2017

Legs long and toned, abs tight and arms lean, they didn't come to play.

Talk about #BlackGirlMagic and the power of hip-hop culture. Cardi B, a popular reality TV star turned mega hit rapper, can add yet another accomplishment to her platinum-selling resume: boosting interest in the iconic shoe brand astronomically, almost overnight.

According to a recent Business of Fashion report, Belcalis “Cardi B” Almanzar has created an estimated $4.5 million media value this year for the brand after releasing the radio banger “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” and there’s been a massive 217% spike in web searches for Christian Louboutin shoes since summer.

The 25-year-old female lyricist raves about the “red-bottom” “bloody shoes” in the song, and, like it or not, it’s a song hard to escape, whether it was played during your favorite morning radio show or mimicked in your nephew’s latest Snapchat. Cardi B has taken the hit from the small nightclub stages to the MoMa to the Puerto Rican Day Parade and beyond. Black Hollywood heavyweights including Taraji P. Henson, Idris Elba, and Kevin Hart have raved about the song and Cardi and music icon Janet Jackson set the crowd and social media ablaze when she added the song to her concert set.

The song has continued its momentum from summer into fall, winning the BET Hip Hop Award for Best Single of the Year last month and breaking a No. 1 Billboard chart record that Lauryn Hill had held since the late 1990s. Black Enterprise cover girl and Uber Chief Brand Officer Bozoma Saint John even blasted the song at AfroTech.

One celeb not so hip to the game is Christian Louboutin himself. He recently told The New York Times he’s “not a big rap person,” but said he’d be open to meeting the Trini-Dominican-American star someday.

As for a direct sales boost correlation, the verdict’s still out. However, Deloitte reports that 20.5% of millennials look to social media and more than 15% to the web to get informed about a high-end item before purchasing. Also, Nielsen reported that black women, in particular, spend more time watching live TV, listening to the radio, and using multimedia devices than the whole U.S. female population; they are trendsetters and contribute tremendously to pushing black buying power closer to a record $1.5 trillion; and they have “enjoyed steady growth in population, incomes, and educational attainment.”

Based on the stats, one can assume that if many power women of color hear “Bodak Yellow” enough times, they might actually be prompted to give that Louboutin pump at least a second look when splurging for the holidays—or get that good sister-girlfriend to pick them up a few sample-sale pairs to go under the tree.

With great power comes great responsibility.

Two women recently shared their accounts of being sexually harassed by Jeffrey Tambor, which accused the actor of being verbally and physically harassing them on the set of on the set of Amazon’s Transparent. Tambor, the lead of the show, denied the accusations by claiming his actions were “misinterpreted”. However, Tambor announced last night that he would not be returning to the Amazon series.

The actor told Deadline:

“Playing Maura Pfefferman on Transparent has been one of the greatest privileges and creative experiences of my life. What has become clear over the past weeks, however, is that this is no longer the job I signed up for four years ago.

I’ve already made clear my deep regret if any action of mine was ever misinterpreted by anyone as being aggressive, but the idea that I would deliberately harass anyone is simply and utterly untrue. Given the politicized atmosphere that seems to have afflicted our set, I don’t see how I can return to Transparent.”

A 73 year old man just learned for the first time that the personal is political. https://t.co/d9pRQF3Tcq

— Shadi Petosky (@shadipetosky) November 20, 2017

Both Amazon and show creator Jill Soloway have not spoken about Tambor, but there is a currently investigation going on about the accusations. The state of Transparent is currently unclear, though many have suggested that Tambor’s exit opens room to re-cast his role with a trans actors—something that should have been done in the first place.

It’s also not impossible that Transparent might write out Tambor’s character or end the show altogether. The unfortunate part of that, as we saw with the cancellation of The Cops, is that this means the many trans talent employed by the show either on or off-screen will then be out of a job. However, Jen Richards offered an alternative that I think we would all stand behind:

For what it’s worth, if @HerStoryShow ever gets picked up, we’d gladly incorporate Shea & Davina into our shared queer LA world. I’d love to work with @tracelysette & Alexandra Billings, and any trans staff who lose jobs at Transparent. https://t.co/1IBub0klv1

— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) November 19, 2017

Okay, now my brain is spinning out some kind of shared universe for recent trans t.v. characters. So: Paige (@angelicaross; Her Story) is an old friend/neighbor of Shea (@tracelysette; Transparent), and went to law school with Cameron (@Lavernecox; Doubt).

— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) November 19, 2017

Lola (@Shakeenz; Difficult People) was in the same Brooklyn trans support group that Violet (me, Her Story) used to be in, and Allie (@la_wa; Her Story) went to college with Nomi (@MsJamieClayton; Sense8). Lola comes out to stay with Violet in LA, and Nomi asks for Allie’s help.

— Jen Richards (@SmartAssJen) November 19, 2017

Let’s make it happen.

(via Deadline, image: Amazon)

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