BeChicMag.com

By Camlyn V.

In light of the Pride Parade in NYC, contributing writer Camlyn shares her observation on the Gay Community.

There is nothing I love watching more than men in heels and heart thumping pelvic thrusts and this is what Lady Gaga is all about! The reigning pop culture icon recently discussed her latest single “Alejandro” during a Larry King Live interview. The lady described her newest video as a “celebration of my love and appreciation for the gay community, my admiration of their bravery and their love for one another, their courage and their relationships….” Gaga proves that she is a strong activist inside and outside her recording studio, combating homophobia in her music pieces. In her interview, Gaga also discussed the music industry’s issues and problems concerning homosexuals and how her music embraces them. Lady Gaga (aka Stefani Germanotta) could not have chosen a better time to arrive. She has revolutionized the music industry with her intense visions, outspoken ideas, and daring style. Not only is Gaga an amazing artist but she’s also a great equal rights supporter.

Showing up to Washington, D.C. in October of last year, Lady Gaga, along with other stars like Cynthia Nixon, attended the Human Rights Campaign and the National Equality March where the crowd went “gaga” for Gaga. She captured the attention and gained the admiration of many as she proclaimed to our own President Obama: “ARE YOU LISTENING? We will continue to push your administration to bring your promise of equality,” witnessed the Washington Post.

However, what does the Latino community think of gay issues? We have never heard more talk about homosexuality, than when the beautiful Ricky Martin announced his sexuality claiming he is a “fortunate homosexual,” as if we didn’t already think so! Other Spanish star Christian Chavez, singer from popular Mexican sensation RBD, came out to the world last year. However, we don’t see anyone’s face more than Perez Hilton. The gossip king openly speaks about his coming out experience to CNN: “At the beginning, when I came out to my mom, she reacted with a sigh and said, ‘You’re my son and I have to love you,’ ” Hilton says. “But now she says, ‘You’re the best son in the world, and we need to find you a man.’ ” These men are extremely proud of their sexuality but what about the non celebrities who are dying to “come out” to their parents, their friends and the world? The courage that celebrities have is not the same as regular people, especially young adults.

Latino families have been perceived as families that will never accept a homosexual or transsexual child but this is a stigma that Latino celebrities like Ricky Martin, Christian Chavez, and Perez Hilton are fighting to change.

Along with many others, celebs have made a great effort to raise awareness and do a fantastic job supporting the Gay/LGBT Community. The gay community is one that has been struggling for acceptance and continues to fight for their rights today. You would figure that with all this democracy and equal rights for the people talk would apply to everyone. Currently the gay couples are only allowed to marry in a few selected states- giving homosexual couples some freedom rather than all the freedom they deserve. These celebrities are fighting for all LGBT rights and urge everyone to accept people as they are. They urge families especially to try and support this brave outing of their own personal decision and what their heart desires.

“It isn’t equal if it’s sometimes. I want real democracy. Imagine all the people could love equally.” -Lady Gaga

It seems like everywhere we turn, companies are in the search for REAL women to represent their brands. Within the past few months, we’ve met Pantene’s first reality hair star, Dove’s three correspondents and spoke with Seventeen Magazine about their Style Council- all consisting of real women’s perspectives on beauty and fashion. Now SoftSheen-Carson, along with Essence Magazine, are searching for a real dark and lovely woman to be featured in an upcoming ad.

The national “Are You Dark and Lovely? Show It Off” contest will run through July 6, 2010, and the winner will be announced in the October issue of Essence Magazine. The winner and a friend will be flown to New York for a photo shoot, have hair and makeover by celebrity hairstylist Johnny Wright (who works on Michelle Obama), plus a $5000 shopping spree!

There will be a live casting call this Thursday, June 24th at the Eventi Hotel. We’ll be there for the panel discussion. So if you see us, make sure to say hi!

For more details on the contest and casting call, click here.

By Mercedes Sanchez

Do you have what it takes to go bare faced for one whole day? What if we told you that women across the country are dedicating one day out of the week to accentuate their inner beauty? Thanks to Editor Alexis Wolfer from TheBeautyBean.com there’s a hot new trend encouraging women to go makeup free every Monday.

“It took me a few weeks to go without makeup,” says Wolfer. “We were trying it within our office at the Beauty Bean, and the first couple of times it’s tough and challenging. This isn’t about being anti-makeup. It’s just a matter of taking that one day and putting the focus back on our inner beauty. Women across the world have been sending us pictures being makeup free and saying how empowered they feel, and how they feel they’re being given permission to go without makeup for one day.”

We caught up with Alexis at Makeup Mania in the Lower East Side to find out how the movement behind Makeup Free Mondays was started.

Watch our segment on BeChicTV and get a glimpse inside Alexis’ products which include splurges like La Prairie’s Microdermabrasion Cellular Cream to drugstore finds as simple as Aquaphor! Take a look here.

By Mercedes Sanchez

Beauty reporters and bloggers gathered at the Hearst Tower last night for an evening of “fresh perspectives” sponsored by Dove. Much was said about Dove’s go fresh Body Mist, fragrances and fall trends.

According to Cosmopolitan‘s Beauty Director Leah Wyar, studies show that most men prefer women wear very little perfume. Apparently, they only like to “smell us when we’re close.” Editors from Seventeen Magazine also spoke about their Style Council, a group of young ladies from across the country who are selected to cover news and events such as Fashion Week to give their readers a more “real” take on style. Here are more beauty and trend facts we learned at the Dove event:

*Cosmopolitan Magazine’s beauty director says that mascara, great hair conditioner and moisturizing lipstick are the biggest confidence boosters.

* Beauty trends to expect this fall include flawless skin, cateye liner on top lids, red lips, bronzed/glowing skin and healthy hair.

* Cosmo says that men are more likely to notice bright eyes, full lips and shiny hair.

* Marie Claire‘s Jeremy Spears says fashion trends to watch out for this fall are shearling jackets, big knits, 70′s chic and 70′s “rocker” inspired items, new modesty (ladylike outfits).

* Body mists are used with same ingredients as perfumes, but they’re put together differently.

*Dove says its go fresh body mist and deodorant create all day freshness by providing 1/4 translucent moisturizers.

Whether you’re into sneakers or not, MySneakers is a fun and informative application for everyone. Developed by Brooklyn native Louis W. Colon III, MySneakers became a hit app on the iPhone.

“Sneakers is an individual thing. It’s something we grew up doing, and it becomes a part of fashion. It’s a part of style- a part of your individual taste,” says Colon. “Some people just want a running shoe to be casual. Others want a Jordan shoe to be reminiscent of Michael Jordan. Some people just want a fashion shoe while others wear Van skate shoes.”

Colon is more than just an aficionado; he’s a professional expert unlike the many self-titled “sneaker heads” we come across on a daily basis. A few years ago he launched the magazine Kicksclusive and later opened a sneaker boutique in NoLita called Laces. Before launching MySneakers, he worked with the product development team at New Balance in Boston! -Mercedes

To find out how the MySneakers app works, watch our segment by clicking on the photo above.