What Carmen Jones (the original serial dater) Taught Me…
When I first saw Carmen Jones, I was enthralled by her presence. She was unapologetic; she went after what she wanted, and did it all looking like a million bucks! She was my inspiration.
I was around 10 years old when I first saw Dorothy Dandridge as Carmen Jones. Up to that point I was fascinated by Lena Horne’s beauty, Bette Davis’ diva attitude, and Marilyn Monroe’s sex appeal. I have always been drawn to the glamorous divas of the 1950’s… go figure! But when I first saw Carmen Jones, I was mesmerized by how she encompassed all three of the traits. She had presence. She was unapologetic; she went after what she wanted, and did it all looking like a million bucks! She was my inspiration. And to this day whenever this movie is on I stop everything I am doing, sit down and watch it with the same fascination I had as a 10 year old little girl. Dorothy Dandridge would have been 91 last week. In honor of her birthday I wanted to pay a tribute to her and the character that changed my life. Carmen Jones the original serial dater. Here’s what Carmen Jones taught me:
Be the life of the party!
Go after what you want.
It’s okay to cater to your man and take care of him.
Never be with a man who tries to keep you in a box
There’s nothing wrong with excitement when you are dating
When dating your philosophy should be: May the best man win! Too many times we are trying to win over the man instead of it being the other way around.
Don’t settle for less than what you want.
Having good girlfriends in the process of dating who have your back and love you unconditionally is priceless.
Always, always, always wear you lipstick, do your hair, keep your nails done, and be on your A game. You never know when you will bump into Mr. Right. NOT to mention the better you look the better you feel for yourself.
Don’t be afraid to keep it moving when you aren’t getting what you want out of the relationship
KNOW YOUR WORTH!
Don’t be the silly naive girl in the relationship. Always keep your power.
Passion is a MUST!
Every diva wants a man who gives her a little bit of a challenge. “You go for me and I’m taboo, but if you’re hard to get I go for you, and when I do then you are through boy. My baby that’s the end of you!”
Let the man take care of you!
Be with a man who loves you a little more than you love him.
Be unapologetic for who you are and what you want in life.
Very Buzzfeed. Love it!
Thanks! There will be a few more like this moving forward!
Loved that!
It’s always good to have a Carmen Jones refresher course!
I like the angle you presented of this movie (a fave of mine). Great post!
Thank you! It is my all time favorite movie!
“Don’t be the silly naive girl in the relationship. Always keep your power.”
Amen!!! I was “Cindy Lou” for so long, I am now “Carmen” I realized the “nice” girl does not always win! She was “safe” but had no power!!
I know right! Poor Cindy Lou! Whenever I talk about my inner loving diva guiding me, I always become Carmen Jones! She was powerful, beautiful, and unapologetic! Sometimes you have to be a Cindy Lou in order to become a Carmen Jones!!!
THANKS for this Interesting BLOG about my Cousin DOROTHY DANDRIDGE (DD) She was a close friend of MARILYN MONROE (MM) and they have many things in common I hope You will become a Member of Our Network POWERFUL PEOPLE and FRIENDS (PPAF) It’s FREE & Fantastic I Love ths Powerful Information You provided Above! Stay in Touch!
Ann Dandridge Creator of POWERFUL PEOPLE and FRIENDS
http://api.ning.com/files/4UTlE7hbKikTS5aq-UXjbb0Q-JSIxnBWGSBbsJ8CA21ADjWKEDxlFz-gzWhtD8kLIRHruse4FU*3K9cK-7jEdIbdn8AImWTf/DDStar111.jpg?width=300&height=300
So glad I could do her justice. She really changed my life. Her legacy lives on!
This is what every woman should know and Dorothy Dandridge was the BEST teacher. Thanks for the Tribute and sharing.
This is Awesome
Everytime Camen Jones play I will leave whatever I’m watching and get into the movie. Dorothy Dandrige was a very beautiful woman and great actress. She is all of the Monroe’s and Taylor’s wrapped up in one.
Absolutely! This movie really just makes you want to hold your head high, put your shoulders back, switch your hips when you walk and put on some red lipstick!
Love this … ok … must do better at making my self look good in public instead of saying I don’t care. I need to revive or recreate at 60 my inner diva. Thanks Daughter.
Alright now! Although you always look good to me! But let’s take it to the next level. I wonder how Carmen Jones would have rocked her St. John at 60!