough anymore.

Not when there’s a gaggle of guys on a depth chart, both capable and chomping at the bit to nudge the starter off the field and out of hall of fame consideration.

Good has no staying power.

Not when fans are as quick to forget success, as they are to drop an athlete from their fantasy team.

Today, you’ve got to be exceptional. Untouchable. Inhuman. Just to get noticed.

And you’ve got to do it in Peewee, in practice, on game day, on YouTube, on first, second, third and fourth down. And then again, next time you touch the ball, just to stay relevant.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not mad at SportsCenter. I embrace it wholeheartedly. What I despise is how the FOMO also fuels the culture of corruption that consistently threatens our wonderful world of sports. Our insatiable appetites for heroism have created an environment where the pressure is as destructive as the triumph can be thrilling.

Since good is never good enough, how can we truly expect athletes to NOT be tempted to cheat? These are easily the most competitive members of our society. And, for the most part, they’re young, impressionable and have not yet had a chance to develop morally as much as they have physically. So, why wouldn’t they flop, dive or juice just a bit just to get an edge? Why wouldn’t they lie through the pain of an injury to earn one more carry? Why wouldn’t they cut a corner or two for a shot at being great?

Last night, Lance Armstrong finally came clean after years of denial. In quick succession, he responded in the affirmative.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Finally, a touch of honesty.

And then there was this:

Oprah:  In your opinion, was it humanly possible to win the Tour de France without doping, seven times in a row?

Lance:  Not in my opinion.

The most telling response broke the streak. Finally, a dose of reality.

By this time next year, we’ll have experienced scores and scores of even greater greatness. And, almost as often, we’ll have built up as many new heroes as we’ll have torn down.

Why? Maybe Adidas had it right. These days, “Impossible is Nothing.”

No one expected Marlo Thomas’ creation to have such a big impact on little kids. But for me, and others of my generation, those songs about boys who liked dolls, girls who wore overalls and parents who were people, helped to define our ideas about gender and relationship. They opened our young minds to possibilities our parents never would have considered.

40 years later, I look around and see the legacy of “Free To Be You and Me” in how what was once unusual, is now traditional. My friends, the Little Family, are a perfect example.

Back in 1972, few could have imagined a Black atheist from Texas marrying a Jewish New Yorker. Even fewer would have believed they would bring up a teen-age activist who raises money for AIDS research, or a second grader who matter-of-factly tells friends she hasn’t seen in a while, “It’s me, Assata. I prefer to dress like a boy now.” But, it’s 2013, and even though we often fear things haven’t changed, in reality those of us who grew up with “Free To Be You And Me,” have influenced our country in as many subtle ways as that album affected us.

People often say that music and movies are simply entertainment; that they don’t mean anything. But, media has the power to change minds, outlooks and perceptions, helping to create a world where traditional American families are varied, diverse and free to be who they are – just like the Little Family.

An election year kicks up a lot of dust.  But now that it’s begun to settle, we can clearly see the road ahead. 2013 should be a year of resolutions, where we find common ground and focus on that which unites instead of divides us. Rather than discussing public statements and political stances, lets talk about what really matters; the safety, health and prosperity of our families, cities, states and countries.

Let’s resolve to laugh more, love more, accept one another despite our differences and rejoice in our individuality and, to paraphrase a great president, though passion may have strained, let us not break our bonds of affection. 

Peace & Unity 2013

In these times when connectivity is of the utmost importance and people are tweeting, pinning, sharing and posting at an amazing rate, it seems that basic methods are where it’s at, once again.

With all its privacy issues and constant functionality updates, Facebook appears to have made some people grow tired of having to “facebook.” Yes, people still use Facebook; I’m not saying that they don’t, but somewhere it seems to have lost that novelty. There are those who would now rather just click ”Like” or “Share” and move on. Oh yes, of course, we still provide the occasional status update (which I personally have not done in ages). We’ve all heard about Facebook wearout, that’s nothing new. But when you look at the rest of that story, something interesting starts to appear, kind of like Polaroid film when it’s shaken.

People love to share. We all know that. They just want to do it simply and with no hassle. And when you build that, that’s when you have an instahit or should I say… Instagram.

Take a look at a few quick stats:

·  Instagram gains one new user every second.

·  Four billion photos have been taken with Instagram.

·  Users upload 5 million photos a day, which boils down to roughly 58 photos each second.

·  575 “Likes” per second.

·  Instagram is poised to reach 100 million users  just two years after its 2010 release.  That’s faster than any other social media has grown in acceptance.

·  Instagram had an average of 7.3 million daily active users, 400,000 more than Twitter.

All this makes me think that we’re going back to a Stone Age mentality of sorts. Would people prefer to share a picture worth a thousand words than have to type those thousand words out? I think so, and so do 80 million other Instagram users.

It’s a privilege many have died trying to attain. I remember doing all I could to expedite my application towards becoming an American citizen. I remember double-triple-quadruple-checking all my paperwork, making sure everything was in order. Organizing them chronologically, and adding section tabs to the submissions package to ensure immigration officers could read it with ease. I remember studying the constitution, and making sure I can recite all 13 commonwealths of the United States for my oral exam with the immigration officer.

Growing up, I was exposed to tolerance I thought was the norm. My father’s family was Hindu. My mother’s was Buddhist. Some of my father’s siblings chose Islam. Over time, my parents chose to accept Christ. I have yet to make such a choice in my life, but yet, it was never a point of contention in our family. Because, in the end, it is what makes you happy that matters and which doctrine helps you attain that happiness. My family has always respected that.

I was expecting the same level of tolerance in America, if not more. For a country purported to be the most diverse in the world, and having laws which allows for freedom of religion, the law-makers/congress/government seem not to mirror those notions. Until now. Respect and tolerance has risen to the forefront of fellow Americans. Regardless of your gender, religious beliefs or sexual preferences.

This year, Hawaii elected not one but two firsts for the country:

Japan-born Mazie Hirono became the first ever Asian-American (and Buddhist) woman elected to the Senate. Tulsi Gabbard became the first ever practicing Hindu elected to the US House of Representatives. It is reported she will take her oath of office over a Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text for followers of the Vaishnava branch of Hindu, during her swearing-in ceremony in January ’13.

In Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin became the first female and also the first openly gay Senator in the country. In Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren became the first female Senator to represent the state.

Four years after I first voted in this country and again on November 6^th, I’m finally witnessing what I knew could happen and was possible in this country. This is why I love America.

Your new(ish) American,

G$

Le Book (the advertising industry’s directory for all things creative) recently honored Spike Lee with their Do the Right Thing edition. Spike is in good company and joins a long list of fellow cultural influencers such as Michel Basquiat and Karl Lagerfeld who have donned past covers.

At an event celebrating the book’s release, Spike and our own Executive Creative Director, Dabo Ché, sat down with The One Show to discuss, amongst other things, cultural code breaking, the New Americana and the Ad game or what Spike likes to call “a tough business.” 

Here’s the recap. Check it, dig it and share it!

For some, gentrification may mean more affordable housing with unique history and architectural details, funky little boutiques, mom and pop shops and “ethnic” eateries, creating a true melting pot all with bragging rights about living in a cool zip code.

For others, it means nothing but negatives: rising rents, a sense of invasion of those who have a sense of entitlement, changing neighborhood identity and an uncertain future which translates into the scary thought of being priced out of a place where you grew up.

Gentrification is one of those loaded words that can trigger a variety of reactions, opinions and emotions, though its most basic definition is very simple: “people of higher income moving into a neighborhood.”

Change. As my college friend said regarding the changing landscape of an area of DC where he grew up and currently resides, “They want to change Malcolm X Park back to Meridian Hill Park and get rid of the Sunday drum circle. Chocolate City is done.”

So what say you – what do you personally think about gentrification and how it is changing America… For better or worse?

This holds especially true for me in the spring and summer months. I love the outdoors, warm weather and long daylight hours. It all helps make me a happier person and much more social. And nothing beats the smell of the grill, the taste of a refreshing drink on a hot day, and the sound of friends and family sitting around laughing and joking. These pre-event parties make me nostalgic for my childhood and backyard barbeques.

But now, I wonder if the popularity of the “pre-game” party has moved beyond the individual. More and more companies are investing in products to enhance the celebration. From grills that attach to cars, to tailgate-locator apps for smartphones, the variety of tools to help make these parties perfect is increasing.  Colleges are even getting in on it. The University of Southern California just spent 15.5 million to start construction on a new area that will partly be used for tailgating festivities. (Oh, to be a college student again, with all this at your discretion. Sigh.)

So, it’s obvious that tailgates are deeply ingrained in American culture, but are brands trying to make us focus more on the pre-party instead of the event? Are we losing sight of the actual activities we are celebrating?

Brands may have found a new consumer base to target, but for me, this has not blinded the purpose of the party. Nothing will take away from the main attraction. The tailgate just makes it that much better!

Here are the three shorties that were an absolute blast to produce (and not just because we got to meet Prince Fielder and Justin Verlander). Stay tuned for more of the campaign! Until then, tell us your favorite.

“Rear View”

“On Deck”

“Wind Up”