Kim Kardashian Pens Essay on Racism: On Thursday, Kim Kardashian published an essay on her namesake website entitled "On My Mind," discussing the current state of racism and discrimination in America. "To be honest, before I had North, I never really gave racism or discrimination a lot of thought," the reality star writes. "It is obviously a topic that Kanye is passionate about, but I guess it was easier for me to believe that it was someone else's battle." Utilizing her position as "a mother, a public figure, [and] a human being," she continues, "the first step I’m taking is to stop pretending like this isn’t my issue or my problem, because it is, it’s everyone’s." [Jezebel]
Blake Lively Looks Up to Gisele Bündchen: Who does Blake Lively look to for inspiration on the red carpet? The world's highest paid supermodel, of course. "I am so not confident on the red carpet," the actress told British Vogue. "I just sit there thinking, 'What would Gisele do?' It is such a sensory overload." Lively also cited Solange Knowles as a role model. "I saw her at the Met Gala and was thinking, 'Oh, why do we do this? This red carpet is always so scary.' I saw her take a deep breath and put her performance face on, and you really have to do that. I'm not comfortable as me standing in front of 500 photographers, so I have to go somewhere else and pretend that I'm the confident person you hopefully expect me to be." [Vogue UK]
West Hollywood Upholds Fur Ban: Despite efforts by home and accessories retailer Mayfair House to overturn the City of West Hollywood's prohibition on the sale of animal fur, federal court dismissed the challenge. George H. King, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California said that preventing the sale of fur is meant to “promote community awareness of animal welfare, foster the city’s goal to be a community that cares about animal welfare and further the city’s reputation as a cruelty-free zone for animals." The ban, which went into effect on September 21, 2013, affects stores including Balenciaga, Christian Louboutin, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Kitson, Maxfield, Rag and Bone, and Alberta Ferretti. “It’s not over yet,” Elizabeth Solomon, a spokeswoman for Mayfair House, said. “We are surrounded by home design stores that sell fur chairs and fur rugs. That is where the issue is. Why is this just directed to apparel? Just be fair and apply it across the board.” [WWD]