If you haven't heard the official soundtrack recording of 'Seasons of Love' from the film version of hit Broadway musical Rent, you really haven't lived. It is all thanks to Rent that I first found out about today's Role Model Monday star: Tracie Thoms. Thoms took up the role of Joanne, the vocal sparring partner and lover of Idina Menzel's Maureen, and performed it perfectly. Rent might not be a musical to everyone's tastes but the soundtrack is undeniably superb.

Nevertheless, it isn't Thoms's musical credentials that inspired me to write this post. It is, in fact, an arguably more important role that I have witnessed Thoms in, that helped make the decision for me. But before I get to that, let me bulk out a little background info first.

Born in 1975 and having acted since childhood, Thoms has enjoyed a successful career by anyone's standards. Vocally strong and a born performer, Thoms can cite experiences in film and on stage alike. She's also a big dog person, which is always a massive indicator of whether we'd be friends. (For the record, I am friends with cat people too.) Thoms is also pretty present on social media, Twitter and Instagram especially. Which is of course how I know she's a dog person. (Anyone looking at my 'gram feed is gonna realise the same thing about me pretty damn quickly. Sorry, not sorry.)

It's fair to say that I follow a lot of people on Twitter, a large proportion of whom are in the public eye. I also now have a job and a great need to sleep, so I miss a lot of Twitter action because I can no longer be glued to my phone like I was during my good old student days. Sob, sob, sob. What has been consistent though is my viewing of Tracie Thoms's tweets, which is largely the reason I elected to write this post. There has been a lot of news from the US filtering through to the UK airwaves recently, some of which has sadly been more negative than positive. I am of course talking about the events that have led to many Twitter and Instagram posts under the hashtag BlackLivesMatter. Thoms in particular was vocal in reaction to the Trayvon Martin case, the events in Ferguson and most recently the case of Eric Garner.

It is clear for all to see that these last few months have not been good ones. America, the land that many of us Brits dream of, still has a ripe racial problem. This is not isolated the US only, let me make that clear. I am not condemning America any more than any other country, my own included. I also do not believe it is a prerequisite of celebrities or "famous" people to be politically active in any way. I do of course think it can be helpful for those in that kind of position to get the words of the people heard, but I by no means believe such a mantle should be forced upon anyone.

But this is where Thoms comes in. Her twitter posts are a great demonstration of the positive work people in the public eye can do. Despite taking a strong, unwavering stance in support of the lives of young black Americans, Thoms has consistently and clearly explained that what she hopes for, what America and the world should dream for, is equality. Not via segregation, not through black supremacy or placing greater value on black lives than any other ethnicity. She tweeted herself about her surprise over the anger created as a result of the Black Lives Matter hashtag.

I value Thoms's engagement with the events that are shaping our societies right now. These are not situations from five, ten, fifteen years ago. These outcomes are affecting real lives and I think it is admirable for anyone to take a solid stance about them. I like that Thoms is educated enough to ask and search for reliable and accurate reports before making judgements and though I do not use celebrity opinions to shape my own viewpoints of current affairs, it is all the more refreshing to see someone with a greater ability to be heard sharing similar sentiments.

Tracie Thoms, I salute you and all the work you do. And your dog is cute as hell. So let us all, as her character in Rent suggests, measure our lives in love. Not hate.

Jade x

So I've been slaking. Seriously slacking. But with a new job, my brother leaving for uni and other boring little life changes, blogging somehow slipped out my schedule.

All it took was a touch of festive song listening to inspire me to take back to keyboard though (the laptop one, that is). How I was not aware that Eartha Kitt sang the original version of Santa Baby is beyond me but thank goodness I know now. Of course one thing lead to another and it wasn't long until I was listening the Kitt's crooning all evening.

Anyone who knows me well, knows how much I adore all things French, so to find out that Kitt sang in both English and French just determined that this post needed researching asap. I half believe I was meant to be French; my love for ballet, my adoration for the language and well, who doesn't love Paris?! I also began to believe, as I made my way through all Spotify had to offer from Ms Kitt, that I love, love, love music from that era. Don't get me wrong, Beyoncé gets me through so many gym sessions in a way no other artist can, but those jazzy blues make my ears so tingly that I simply cannot get enough of that 1950s sound. If I had to pinpoint just one thing I inherited from my father, it would his overwhelming appreciation for all kinds of music.

With Kitt's I Want To Be Evil producing the line "the closest I've been to a bar is at ballet class", how would it ever be possible for me to not admire this woman?! Okay, so it's not exactly true in my case (oh heeey many, many nights at uni bars and clubs) but I will go on record and say I do prefer a ballet barre to the alcoholic kind. Well, most of the time.



Eartha Kitt wasn't just famed for her soulful sounds. To be fluent in French, to be respected as a performer in practically every artistic discipline, to live to the ripe old age of 81 and to have a lipstick created and named in her honour? Yep, us 90s babies could learn a lot from Miss Kitt. She was also iconic in many dramatic roles, including, of course, her portrayal as Catwoman; Laverne Cox of Orange is the New Black fame even paid tribute in this year with her Halloween costume. Kitt was also particularly politically active during her lifetime, another trait I value highly about her. We are starting to see more women in the public eye tackle the big issues facing our societies, which is causing a rippling effect whereby women everywhere are taking up the mantle. The importance of this trend cannot ever be understated.

Neither can be the truly miraculous journey Kitt embarked on from her less than fortunate beginnings. According to a Guardian article from 2013, it took until 1998 when Eartha was 71 for any light to be shed on her supposedly white father. A man who was protected by the authorities at the time whilst Eartha and her mother faced scorn from their society. Unsurprisingly Ms Kitt became involved in the civil rights movement of the 60s but her comments on the Vietnam War, whilst arguably valid, did attract controversy at the time.

But in the lead up to Christmas, the day upon which Ms Kitt finally passed away, let us firstly listen to her brilliant musical offerings, but more than anything let us try and make as positive an impact on the world as Eartha Kitt. Never has a nickname - Mother Eartha - been so fitting.

I should maybe begin by explaining that this is a bit of an unusual Role Model Monday. Blanka Vlasic, who both looks and sounds like she should be a model, actually has doesn't work in fashion or beauty. She is in fact a world class athlete. After writing and dance, athletics is one of my favourite activities to both watch and participate in and there are so many athletes - male and female - who inspire me to keep fit and healthy.

Vlasic is Croatian in nationality, she has short, edgy hairstyles and she likes to celebrate winning her event by dancing so it's no surprise that she's one of my fave athletes to watch. Many high jumpers, the event that Vlasic competes in, share numerous qualities with top models; they are incredibly tall, toned and have great self-discipline. Whenever athletics meets are televised I tune in and I love that more and more female athletes are starting to accessorise their competition outfits. To my mind athletes shouldn't have to restrict their love of beauty or fashion just because of their career and I always enjoy seeing bright nails on the 100m start line! Of course this should never detract from their performance but I don't think a splash of colour will affect the outcome anymore than brightly coloured shorts or a jazzy sports crop top!

Speaking of sportswear, it was Vlasic's Adidas vest that helped me decide to write this week's post on her. Sporting a cow-print vest in her recent win at the Paris Diamond League event, it's clear Vlasic has a good eye for fashion but it's probably her hair that I like watching the evolution of most. A quick peak at her Instagram and you can see she's recently started sporting a new look for spring; still short but more curly and carefree. What I also love about Vlasic's Instagram is that it is real, proper 'fitspiration'. I am more than guilty of browsing the 'fitspo' tag on Tumblr and it's great to see people with perfect bodies and yes, sometimes it does spur me on to go on morning run. But Vlasic, like many athletes, are not afraid to use social media to show the nitty gritty work outs and if I'm honest, seeing tough workouts sessions actual motivates me more!

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For reasons I won't disclose (including a broken tank and a lack of running water), I was in need of some level 10 distractions last night ie, the highest you can get! Usually I turn to YouTube and watch endless clips of gag reels but laughing would most definitely not have helped the situation. So after a lot of clicking around, I stumbled across the Emmy Roundtable Comedy Actresses interview conducted by the Hollywood Reporter. Featuring a few lead females from some of my current favourite shows, it was perfect distraction material.

Powder blue, messy plait? Nailed it. (source)

It was Mindy Kaling that most held my often wavering, desperate-for-the-loo attention. I've been aware of her for about a year, courtesy of E4 streaming the pretty funny but wildly addictive The Mindy Project. I'd seen her as a performer, as an actor but knew relatively little of her life as a writer (except what pops up on my Instagram feed. Kaling's posts are brilliant.) Researching this week's Role Model Monday has brought me on a bike ride round a pond journey of emotions, in the sense that I've sorted of ended up where I started, but I feel better for and my legs feel kinda toned.

If I could match anyone's career trajectory, it would be Mindy's. I have next to no desire to act(anything that involves using my mouth to project words is never going to end well) but I would love nothing more than writing for TV. It was clear to me from the Roundtable interview that Kaling is intelligent. She articulated her thoughts with comedic ease and deftly spoke her opinion without being unnecessarily judgemental. Her work on The Mindy Project is a further testament to her abilities and it was incredibly refreshing to see someone so animated about the business in which they work. Her many throwbacks to past actors and films demonstrates to me a real love of TV and film, but more importantly respect for the business so often depicted as fickle (and far worse.) I read a number of interviews whilst researching this piece and I take a lot of comfort in her attitude towards a lot of issues, actually. In one interview she's quoted as saying 'I don't deny being Indian and I don't rely on it' and I think that is such a healthy way to approach life. Some people are so hell bent on categorising everything, limiting what people can do because of how they look, how they sound, where they come from and so on. To suffer negatively from that can be especially painful. As someone of a mixed race origin who has faced jibes, abusive digs, and altogether just uneducated and inappropriate comments, you do start to feel that you are only what you look like. I would never want to deny my heritage but nor do I want to be defined by it, and it took reading someone else's attitude to really solidify my own stance.

So it's clear that I'm a fan. She often cites how her mother was a great role model and I love hearing about the closeness between a mother and daughter. I'm exceptionally close with my own mum and the relationships with both my parents are among my most cherished. Not only that, Kaling has superb style (again, check her Instagram) and she has hands down created one of the post quotable characters!

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Oh and if like me, you are a bit of a TV nerd, watch the Comedy Actresses Roundtable here :)



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Although I am content with styling my hair the length it currently is at, it's no lie that I'm trying to grow it and this is the length I'm hoping to eventually reach! It'll take time but will be worth it. I remember reading once that sometimes Ashley does wear extensions, perhaps for filming, but I'm still striving to get my own hair past my shoulders - then I'll be happy! (PS how cool is the jumper below?!)

Style aside, I also really like what Ashley stands for and she seems a really grounded person from the interviews I watched whilst researching this post. It's so nice to see someone British do so well in America (but still retain the accent!). I also like that she's not afraid to still wear clothes from the high street and as she says herself, she's a Topshop girl through and through!

Next Monday's is a slightly unusual candidate for Role Model Monday, given that technically she's fictional. But as I head into the final furlong of my degree, I find myself needing all the motivation I can get to keep working, and with the Harry Potter films popping up on the telly over the Easter Weekend, I've decided that library-lovin' Hermione Granger will be next week's Role Model Monday!

Jade x

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