 by Trish BendixColumns
Video
Currently Recapping
Popular People
|
The hottest women of colorPerhaps you've noticed one of the hottest threads in our forum lately: Your 10 Hottest Women of Color. We did! And it seems as if a lot of these ladies were forgotten about during Hot 100 voting time this year. We compiled a list of the names that seem to keep popping up on your lists in the forum. If you're not hip to who these women are, make sure to take mental notes – you'll need them for next year. America Ferrera She doesn't need much introduction, yet surprisingly she didn't make it to the top 100 this year. The star of Ugly Betty is known for her sexy curves that she hides well in character, but embraces in real life. Kerry Washington A serious actress, Kerry has played the lovers of great actors like James Earl Jones and Jamie Fox. We think it's time she gets a role where the men are her sidekicks. Parminder Nagra Keira who? For us, it was Parminder who made Bend it Like Beckham a fun film to watch. The Indian actress will star in the upcoming Batman: Gotham Knight. Lucky us! Zhang Ziyi The gorgeous Chinese actress had us at "Ni hao." An Academy Award nominee, Zhang was perfect for her parts in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha. Perhaps next she'll star in a film where she's not so angry. She's so sexy when she smiles! Nicole Piña Something tells me that if you don't know her now, you'll be Googling her in two seconds. Nicole is one of the stars of the hit web show, Lovers and Friends. It's a show about black lesbians and Piña is only one of the hot women in the ensemble. Are you Googling yet? If you happened to miss the forum conversation, add your two cents here: who are your choices for hottest women of color? Submitted by on June 5, 2008 - 5:00pm. |
Recent blog posts
New forum topicsActive TopicsNew Comments
|
Welcome to AfterEllen.com!
- Login
- Join Now!
News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
glo my goodness...my
glo
my goodness...my goodness...my goodness
Sanaa Lathan. 'nuf said.
Yes! Thanks for doing this!
I couldn't agree more! She was fine in Love and Basketball, fine in Brown Sugar, fine in Blade, fine in Something New---hell, the woman is just FINE!!
I would also add:
Sonja Sohn
Mia Maestro (Nadia from Alias)
Thandie Newton
Gabrielle Union
Nia Long
MEGAN GOOD!!!
Lisa Bonet
Jada Pinkett (i refuse to acknowledge her other last name)
And....DEE! (I honestly don't know how she didn't make the list)
There are more but I don't want to overload the list! Thank you so much Trish for realizing that there were lots of talented, intelligent, sexy HOT women of color who were not included in the Top 100 list. While I loved the list and AE's excellent vlog on it, things like this remind you of how invisible WOC are in the queer community. Thanks for providing a front page forum AE!
Agreed.
Also, if I may add to the list:
- Gabrielle Union: Yum all round, esp. playing a socially and financially independent black woman in All About Eva. I know it got on the women who needs sex bandwagon, but I appreciated the portrayal of a WOC who was intellectually equal and above her male counterparts and was multidimensional, instead of the "bitch" archetype/fallback)
- Shannyn Sossamon: Known for her roles in films A KNights Tale, Rules of Attraction, 40 Days and 40 Nights, and recently, One Missed Call. I know she's not "hot right now," but there seemed to be many women on the recent Hot 100, who haven't been in major film roles lately with high numbers, so I rest my case. (chuckles) Sossamon, who is of Dutch, English, Filipino, French, German, Hawaiian, and Irish descent, often plays female characters who offer an alternative perspective, in that Hollywood way, to the prototypic girl next door. I enjoy having an earthy, ever-wise, and always clever female being portrayed by a person of mixed race any day.
-Halle Berry: Say what you will and/or dog on her all you wish, but we all know if Berry were to walk into our respectable bedrooms (or what have you) and asked us to drop trow there would be no questions asked and many prayers answered. She tends to make low on lists like these which puzzles me immensely. Could be due to the Catwoman "fiasco"; I personally found it utterly sexy watching Berry in skin-tight leather and a whip, didn't you?
-Rinko Kikuchi: Japanese actress, incredibly beautiful, immensely talented. Best known for her role as Chieko Wataya, a deaf-mute teenage girl, in BABEL. I thought her performance was quite captivating and hopefully we could see more of her talent, but I have yet to here of any recent projects.
Lynn Chen from Saving Face.
Lynn Chen from Saving Face. also Michelle Krusiec, but I only really like her look in that movie.
TOTALLY AGREE!!
It's like Christmas!!!!
Thank you for this article
This is what I like to see a varying of female beauty. It's like a wonder garden with all kinds of different flowers to make a spectacular whole kudos. There is more I would mention but I find myself fixated on Zhang Ziyi and Nicole Pina.....
*Note these women are relevent in via 2007-2008* I have seen ALL of Zhang Ziyi 's Movies ALLL (maybe not all but alot)!!!!!!!!
"Those who do not like you fall into two categories: The stupid and the envious. The stupid will like you in five years time. The envious, never. "`_the Libertine
Angela Bassett...
Thanks AE!
I was a bit upset with the lack of diversity on the Hot 100 list, but I know that you guys (AE staffers) were most definitely NOT at fault for that (you guys just count the votes, damn it! Lay off of my Sarah, she's just doing her job...yeah, MY Sarah...it's okay to be just a little delusional, right?)
Anyway, my vote: Ana de la Reguera...oh, hotness. For those of you not in the know, she's a Mexican actress who made her debut in American cinema in Jack Black's "Nacho Libre." But I fell in lust with her when I saw her on the telenovela "Gitanas," where she played a young Roma (gypsy) woman...yeah, never followed a telenovela so closely in my life.
Nomas no llores mi Chuy!
agreed
You should totally check her out in Capadocia. She is awesome in it. Dang I wish I watched telenovelas. I can't believe I missed her as a gypsy!
I am my very own shade of grey.
Come to think of it...
...all of the women in that telenovela were ridiculously good-looking:
Nomas no llores mi Chuy!
Agreed
Unfortunately...
...I haven't seen her in Capadocia because I don't have HBO...Damn my working-but-still poor status!
Nomas no llores mi Chuy!
Shelley Conn should be considered...
!!!!
I can't believe
O.O
Nicole Piña
WOW. Like wow.
*googles*
There's hardly anything on Google. Devastation!
Nicole!
Couldn't agree more. WOW. There are no words :) The only bit of info is on her is on the show's website, under the cast section. You can just google "lovers and friends show". WOW
Personally
Personally, I don't like lists that INTENTIONALLY discriminates against one group of people or another. The HOT 100 DID NOT discriminate. It was just a 1 vote per person popularity contest. This one intentionally discriminates. Where is the TOP 10 NON-Actress or Muscisian list ??? Where is the TOP 10 Best Law Enforcement Office List ? Where is the TOP 10 People with Disabilities List ?
Get my point ???
Tristen
I respectfully disagree
This list does not discriminate. The intention is to highlight women who are hot and talented but are continuously not recognized due to the fact that we live in a society where unfortunately the acceptable beauty standard is white and that white actresses tend to be considered for roles over WOC actresses. That means that the only people who really had a chance to win the "popularity contest" as you put it, were people who represent this ideal. This is a reflection of the prejudiced society we live in.
AE is about promoting visibility for ALL members of the queer community and when a concern was raised by members that a significant demographic was left out of the list, they responded by providing a visible forum where some recognition of WOC could take place.
Obviously the Top 100 list did not intend to discriminate against WOC but unfortunately it did. And I also think that asking for a Top 10 non-actresses/musician/disability list is a red herring that distracts from many AE members real concerns.
BRAVO!!!!
WELL PUT, THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT WITH SUCH INTEGRITY AND RESPECT.
Well said
Thanks everyone
Right on, sydneyB.
Right on, sydneyB.
Maybe the original poster of the above comment should google "white privilege."
"white priviledge"
Hahaha! Indeed!
That was a good one.
Yes, We Can - A Change We Can Believe In
SydneyB, I agree with you and many of the women that have commented on this blog. Women of Color are often ignored in society as a whole unless highlighted in a negative manner. If the woman of color is of lighter complexion she is more widely accepted by our society as opposed to a darker hue. And as women of color who are also lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, etc., we deal with a double negative and struggle to find our images where ever and whenever we can. I certainly appreciate After Ellen's commitment to publishing articles, regular columns, reviews, recaps of television shows with lesbian and bisexual characters. And I appreciate even more their desire to ensure inclusivity of women of color.
However, the reality that the majority of the members of this site reflect the dominant view of our society and that is to embrace the popularity and beauty of white America is undeniable. The few women on this site that do not reflect that standard are sorely lacking representation and desire the same opportunities that the majority of the members have to long, lust, and love the beautiful, variety of flavors and pigmentations of women of color. ;-)
So I commend them and After Ellen for offering this forum and I encourage After Ellen to increase the awareness of women of color on its forum even more.
A time for change has come and will be embraced. It's happening right now as a group of talented women of color prepare for the launch of a brand new site that's dedicated to anything and everything lesbian for WOMEN OF COLOR. So check out the site on September 1st at www.lesbian411.info. You won't be disappointed and will definitely be celebrated, recognized, and cherished because of who you are and what you've been denied of being for so many years.
normativity
I'd say attempting to correct the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities on the list is more like advocating for more and better GLBT characters in TV/movies. AE's just trying to be proactive rather than waiting for the population to stop "defaulting" to white.
--
No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always boom tomorrow.
--Susan Ivanova tells it like it is
Kudos, I agree completely.
Here we go...again...
Look I get it...."it's not fair it's discriminats agaisnt white women blah blah" or "well pfft where is the list for *the groups of people you stated*
It might make you feel a bit uneasy that this list was made. When people feel so strongly about not being represented, they make their own. It is their right. If the groups of people you mention wanted make their list they will. The women on this site did just that and see look what happend, AE took notice.
So if this (personally) grinds you're gears make you own list to your particular fancy and see what happends!
With lists there are certain adjectives in order to make a list..well a list. The adjective in AE's 100 Hot list was "Hot". Hot means a lot of things and in this case as you meantioned "popular"; so if you are not popular is it discrimination(?). This list is colored women, adjective "colored" so yea no white women sorry.
If you want to make an exclusive list of hot white women go ahead I have a few suggestions:
Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Jo Hanssen, Kera Knightlely, Joss Stone(yummers), Sara Warn!
Some suggestions for hot non-actresses/musician list:
-Erica Hill (CNN), heck the whole female anchors at CNN good god!
-
"Those who do not like you fall into two categories: The stupid and the envious. The stupid will like you in five years time. The envious, never. "`_the Libertine
hmmm
Ive been reading comments about this topic, some people are saying that the hot 100 women list discriminated against women of colour.
Well here's the problem i have with that statement, firstly we dont know who people voted for, someone may have voted 50% women of colour it just so happens that more people did NOT vote the same and as a result they didnt appear on the list.
Secondly, there were women of colour featured in the list as well as women of mixed heritage
Thirdly some of the comments are incinuating that the voters of the 100 hot list are inherently discriminating against women of colour because they voted for white actresses and live in a society that white actresses are considered for roles over women of colour. That is an equally offensive implaction. Some people stand up against adversity and go against the social 'norm', the LGBT community are pioneers at that as we regulalry go against the 'norm' which makes the mentioned implication all the more offensive.
People can be covertly racist and not be aware of it and not intend it either, the person who commented about this list not discriminating against non women of colour is wrong, just because the intention is to highlight the talented women who are not white does not mean that it is not offensive in the process. Look at it in reverse if the original list had featured more women of colour and a list had been created for the 'top 100 white women', that would have been deemed racist also.
I think visability is important, we need more lgbt issues in the media, plus sized models, people of colour, people with disabilities etc, the list could go on as visibility should be made available to everyone, equally and equitably. Equally others have the right to be offended.
Afterellen have responded to viewers who have had a problem and addressed it with a seperate list, that is a great thing to do, there arent many places where the opinion of the viewers/readers etc is taken into consideration. Bravo on taking on board peoples comments, its things like that which make this board so popular to many people internationally and cross cultures.
As for this list i definitely think that Leona Lewis should be in it, if for nothing else other than her stunningly beautiful eyes! as well as her voice obviously lol
Sigh....
"thirdly some of the comments are incinuating that the voters of the 100 hot list are inherently discriminating against women of colour because they voted for white actresses and live in a society that white actresses are considered for roles over women of colour. That is an equally offensive implaction"
Wow. Ok, not at all what I meant and is really an incredible oversimplification of my message. So i'm going to try this again.
My point is that we are almost always only exposed to actresses that are white. Opportunities for repeated public exposure on mainstream tv/movies/websites so you can develop a loyal and admiring fan base are almost always given to white actresses. If you see someone you admire/think is hot often, they will get priority in voting for lists like these over other actresses whom you may have seen once or twice and think are hot simply because they have your loyalty and are more present in your mind. Whether you intend to or not, its likely you will vote for these ladies unless you make a very conscious effort not to. Hell, I even do it as a WOC; there is a reason why Tina Fey was first on my list. I see her work all the time, I feel like i "know her", and she's everywhere.
Bottom line: societal prejudices affect the entertainment industry. Most of us absorb messages from the entertainment industry on a conscious or subconscious level. Therefore, our perceptions of "what's hot" can be influenced by society's racist tendencies whether we like it or not.
Finally, while I agree that we need to promote visibility of all identities within the LGBT community, you know what drives me CRAZY as a queer WOC? When people bring this need up when a thread about a particular identity (which always seems to be race) comes up. Its distracting from the main point and essentially derails threads and distracts from the initial purpose of the thread. Plus its not really an argument on point. I don't know, maybe its the lawyer in me...
By the way, this is not meant to be a "mean" response or an attack. Just an opinion. AfterEllen is one of the few mainstream websites not solely devoted to lesbian WOC where I see an acknowledgement of racial issues and an active attempt to remedy this problem.
Ditto to everything this lady has said!
I don't know you, but I just wanted to say thank you for so beautifully articulating some really important points. If I ever need a good lawyer, I might have to look you up! But seriously, I am just reading Beverly Tatums _Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?_ and between you and her, I am really appreciating the essential role that women like you two play in informing people who are not visible minorities about our experience.
I hope the fact that this list had to be made, separately, will inform people who are open to understanding something about how others experience discrimination and invisibility in this world.
Personally
Personally I voted for women NOT based on anything but who I admire. I did not take Race, Age, Religion, Income Level, Social Standing, Acting Ability or wheather I want to bed them into consideration. And believe it or not, there was more then 1 WOC on my list.
So you are saying you need a special list because you didn't get all the women you wanted on the list that was generated. Why vote at all for the HOT 100 if you already felt that the representation was going to be skewed along race lines.
Again ... I just don't like LISTS that discriminate .. either way.
I think some people only see how THEY are discriminated against, and don't see how they discriminate !
Tristen
Sydney's response to Tristen
I am glad that you did not vote for women based on anything except for who you admire. I am also glad that you voted for WOC on your list. I just simply question whether or not who you admire is based on what you've been exposed to. What I don't understand is your reluctance to acknowledge what most of us (at least the people on this thread) are admitting: that our society gives us a beauty standard that in not inclusive to people of all races and that this can have an impact on what we view as attractive. I am mostly exposed to white women in the mainstream media and the white beauty standard. I believe that most people are exposed to the same thing. Stating that you had WOC of color on your list does not solve address the greater issue which is that the list was approx 70% white. While I commend the fact that you voted for WOC please remember that you are not the only voter on the list. It is much like saying that because some white people have black friends, racism is not an issue. There is a good chance that other people were influenced by society's message of invisibility towards WOC and voted accordingly.
As for your other comment that I (and presumably the other women raising concerns with the top 100) need a special list because we didn't get the women we wanted on the list... This comment demonstrates to me why this conversation (and the others happening on the forum) are so important. The issue is not a childish rant because we're upset that our choices aren't first; the issue is the lack of visibility in general. The issue is that within the queer community the culture, tastes, and perspectives of many WOC are relegated less importance than that of the mainstream (which is white). I participated in the the Hot 100 voting because it was fun and I really have no problem with the way it was done or presented. What I am concerned about is the fact that people may not be aware that they failed to vote for hot WOC because they just didn't know of any/didn't think they were hot/don't feel any loyalty toward any.
Finally, a word about your description of this list as discriminating (presumably against white people although you never specified this). Just because something highlights a group doesn't mean it discriminates. You are using a word with very loaded connotations to describe something that was meant to act as a positive remedy. Please stop. Its inflammatory and not at all a reflection of the truth.
Preach on Sydney!
Bravo Sydney.
As the sister named Sexyseed below said, how can a group of bisexual women and lesbians hanging out on a website directed toward bisexual and lesbian women complain that focusing on a specific minority group is discrimination? So it's discrimination when white people are left out but it's not discrimination when men are left out?
Tristen, I don't see how your comments can at all be consistent with the fact that you are spending time on this website.
to tristen: a big UGH! of exasperation
i think everybody was pretty nice considering your incendiary, mean-spirited, and thoughtless response to an inclusive gesture on behalf of afterellen to it's constituents but i'm not going to be. i'm really disgusted with a lot of your comments regarding this topic here and on the low-down. IT IS NOT discrimination to create an affirming article for people who legimately (whether you deem it so or not) felt marginalized WITHIN a marginalized group's website. if you don't even want to try to understand what it is like to be a triple minority this country and what the effect of invisibility, particularly invisibility within a community that is practically invisible itself, can have on people, then i don't know what to say to you, except to quit making insipid, pathetic, and immature attempts to shut down a conversation that makes you uncomfortable; racism within the lgbt community. I don’t give a flying f*** if you even think it applies in it this instance, i think you just need to sit, read, and absorb what people are telling you about their experiences as queer people of color and stop trying to flippantly blow off their concerns, because i mean really, how dare you?
you need to get over yourself and open your eyes, because afterellen.com itself does not exist in a social vacuum. it's really mindboggling to have to inform somebody of the not so literal and simplistic implications of lack of representation when they are literally participating in a venue for a marginalized group borne out of lack of adequate representation. why else would a website deliberately highlighting lesbians in the media need to exist? hopefully you'll get it one day but if not today, your negativity and willful ignorance is not helping anybody, not even yourself. so why don't you give your arrogance a rest and leave this topic alone until you see a glimmer of understanding in a situation that obviously is too complex for you to handle on the horizon. mmkay?
Exactly.
Double Standard
SydneyB, I didnt imply you
SydneyB, I didnt imply you were incinuating anything, infact I wasnt even talking about your post, I was talking about someone else, its just that you were the last comment in the subtopic so my reply came after yours.
In response to sexyseed; I for one havent got a problem with the list, my icon includes a woman of colour. I was just highlighting a point that people are quick to defend to the hilt, becoming defensive and offensive as opposed to seeing the fact that actually they ARE discriminating, regardless of the intention.
Im pleased that all types of people are being included on AE, as ive already commented, it is a rare gem to find a break through media source doing so, especially one that is moving into the mainstream consciousness. Top job
Sorry about the mixup!
Right on
I'll second that! Oh, and
I'll second that!
Oh, and that goes for you too sydneyB. I'm always late with the praise.
Women of colour as well as women of mixed heritage?
So if someone in my ancestry was white then I am no longer a woman of colour? Are you kidding me? I'm sorry, but I don't look white, I don't pass for white, and I'm not white. Sounds like before you get into talking about what is offensive, you need to get educated.
I'd recommend you start with Dr. Beverly Tatum's Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the Cafeteria?
Then you should move on to learn something about the role rape played in creating a diverse mix of shades of brown in the Black and Latino/a communities during slavery and colonization. This will help you understand Tatum's discussion of skin colourism and how white beauty standards have impacted women of colour. Then maybe you will understand why so many of us are pleased to see this list and disappointed that instead of standing by us, some white women are attacking it.
In that vein, it might help you to learn a little something about white privilege. Peggy McIntosh, a white woman, wrote poignantly about this in (http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/emc598ge/Unpacking.html) "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." Number 6 on her list of daily effects of white privilege is: 6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.
Then you should look at a photo of a woman whose family has both white people and people of colour in it. Do I look white to you? No. I'm brown and just as much a woman of colour as the next Black woman.
what are you talking about?
I get her point
But I don't think that makes this article not okay. We've had articles before about the hottest women in the WNBA, or whatever, right?
Clearly the HOT100 is based on who people see more often. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be skewed to bloggers, people who play lesbians, actresses, etc. I don't necessarily believe, as do others on this site, that that is a horrible thing. What would be a horrible thing, imo, is if the site coordinators rigged the HOT100 so that it was not. They didn't do this - they only had an extra little article.
The one reason I don't like articles like this is that I think it legitimatizes the whiteness-as-default idea. Similarly, though I know that Black History month is important, I worry that it allows people to continue ignoring the contributions of non-white people in normal history classes. I have yet to figure out a solution though.
And honestly, the non-inclusion of America Ferrara can't really be excused away by exposure. She's far more out there than many of the HOT100. Maybe people just don't find her attractive?
The two people who I think I voted for who didn't make it or this list (not sure, as I kept changing it as I thought of more people...):
Gabrielle Union
Trace Thom
I think the other WOC I voted for made it on the HOT100....
Oh and anyway, this list isn't even a Hot Women of Color list, because they specifically did leave out those who made it onto the HOT100. It's more of a "people you might want to check out" list. =)
OK I'LL REPEAT MY POST THEN ....
There must be someone out there as infatuated as I am of...
FREEMA AGYEMAN!!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!! She's the main (if not only), reason to sit through TORCHWOOD and DR. WHO!!!!
If you don't know who this gorgeous woman is take a look.... and swoon !!!
"MARTHA JONES, MARTHA JONES, CALLING MARTHA JONES, MARTHA JONES, MARTHA JONES GET UP NOW (WAKE UP NOW)" .... mwahahahaahahah!!!!
ok that was very lame
XD
* I am the Cinnamon Spider *
Oh, you.
You had me at Freema, and the Aqua reference.
xD
oooh....
Pretty!
--
No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always boom tomorrow.
--Susan Ivanova tells it like it is
you know, I may need to
Oh, I almost forgot!!
She actually plays a Naija Brit on DR. WHO and TORCHWOOD; and from then on, it has been love at first sight for me. (chuckles)