#nina simone: four women

[filmeseframes]

Four Women (Julie Dash, 1975)

[renaissance-dweeb]

Four Women (Nina Simone Cover)

Dis my first project in a while lol

[rastronomicals]

4:15 AM EDT October 13, 2024:

Nina Simone - “Four Women” From the album Wild Is The Wind (September 16, 1966)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

–

[boricuacherry-blog]

[boricuacherry-blog]

In 1966 she wrote "Four Women," where she sings in character as four very different African-American women shaped by slavery and segregation.

Four Women - Nina Simone

Powerful.

[bitter69uk]

Q: Do you get off on being tempestuous?

A: “What do you mean “get off”? That’s just the way I am.”

Q: How would you like to be remembered?

A: “I want to be remembered as a diva from beginning to end who never compromised in what she felt about racism and how the world should be, and who to the end of her days consistently stayed the same.”

Q: But isn’t life about evolving and changing?

A: “Not for me.”

/ Brantley Bardin interviewing legend-with-an-attitude with Nina Simone in Details magazine, January 1997 /

Born on this day: lacerating, regal and fierce High Priestess of Soul Nina Simone (née Eunice Kathleen Waymon, 21 February 1933 – 21 April 2003). I’d argue Simone was at her artistic zenith between 1964 – 1966, when she recorded essential statements like “I Put a Spell on You”, “Work Song” (“I left the grocery store man bleeding …”), “Ne Me Quitte Pas”, “Wild is the Wind”, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, “I Hold No Grudge” and especially “Four Women” (“I’m gonna kill the first mutha I see …”). Pictured: portrait of Simone by Herb Snitzer, 1959.

[atinylittlepain]

Hayloft - A Joel Miller Story

Joel Miller x dancer!reader

series masterlist

Joel thought they were joking, really. But when his patrol partners lead him through the back of the Tipsy Bison and slip down a dim flight of stairs, he realizes rather quickly that The Hayloft is no joke.

warnings | 18+ smut (duh), angst, joel being a ding dong

a/n | thanks must be given to @pedgeitopascal for letting me take on this idea <3

songs of this chapter:

I can't quit you babe - Led Zeppelin

Queen of boredness - Kinny

Do I move you? - Nina Simone

..............................

Joel pulls on a faint memory at the periphery of his mind. A summer day in Austin, he and Tommy sitting on the curb outside their childhood home with their knees up to their ears, sweating in the stifling warmth of the afternoon. Barely-dropped voices murmuring back and forth as Joel flipped through the magazine held between them. He had been trying to act cool, like his first year of middle school had manned him up compared to his younger brother. But he remembers that thick heat creeping up his throat, and a flush that couldn’t just be chalked up to the Texas sun as their eyes roamed over bare bodies, spread legs, and faces contorted in what they supposed was pleasure. They had found the old Playboy tucked under their parents’ mattress, bored out of their melting minds and stewing in the AC. It was the first time he could remember feeling like that, somewhere between curious and uncomfortable, excited and ashamed. 

He thinks about it now as he experiences that same feeling, forty years and change later, sitting in the basement of the Tipsy Bison.

“Where the fuck did they get those shoes?”

“There’s a mall, 15 miles south.” “They didn’t sell shoes like that at malls, man.” Joel is inclined to agree with the man making the observation on that point, wearily eyeing the dizzying struts of heels on the stage in front of him. He only lets his eyes wander upward briefly, spanning bare legs, catching a glance of scrappy lace, before turning his face back down to the swirling whiskey in his glass.

Honestly, when one of the men on his patrol team mentioned this place, Joel thought it was a joke, muttering a gruff “yeah, sure” when they invited him along for a night at The Hayloft. But he realized he was sorely mistaken when the group of men guided him into the Tipsy Bison, promptly walking through the door to the back where they kept all their kegs and slipping down a flight of dimly lit steps.

He recognized a few people immediately in the glowing red light, other men he had been on patrol with, playing pool and smoking in the back of the room. But most of them were seated, eyes glued to the raised platform in the center of what was clearly a bar, beneath a bar. It took a second for his brain to catch up to a sight so completely unexpected. 

Swaying hips, curving spines, flicking hair, wandering hands, and dipping legs. Women, looking like something straight out of a porn film. 

Now listen, Joel Miller was raised by a mother who taught him to be a gentleman, and as such, he had never once been in an establishment like this place, not before, and certainly not after the world fell apart. But, he is a man, afterall, and he can’t exactly help the way his eyes keep darting to one particular figure shimmying around on the stage. So, as he sits amongst his patrol partners, taking zinging sips of liquor, he feels that familiar heat creeping up his throat, making him stiffen up in more ways than one.

The music changes all of a sudden, a man’s rasped shout and a dragging guitar riff laid over a slumped drumbeat. He recognizes it, though he can’t quite place it in the haze. There’s four women up on the stage, and while three of them step down, slinking amongst the seated men, the other one, the one Joel has been watching, crooks her arm around the pole he had thought was only for decoration. 

He no longer tries to hide his stare, watching the arc of her hips as she dips and snaps her hair out of her face, the thin fabric of what could only be described as panties pulling taut across the curve of her ass. She moves like liquid, curling around the pole and lifting up into the air, neck stretched long as she arches back in a perfect spin. 

“She’s good, right?” Joel glances at Harris, his patrol partner who just spoke, grunting something noncommittal at the man’s broad grin, not wanting to miss a second of her performance. And a performance it most certainly is. She’s perfect, glowing in the faint red lights of the bar, every outstretched leg, every twist and bend, radiant and divine. Suspended in air, one arm elongated, before tracing a line of desire with her palm dragging down her bare torso, hips swerving obscenely up into the flicker of her fingertips. And then, with the next staggering string of guitar chords, she drops, catching herself at just the last moment. A delicate heel is lowered, followed by the other as the room resounds in applause, Joel only now realizing that he needs to pick his jaw up off the table. 

The track changes, a stilted rhythm that she starts to bob her head side to side to as she steps down off the stage. Even her walk is like a dance, hips swaying, hands grazing the sides of her bare thighs as she moves, and Joel realizes too late that she’s coming directly toward their table.

“Harris, who’s your friend?” 

“Cherry, this is Joel Miller. He’s new in town. Joel, this is Cherry.” She tilts her head at him, a simpering smile crinkling her eyes as she leans forward, breasts all but spilling out of the cups of her bra. Joel stutters into motion when it clicks in his brain that she’s holding out her hand for him to shake, his palm sliding against hers in a firm squeeze.

“Nice to meet you, Joel Miller. What’d you think of the show?” He has to clear his throat a few times before he speaks, an icy heat prickling the back of his neck all the while.

“I, um– you’re something else.” Jesus fucking christ, that’s the best you could do? She, however, seems to like his answer, smile broadening into a grin.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Well, if you gentlemen will excuse me–” Her eyes glance down and back up to Joel, twice, and he only figures out that it’s because he’s still holding her hand when she gives his palm another squeeze. He’s quick to let go of her hand, though he wishes he hadn’t. But his dismay dissolves with the sight of her walking away, and the way her ass shakes with each sublime step. He cranes his neck, only catching a glimpse of her slipping through a door in the back of the bar. 

“Easy, Miller. You can look, but you can’t touch.”

“Where’s that door go?” Harris laughs, shaking his head.

“Look, man, don’t worry about that. Everyone falls in love with Cherry when they first see her. But it’ll pass. She’s off-limits.”

“Why?” Harris shrugs.

“She just is. They all are. Keeps things civil, y’know?” Joel has no interest in being civil, not right now. He hasn’t wanted something this bad in a long time, and even though Harris tries to call him back, he doesn’t so much as tilt his head in acknowledgement as he wades through the simmering haze of the bar toward the door he saw her go through. 

He only briefly wonders at just how big this basement is when he shoulders through the door and into a dimly lit hallway.

“Nat, is that you? Did your set finish already?” Her voice is coming from behind a cracked door further down the hallway, which Joel follows with little thought to it. 

“What the fuck?” It’s a blurry string of events. He catches the quickest glimpse of her when he sidesteps through the door, seeing her standing in front of a mirror, her bra loose and unfastened, hanging on her shoulders. But it becomes apparent pretty fast that this was possibly the stupidest (and creepiest) way he could have tried to get her attention when she catches sight of him in the periphery of the mirror, whipping around and startling a few feet back before hurling something small at him that still hurts like hell when it makes contact with his forehead.

“Jesus– shit!” He instinctively curls over himself, one hand on his thigh and the other pressing into the spot just above his eyebrow that seems to be bleeding from what he now sees was a hairbrush.

“What the hell is your problem, man? You thought you could get an extra look? You think you’re special, huh? Is that it?” His head is reeling, and it’s all he can do to straighten back up, still applying pressure to his well-deserved wound. In the time it’s taken him to collect himself, she’s slipped a robe on, tied close and tight around her waist.

“N-no, no. That isn’t– I just– wanted to talk, um, to you.” He feels like he’s got cotton in his mouth, gumming up his words and drying out his throat until it all comes out garbled and wrong. She lets out a bitter laugh, brushing past him and opening the door wider, fixing him with a hard look.

“Yeah, nice try, buddy. But I’ve heard that one before, and lemme tell you, that’s not how this works. Now get out.” She doesn’t have to tell him twice, Joel shuffling through the door, though he stops for a moment to say something.

“I’m– I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t know what I was thinking. But I swear, this ain’t how I am, normally. Fuck– I’m just– I’m sorry.” He doesn’t wait around for a response from her, hurrying back down the hall and out into the bar, not even looking for Harris as he makes a beeline for the stairs, taking them two at a time and getting the fuck out of the Hayloft and the Tipsy Bison.

The fresh night air is something of a relief, though Joel is still mortified, thick and heavy guilt settling in his bones as he stumbles home. He realizes now that he had been a fucking fool, thinking that she had, what? Been flirting with him? He scoffs to himself, knowing that it had just been a part of her act, her performance. And Joel bought it, hook, line, and sinker. 

When he gets home, he takes a shower, scrubbing harshly at his skin, trying to clean away the sickening shame settled just beneath the surface. He knew better, he was raised better, and he’s horrified with himself that even at his age, he wound up thinking with his dick rather than his mind. Looking in the mirror, he sees the sizable cut, just over his left eyebrow, what will serve as a reminder to him to not get distracted by pretty, shiny things. 

He doesn’t sleep well, tossing and turning in his sheets. The only real conclusion he reaches is that he’ll never set foot in the Tipsy Bison, or the Hayloft, again.

…

Joel is not having a good morning. Normally he’d feel at least a twinge of contentment in working at the stables, but today, the only thing he can focus on is his pounding headache and the embarrassing memory of last night. 

He had only barely escaped Ellie’s questioning earlier this morning when she came downstairs and into the kitchen, telling him that he “seemed pissier than usual” before asking him where he got “that dinky little cut.” 

Luckily, working the stables usually means he doesn’t have to talk to anyone except for the horses, the quiet tasks helping somewhat to ease his mind. His relief is short-lived, however, when he hears a newly familiar voice nearing the stables. Sure enough, when he peers out of the stables, he sees her, leading one of the new colts around the pen. While she looks a lot different than how she did last night, blue jeans and a ratty work coat hiding her figure, Joel would recognize that smile anywhere. Before he can return to hauling sacks of feed around, her eyes catch his, and she clearly does a double take, squinting at him in the morning sun. 

“Hey.” A single word, a jerk of her chin, and then she’s walking over to him, and Joel suddenly has no clue what to do with his hands, shoving them deep in the front pockets of his jeans.

“I wanted to talk to you.” She crosses her arms over her chest, head tilted as she stands before him. Joel has enough sense this morning not to come off like a total fool.

“Again, I’m real sorry about last night. I wasn’t thinking, at all. It won’t happen again, I promise.” She sighs, toeing her boot into the dirt before glancing back up at him.

“Thank you for your apology. It’s fine, really. You weren’t the first, and lord knows you won’t be the last. I guess it kinda comes with the territory.” The laugh she lets out is clipped, clearly trying to hide the sore tinge to her words.

“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever been called ma’am before.” It’s unexpected, the wry crook of her smile as she says it, and Joel has to huff out a laugh, rocking a bit on his heels. But his laugh fizzles out when she brushes her fingers over his forehead, leaning up and tracing his cut.

“That hairbrush did a little number on you, huh? Sorry about that.” Her touch is gone as quick as it had been there, but the warmth creeping across his face remains.

“S’alright. Reckon I deserved it anyways.” That earns him another smile and a light laugh.

“Yeah, I guess you did.” Her words come out airy, the quirk of her grin telling him that she means it as much as she’s joking about it, and it emboldens him just enough to say something else.

“Can I ask you something?” She purses her lips, squinting up at him.

“You can ask, and maybe I’ll answer.” 

“How come I’ve never seen you around before?”

“You’re new, right? It may be a small town, but everyone works. I’ve been here for years and there’s probably still folks I don’t know just because we’re on different work schedules.” 

“And is that– what you do at the bar– is that work?” She hums at his question, all smiles when she answers.

“Did that look like work to you?” His mind darts back to last night, her performance, and he has to swallow hard around the memory. She huffs out a laugh when he remains silent.

“No, that’s not work. Just a little fun, an escape, y’know? Forget about everything going on up above ground for a while.” He nods, certainly being able to understand the desire to forget the world, even for a few hours. They stand in silence, a hiccup of time, just looking at each other, which she breaks with a sigh.

“Well, I better get back to work. But, are we good?” 

“Think that’s for you to decide, ma’am.” The laugh that coaxes out of her is different, fuller, as she tosses her head back, eyes crinkling up when she does look at him again.

“Hmm, yeah, I’d say we’re good. See you around, Joel.” With that, she turns on her heel, heading back out to the horsepen. But Joel still has another question for her.

“Wait– that’s not your real name, is it? Cherry?” She grins over her shoulder at him, shrugging a little.

“Why don’t you come see another show sometime? Maybe I’ll answer your question then.” 

…

He recognizes the music immediately. Nina Simone, something his mother liked to spin on the old record player in the living room, snapping and popping with the drawl of the needle. But his mother is the last thing he’d like to think about right now. 

He went alone this time, ducking down the stairs and sitting on a stool at the bar, using a glass of whiskey in his hand as an anchor as his eyes scanned the murky room. He feels his heart sink when he doesn’t see her up on the stage, nor in the crowd, but his disappointment fades when someone taps him on the shoulder, making him turn around in his seat. 

“Hey, you came.” She’s in those same damn, mile-high shoes, that same little black set. But Joel has resolved himself this time to be a gentleman, and as such he keeps his eyes upward, as best he can. 

“I was looking for you– wasn’t sure if I came on the wrong night.” Her smile is tinged red by the lights of the bar, eyes glimmering in the haze.

“Well, you actually just missed my set.” He feels his shoulders slump at that, only a little embarrassed by his clear display of discontent and the way that she catches it with a laugh.

“But, if you’d like, I could show you what you missed.” He doesn’t think he heard her right, his head ducking a bit, eyes squinting at her easy grin. She brings a hand to his bicep, fingers trailing down until they’re tangling with his and she starts walking backwards. It’s all Joel can do to shuffle along to her gentle tug, his brain short-circuiting all over again. 

She pulls him through the backdoor, and then through the same door he had so witlessly stepped through the last time. He actually gets a good look at the room this time, what appears to be a makeshift dressing room, a few mirrors propped against one wall, clothes slung on a coat rack, and a ratty couch pushed into the corner. She drags him inside, Joel all but stumbling over his feet as she gives him a light shove down onto the couch, taking a few steps back and resting her hands on her hips. The music is only a faint throb through the walls now, quiet enough that he can hear his heartbeat kicking and quickening, blood rushing.

Her hips already have a little sway in them, the ghost of a smile as she keeps her eyes on him, and Joel muses to himself that whatever this is, it’s all going to be on her terms, always. 

“Since I don’t have the pole, I’ll have to improvise a little bit, that ok with you?” Worried that his voice would betray him, he just nods, the sound of her laugh relaxing his shoulders from where they had been pinned up by his ears. 

“Besides, I don't think those men out there really care about the moves, so long as my ass and tits are out. But I’m an artist, y’know? I care.” As if to emphasize her point, she steps one foot out, arcing her hips in a circle, and arching her back, her ass on perfect display as she grins over her shoulder at him. All Joel can think is that this must be a dream, that there’s no way this is actually happening. But seeing her dance up close, there’s no denying how real she is. He can see the sheen of sweat across her sternum, the little pull of her brows as she moves, the curved crease where her ass meets her thigh, and it all only makes him want her more. 

“Hmm, I have to admit, I prefer dancing with a prop. Do you mind?” Though he’s not entirely sure what he’s not minding, Joel shakes his head no. He reckons that he wouldn’t even mind if she asked to stab him in the thigh, not at this point. She’s got that smile again, like she knows a secret she’s never going to tell him, as she saunters toward him, one knee and then the other coming to rest against the outsides of his thighs. The last sane part of his mind tells him that he still needs to be a gentleman, so he keeps his hands balled in fists on the couch cushions. He can see the intricacy of the thin lace detailing over her bra, her chest is so close to his face as she rests her forearms over his shoulders. He clears his throat, trying to focus on her face instead of her hips dipping and hovering over him.

“Did you, uh– did you do this for work before?” 

“Mmhmm, made good money too. Was putting myself through college with it and everything.” She giggles at the raise of his eyebrows, tilting her head at him as she continues to sway in his lap. 

“What? Does that surprise you?” 

“Maybe a little, though to be honest, I’m starting to get used to you surprising me.” 

“You can touch me, y’know.” He freezes at that, any ease he had slipping away under the prickling heat of her gaze.

“Don’t think that’s a good idea, ma’am.” He can tell that she finds his response amusing, her smile slanting and eyes squinting at him.

“And why not?” 

“I’d rather not get another hairbrush thrown at me.” He tries not to, he really does, but he can’t help the way his eyes dart down to the swell of her breasts lightly bouncing with her laugh. It’s a quick little thing, the kiss she presses to the cut above his eyebrow, but it’s enough to melt his resolve down into a dripping puddle.

“I promise I won’t throw anything else at you. But why do I get the feeling that’s not the only reason you’re hesitating?” He lets out a sigh, and she stills on top of him.

“Oh god– did I completely read this wrong? I’m so–”

“N-no! That ain’t it. It’s just– I barely know you and I– you gotta know that I don’t usually do stuff like this.” “Stuff like what?” 

“Like whatever you’ve got planned in that pretty head of yours.” She huffs out a laugh at that.

“Why don’t I tell you my real name? Then you’ll know me a little better than barely.”  She leans in, lips grazing his ear, her name coming out on a whisper that Joel thinks will spin in his mind for the rest of his life. At the same time, her hands slip down his arms, uncurling his fists and guiding his palms to splay over her hips. Joel takes it from there, hands dragging down over the tops of her thighs before roaming up the span of her back.

“There, was that so hard?” Her smug look makes him grumble, hands dipping down to cup her ass and give an experimental squeeze that makes her gasp.

“Got another question for you, darlin.” She crooks a brow at him, waiting.

“Why me, huh? Could have any one of those guys out there. And I didn’t exactly make a good first impression.” Her smile screws up, eyes narrowing like she’s really considering what he said.

“Because you look like someone who’d like to forget for a while, same as me. And I like it when you call me ma’am.”

Things go downhill fast from there. It’s been a long time since Joel has kissed a woman, but he’s quick on the uptake, his lips molding with hers, tongues twisting up between little sighs and the clicks of spit. His hands firm up on her hips, pulling her down to grind against his aching hardness, reveling in the whimper that breaks in her throat when he does. 

He just needed a little certainty from her, and now that he has it, he moves with confidence beneath her, dragging his lips down her chest, mouthing at the fabric of her bra, pulling away only briefly when she shrugs the garment off before dipping back down to take one of her peaked nipples into his mouth. She says his name like a plea, breathless and pitchy and he’d like to replay the sound on an infinite loop in his mind. 

“No teasing– not this time. One of the girls could– fuck– could come in any minute.” His heart flips in his chest when she says this time, the promise of this happening again making him lightheaded as she fumbles with his belt buckle. He rests his forehead on her sternum, batting her hands away to finish the job of unbuttoning his jeans and shucking them down with his boxers, just enough for his cock to bounce out, pre-cum smearing over the bottom of his shirt. She works with deft hands, reaching between them to thumb over his leaking slit, rubbing the slickness down his shaft  as he hisses at her delicate touch while at the same time, she’s pulling her panties to the side and moving to hover over his throbbing tip.

His eyes roll back when she slides down on him in one languid move, his fingers gripping harshly into the plush of her ass. It’s almost too much, the fluttering heat of her wrapping him up as she sighs on top of him, lips dragging across his in a broken kiss. And then she starts to move, and Joel thinks this might just be how he dies. It starts with a few tentative swirls, just like the ones he saw her do up on that stage the first time, but that quickly morphs into sweet little bounces that he guides with his hands cupping her ass.

Neither of them speak, only letting out little gasps of pleasure, her uh uh uhs driving him crazy with each bounce. He firms his feet up on the ground, starting to meet her hips with his own thrusts, her back arching at the sensation and a silent cry stretching across her lips. More than anything, he wants to feel her come and he sets his mind on it singularly, bringing one of his hands around to draw sloppy circles over her clit, groaning at the way she spasms around him in response. He brings his other hand up to hold her by the back of the neck, pulling her closer until he can smear his lips across her ear in a hot whisper, low murmurings of how bad he wants it, how good she feels, how he’s dying to see her come for him.

And she does, with a harsh yelp of his name, fingernails digging into his shoulder blades through the fabric of his t-shirt. She slumps in his grip, and it takes all of Joel’s willpower to pull her off of him, finishing himself off with a few frantic strokes of his hand before his spend is smudging across her tensing belly. 

They hold onto each other hard, trying to find stillness after their heady spin of pleasure. Beneath their breathless pants, the dull thrum of music still seeps into the walls from the bar, a reminder of what actually just happened, and how fucked he truly is now that he’s gotten a taste of her. 

........................

taglist (lmk if you want added or dropped): @littlelou22 @mydailyhyperfixations @harriedandharassed @amanitacowboy @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @beskarandblasters @ariiiloves @swiftispunk @cutesyscreenname @brittmb115 @funnygirlthatgab

[cartermagazine]

Today In History

Nina Simone, known as the “High Priestess of Soul,” was born in Tryon, NC, on this date February 21, 1933.

Nina Simone studied classical piano at the Juilliard School in New York City. Performing in night clubs, she turned her interest to jazz, blues and folk music and released her first album in 1957, scoring a Top 20 hit with the track “I Loves You Porgy.” In the 1960s.

Simone became known as the voice of the Civil Rights Movement. She wrote “Mississippi Goddam” in response to the 1963 assassination of Medgar Evers and the Birmingham church bombing that killed four young African American girls. She also penned “Four Women,” chronicling the complex histories of a quartet of African American female figures, and “Young, Gifted and Black,” borrowing the title of a play by Hansberry, which became a popular anthem. After the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, Simone’s bassist Greg Taylor penned “Why (The King of Love Is Dead),” which was performed by the singer and her band at the Westbury Music Festival.

“So while you’re imitating Al Capone, I’ll be Nina Simone and defacating on your microphone” - Lauryn Hill

CARTER™️ Magazine

[cherryswisherz]

# | *post pictures of your nine fav albums (or less if you dont have nine) and your fav song from each album*

tagged by : @mattslolita thx baby

*THE ALBUM "i know we need the distance to bring your miss in."

ever ever, (teyana taylor, 2020)

*SUNBURN "i couldn't be all alone in this world, i'd be handing by my neck if she didn't come check for me."

bodies (dominic fike, 2023)

*THE MARATHON "surround myself with the finer things, i guess i'm hollywood cause i'm enjoying what my grinding bring."

late nights and early mornings (nipsey hussle, 2013)

*GOOD KID, M.A.A.D CITY "dumb niggas like me never prosper, prognosis of a problem child, i'm proud and well devoted."

sing about me, i'm dying of thirts (kendrick lamar, 2012)

*NOSTALGIA, ULTRA. "say hello then say farewell, to the places you know, we are all mortals aren't we? any moment this could go."

strawberry swings (frank ocean, 2011)

*THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL "i can give away everything i possess, but left without love, then i have no happiness."

tell him (ms. lauryn hill, 1998)

*GEMINI RIGHTS "if you want me to i'll share my heart, i'm not anxious i'll tell the truth."

give you the world (steve lacy, 2022)

*WILD IS THE WIND "my skin is tan, my hair is fine, my hips invite you, my mouth like wine, who's little girl am i? anyone who's got money to buy. what do they call me? my name is sweet thing."

four women (nina simone, 1966)

*I PUT A SPELL ON YOU "you've got ot learn although it's very hard, the way of pocketing your pride, sometimes face humiliation, while you're burning up inside."

you've got to learn (nina simone, 1965)

i nominate: @thaatdigitaldiary @patscorner @sierrale8ne

[majestativa]

I was afraid of playing the game—of accepting madness—and then truly becoming mad. I felt lonely. I was lonely. I would wake up at night and, since writing was not allowed, I would look at the sky and write letters to my father with my finger in the air. I was knocked out by the drugs. I walked with my head down. I smiled like the rest of them. In addition to morphine injections, the nurses gave me pills when I woke up, again at noon, and again at night. The convent was divided into four floors, of which the first one was for wealthy women who were there for detoxification, the second for minor problems, the third for serious cases, such as mine, and the basement for raging madwomen. At night I would hear the women in the basement shrieking as they were being beaten.

— Darina Al-Joundi, The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing, written with Mohamed Kacimi, transl by Marjolijn de Jager, (2008)

[doriandreamz]

!!!WEDDING CAKE DESIGNS!!!

Not gonna outright trigger warning, but please take care when reading this, it delves softly into disturbing and upsetting topics

1.) Flowered Veil

2.) Golden Gal

3.) Purple Haze

4.) I Saw the TV Glow (I haven't actually seen the movie yet, so plz no spolierzzz)

5.) Secret Garden

I never had the phaze as a biokid where I like designed wedding cakes planned my marrigage etc bc i was a black kid in a 98% white area where no one wanted to date let alone marry me lol

so im doin it now! bc im actually gonna get married, eventually lol. i call my Nonnie my hubby already, but like we arent married x3 and dont really super consider ourselves so x3

now i'll TRY and explain the cakes a bit and where my head was at when creating them

1.) This cake is inspired by mine and my nonnie's favorite colours, pink and green. i wanted something cutesy and simple and straightfoward, while still indicating commiment and deterimation to love each other as long as the other deserves such love. The veil, which is decorated with flowers symbolises our growth and how we've both blossomed since being with the other. The way that we both nurture and water the other. The veil is also flowly and river like, a calm river that one might rest beside to regain strength. A river that one might safely wade and swim in, there's no nasty surprises, byt by virtue of it being a river, it demands a sense of respect and awe. It's a river you find after a hard, tiring hike. Which makes sense for our relationship, bc we kissed a lot of toads and dealt with a lot of abuse before finding each other and falling into the love with have with each other. To the other we are a peacefully flowing river at which we can rest and mediate and find ourselves.

2.) this cake is definetly much more elegant that the other cakes, with is sleek black coloration and extravagant gold detailings. For me its a celebration of a culture that I never got to know, its a love for Africa and my African roots. The gold repersents not just the resource, but the RICH history of my people. It's ab how we have value as a people, we are precious. we are not a commodity, but a priceless people, without us the world as we know it would not exist. Not only does is represent that, but also mine and my Hub's native heritage, a heritage that neither of us know very well. But we still celebrate and try and learn ab. The gold also represents one of the Four sisters, Corn. An invaluable part of mine and many indigenous people's history. Not only is this cake the most elegant, it means the most to me as a person. (it can't be seen but there are three blue jewels on the cake as well, I intend for them to be FAKE sapphires. A somewhat bitter reminder of the lives lost to the cruel practices that afford us many of the Luxuries that those STILL in bondage will never get to indulge in) The inside of this cake will likely be red velvet. iykyk

3.) This is just a shameless reference and appreication for not on Jimi Hendrix, but Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Nina Simone, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, those early WOMEN pioneers of rock music. I have such a huge love for them. And yes, i don actually listen to them with some regularity. I'm not going to go very deep into this cake, bc i'm alrady tearing up, these women, they deserve their flowers. Which is why the purple detailing is flowers.

4.) I haven't actually seen "I Saw the TV Glow" I really want to, but I've heard it has some reality bending moments, and I have SZA and struggle with things of that nature, so I'm trying to make sure I'm stable compeletly before watching. This is a very ambitious cake. I plan to have it be both a projection cake, as well as have the details in green frosting infused with Glow in the Dark Luster dust!

5.) This cake is undeniably gaudy and busy. And I hate and love it in near equal amounts. "The Secret Garden" is a a book that is DEEPLY personal to me in ways that i will not get into fully here, maybe I'll go into detail on another blog. But long story short I know how it feels to have "dead" parents (My father was incarcerated and my mother abandoned/never loved me) and being left to be raised by seemingly cold and uncaring relatives. (I know really do love and appriacte the woman who raised me, she wasn't perfect, but she did what she knew and raised a damn good person) i also know ab having a special and secret place shared with only a cousin. I know this cake looks somewhat ugly, somewhat clumsily made. I wanted it to look that way. To have a sort of clumsy whimsy, a... childishness wonder and impracticability. The vaguly steeple shaped cake tacked on, almost as an afterthought, was very intentional. It's a representation of my tainted innocent. The whole cake has an eerie sense of dream-like innocence, something that never existed for me. I didn't feel safe my entire childhood... i know, that weddings are for joy, and this cake doesn't sound very joyful. But I think weddings can also be a time to mourn, to let go, to open a new chapter. I have been in the process of mourning the girl who never existed, the girl I pretended to be. The girl who was bubbly an bright and happy happy happy. I am letting go of the girl who was so bitterly and violently angry, the girl who lashed out and hurt people, bc she had been so deeply hurt. The sad scared child who would bite and scratch, kick and claw. The girl who screamed her throat hoarse and bloody. I am no longer her, so it's time... its time to let her go. I'm ready... but I'm scared...

WOAH that got WAAAAYYYYYY deeper than i expected lol, but yea, these are the wedding ckaes I designed, which is ur fave??

(I'm also going to be trying to draw up the inside of the cakes + describe the flavors laters ::33)

[rastronomicals]

2:19 PM EDT August 23, 2024:

Nina Simone - “Four Women” From the album Wild Is The Wind (September 16, 1966)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

–

[blacclotusss]

I LOVE MUSIC GAMES

Thanks for the tag @sygoflyy

RULES: When you get this you have to put 5 songs you actually listen to, then tag 10 of your favorite followers beloved beauties who live in ur phone.

Cadillac (A Pimp's Anthem) by Victoria Monet

This song has been on repeat since this album dropped. It's sounds so smooth and it takes you back in time.

After Last Night by Silk Sonic

This song reminds me of those videos you see of Black people in the 70s in all forms of media with their sultry outfits and sexy way of moving. Another one that's perfect for a smooth ride down the highway.

Worth a Million by Jeremy Pope

A VIBE! The chorus literally says "catch this vibe with me". So good! Good for playing in the car at night or in your room with the lights low.

Hi De Ho Man by Cab Calloway

Always have to break up the new music with some stuff from way back. Cab Calloway's voice just does something to my body that makes it want to get up and dance or belt the lyrics. And this song is so upbeat. Can't go wrong with it.

Four Women by Nina Simone

My favorite song in the entire galaxy. It reflects the lives and physical description of so many women in the world. I fell in love with this after hearing a live performance of it my freshman year of high school. So beautiful.

I'm not gonna tag anyone but feel free to participate. I would love to see your taste in music!

[onenakedfarmer]

Playing

Nina SImone FOUR WOMEN

[ausetkmt]

"Pusha T - The Story of Adidon [Drake Diss]"

I don't think anyone can forget how this short dis turned Drake's world upside down. using Nina Simone's four women really added a special touch. we have to give it up to Pusha T he was truly King Petty with this one

[fashinistagirlunit4]

diversity on the catwalk

fashion creatives are embracing inclusivity and body positivity, exploring themes such as size, gender, age, race, and disability.

Precious Lee, Ashley Graham, Paloma Elsesser

The fashion industry is constantly improving and evolving, we are starting to see more culture and diversity through ought each season.

In July 2020, Gucci launched its new genderless shopping category on its website called ‘Gucci MX’ using only gender neutral models to showcase the pieces.

Brands such as Simone Rocha, Rachel Comey and Vivienna Westwood are starting to include many more older models to showcase their work this is making the fashion world more diverse and as the seasons go on their seems to be more inclusivity each time.

AlexandraKutas

Hailing from Ukraine, Alexandra Kutas claimed the title of the world’s first runway model in a wheelchair as well as Ukraine’s first fashion model with a disability. Alexandra modelled on the runway during Ukraine Fashion Week in 2015 and a couple of months later unveiled a photography exhibition called “Break Your Chains” alongside photographer Andrei Sarymsakov in an effort to break down society’s stereotypes and negative perceptions of people with disabilities.

Kelly Knox for Grazia 2018

Greater diversity within the fashion community opened up a space to celebrate all beauty and gave a platform for people with disabilities to be more visible. As a result we are seeing more people with disabilities making appearances on runways, on the cover of magazines, in fashion ads and beauty campaigns.

Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture spring/summer 1998

among the roster of major designers Jean Paul Gaultier is notable for his concerted adoption and celebration of queer aesthetics from placing men in skirts in 1985 to repeatedly drawing on the homoerotic motif of the Genet-esque muscly. Over the years he has had many collaborations and with friend and muse Tanel Bedrossiantz to various striking ends. In his spring summer 1998 Age of Enlightenment influenced couture show, Bedrossiantz apps rated in a tightly corseted ruffled gown over a white shirt and tie an image so iconic it was included in the catalogue for vogues 2019 camp.

Somali-American model, Halima Aden 2017

Halim Aden was the first Muslim woman to wear a hijab on the international high fashion catwalk at the Max Mara show held in Milan on 23rd February 2017.

Madeline Stuart is a 20-year-old model with Down syndrome from Brisbane, Australia. Madeline has walked in Art Hearts Fashion Week, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week China, Style Fashion Week, Melange Fashion Week, Runway Dubai, Sunshine Coast Fashion Festival, and Birmingham Fashion Week. She has appeared in Vogue, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, Women’s Weekly, Elle, New York Times, People, Marie Claire, Huffington Post, and many more. She was also named Model of the Year in 2016.

Nina Marker famous model with autism

Nina Marker was scouted at a McDonald’s in 2014 and was quickly snatched up by Elite Model Management. She has walked the runway for Chanel, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Valentino, Givenchy, Fendi, and Versace, among many others. Nina is an advocate for the Autistic community, as she herself has Asperger’s. She has talked openly about being treated differently when she was young and the depression she experienced following that; she is passionate about creating awareness for Autism and wants to show people that Autistic people can do anything they want to do.

Harvard Referencing:

Shutterstock (2020). Unforgettable Photographic Moments: 2020’s ‘Big Four’ Fashion Weeks. [online] The Shutterstock Blog. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/big-four-fashion-weeks [Accessed 28 May 2023].

Mcloughlin, L. (2017). Ashley Graham shows off curvy figure in clinging latex mini dress. [online] Mail Online. Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4871728/Ashley-Graham-shows-curvy-figure-latex-mini-dress.html [Accessed 28 May 2023].

Brain, E. (2020). Gucci Mx Line Explores Gender Fluidity Within Fashion. [online] HYPEBEAST. Available at: https://hypebeast.com/2020/7/gucci-mx-non-binary-gender-fluid-collection-fall-winter-2020-jackie-1961-bag-lookbook.

Tsui, D. (2019). Finally, Some Age Diversity on the Runway. [online] The Cut. Available at: https://www.thecut.com/2019/02/older-models-of-all-ages-were-on-the-runway-at-fashion-week.html.

Managment, M. (2018). | MiLK Model Management. [online] www.milkmanagement.co.uk. Available at: https://www.milkmanagement.co.uk/women/women/1152-kelly-knox/ [Accessed 28 May 2023].

The Photo Studio. (2018). 20 Disabled Models And How They Got Their Starts. [online] Available at: https://thephotostudio.com.au/all/modelling/20-disabled-models-and-how-they-got-their-starts/. [Accessed 7th June 2023]

Stuart , M. (2015). Madeline Stuart NYFW 1st catwalk appearance with my Jellyfish men. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/n9PMB9y9xAc [Accessed 7 Jun. 2023].

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