black women news stories on Newser

Black Women: Fat Because We Want to Be

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 06 May 2012 14:20:53 CDT

Most Americans need discipline in order to battle today's obesity epidemic—but in black America, "what we need is a body-culture revolution," writes Alice Randall in the New York Times . Even experts "don’t understand something crucial about black women and fat: many black women are fat because we want to...

Black Women Heavier, Happier With Bodies

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:31:00 CST

Hefty can be heavenly. That seems to be the feeling of many black women. While they tend to be heavier than white women, they're significantly happier with their bodies, a Washington Post / Kaiser Family Foundation survey has discovered. While only 41% of average-sized or thin white women report having...

Michelle Obama Has a Right to Be 'Angry'

Mark Russell — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 08:59:30 CST

The latest round of attempts to portray Michelle Obama as an "angry black woman" are enough to make any sensible person angry, writes Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post . Parker says the various political operatives and former staffers she has talked to, including Republicans, "without exception" have all had strongly...

Black Women Can Have Bigger Waists, Still Be Healthy

Mark Russell — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:04:20 CST

Black women can have larger waistlines and be larger in general than white women and still be relatively healthy, according to new research.The study of 6,400 volunteers examined abdominal obesity and body-mass index and found that black women had higher thresholds than white women for both measures before...

Essence Hires White Editor; Uproar Ensues

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:40:00 CDT

Essence is a magazine “seen as the ultimate fashion and lifestyle title for black women,” writes Keith J. Kelly in the New York Post . So what is it doing hiring a white fashion director? That’s what the founding fashion director of Vibe wants to know, writing on Facebook, “The fashion...

White Actress Cast as African Queen—Again

Evann Gastaldo — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:28:00 CDT

Why is Angelina Jolie, a white woman, playing Cleopatra , an African queen? “Just when we thought there weren't enough leading roles for black women in Hollywood , they create one and give it to a white woman,” writes Shirea L. Carroll for Essence . “I don't care how full Angelina Jolie's lips...

Interracial Marriage a Black Guy Thing

Kevin Spak — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:08:00 CDT

Black men are much bigger fans of interracial marriage than black women, according to a new study. About 22% of black men who got married in 2008 walked down the aisle with a woman of a different race, compared to just 9% of black women, the study found. “When you...

Interracial Love Is the Answer for Black Women

Jane Yager — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:35:07 CST

"Black women are in market failure," says Karyn Langhorne Folan, a black woman married to a white man and the author of a new book urging others to follow her lead. "The new market is men of other races," explains Folan, who joins a growing chorus of bloggers and prominent...

Good Hair Has a Few Knots

Harry Kimball — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:24:12 CDT

Chris Rock is a natural and hilarious interviewer, critics agree. But watchers are split on whether the substance of a rather complicated debate shines through in Big Hair, his documentary on black women and their coifs. A sampling: Rock has helped craft a film with "much good feeling and instinctive...