Reflections with Baze Mpinja

Michelle Obama’s Hairstylists on the Power of Being Seen

Yene Damtew and Njeri Radway reflect on The Look and how a First Lady’s hair can shift culture, change the conversation, and reshape how we see ourselves. Guest: Yene Damtew [https://www.instagram.com/yenedamtew/], Hairstylist Njeri Radway [https://www.instagram.com/kitchentalkwithnjeri/], Hairstylist and Braider Get your copy of The Look [https://michelleobamabooks.com] -- out now! Read: Michelle Obama's 2018 Essence Cover Story [https://www.essence.com/news/michelle-obama-essence-cover-december-january/] Watch: Becoming on Netflix [https://www.netflix.com/title/81122487] See: The Nashville Look [https://www.instagram.com/p/BxdJ2WglaEo/?hl=en], Becoming Tour, 2019 See: The Boho Look for Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival 2022 [https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a40824631/michelle-obama-summery-high-slit-dress-surprise-appearance/] Read: The Chignon Look for the White House Portrait, 2022 [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/style/michelle-obama-white-house-portrait.html] Watch: The Ponytail Braid Look for the Democratic National Convention [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgJBFBwRXvc], 2024 Join the list [https://reflectionswithb.beehiiv.com/subscribe] for fresh Reflections, delivered every other week. © 2025 Reflections with Baze Mpinja

How AI is Generating Concerns About Models

Beauty brands can now use AI to generate photo shoots without cameras—or people. This week, we dissect the potential impact on the modeling industry, beauty, and culture. Why have models mattered so deeply to us, and what do we lose if they disappear? Guest: Sophia Panych [https://www.instagram.com/spanych/?hl=en], Beauty Journalist and Backstage Beauty Expert   Read: Does This Look Like A Real Woman? AI Model in Vogue Raises Concerns About Beauty Standards [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgeqe084nn4o] Watch: Cindy's Iconic Pepsi Commercial [https://youtu.be/YtK-yq-BQDU?si=cFixqplgFPwntlJp], Inside the Supermodel Cafe [https://youtu.be/EE3CfuWlUt0?si=XgDFI7VRdD4OYnBX], and MTV's House of Style [https://youtu.be/vgiAvWwAvJU?si=bUL1VRCFsad5wk5-] Watch: Supreme Models on Netflix [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFvI6kVp2Un/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==] Watch: The Super Models on Apple TV [https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-super-models/umc.cmc.1jvelve41wn4nv2fl4v2u8rgj] Watch: Donyale Luna: Supermodel on Apple TV [https://play.hbomax.com/movie/03355dd8-ca70-4047-974a-184052540d52] Join the list [https://reflectionswithb.beehiiv.com/subscribe] for fresh Reflections, delivered every other week. © 2025 Reflections with Baze Mpinja

Let’s Talk Relaxers: Memories, Myths, and the Hairy Moment We’re In

Baze talks with Antonia Opiah [https://un-ruly.com/author/antonia/], founder of Unruly [https://www.instagram.com/wetheunruly/], about the complicated legacy of relaxers: from kitchen perms and beauty ads that equated straight hair with success, to the growing awareness of what that pursuit has cost. See: "Was it her rèsumè... or Raveen?" [https://pin.it/3SeaPAquD] Read: Hair Relaxer Lawsuits Surpass 10,000 as Major Brands Face Growing Cancer Claims [https://www.instagram.com/p/DPw6ahCEiX2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==] — RetailBoss Read: What is The CROWN Act? [https://www.thecrownact.com/about] Watch: You Can Touch My Hair Part 1 [https://youtu.be/uJn_i6LYFSE?si=FrMo5PVdOmWCAs6y] and Part 2 [https://youtu.be/1fZx4Wy-ZSc?si=aW8yHzqjpzHPPWVk] — Unruly Watch: The Wig Scene [https://youtu.be/xsey_9ItH6E?si=gEsipuun2g4-wei1] — How To Get Away with Murder Join the list [https://reflectionswithb.beehiiv.com/subscribe] for fresh Reflections, delivered every other week. © 2025 Reflections with Baze Mpinja

Are We in a New Age of Plastic Surgery?

We examine the future of plastic surgery—with a plastic surgeon who made history. Guest: Dr. Steven Williams, MD [https://www.instagram.com/surgeoninblack/?hl=en] — board-certified plastic surgeon and Past President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Join the list [https://reflectionswithb.beehiiv.com/subscribe] for fresh Reflections, delivered every other week. © 2025 Reflections with Baze Mpinja

Let's Shop with a Sephora Kid

A nervous mom. A makeup-obsessed tween. A trip to Sephora. What could possibly go wrong? And who’s going to hold the basket? Guests: Leyla Bolho Garlatti, communications/PR consultant and mom Sara Spruch-Feiner [https://www.glossy.co/author/sspruch-feinerglossy-co/], Senior Reporter at Glossy A very spunky 9-year-old Join the list [https://reflectionswithb.beehiiv.com/subscribe] for fresh Reflections, delivered every other week. © 2025 Reflections with Baze Mpinja