The Iranian-African American actress's star continues to shine bright, making her energy, voice and work ethic undeniable; she's definitely a force to be reckoned with! The latest for Yara Shahidi is landing the June 2018 cover of Harper's Bazaar Arabia.

The Grown-ish star sat down with Harper's Bazaar and discussed her sense of identity and heritage, her activism for girls, voter education and POC, the importance of education, imposter syndrome and so much more. Check out the entire interview on the Harper's Bazaar platform!

Yara brought a cool, playful and carefree energy to the set, dancing around and vibing to the playlist that featured everyone from Kanye West to Bob Marley. Her vibe is so infectious, you can literally feel her energy leap from the images. She displayed a cool ease to the shoot that combined beauty, grace with a unique touch that makes us love Yara that much more. Her natural modeling skills shined as she made Chanel s/s18 Haute Couture garments come to life, adding a relaxed touch with her own Nike sneakers. The dreamy, ethereal and light pieces make you dream and wish something in your closet resembled the shoot's wardrobe. Oh, how a girl can dream! 

Talk about pretty in pink! Get into the gorgeous, dreamy images below!

Catch a glimpse of Yara's fun, cool spirit on set in the video below!

So Rihanna won the Met Gala red carpet again. No surprise there.

Solange was the heavenly body I didn't know I needed. She was the true winner for me. It was something about her headpiece and the durag together that stole the show for me. Solange had the blackest aesthetic on the carpet, something that I wished I felt more of from the black attendees.

& for her durag to read "MY GOD WEARS A DURAG" ...?!?!?! C'MON NOW! Solange just gives me what I need every time. I stan.

My other faves of the night included Janelle Monae, Zendaya, Cardi B and more.

Overall, the red carpet was a good one. There were some great moments and some not-so-great moments, but I was pleased with the efforts of the attendees that committed to the 'Heavenly Bodies' theme. The hits of the night were superb!

However, since the dress code was Sunday's best, I would've enjoyed seeing the visual manifestation and dramatizations of what Sunday morning looks like for more than just the Catholic religion. When I think of Sunday's best and church attire, I think of all of the different religions that gather in their respective places of worship. Personally, I think of the event of getting dressed for church every Sunday morning. The look had to be together! For everyone to show up in wardrobe choices directly related to the Catholic religion was very cool to see but was also taking the theme of the night too literal. I understand the Catholic imagery and references to renaissance art that inspired the looks on the carpet, it just would've been nice to see something that existed outside of the white gaze of religion. I mean, Jared Leto was basically white Jesus...

It would've been great to see religion from the black perspective (Baptist, COGIC, Pentecostal, etc.) showcased in this particular space, especially since the majority of my favorite looks came from the black attendees. That's why Solange's incorporation of the durag into her look was so great to me; it was the blackest thing there, something that connected with me directly. Being unapologetically black in these kinds of spaces is necessary.

There's (generally) such a reverence that black people have for religious spaces. I would've loved to see evidences of that displayed on the red carpet. I was really looking forward to the black women channeling their inner church mothers and seeing the hats, gloves and fans. I wanted the three-piece suits, robes, something that felt like black church. The legacy of black church and African spirituality unapologetically showcased was missing from the Met Gala red carpet for me, but I also understand that that would take black stylists and designers and persons that understand religion and spirituality from that perspective.

Eh, perhaps another time.

Overall, the attendees this year looked great. There were those that followed the theme and those that didn't, per usual. The carpet was fun to see. Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with next year!

So, the Met Gala is tomorrow, and I already have a vision for what I want to see...

The theme of the exhibit is Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, however the suggested attire is "Sunday best." I expect the black celebrities to CARRY on the red carpet. They've been preparing for this very moment their entire lives!

I'm especially excited for the women. I want to see opulent, extra hats and fascinators. Church fans and lap scarves should be in hand for extra effect. I need to feel the gaudiness of a southern Sunday church service. It should feel like Easter Sunday, and all of the church mothers are trying to show each other up. I want to be gassed and have my inner churchy nature fed.

Image Credit: The Cut, Rapture Gold, BGLH Marketplace, Alis Fashion Design, Black Art Depot

Ah, wishful thinking. I already know the carpet will feature some Catholic-influenced gowns; Rihanna will come back to claim her red carpet title; there will more than likely be some borderline blaspheme moments; and the carpet will be cute but nothing special.

I'm still excited to see the red carpet looks though. I'm especially looking forward to all of the commentary - my favorite part, honestly. 

Who are y'all looking forward too seeing? Who are your favorite looks from past galas? Leave a comment and let me know!

Vogue Italia debuted the cover for their May issue via their social media a few days ago. Cover model Gigi Hadid also took to her social media to express her excitement about the shoot. After the cover dropped, a flood of backlash ensued, accusing the publication and model Gigi Hadid of blackface.

​I just don't get the blackface vibe from this cover. I don't feel like my blackness or features are being made a mockery of or like Gigi is being draped in some form of black likeness. I just don't see it...

I get it, Gigi is much paler in real life in comparison with this image. But is this not the look that white girls go for when they tan? This looks like the job of bronzer or a spray tan, and post-shoot editing also plays a big part in the finished product. When I saw the cover, I immediately thought bronzer. This doesn't offend me, like at all. I was more moved by the male model, Justin Martin, literally being used as a prop throughout the cover shoot. Gigi could've honestly posed by herself. The cover also doesn't do anything for me aesthetically; it's not that great, but I digress.

We can definitely talk about blackface in fashion editorial shoots; it's BEEN a problem.

All of this backlash caused Gigi to take to Twitter and post an apology and have to spell out that the creative direction was out of her control. She was literally just showing up for work. We're so quick to come for the models in these types of shoots; they're the easiest targets for blame. However, the ones behind instances of blackface or general insensitivity are those within the creative teams who lay out the aesthetics of the shoot from the top to the bottom.

I'm all for calling out those that need to be checked for these types of things, but blackface just wasn't the case here.