Previous Headlines

Celebrity Blogs >> more Celebrity Blogs

The Hot List

Posted by: Katie Rost 1/23/2009 | 1,781 Views

COMMENTS

It is so trendy to be Black right now….

I almost feel a little sorry for White people, cause its like, being White is sooooo last season and being Black is sooooo right now! Its only fair, however, I mean White people had like centuries of being “in” so I’m not going to spend too much time being empathetic. Justin Timberlake, lover of all things Black, said on Oprah the other day that he’s walking with a little more of a swagger in his step. I always thought J.T. was walking with a swagger, so I’m excited at the prospect of seeing this more pronounced swerve.

It’s an exciting moment indeed. Still, I must confess, there is something pulling on the corners of my mind. I hardly got any sleep last night. I was tossing and turning, sweating and popping straight up in bed every ten minutes or so.

“What was bothering me so much?” you might be asking. Well, dear reader…. I’m worried that this is the kind of trend that is never going to end. Now that Black is so “in” we are going to have to be on point, sexy, stimulating, smart and bold ALL THE TIME! That’s a lot of pressure. I mean when you are solely responsible for being the example of what’s cool on a global scale, you can't make a mistake or you will become passé.

I’ve been in the fashion world for a decade so I know how traumatic it can be to go from “in” to “out”. In the interest of making sure Black is cool for longer than a season I’ve developed a short book list of the "ESSENTIAL THREE Books of winter 2009" for this new age of Black hotness:

1. Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai by Ben Mezrich.

I noticed Tracy Maitland, Black finance wiz, reading Rigged on the beach on St. Barths over Xmas and New Years. The second I got off the plane and was able to get to an English language book store in Miami, I scooped it right up. I want the same information pulsing through my head that he decides is beach appropriate light reading. (And so should you) I leaned tons about the New York Merc exchange, the creation of an exchange in Dubai, and the way oil is bought and sold. Anyone who wants to join in with Busta singing “We gettin' Arab money!” should grab this entertaining book.

2. Do You by Russell Simmons

Russell was kind enough to send me his best seller after I expressed to him my desire to really take the reigns of my life and move towards excellence in 2009. This book is equal parts wisdom, self-help, universal truths and Russell’s example from his extraordinary life and successes. You can pick it up, turn to any page and even reading a random sentence you will say “I know that to be true and now I’m going to apply it to my life!”

3. From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman

Understanding the challenges we face in the Middle East is daunting, but once again Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Friedman explores complicated world issues in an intelligent, thoughtful, reader friendly way. Our new president is going to have a small window of opportunity to take advantage of the goodwill he has in this volatile region. I'm sure he's read this book. In particular the insight into the Palestinian/Israeli issue had me deep in thought. Can we ever solve the problems of the Middle East? The first step is to know the history and the players. This is a must read!

Hope you enjoy.... Keep it hot!

- Katie Rost

TAGS -

11 comments

WoW up untill now I thought you're cool !

That's so f%cked up to live with a mentality of a "victim" none of black successful people got where they're at by feeling like a victim. So you needed a black president to feel good about yourself??? that's so sad.

I hope one day you realize that the rest of America moved on.

Only 20% of voters were BLACK did you know that??? WHITE America elected Obama as a president.

Hope YOU will become more "right now" and stop being "so last season" as you are !!!!

Marishka 2/5/2009 | reply
0
- I was being humorous Marishka, I'm sorry it got lost in translation. There is no victim badge here, just dry whit.... And for the record my Dad is White, so I always have my bases covered unless... oh god, what if an Asian gets elected?!!?! you've ruined my day!
  
  Katie Rost 2/5/2009 | reply
  0
- this is why i like you
  
  2/9/2009 | reply
  0
Very interesting and great point. Will u marry me?

2/1/2009 | reply
1
"feel sorry for white people" haha. really the pressure is on the brothers. hopefully from the top down the oppressive nature of local policing policies and such will reverse.. i dont know how it's gonna work but the attitude and culture of being "up against the man" (victim mentality i think is an excuse but it's validated by statitics) has to go away. just because we have a black president, well, i think it will do wonders for kids who are still in school etc and they will grow up in a better place, but for the older sets it's a mind set, a trap, and unless people are given a chance to get good jobs and education and such the cycle will continue.

if a family can immigrate here and no one can speak english and they all get straight As in the same sh*tty school as a 3rd generation poor white or spanish or black family - who is really to blame for the white/PR/black kids failures?

it's about instilling work ethic and appreciation- instead of just taking sh*t for granted like most americans do, in spite of how sh*tty the schools are, they're still schools. and it's easy to get good grades when no one else is trying

1/26/2009 | reply
1
well i hope it just means that the whole concept of identity and identity politics will fade. let's face it, with the commercialization of any culture you lose reference points. what is "black" anyways? is it the cliches- smoking menthols, wearing whatever the black uniform is (used to be tims and over sized white tees) drinking congac with coke? where is the line drawn between pop and rap? when artists lost those cliches it was good for everyone, you see kids in the hood wearing cons like hipsters... polish people growing up listening to reggeaton. i personally just look at people as evolved or not evolved. regardless of their economic class (i know tacky rich people of all credes etc) i don't know if it means I am an a$$hole =p or if it's just a better way to evalutate. i hate race.. im the first person to say "i dont like white people" but i say it tongue in cheek and people know what i mean, and it includes anyone- asians that were adopted and grew up in that "culture" and still say "like" and "omg" etc. kids are all a product of their environment which is why i grew up a wigger and my brother who is just 2 years older an indie rocker. they desegregated our schools so i ended up going to the south side and boom! i can do the running man and my brother can play teen spirit. what a wonderful world.. i just want to say i am grateful for the internet because now kids can seek out their own sh*t and not be forced to listen to whatever crap is being pushed in their face as some "hot new sh*t" when it's just crap being marketed to exploit that corner of the market (see hot 97 or BET television) so i bet if you took any 5 "kinds" of teenagers from different neighbrohoods or towns out here and looked at their ipods it would all similar, a whole bunch of sh*t from all over the scope

1/26/2009 | reply
1
- like, OMG.... well, I for one am off to smoke a menthol cigarette and chase it with a 64oz of Private Stock.... all while listening to Barbara and dreaming of Issac from Shul.... Issac or Rachel... can't decide, they're both hot. Have I covered all stereotypes that apply to Katie? Good mind exploration as usual Touie. Thanks for your thoughts!
  
  Katie Rost 1/26/2009 | reply
  1
Because the past is prologue and the future can be explained thereby, I suggest "Secrets of the Temple " by William Greider (1987). This book tells about how the government really determines economic issues and puts forth the real tale of money power, people power and capitalism. It reveals the Federal Reserve Board and tells you how politics and the economy intersect.

magnolia 1/24/2009 | reply
1
- huh? wow....
  
  Katie Rost 1/24/2009 | reply
  1
The call the global social awareness in Obama's address can not be ignored. As he says "we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources with no regard to effect."
Kanye called attention to the diamond industry back in 05, but if you want to really explore the issue check out "The Heartless Stone" by Tom Zoellner, it will blow your mind and make you reconsider what it means to buy a diamond.
If you want some inspiration for people making a difference in our communities in the US, check out "Whatever it Takes" by Paul Tough. It reports on the unbelievable work Geoffrey Canada has accomplished in Harlem. Hopefully Obama will continue to work with Canadan to improve neighborhoods caught in cycles of poverty.
Thanks for the selections Ms. Rost.

rceppos 1/23/2009 | reply
1
Something for the pocket:

It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book

by Paul Arden

Racha Fajjari 1/23/2009 | reply
-1