Who is video vixen

In , Steffans wrote Confessions of a Video Vixen , a detailed series of stories about her single year as a video girl and the behavior she witnessed. Industry insiders, and other video girls, viewed her as a snitch and a disrespectful anomaly. Steffans maintains that men are applauded for their sexual appetites, and is saluted by some for capitalizing on her experiences.

However, in the post-hip-hop era, feminists and media critics have once again brought up the idea of who controls the image. Spelman students protested against having Nelly appear at a bone marrow drive at the university. Instagram has made becoming a video vixen easier than ever and may have changed elements of the industry for both the better and worse.

That newly established accessibility ultimately resulted in an influx of; oversaturation of the market devalued the once-lucrative jobs of video vixens. The rise of Instagram saw everyday girls turn online followings into endorsement deals, and scouts started searching socials for popular faces instead of booking known models. The music videos with million-dollar budgets are over, and the shift that Oakland participated in is complete— the video vixens are stars in their own right and lanes — much to the chagrin of Jermaine Dupri.

Cardi B, Thee Stallion, and The City Girls have mastered the art of serving up bars and body, becoming one-women-shows that record labels once paid thousands of dollars. She took it to another level.

Lez stood out: Her fit physique and dimpled smile made her the epitome of an around-the-way chanteuse, and her fame was only bolstered by her time on Rap City. But even as she became a sex symbol to a generation of fans, Segar had to battle colorism as a dancer and a host.

She rewrote the rules for dancers turned actresses turned pop stars. Of course, we all know what happened from there. She went on to become one of the most bankable actresses in Hollywood, with box-office hits like Out of Sight and The Cell , not to mention taking the music world by storm following the release of On the 6 in I want to write more songs, tour, find the right roles, have my own family.

I know what lies ahead. She came to prominence, like J. My dream day is sitting in my backyard reading books all day. I love being a mom to my two boys, Elijah 12 and Jonah 10 , and I love motivating and inspiring people to actualize their dreams. The couple had two kids before officially calling it quits in Despite their split, they remained close co-parents and friends.

Super Black Love. She described watching the video for Big K. She's since created The Vixen Memoirs , a podcast and digital library archiving the stories of hip-hop's on-screen heroines. If it was a Black [artist], there was a Black woman in that video," she says. It's like for your favorite artist, you're not even the beauty standard. In Bellamy's research, the video girl aesthetic was often distinguished with "very glossy lips, a belly ring, and low-rise jeans.

For hairstyling, she said that extensions were popular, but lace wigs weren't as widely accessible as they are now, "so a lot of girls had the natural doobie wrap going on or a perm.

In the prime video girl era, which took place from the late '90s to early s, it felt like there was a concerted effort to champion diversity in music video casting.

When I ask Thomas if he senses a similar spirit behind the scenes today, he says, "There's a prioritization, but not necessarily to put [Black women] on a pedestal like how we did. Growing up in predominantly white spaces left me starving for environments where I could be the ideal because it wasn't what I had grown accustomed to. Their brand was aspirational but still felt somewhat attainable. They looked like the girls who live next door to me.

Instead, she attributes the morphing visual identity to the cosmetic surgery boom. They all have that 'Instagram baddie' aesthetic.