As the temperatures rise and the blockbuster season heats up, our favorite ladies are bringing the heat as well- on the red carpet and out on the street! Below are some of my favorite looks from last week:
Michelle Rodriguez struck a rare girly pose at the Seoul premiere of Fast & the Furious 6. She let her toned figure do the talking in a bandage maxi dress with minimal hair and makeup. A bit too minimal if you ask me, but it IS Michelle and she has to keep it real somewhere!
Jessica Alba took advantage of the spring weather finally showing its face and stunned in a belted jumpsuit. Hubby Cash Warren and their girls joined her for a Mother’s Day Brunch in Bel-Air. I love everything about this look, and have really been impressed with her grown-woman style since launching The Honest Company.
Zoe Saldana stopped by the set of Extra to promote her latest movie, Star Trek (if you haven’t seen it by the way, get. Your. Ticket. NOW.). The busy actress kept it dainty yet casual pairing white shorts with a floaty top and her signature red lips.
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting some major summer inspiration! What have been some of your favorite looks so far?
On the June cover of 'Allure,' Zoe's 115 lb. weight has been revealed and her body is on full display in the nude spread inside the magazine. Aiming for a completely natural look, Zoe removes her makeup and her clothes -- do you think it's crazy that her weight is on the cover?
The Star Trek Into Darkness star has stripped down for the June issue of
Orb splashed through the slop to win the Kentucky Derby today, giving Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey his first victory in the 3-year-old classic. When the field turned for home on the cool, overcast afternoon at Churchill Downs, Normandy Invasion grabbed the lead while Orb was gearing up. But in the deep stretch, Orb prevailed, carrying Joel Rosario to his first derby win.
Spring may have just started to show its face but the ladies are bringing the heat to the newsstands! Check out all the features below:
Naya Rivera steams up Allure’s “nude” issue yet somehow manages to look perfectly normal sitting poolside. I wonder what would happen If I tried it?
Rosario Dawson showed off her gorgeous gams (and a new edgier look-is that a shaved head I see?) in the upcoming issue of GQ Magazine. I’m getting a major Ohmyra Mota vibe from this shoot! With “Sin City 2” in theaters soon I doubt this is the last (or least?) we’ll see of Rosario.
And finally “The Voice” social correspondent Christina Millian dazzles in an array of swimwear looks for Cosmo Latina. Work it, chica!!
Um…anyone else feel a sudden urge to hit the gym? Just me? Oh….
Having only recently rejoined the land of the unattached, I was referred to a super-exclusive members-only mixer series by my always in-the-know girlfriends. I happily viewed the extravagant e-vite and clicked the links to fill in my information to be considered for membership.
Flowery language has always been my forte, so I swiftly filled out the personality profiles, describing my love of the arts and food, my most enriching experiences abroad, and which classical compositions most inspired me (yes, this indeed was a real question). As most “exclusive organizations” believe you are only as good as the company you keep, I was asked to provide a bio of my two closest friends. I gushed so long on their accomplishments that I had to go back three times to hit the word limit. I was in.
That is, until the “professional accomplishments” section came up on the last page. After I’d finished waxing poetic on my friends’ extensive credentials, my two sentences looked…anemic. I took a big swig of my wine and, with a heavy sigh, clicked ‘cancel’.
I should probably backtrack with a quick confession:
I have GREAT taste in company.
While I am far from a social butterfly, my close circle includes some of the smartest, accomplished fashionable and driven women I have ever met. I am proud to say I know them, and humbled that they are my friends. We share common interests and speak the same language. So what’s the problem, you ask?
I’m also guilty of quite a bit of sister envy.
Figured this would be as good of a time as any to insert a random “Friends with Money” reference. By the way, Jennifer can act. This movie is excellent. I digress. #TeamAniston
See, in America, your worth is defined by professional notches on your belt. A far cry from the Hispanic culture I was raised in where you “work to live” and conversations are centered on family, common interests and passions; the third question in every initial interaction here is “what do you do?” Mixers generally dissolve into shared stories on college hijinks, ladder-climbing horror stories and corporate commiseration (“my intern is soooo lazy!”). My friends usually chime in, and I wait for the circle to get to me, where it generally goes:
“So, where did you graduate?”
“Oh, I went to [Random Institution], I didn’t finish, though.”
“Ooohhh…[awkward pause]..well, [insert random platitude where everyone’s special]!!”
I am the professional equivalent of the “Fat Friend”.
And, like any token friend, it is my lot in life to be the “happy one’. I’m the goof, the one people call when they need a laugh or a cheer or to vent. “Girl, be happy you don’t have a house. This roof!!” “Girl, my husband is getting on my nerves again.” “Whoo, all these accounts have me stressed! I can’t do my job unless they do their job!” “Just be happy you don’t.” “Just be happy.” “Just. Be. Happy.”
It is absolutely not an issue for my friends to lean on me for support. It’s that being the token does not make room for the reverse (you ever complain about landlord issues to a person with a mortgage? Try it. It’s fun). I’d be lying if I didn’t sometimes hear them go on about their business (I have two failed ventures and counting), husbands (two failed attempts at the altar and counting) or houses (you get the idea) and want to scream,
“If all you’ve done can’t make you happy I guess I’d better just fling my non-pedigreed self off a roof, huh?!?”
Listen, I am well aware my friends work till their knuckles bleed. I’ve been around for the best and the worst of times. There is no such thing as greener grass. But I’ve worked hard, too. And that’s where the disconnect occurs. Why do I have to be the happy one when I have yet to see the fruit of my labor?
Of course, the Universe always interrupts my pity-party. While researching an article on work satisfaction I came across, of all things, a Bible verse.
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13
I know what you’re saying-”what does this have to do with friendship”? Well, a few things. First, my happiness is not dictated by my situation. There shouldn’t be any external circumstance that increases or decreases my happiness, because Happiness is a Choice. I’d learned this hard lesson a while ago. And with this came the realization that maybe my lot in life is to be the happy one because, well..I’m Happy.
Everyone has a burden to bear, and just because someone has the life you want doesn’t mean they have the life they want. Projecting how I’d feel in my friend’s situations just isn’t fair, because I really don’t have a clue if I’d actually be better. Besides, it may not look as impressive on paper, but I have a lot going for me, and I’m sure somebody somewhere is pissed that I’d have the audacity not to be happy with it. My time will come.
While normally I’d have a snazzy closing to sum up the lesson, this one’s a work in progress. So, I’m going to leave it open. How about you? Have you ever had to take a step back from a friend, or group of friends, or social media because it was giving you a complex?
