Culture

It was a striking image, even if the subject’s pose and attire were familiar: Gorgeously dressed in bright white sneakers and a flowing blue gown, the young person stood tall, a glowing city behind him. It’s a picture-perfect example of a street-style shot. But instead of a lit-up Paris, it was St. Paul lit up with police floodlights. He was wearing his graduation gown, there to witness, support, and speak out against the police brutality, white supremacy, and anti-Black forces that have made his graduation an unspeakably tragic one.

“I was looking forward to graduating with a cap and gown,” Deveonte Joseph told me over the phone. The seventh sibling out of ten, Joseph is the first in his family to graduate high school with a diploma, an incredibly hard-won and meaningful achievement.

“It’s been hard. I’ve fought through it, but I did it. I graduated. We graduates from 2020 are going through all this. And it’s not fair, because there are a lot of people who wish to be in that crowd, and walk across that stage, and wear that gown, and throw up your cap with everybody,” Joseph said, explaining that his graduation, scheduled for this week, will be modified to observe social distancing procedures — “a car meet-up and drive around the city or something.”

17 yo Rachel Garrison commemorating her graduation as valedictorian of North Education Center. She was here when Minnehaha Liquors burned protesting for George Floyd. pic.twitter.com/bEPebz7j5E

— Rochelle Olson (@rochelleolson) June 2, 2020

During a time that should be marked by graduation celebrations, another kind of observance is taking place. Across the country, in the middle of a pandemic that necessitated rigid stay-at-home measures, demonstrations and protests have erupted in nearly every major American city against anti-Black criminal justice systems and anti-Black federal and state institutions. This weekend, young Black people have had to choose between demonstrating against the apparatuses that disproportionately kill them or staying at home to avoid a virus that also disproportionately kills them.

One day after George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, the protests spread across the river to St. Paul. Before stepping out, Joseph took out his graduation robes, still fresh from their packaging. “When I put on the gown, I felt like I really accomplished something big. My brother always told me that not a lot of African Americans even reach my age. It’s a big accomplishment …read more

Source:: Refinery29

We all know that Kim Kardashian has been using photoshop to touch-up her Instagram pics throughout her career.

But usually, Kim sticks to doctoring her own physique.

Now, she’s being accused of editing a photo to make her 6-year-old daughter looks skinnier.

And understandably, fans are more than a little disturbed by the idea that Kim would feel the need to “improve upon” a photo of her eldest daughter.

The @Celebface Instagram account posts evidence of photoshopping by celebs, and its admins believe Kim scandalously altered a recent photo of North West.

According to the folks who run that page photo below is the original image:

Obviously, there’s nothing abnormal about the pic as shown, and it doesn’t seem that Kim would have any reason to retouch it.

But Kim has been accused of posting the photo below on her Instagram page and passing it off as the original.

As usual, the retouching is subtle but unmistakable when the two photos are viewed side-by-side.

“Have you ever seen non-natural children photos on Instagram?” @Celebface asked its followers, implying that Kim had followed her obsession with visual perfection into uncharted territory.

Comments on the photo indicate that in the eyes of many fans — or former fans, as the case may be — Kim has reached a new low in her alleged obsession wih beauty and physical perfection.

“I mean filters and Facetune. Do these women think their kids aren’t good enough for their Instagram pages?” one person wrote, according to UK tabloid The Sun.

“It’s sad when someone cares about perfection so much and loses touch with reality,” another commented.

“As a mother and just as a person, this make me very sad,” a third user chimed in.

Others remarked on what sort of long-term psychological effects such actions might have on Kim’s kids.

After all, it won’t be long before North will be able to use the internet and understand controversies like this one for herself.

Wtf? And what about when these kids are adults and look at these photos from when they were kids,” wrote one user.

“Are they going to question their worth and have major insecurity issues? When does it end??”

The Sun claims to have reached out to Kim for comment and received no reply.

Given the level of backlash, we’re guessing Mrs. Kardashian-West won’t be commenting on this situatin anytime soon.

…read more

Source:: The Hollywood Gossip

By now, you’ve probably heard the news that Scott Disick and Sofia Richie have broken up.

Not exactly the biggest news story of the month, but word seemed to spread pretty quickly on that one.

Anyway, as is so often the case when celebs in a long-term relationship call it quits, there’s been much speculation about the cause of the separation.

At first, when it was revealed that Scott had checked into rehab, many assumed he had suffered a relapse that drove Sofia away.

Now, however, it seems that Scott was seeking treatment for emotional issues unrelated to his history of substance abuse.

Sofia moved on quickly from the relationship and is rumored to be living with an unidentified man who owns a home not far from where she lived with Scott.

This gave rise to reports that she fell for someone else while she was still dating Disick, but now, insiders say that’s not the case either.

Throughout the relationship, there were reports that Sofia was uncomfortable with the intimate nature of Scott’s relationship with Kourtney, but she came to accept it as a result of the former couple’s co-parenting partnership.

According to a new report from Us Weekly, however, Richie eventually became fed up with Disick’s flirtatious behavior toward his ex.

“Kourtney is not open to him in a romantic sense, but Scott is always flirting with her and thinks she looks better than ever,” a source tells the outlet

.

“The family also loves him and he’s like another son to Kris [Jenner].”

Obviously, this is not the first time we’ve heard rumors that Scott’s lingering feelings for Kourtney negatively affected his relationship with Sofia.

“Scott is always going to be in love with Kourtney, and that’s something Sofia has had to face since even before she got serious with him,” a different insider told Us several weeks ago.

“It’s been an ongoing thing. It just became more apparent that his family was more of a priority than she was, and his family would be his main priority over anything and anyone.”

There’s been no indication that Scott’s feelings toward Kourtney are reciprocated.

But as Us notes, the couple did get together recently to celebrate Scott’s 37th birthday in the company of their three kids.

“Kourtney and Scott had so much fun with the kids in Utah, and the kids want them to do family trips all together more often,” an insider says.

“Scott is so happy that he and Kourtney …read more

Source:: The Hollywood Gossip

Kendall Jenner gets it.

That’s rarely something we thought we’d say about a member of this reality star’s family, but Kendall has released a moving, powerful and self-aware statement in the middle of this week’s protests around the country.

And it’s one of the best we’ve read yet from a celebrity.

“To everyone reading this and to myself: keep researching, reading, and educating yourself on how we can become better allies,” Kendall said to open her message, which went out to 130 million followers.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these past few days and my heart has been so heavy,” she continued.

‘I’m angry and hurt just like so many.

“I will never personally understand the fear and pain that the black community go through on a daily basis, but i know that nobody should have to live in constant fear.”

Kendall, along with so many others out there, is responding to the killing of George Floyd.

This Minnesota native died at the hands of a police officer, becoming just the latest African-American casuality of police brutality and racism.

Protests have sprung up around the country as a result, with millions of citizens rising up to express their desire for political and societal change in America.

Kendall understands why.

Even while she also understands that she’ll never truly understand.

“I acknowledge my white privilege and promise I will continue to educate myself on how I can help,” continues the 24-year old, emphasizing that a lot more than mere social media posts are required here.

From everyone, writes Kendall:

“Raging on platforms can not be all that we do in order to repair the system, we need to take real action, off of social media.

“This is a time to have those uncomfortable conversations with people and mainly with ourselves.”

From there, similar to the message sent recently by Taylor Swift, Jenner made it clear that she won’t be voting for President Donald Trump in November.

“We must also make sure we are ready to vote when the time comes to elect the right people into office,” she wrote, ending on a strong note:

The one truth that will always ring loudest is that BLACK LIVES MATTER. rest peacefully George Floyd and all victims of this horrible injustice.

Earlier this week, Khloe Kardashian sounded a note akin to her half-sister’s.

“Like so many of you I am angry, heartbroken and disgusted by the murder of George Floyd,” Khloe wrote online.

“It is incomprehensible to me …read more

Source:: The Hollywood Gossip