Fantasia Barrino Continued...

     I apologize for the hiatus on my blog. As you may know, I am a college student and this week I served as a volunteer on campus to help welcome in the new freshman. So occasionally, I will be too overwhelmed with school and work responsibilities to update. But I'll try to get to it as much as I can.

     The reason I am doing this post is because my very first post was a comparison on how Fantasia Barrino and Alicia Keys, both allegedly in affairs with married men, were each treated by the media. In the post, based on an article I read on theroot.com, I mentioned how their skin color could possibly be one of the reasons Fantasia was treated much more harshly than Alicia. This article was a real debate-starter and got the wheels turning in my mind as well.

     Fantasia has just recently revealed in an interview with Vibe magazine that she believes the reason she was treated differently was because of her skin tone and ethnic features. In the interview, she takes it a step further, saying she believes her skin tone, ethnic features, and short hair also got her excluded from red carpet coverage spreads in popular magazines.

     In my opinion, Fantasia took something that the black media was saying in her defense and ran with it as far as she could. Now, while I do believe her skin tone played a part, it is very unlikely that was the whole reason she was treated differently from the Alicia Keys and Angelina Jolies. Fantasia claims that it was difficult being on American Idol, where everyone was "barbied out," as she she says.

     But she forgets to mention that she won the competition. Despite being a teen single mother, dark-skinned, and having a full nose and full lips, the American audience still voted her the winner. With all the pressure and embarrassment following her suicide attempt, I think Fantasia is now trying to play the victim card. And, in my opinion, all this press and all these interviews are putting her back in the spotlight conveniently close to the release of her album.

     Going back to American Idol, she is held to different standards than celebrities not affiliated with that name. And not only that, but her scandal, unlike the others, involved the possible existence of a sex tape. People want to know that the person they rooted for and voted for is not a sex-tape-making, shameless homewrecker. Alicia Keys got into this business on her own accord, and Angelina Jolie already had a reputation as a rebel. The American public feel like Fantasia was made into a star only with their support.

     Fantasia can use the race card as much as she wants, but there are many other factors involved that she overlooked in her haste to defend herself. And if there's one thing that annoys me, it's when people don't own up and try to play the victim instead. What do you think about the situation?
   

Alicia Keys Vs. Fantasia Barrino

     Hey, guys! So, this is officially my first blog post! I am no stranger to blogging, so I suppose it's not that big of a deal, but this is my first personal blog, so I am completely responsible for making it a good one.
  

     To start off, I would like to address two stories that have been taking the media by storm: Fantasia Barrino's appalling affair with a married man, and Alicia Keys' fairytale ending with a man who she allegledly began dating while he was still married. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've seen these stories plastered on the cover of tabloids galore. But an important question to ponder: these two ladies are in the same situation, so why are they being treated completely different by the mainstream media?
    
     As I was reading an article on theroot.com this morning, they dared to delve deeper into this by posing the question: "Is it that Keys is too pretty to be pummeled?"
    
     With this, the author carefully approaches the topic of beauty in our culture, considering that the reason might be Alicia's ethereal biracial looks compared to Barrino's tatted, dark-skinned appearance. Could it be that the media melted at the sight of a goddess-like, slightly tanned Alicia sealing the romance with a beautiful wedding in which she donned a gorgeous white dress and adorable baby bump as opposed to Fantasia sealing her romance with a tasteless tattoo of the man's last name on her shoulder?

     Or, the author suggests, is it the antithetic backrounds and rise to fame of the two stars? While both are extremely talented, only Keys has risen to superstar fame and is on the road to possible legendary status. Could it be that our culture respects Keys' struggle as she fought her way into the music industry like so many artists do? And although she was raised in Hell's Kitchen in New York by a single mother, it is notable that Keys did graduate as valedictorian in her performing arts school at the age of 16, going on to attend the prestigious Columbia University. All that while Barrino lived in poverty, being molested as a child, never having graduated from high school, barely being able to read, and being a teen mother. Yet, Barrino had an almost easy ride to the top, being catapulted there by a winning stint on American Idol.

     The article is truly an insightful and eye-opening one for those who have never given this issue much thought, and I encourage you to read it in its entirety.