A few minutes into Lifetime’s Girlfriend
Intervention, and I felt a little annoyed at its
silliness, and seemingly racial insensitivity.
But as I watched the whole hour of the makeover
show, I started to soften. What started as a
superficial way to change women into something
society thinks is beautiful, turned into a show
offering real talk about women’s body images.
Even though the show’s premise frames the
makeover as finding the “black woman trapped in
every white girl,” I felt like the four black
“girlfriends” offered some beautiful and
sisterly advice to Joanie, the ex-dancer and
mother of two. Hosted by Tanisha of The Bad
Girls Club fame, this show doesn’t do a lot of
shaming like other makeover shows, but talks
about women of all sizes deserving to feel
beautiful.
Every week, the “girlfriends” take on another
sad case, and help her find her inner black girl
confidence. There are some sweeping
generalizations about women of all races, but
all in all, this show has good intentions. I
never felt like the girlfriends were judging the
guest, nor did it feel condescending or snarky,
like these types of shows often do.
If you like What Not to Wear, but need it have a
little more sass and a lot less eyerolling, then
GIrlfriend Intervention is for you. Once you get
past all the cliches that these four black women
are perpetuating about their race and gender,
you get to see women empowering other women, and
that is a beautiful sight. I liked it, and I’ll
probably watch it when I need a shot of esteem.
For more of my thoughts and opinions about the
shows I watch, visit my blog at Entertainment
Weekly’s
The Community
MORE INFORMATION
Many black women carry
themselves with a great deal
of pride, style and, most
importantly,
self-confidence. Where does
it come from and how can it
be obtained? Who better to
teach a woman how to get
that sparkle in her eye and
spring back in her step?
Each week, Girlfriend
Intervention follows a
woman whose personal space
and self-esteem are in
desperate need of a major
makeover and a life-giving
dose of diva inspiration.
Bios:
Tracy Balan
Tracy Balan is not
one to follow the
pack, as her career
reveals. A Brooklyn
native for more than
20 years who has had
varied experience
from being in the
U.S. Military to
sitting front row at
Fashion Week, Balan
lives by the motto,
“Life is like a
buffet, you might as
well have it all
now!” She has
proven this by
becoming one of the
most successful up
and coming hair
designers in the
beauty industry
today.
Balan was
raised in a family
of four girls, where
she had more than
enough subjects to
hone her skill set.
Her earliest
recollection of
wanting to be a
hairstylist was at
the age of eight.
“It was Christmas”
Balan says, “Mom got
me a life size hair
station that came
fully equipped with
a life size doll to
practice on.” It
was then that she
fell in love with
styling hair.
“Truthfully,” Balan
says, “I love being
able to transform
people.”
Networking came
naturally to Balan,
but she wanted to
learn the ins and
outs of running a
business. She
decided to enter a
business program in
hopes of increasing
her knowledge on the
subject of
marketing.
Excelling, Balan won
second place in the
program’s
competition with her
marketing and
financial plan.
Yearning for more
knowledge and with
an athletic side
looming, she joined
the U.S. Military
Intelligence
Department. This
went against the
wishes and warnings
of those close to
Balan. Three years
later, a leg injury
sent her home as a
military veteran.
Following her
time in the
military, Tracy
decided it was time
to elevate the
“Balan Brand.”
Tapping into her
childhood dream,
Balan decided to
enroll in
cosmetology school
at Empire Beauty
School, and molded
her passion
for hairstyling into
a brand as a master
in extensions and
color. She has
since worked with
celebrities around
the world including
the likes of
Florence of Florence
and the Machine,
Rita Ora, and many
more. Balan’s
clientele ranges
from career women to
chic cosmopolitan
girls sharing the
same desire to alter
their appearance
quickly and easily.
Balan is in her
own lane using her
relentless drive and
work ethic to
continually pay
homage to her past,
current and future
hair comrades. She
plans to strive for
success with the
same unstoppable
attitude and
business savvy that
propelled her
through her earlier
years.
Tiffiny Dixon
When she is not busy
speaking, styling or
hosting personal style
workshops, you can find
Tiffiny Dixon working
diligently on a local
level to continue the
movement to empower
women, “one makeover at
a time.”
Seamlessly
merging sophistication
and fun, Dixon founded
MEO Total Body Beauty, a
New York City based
makeup and wardrobe
consultant firm, in
2008. Featuring a staff
of consultants, who
throughout their
careers, have been
responsible for creating
stunning looks for
beauties like Angelina
Jolie, Michelle Obama
and Heidi Klum, Dixon is
a sought after style
coach and commercial
stylist.
Originally from the
Bronx, Dixon feels that
a negative body image
affects your life. She
feels it robs a woman of
her right to equality.
“People treat you the
way you treat and carry
yourself.” Dixon says
that the world seems to
be celebrating a more
buxom, but still a size
2, body type. However,
it was just in the
1990’s when model Kate
Moss was he “It” girl
and celebrated for her
waif look. “You have to
define beauty for
yourself because if you
don’t, you will always
be running on a hamster
trail constantly waving
your wallet at the next
trend, plastic surgeon
or hairstylist.” To
obtain great style,
Dixon’s stresses working
with what you have and
includes three pieces of
advice: Know your body,
know what lies beneath
and know how to flaunt
it.
Tanisha Thomas
Tanisha Thomas is the
hilarious,
larger-than-life
Brooklyn diva who hosts
Oxygen’s dating
competition show
Love Games: Bad Girls
Need Love Too. She
also hosts two talk
shows for Oxygen,
Bad Girls Club:
Afterparty
television specials and
the OxygenLive
online series. Thomas
will also be hosting a
new show on Oxygen that
is a like a fusion of
The Soup and
Watch What Happens
Live.
Thomas
starred in the seventh
season of the VH1
reality competition
series Celebrity Fit
Club. A member of
the winning Blue Team,
she lost 24 pounds while
on the show. Thomas
also confronted the
issues that have
contributed to her
weight, and the audience
quickly embraced her
honesty and raw emotion.
Thomas was first
introduced to television
audiences in 2008 as a
cast member in season
two of The Bad Girls
Club, one of
Oxygen’s highest-rated
original series ever.
She quickly became the
show’s number- one fan
favorite with her own
catchphrases and viral
videos.
Since her breakout
appearance on The
Bad Girls Club,
Thomas has been featured
on many television and
radio programs,
including The Tyra
Banks Show, Kathy
Griffin: My Life on the
D-List, The Soup, The
A-List Awards, Dr. Oz,
and the nationally
syndicated radio show
Big Boy’s
Neighborhood to
name a few. She recently
wrapped Marriage
Boot Camp Celebrity
Edition for the WE
network, airing spring
2014, where viewers will
see Tanisha in a whole
new light.
Thomas also premiered
her first solo project
for Oxygen called
Tanisha Gets Married.
The show was picked up
for a full season in
2012 and became Oxygen's
best ever freshman docu-series
premiere. Tanisha
Gets Married was a
96% increase in all
Oxygen’s key demos.
Thomas is dedicated
to her hometown of
Brooklyn, and hopes to
make a difference in the
community by starting a
non-profit organization
working with inner city
youth. She is currently
working on several new
projects that include a
plus size movement
called PLUSH and a
cosmetics line.
Nikki Chu
For the past decade,
renowned interior
designer to the
stars and prominent
fashion accessory
designer, Nikki Chu,
has been known from
Miami to LA for her
exceptional flare,
sleek designs and
eclectic taste.
Filled with a
passionate love for
design, Chu has
accomplished a vast
range of interior
projects as well as
fashion
collaborations with
some of the most
accredited names in
the industry.
Born
and raised in
Toronto, Chu
embraced her passion
for design at a
young age and
followed her dreams
to the International
Academy of Design in
Toronto, Ontario to
learn the tricks of
the trade. She soon
found herself in
Miami as Creative
Director for Tinsely
Advertising, one of
the top 10 leading
advertising agencies
in Southern Florida.
Chu’s innovative
mind and distinctive
style won her two
gold national Addies
Awards for the
company. Her
portfolio rapidly
expanded, and she
found herself
overseeing interior
design projects for
Hollywood stars.
Seeking the
‘Nikki Chu’
aesthetic,
Access Hollywood
sought the acclaimed
home designer for a
post-election
special featuring
Chu’s design ideas
for Sasha and Malia
Obama’s bedrooms.
Since then, she has
been considered
the lifestyle
and design expert
for several TV
networks such as
HGTV, Fine Living,
Food Network and E!
As a highly
regarded interior
designer and known
trendsetter, Chu has
collaborated with
several top names.
A void in the
market was filled
with everyday
functional, yet
aspirational fashion
accessories for NFL
for Women, NIKE, Fox
Racing and Creative
Recreation Shoes.
Due to overwhelming
success and a
massive following,
she is highly sought
after and has since
engaged in special
projects and
cross-branding
opportunities.
Chu’s latest
venture, Villa Home,
offers an assortment
of decorative
pillows and bedding
products. In
addition to her
newest venture,
Nikki’s self titled
home collection
‘Nikki Chu Home’ is
set to launch July
2014 consisting of
chic home accent
pieces.
During her
career, Chu has been
awarded several
honors for her
outstanding
accomplishments in
her respective
field. She was
nominated for Best
Product Designer for
the 25th
Annual Arts Awards
and recognized for
Best Home Textile
via Villa Home
Collections. Her
multi-brand empire
continues to grow,
as well as her
special projects.
You can visit
www.nikkichuhome.com
to learn more.
Chu currently
resides in LA, but
remains bicoastal
between New York and
Los Angeles.
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