19 days ago
Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen's story reveals how colorism, comparison, and beauty standards can shape Black women's self-image from childhood into adulthood.
For generations of Black communities, actress Phylicia Rashad has been seen as one of the beacons of grace and beauty. However, in a recent conversation on the "IMO Podcast" hosted by Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, Rashad revealed that she once did not see herself as beautiful in comparison to her sister Debbie Allen.
"I think if there was competition that I felt, I always felt that Debbie was beautiful and that I was not," Rashad shared. "I don't remember what led to the conversation, but I said to Deborah that I had always wanted to be beautiful, like her, and she looked at me, she said, 'But you're the beautiful one, you're the one. I was always trying to be beautiful like you,' and then we broke down and started crying."
"We grew up with that foolishness, that colorism, foolishness that brown paper bag [test] foolishness," Allen interjected. "I remember one time Phylicia loved chocolate milk, and we were drinking chocolate milk, and my uncle said to her, 'Girl, you better drink all the white milk you can.' That was so ugly."
"I think that's why Phylicia felt, but Phylicia looked more like Mama than me. And I always wished that I was pretty like her," Allen added.
#allen
For generations of Black communities, actress Phylicia Rashad has been seen as one of the beacons of grace and beauty. However, in a recent conversation on the "IMO Podcast" hosted by Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, Rashad revealed that she once did not see herself as beautiful in comparison to her sister Debbie Allen.
"I think if there was competition that I felt, I always felt that Debbie was beautiful and that I was not," Rashad shared. "I don't remember what led to the conversation, but I said to Deborah that I had always wanted to be beautiful, like her, and she looked at me, she said, 'But you're the beautiful one, you're the one. I was always trying to be beautiful like you,' and then we broke down and started crying."
"We grew up with that foolishness, that colorism, foolishness that brown paper bag [test] foolishness," Allen interjected. "I remember one time Phylicia loved chocolate milk, and we were drinking chocolate milk, and my uncle said to her, 'Girl, you better drink all the white milk you can.' That was so ugly."
"I think that's why Phylicia felt, but Phylicia looked more like Mama than me. And I always wished that I was pretty like her," Allen added.
#allen
20 days ago
A TikTok influencer has said that white women, especially blond-haired women, have an overly inflated sense of their looks, stating that this mentality causes much animosity in her video.
Kylie Brewer named the video "Blonde wh!te women tend to overrate their attractiveness." This is the sequel to her earlier video, where she said white men overestimate their looks.
Brewer claims that lots of white women find it hard to understand that other people might not think of them as the ultimate choice.
"If you tell them that you don't think that, that's the most attractive type of person out there, they literally cannot imagine it because for them, their experience of what they think is colorism is between blonde and brunettes," Brewer said.
"And white women get incredibly territorial over blond hair and over men in general," she added.
#blonde
Kylie Brewer named the video "Blonde wh!te women tend to overrate their attractiveness." This is the sequel to her earlier video, where she said white men overestimate their looks.
Brewer claims that lots of white women find it hard to understand that other people might not think of them as the ultimate choice.
"If you tell them that you don't think that, that's the most attractive type of person out there, they literally cannot imagine it because for them, their experience of what they think is colorism is between blonde and brunettes," Brewer said.
"And white women get incredibly territorial over blond hair and over men in general," she added.
#blonde
1 month ago
On September 10, 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (NASDAQ:FLWS) reported fiscal 2026 results that read like a company still finding its footing after a hard year. Full year revenue fell 10.8% to $1.5 billion, and the fourth quarter alone dropped 12.9% to $293.1 million, as consumers stayed selective with discretionary spending on gifts and gourmet food. Buried under those declines, though, is a different story: inventory shrank, free cash flow improved by $55 million, and the company hit a two-year cost savings target a full year early. The question now is whether that discipline can outrun the sales slide.
1-800-Flowers spent fiscal 2026 tearing down the walls between its brands. Instead of separate teams running each brand in silos, the company shifted to functional teams built around marketing, merchandising, and the digital shopping experience, with one team now acting as store manager for every website. That shift already shows up in products: the floral business combined its florist-fulfilled and direct-ship merchandising teams, so the same popular arrangements are available either way, instead of competing against itself on one landing page. Harry & David rolled out a redesigned, mobile-first website with AI-powered search that is currently in A/B testing, and several low-traffic standalone sites were folded into harryanddavid.com to concentrate traffic rather than split it.
The financial discipline behind that reorganization is real. The company reached its $50 million cost savings run rate a full year ahead of schedule and has already lined up another $15 million to $20 million in savings for fiscal 2027, with the full benefit landing in fiscal 2028. That, combined with tighter working capital management, pushed free cash flow up $55 million year over year and cut inventory to $153 million from $177 million. Average order value rose 5.5%, third-party marketplace sales through Amazon, Walmart, and DoorDash are growing at double-to-triple-digit rates and are already contribution margin positive, and BloomNet grew 1.9% on the back of local delivery partnerships with apps like DoorDash and Instacart.
The rest of the story is bleaker. Total transactions fell 17.6% for the year, and the fourth quarter's decline was broad-based: consumer floral and gifts dropped 13.4% to $182.8 million as the company pulled back on promotional discounting, and gourmet foods and gift baskets fell 15.4% to $85.8 million, a decline made worse by the timing of Easter. Adjusted EBITDA for the year collapsed to $2.9 million from $29.2 million, and adjusted gross margin slipped 110 basis points to 38%. Even the fourth quarter's 34.7% gross margin leaned on a one-time $7 million tariff refund.
#fiscal
1-800-Flowers spent fiscal 2026 tearing down the walls between its brands. Instead of separate teams running each brand in silos, the company shifted to functional teams built around marketing, merchandising, and the digital shopping experience, with one team now acting as store manager for every website. That shift already shows up in products: the floral business combined its florist-fulfilled and direct-ship merchandising teams, so the same popular arrangements are available either way, instead of competing against itself on one landing page. Harry & David rolled out a redesigned, mobile-first website with AI-powered search that is currently in A/B testing, and several low-traffic standalone sites were folded into harryanddavid.com to concentrate traffic rather than split it.
The financial discipline behind that reorganization is real. The company reached its $50 million cost savings run rate a full year ahead of schedule and has already lined up another $15 million to $20 million in savings for fiscal 2027, with the full benefit landing in fiscal 2028. That, combined with tighter working capital management, pushed free cash flow up $55 million year over year and cut inventory to $153 million from $177 million. Average order value rose 5.5%, third-party marketplace sales through Amazon, Walmart, and DoorDash are growing at double-to-triple-digit rates and are already contribution margin positive, and BloomNet grew 1.9% on the back of local delivery partnerships with apps like DoorDash and Instacart.
The rest of the story is bleaker. Total transactions fell 17.6% for the year, and the fourth quarter's decline was broad-based: consumer floral and gifts dropped 13.4% to $182.8 million as the company pulled back on promotional discounting, and gourmet foods and gift baskets fell 15.4% to $85.8 million, a decline made worse by the timing of Easter. Adjusted EBITDA for the year collapsed to $2.9 million from $29.2 million, and adjusted gross margin slipped 110 basis points to 38%. Even the fourth quarter's 34.7% gross margin leaned on a one-time $7 million tariff refund.
#fiscal
1 month ago
Jean Smart could set a brand-new record at the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14. If she wins in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Deborah Vance in the final season of Hacks, she'll be the first comedy lead actor to win for every season of a single television series.
Plus, the win would give her eight acting Emmys, which would tie the all-time record with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman.
With Smart back in the spotlight because of the awards show, we're taking a deep dive into her love life, including her current romance and her relationship with her late husband.
Smart is in a relationship with Joe Pacheco. While it's unclear exactly when they started dating, they made their red carpet debut at the 2024 Emmy Awards, then attended the Golden Globes together in 2025. Pacheco was once again Smart's date to the Emmys in 2025, Golden Globes 2026, and was by her side at the premiere for Hacks' final season in April.
The actress told CBS Mornings in June 2025 that she was dating a "wonderful actor." When she appeared on the Wiser Than Me podcast in May 2026, she called her boyfriend an "extremely lovely man" and said she met him at a friend's party.
#awards #lead
Plus, the win would give her eight acting Emmys, which would tie the all-time record with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman.
With Smart back in the spotlight because of the awards show, we're taking a deep dive into her love life, including her current romance and her relationship with her late husband.
Smart is in a relationship with Joe Pacheco. While it's unclear exactly when they started dating, they made their red carpet debut at the 2024 Emmy Awards, then attended the Golden Globes together in 2025. Pacheco was once again Smart's date to the Emmys in 2025, Golden Globes 2026, and was by her side at the premiere for Hacks' final season in April.
The actress told CBS Mornings in June 2025 that she was dating a "wonderful actor." When she appeared on the Wiser Than Me podcast in May 2026, she called her boyfriend an "extremely lovely man" and said she met him at a friend's party.
#awards #lead
2 months ago
Rennes and Sevilla maintained their promising starts in Ligue 1 and La Liga, Fiorentina got its first win in Serie A, and Schalke beat Union Berlin 3-1 in a Bundesliga match where the referee was replaced on Friday.
Both teams had just one point after their first two Bundesliga matches but newly promoted Schalke went home happiest thanks in part to a fine goalkeeping display from player of the match Loris Karius.
Robin Gosens opened the scoring for Schalke with an angled volley and Aouchiche doubled their lead moments after the break with a superbly taken strike.
Karius held Berlin at bay for much of the second period and though he could not stop Tim Skarke from scoring in the sixth minute of added time, Maximilian Wober restored Schalke's two-goal lead with almost the last kick of the game.
The match was notable for the substitution of referee Timo Gerach early in the second half. Gerach complained of a sore calf and was replaced by fourth official Jarno Wienefeld, an experienced Bundesliga 2 referee who took charge of his first top tier game.
#schalke #referee #berlin
Both teams had just one point after their first two Bundesliga matches but newly promoted Schalke went home happiest thanks in part to a fine goalkeeping display from player of the match Loris Karius.
Robin Gosens opened the scoring for Schalke with an angled volley and Aouchiche doubled their lead moments after the break with a superbly taken strike.
Karius held Berlin at bay for much of the second period and though he could not stop Tim Skarke from scoring in the sixth minute of added time, Maximilian Wober restored Schalke's two-goal lead with almost the last kick of the game.
The match was notable for the substitution of referee Timo Gerach early in the second half. Gerach complained of a sore calf and was replaced by fourth official Jarno Wienefeld, an experienced Bundesliga 2 referee who took charge of his first top tier game.
#schalke #referee #berlin
2 months ago
With four points from three games, FC Schalke have made more than just a respectable start to this Bundesliga season.
A large part of that is down to goalkeeper Loris Karius, who delivered a superb performance both in the sensational 0-0 draw against Bayern Munich and in the 3-1 away win over Union Berlin. Schalke fans in particular are therefore calling for him to be nominated for the German national team on social media.
Karius was asked about that in a Sky interview after the Union match. The TV reporter wanted to know whether there had already been any contact with Germany coach Jürgen Klopp and how realistic he considered a call-up to the national team.
"No, there has been no contact," Karius replied. "I see it as neither realistic nor unrealistic. I'm not thinking about it."
Even so, the 33-year-old, who has repeatedly faced heavy criticism over the course of his career, admitted: "If people ***** ociate me with that, it's a huge compliment to my performance."
#union #loris
A large part of that is down to goalkeeper Loris Karius, who delivered a superb performance both in the sensational 0-0 draw against Bayern Munich and in the 3-1 away win over Union Berlin. Schalke fans in particular are therefore calling for him to be nominated for the German national team on social media.
Karius was asked about that in a Sky interview after the Union match. The TV reporter wanted to know whether there had already been any contact with Germany coach Jürgen Klopp and how realistic he considered a call-up to the national team.
"No, there has been no contact," Karius replied. "I see it as neither realistic nor unrealistic. I'm not thinking about it."
Even so, the 33-year-old, who has repeatedly faced heavy criticism over the course of his career, admitted: "If people ***** ociate me with that, it's a huge compliment to my performance."
#union #loris
2 months ago
When the Bundesliga schedule was first confirmed and it became clear Schalke 04 would host Bayern Munich on jut the second Bundesliga matchday, the expectation was that Die Königsblauen would be swept aside rather convincingly. After all, the team's last meeting, three years ago, ended 6-0 to Bayern. That was under Thomas Tuchel's inconsistent Bayern. What could Kompany & Co do?
Stutter to a 0-0 draw, that is what. A dour Bayern team struggled to get out of second gear and really punish a defensively solid Schalke, who celebrate their first point since their return to the Bundesliga. Here are some observations on the match:
It is easy to forget after the match, but the first 15 minutes completely belonged to Bayern. The Bavarians' counterpress utterly suffocated the hosts, who simply could not exit their own half in those minutes. The team pinged the ball around, kept it well and utterly annihilated any counter attacks.
But, in what would become an unfortunate running theme throughout the match, the passing was far too slow and the players seemed unsure of their positions. One of Bayern's most important strengths is their ability to move the ball quickly from side to side. Players know their positions, know how to move the ball on and ping it back and forth. This forces the opposition defense to move side to side, which opens up **** e in the middle and opportunities to score.
This was missing today. It was clear that the chemistry among forwards Nathaniel Brown, Ismael Saibari and Lennart Karl was missing, but regulars such as Konrad Laimer, Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano also struggled to really get into the flow of things. It was possible to overcome these issues (Nathaniel Brown, after all, would still have given Bayern the lead if it had not been for a phenomenal save by Loris Karius in the Schalke goal) and perhaps the players would have grown into the match more.
#players #first
Stutter to a 0-0 draw, that is what. A dour Bayern team struggled to get out of second gear and really punish a defensively solid Schalke, who celebrate their first point since their return to the Bundesliga. Here are some observations on the match:
It is easy to forget after the match, but the first 15 minutes completely belonged to Bayern. The Bavarians' counterpress utterly suffocated the hosts, who simply could not exit their own half in those minutes. The team pinged the ball around, kept it well and utterly annihilated any counter attacks.
But, in what would become an unfortunate running theme throughout the match, the passing was far too slow and the players seemed unsure of their positions. One of Bayern's most important strengths is their ability to move the ball quickly from side to side. Players know their positions, know how to move the ball on and ping it back and forth. This forces the opposition defense to move side to side, which opens up **** e in the middle and opportunities to score.
This was missing today. It was clear that the chemistry among forwards Nathaniel Brown, Ismael Saibari and Lennart Karl was missing, but regulars such as Konrad Laimer, Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano also struggled to really get into the flow of things. It was possible to overcome these issues (Nathaniel Brown, after all, would still have given Bayern the lead if it had not been for a phenomenal save by Loris Karius in the Schalke goal) and perhaps the players would have grown into the match more.
#players #first
2 months ago
By Justin Ruderman
Ranging from the Philadelphia Union's teenage phenoms to Inter Miami CF's global icons, stars proved age is just a number and earned their spot on Matchday 23's Team of the Matchday presented by Audi.
Starters: Brian Schwake (NSH) - Casemiro (MIA), Neil Pierre (PHI), Reggie Cannon (COL) - Allan Saint-Maximin (CLT), Carles Gil (NE), Hany Mukhtar (NSH), Cavan Sullivan (PHI) - Antoine Griezmann (ORL), Dejan Joveljić (SEA), Lionel Messi (MIA)
Coach: B.J. Callaghan (NSH)
Bench: Hugo Lloris (LAFC), Oleksandr Svatok (ATX), Mamadou Fofana (NE), Thomas Müller (VAN), Nicolás Fernández Mercau (NYC), Anders Dreyer (SD), Robert Lewandowski (CHI), Sam Surridge (NSH), Kelvin Yeboah (MIN)
#matchday #philadelphia #Miami
Ranging from the Philadelphia Union's teenage phenoms to Inter Miami CF's global icons, stars proved age is just a number and earned their spot on Matchday 23's Team of the Matchday presented by Audi.
Starters: Brian Schwake (NSH) - Casemiro (MIA), Neil Pierre (PHI), Reggie Cannon (COL) - Allan Saint-Maximin (CLT), Carles Gil (NE), Hany Mukhtar (NSH), Cavan Sullivan (PHI) - Antoine Griezmann (ORL), Dejan Joveljić (SEA), Lionel Messi (MIA)
Coach: B.J. Callaghan (NSH)
Bench: Hugo Lloris (LAFC), Oleksandr Svatok (ATX), Mamadou Fofana (NE), Thomas Müller (VAN), Nicolás Fernández Mercau (NYC), Anders Dreyer (SD), Robert Lewandowski (CHI), Sam Surridge (NSH), Kelvin Yeboah (MIN)
#matchday #philadelphia #Miami
2 months ago
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sam Surridge scored his 13th goal this season and added an ***** ist, Hany Mukhtar also had a goal and an ***** ist, and Nashville SC beat FC Cincinnati 4-0 on Saturday night for its fourth consecutive win.
Nashville (16-2-4) leads all of MLS with 52 points, the most in MLS history through the first 22 games of a season, and has one loss in its last 16 games dating to a 1-0 defeat at Chicago on April 4.
Bryan Acosta and Ahmed Qasem each added a goal for Nashville. Brian Schwake had six saves and his 10 shutouts this season are tied with Jonathan Bond and Yohei Takaoka for second most (Hugo Lloris, 11) in MLS.
Surridge opened the scoring with a header in the 43rd minute. Cristian Espinoza played a cross, off a ball-ahead from Andy Nájar, from near the right end line to Surridge, who went up high for the finish at the back post.
Mukhtar, who has scored in back-to-back games and has four goals in the last four matches, redirected a first-touch finish, off a cross by in the 54th.
#goal #games #back #scored
Nashville (16-2-4) leads all of MLS with 52 points, the most in MLS history through the first 22 games of a season, and has one loss in its last 16 games dating to a 1-0 defeat at Chicago on April 4.
Bryan Acosta and Ahmed Qasem each added a goal for Nashville. Brian Schwake had six saves and his 10 shutouts this season are tied with Jonathan Bond and Yohei Takaoka for second most (Hugo Lloris, 11) in MLS.
Surridge opened the scoring with a header in the 43rd minute. Cristian Espinoza played a cross, off a ball-ahead from Andy Nájar, from near the right end line to Surridge, who went up high for the finish at the back post.
Mukhtar, who has scored in back-to-back games and has four goals in the last four matches, redirected a first-touch finish, off a cross by in the 54th.
#goal #games #back #scored
2 months ago
Schalke played host to European giants Real Madrid on the occasion of Veltins-Arena's 25th anniversary. Despite the 3-0 defeat to Jose Mourinho's star-studded side, the hosts performed admirably with no summer signing in their starting lineup.
On his first game back from finishing top-scorer at the World Cup, Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the sixth minute after he intercepted Ron Schallenberg's poor backpass for Loris Karius. Dean Huijsen doubled Real Madrid's advantage with a powerful header from Arda Güler's corner-kick.
Former RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande made his debut for his new club minutes after fellow new signing Carlos Espi netted the third for Los Blancos. Edin Džeko, who was looking forward to playing against his former coach, entered as a substitute ten minutes from time as he played his first game since re-joining Schalke.
Huub Stevens, Clemens Toennies and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were among several former Schalke figures present for the special day at Veltins-Arena.
#minutes #european
On his first game back from finishing top-scorer at the World Cup, Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the sixth minute after he intercepted Ron Schallenberg's poor backpass for Loris Karius. Dean Huijsen doubled Real Madrid's advantage with a powerful header from Arda Güler's corner-kick.
Former RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande made his debut for his new club minutes after fellow new signing Carlos Espi netted the third for Los Blancos. Edin Džeko, who was looking forward to playing against his former coach, entered as a substitute ten minutes from time as he played his first game since re-joining Schalke.
Huub Stevens, Clemens Toennies and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were among several former Schalke figures present for the special day at Veltins-Arena.
#minutes #european
4 months ago
A Missouri mother of five was fatally shot while buying slushies with two of her young children after gunfire erupted outside a gas station, leaving investigators searching for the shooter.
Shakeela Martin, 35, was killed just before midnight Tuesday outside a BP gas station at South Florissant and Woodstock roads in Ferguson after an altercation that began inside the convenience store spilled into the parking lot, according to the Ferguson Police Department.
Martin had stopped at the gas station with two of her children, ages 9 and 6, to buy frozen drinks on a hot summer night when multiple rounds of gunfire broke out outside, police said. Investigators believe Martin was an innocent bystander who was struck by gunfire as she walked back to her vehicle with the children.
"She was here to purchase some soft drinks for her young kids," Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle told First Alert 4. "They're physically unhurt but obviously hurt emotionally. You can only imagine what a child would go through watching their mom being murdered in front of them."
Pennsylvania Mother Of Three Fatally Shot While Allegedly Trying To Protect Woman Outside Bar: Report
Shakeela Martin, 35, was killed just before midnight Tuesday outside a BP gas station at South Florissant and Woodstock roads in Ferguson after an altercation that began inside the convenience store spilled into the parking lot, according to the Ferguson Police Department.
Martin had stopped at the gas station with two of her children, ages 9 and 6, to buy frozen drinks on a hot summer night when multiple rounds of gunfire broke out outside, police said. Investigators believe Martin was an innocent bystander who was struck by gunfire as she walked back to her vehicle with the children.
"She was here to purchase some soft drinks for her young kids," Ferguson Police Chief Troy Doyle told First Alert 4. "They're physically unhurt but obviously hurt emotionally. You can only imagine what a child would go through watching their mom being murdered in front of them."
Pennsylvania Mother Of Three Fatally Shot While Allegedly Trying To Protect Woman Outside Bar: Report
5 months ago
There will never be another footballer quite like Divock Origi.
Footballers' careers are short at the best of times, but it is hard to imagine another player's career that could be so aptly described as lightning in a bottle.
And not just lightning of a common variety - the best kind of lightning. The kind that wins you Champions Leagues and Premier Leagues. The kind that produces moments that you tell your children about.
I was there when Origi scooped it past a helpless Marc-Andre ter Stegen at the Kop End to send Liverpool to Madrid. I was in the wide sloping stands of the Metropolitano Stadium when he scooped it past a despairing Hugo Lloris to stamp the passport of a sixth European cup - destination Anfield - back where it belonged.
Goals like that don't come along too often.
Footballers' careers are short at the best of times, but it is hard to imagine another player's career that could be so aptly described as lightning in a bottle.
And not just lightning of a common variety - the best kind of lightning. The kind that wins you Champions Leagues and Premier Leagues. The kind that produces moments that you tell your children about.
I was there when Origi scooped it past a helpless Marc-Andre ter Stegen at the Kop End to send Liverpool to Madrid. I was in the wide sloping stands of the Metropolitano Stadium when he scooped it past a despairing Hugo Lloris to stamp the passport of a sixth European cup - destination Anfield - back where it belonged.
Goals like that don't come along too often.
