Shameless plug alert!! Well, it is MY blog... Anyway, I am a blogger and blog editor for a fantastic fashion, lifestyle, culture and arts publication at Columbia University called Hoot Magazine. It is a baby -- created only last year by some really fantastic people -- but is already well on it's way. I wrote the blog below, and I thought I'd give Hoot some love and showcasing by sharing it with you all. Check out the rest of our Hoot blog, too!
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Naomi and Liya: Supermodels and Superwomen
For the month of September one of my and my mom’s favorite magazines ESSENCE has put out an amazing article: 40 Fierce & Fabulous. It covers 40 fantastic African American women who span a myriad of professions but all share a sense of drive, superior intellect, and make an impressive list of achievements. While I found the article to exceed its intentions of inspiring its readers (I can’t stop rereading it!) I have been just as pleased by how much I’ve learned from the article in reference to two women in particular.
Naomi Campbell and Liya Kebede are two beautiful, driven, timeless, and successful supermodels who prove that there is more to them than a pretty face and a great runway walk. Some people may not have heard what these inspirational women are involved in outside of fashion or the occasional blow up in gossip pages, but there is much to be learned from them.
Naomi Campbell has established Fashion for Relief, a foundation that has raised $1 million dollars for victims of Hurricane Katrina and, in February of this year, raised more than $1 million for CARE, an organization working to reestablish Haiti’s health care system for women and children. Naomi kicked her talent and networking skills into high gear by organizing a fashion show in Bryant Park for her most recent show, but it isn’t her first and I doubt it will be her last. All ticket sales went to CARE, as well as all money raised for the items that were auctioned after the show. For more details, read Naomi’s interview with CNN.
Naomi walking the runway at Fashion for Relief. Nypost.com
Naomi is also a Global Ambassador for the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood and working to ensure that bringing a life into this world doesn’t have to be at the risk of the newborn’s or mother’s, a cause she shares with Liya. See footage of Naomi’s trip to Tanzania here, where she saw the conditions mothers and children are working with.
Liya Kebede was first appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in 2005, then reappointed in 2007. She works to raise awareness for the proper well-being of mothers-to-be and their children. The responsibility of being a Goodwill Ambassador is earned by well-known personalities from various fields of public life who commit to contribute to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) efforts to raise awareness of health problems and their solutions. Liya spoke to CNN about the suffering she saw mothers and children experiencing in Ethiopia in 2005. With thanks to WHO and the Liya Kebede Foundation, situations are improving.
Liya Kebede being appointed to her position by Dr. Lee Jong-Wook, former WHO director-general. CNN.com
Liya also helps the economy in her native Ethiopia by employing Ethiopian weavers to make her sustainable clothing line, Lemlem.
Lemlem means “to flourish or bloom” in Amharic, and perfectly embodies both of these women and the progress of the causes for which they work so hard. I find it inspring to know that they have achieved their levels of success, and then still managed to develop a lens of selflessness through which they view the world. I think it is crucial to realize that once you have reached your goal (as you undoubtedly will, dear Hoot reader!), that that achievement does not grant you the opportunity to ignore where you have come from or what challenges you have been lucky enough to not have to personally face. There will always be someone less fortunate than you, someone who dreamed the same dreams you did, and someone who needs your help. Whether you are so successful that you are broadcasted to the public’s eye, or an everyday person reaching your own aspirations, just being someone in this world gives you a responsibility to turn around and give back.
“With great power comes great responsibility” – unknown
Keep your sense of perspective, keep positive, and keep going!
xo Morgan
Blog Editor
Blog Editor
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Help me and the other talented, dedicated, and motivated writers/bloggers/fashionistas of Columbia University's Hoot Magazine by helping us reach our financial goals! The production of our beautiful and diverse publication is pretty tough on us, especially as a new organization with bare-minimum funding. Don't let money be what holds Columbia's creative minds back, and DONATE as little as 1 dollar to Hoot Magazine's ! Also, by donating you can score some pretty fantastic thank you gifts. Here are a few of our best:
- A copy of the Fall 2010 issue, signed with love and thanks by Tinsley Mortimer herself
- A copy of the Winter 2010/2011 issue, signed with love and thanks by Rider Strong himself
- A makeup lesson and application with Chanel makeup artist, Jennifer Nam
- A personal photoshoot (you can even invite friends and family) directed, produced, and shot by Photo Director, Damian Tran
- A selection of LancĂ´me or Shiseido cosmetics
- The opportunity to attend New York Fashion Week
- The opportunity to help out at a celebrity photoshoot
- Advertisements for your business in our blog, website, and magazine
- The eternal love and gratitude of a bunch of fashion-loving college students, and especially ME!
So please, check out our kickstarter project page, donate, and THANK YOU SO MUCH.
To see our most recent issue CLICK HERE!
To see our most recent issue CLICK HERE!