From left to right: Secret, Slander & Privacy.

Blend the sex appeal of Vanity 6 with the calm cool of TLC, add a splash of the flirty fun of The Spice Girls, and what you get is the best way to describe the trio known as The Yes Ma’ams. Privacy, Secret, and Slander are ready to put everyone on notice, stake their claim and make sure we never forget their names. ‘Cause by their mantra, well-behaved women seldom make history.

Don’t be fooled by Slander‘s hair. These materials girls aren’t a reindition of The Mary Jane Girls. They’ve bypassed them completely and held out for a more controversial set of chicks with a stockier name – ours truly, Vanity 6. Privacy, Secret, and Slander play with danceable techno grooves and sultry pop tracks in the sort of experimental way Vanity 6 had, merging funk, pop, and punk – which in itself, became an illegitimate genre all it’s own. The girls have a strictly vintage approach to fashion and don only the most cliche’ attires – rightfully so. It only adds to their flirty gimmick. Alas, we’ve all seen the ‘tramp’ gimmick come and pass with moderate success, but perhaps the difference in this clique is it’s urban, ethnic, and exotic appeal. Features that undoubtedly  contributed to the success of  Vanity 6. The Yes Ma’ams have released several free tracks like Vanessa and Only If I Say So on their official website and a mixtape quaintly entitled, Taste Test, on their Facebook page (which currently has over 1,000 likes). The girls have quickly garnered a strong online fan-following and seem to be doing everything a set of artists on the brink of mainstream success should. And while we’re not sure if these ladies will ever fully attain the fame they’re seeking (or the cult-like adoration of matured Vanity 6 fans), they’re a flattering salutation to their predecessors. ‘Cause by their mantra, well-behaved women seldom make history.

So what do you think of The Yes Ma’ams? Yes? No? A little less polite? Tell us about it in the comments and be sure to check back to see if the artist you’ve been scoping will be featured in the next installment of V6 Inspires…

This week in the Gallery Update, we have a flurry of magazine shoots featuring the diva, and her counterparts (i.e. Vanity 6, Prince & Carl Weathers). A fun fact: Vanity has graced the cover of Jet Magazine more than eight times.  See the rest of the full sized photos in The AIV Gallery.

And you younguns thought music was free? Forget Limewire, Napster, and Piratebay. No, there was a price paid for Judas Priest, Mötley Crüe and even Cyndi Lauper. So what do these artists have in common with Vanity? All of them were just a few in the scope of many musicians cited and listed for “objectionable” content in the early 80′s by Tipper Gore and her coalition of conservative D.C. wives who together, christened themselves The Parent’s Music Resource Center, otherwise known as the P.M.R.C. They’re the reason for the ‘Parental Advisory’/'Explicit Lyrics’ sticker you see on some albums. Their goal was to ’increase parental control over the access of children to music deemed to be violent, have drug use or be sexual via labeling and censorship’. But ultimately, their ill-conceived plan only, as rock n’ roll icon Frank Zappa stated,  failed to ‘deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years dealing with the interpretation and enforcement problems inherent in the proposal’s design’.

Ironically, this entire thing started because of Prince.

As the story goes, Tip bought Prince’s defining and ever-popular album at the time, Purple Rain for the single ‘Let’s Go Crazy’. She and her daughter were listening to the record, when ‘Darling Nikki’ played – a song with blaring references to sex and masturbation. Tip was apparently horrified and disgusted. The rest is history. Gore and her counterparts promptly formed a list of songs with offending material now infamously known as the Filthy Fifteen, with Prince’s ‘Darling Nikki’ at the top of the list and his former prodigy, our girl Vanity, not too far behind at #4 for her song, ‘Strap On, Robbie Baby’ – a song about a woman having a sexual liaison with a man who enjoys penetration.

Of course, Vanity had issues with people opposing her daring lyrics from the very beginning while fronting her girl group, Vanity 6. In an 1982 interview featured in The L.A. Times, Vanity states that the group’s latest ‘sex-charged’ self-titled album was a direct reflection of their attitudes, which was a hard pill for some people to swallow.

Taken From The Los Angeles Times

Vanity, who readily discusses sexual issues is annoyed when anyone suggests that writing or singing sexy songs is unladylike.

“Sex is on the minds of women too,” she insisted. “It’s a shame that people make a big deal out of it when women deal with sexual themes in songs. It doesn’t mean we’re loose women or perverts. We can deal with these themes in songs just like men. We just haven’t done it. This album isn’t a gimmick and it wasn’t done for a feminist reason. It’s just that we like doing this kind of song. If we can open some people’s eyes in the process, that’s OK too”
Read Full Article »

Surely after being heckled about her musical approach since ’82, V, like others had been, was fed up with society’s criticism – and apparently, federal meddling was the final straw. In a taped news report on Hollywood ‘Bad’ girls, Vanity was asked how she felt about Tipper’s interference with artist’s creativity, particularly hers. She heatedly replied,

“If you don’t want your kids to listen to my lyrics, don’t let them buy my record! I’m not going to shove it in their faces”.

With that logic taken into consideration, and a bit of regulation and discipline on the part of the ‘concerned’ parent, there wouldn’t have been a need for the P.M.R.C. in the first place.

…You doused yourself in lace.

No, not by any means are we suggesting that Taylor Swift is somehow Vanity‘s equivalent in any way (forgive us for the reference), but she does, however, seem to be picking up vibes from our icon. Unlike Taylor’s doting tween counterparts, she was brave enough to don lace and successful enough to do it in a sophisticated and stylish manner. Kudos. In the 80′s, and throughout all history in fact, Vanity as it seems was the lace QUEEN. Whether it was white, black, or anything in between, she could and would rock it to death whenever she was given the chance. The sultry star while fronting Vanity 6 in the early 80′s began her affair with lace as it was the signature attire for her ground-breaking sexually overt girl group, in which all three members donned some form of sexy undergarment. Vanity was also quite creative with the fabric, twice seen sporting an unconventional white “wedding” dress she created with the help of  L.A.’s Trashy Lingerie, on The Motown Review performing Samuelle and an episode of The Joan Rivers Show. Vanity, as it turns out, was big on conceiving her very own designs and producing them for her one and only model, herself. With her gloves, dresses, leggings and full-length lace coats – it was she who made lace a somewhat orthodox outerwear, no longer confined to the walls of the bedroom, not Madonna. Sadly, you don’t see much of those gorgeous little lace babydoll dresses or fingerless lace gloves anymore. Not in the mainstream, anyway. Too bad. There ‘s something so charming about a lace ensemble, if done properly.  Of course, it does take a certain amount of courage to throw caution to the wind and let your wild side show. Because even within a conservative nature, lace, black lace especially, is still considered to be slightly risque. If you’re considering trying your luck in this department, your most important component is confidence. Express yourself! And if you want to do it right, take a page from the book of Vanity. She don’t mind.

I know you guys are sick of all the obituary reports and I know you’re also probably wondering why I’m updating you all on a death that occurred 5 years ago. Well this one really tugs on my heartstrings, not only because Neil Hope, an 80′s era Canadian teen star, most famous for his role on the original Degrassi series as Derek “Wheels” Wheeler was the character yours truly identified closely with,  but also because of the pecuiliar circumstances surrounding his passing. Neil Hope died 5 years ago and was found in a Hamilton, Ontario rooming house, but only recently did anyone, his closest friends, the producers of Degrassi which he maintained contact with, and even his own family come to know of this. It was said that Neil had been estranged from his peers for quite awhile, and to have died of “natural causes”, but how natural can those causes be at the young age of 35? Too sad, is all I can say, and of course, no one likes the fact that the guy seemed to have been abandoned and the cause of his death is very vague, but we definitely want him to be remembered for the great actor he was, and the comfort he brought to all of those teenagers he touched with his gift (me included). Neil, you are fondly remembered and sorely missed.

– Read Neil’s Account on Alcoholism –

In a sea of rhinestones, every now and again the entertainment industry is blessed with a diamond – an entity whom posses great talent and beauty. In Prince’s universe, where he is the Sun in a milky way of stars, it is only fitting that his closest pupils dim low and far amongst his vast and immeasurable aura. Unless they are able to challenge the immense magnitude and glory of The Sun, such stars shine cold, and burn out in a matter of minutes. Though they no longer light up the world with their “talents”, we realize, they never truly had a chance. So here’s to Carmen Electra, as we imburse her: an extra 45 minutes.

Stats
Real Name: Tara Leigh Patrick
Alias: Carmen Electra
Years as a Protégé: (1991 – 1994)
Preceded by: Rosie Gaines
Chucked for: Nona Gaye

Okay, so Carmen Electra is probably the last of the Prince associates that needs our extra 45 min. The woman exploits herself on a daily basis and never seems to run out of new ways to reinvent herself. But let’s get started. Tara Leigh Patrick was born in Sharonville, Ohio to industry-savvy parents and studied dance and other performing arts early in life. By the early 90′s as a young adult, she began her professional career as a dancer and eventually, like all dreamers who plan to make it big, moved to California where she met Prince. Somehow, perhaps after dropping some kind of acid and ecstasy speedball (kidding, sort of), Prince decided to divert his attention from miss Rosie Gaines, and began focusing on his latest discovery: a rapping, dancing, be-bopping, starlet gonnabe with aspirations of fame, looks to boot, and little shame. Prince was smitten – with the idea, that is. He quickly signed her to Paisley Park Records and bestowed her world renowned name, Carmen Electra. The rest as they say, is history. Literally. After Carmen’s first and only album with Paisley, she jumped ship and ventured into other avenues such as posing for Playboy Magazine numerous times, landing an acting role on the cult-favorite, Baywatch, and appearing in spoof films such as Scary Movie. Lately, Electra has been hosting and judging televised talent competitions such as So You Think You Can Dance? and yes, still showing off that 40-year old cougar booty. No word as to whether or not she still keeps in touch with the man who very well may have put her on the map, and no doubt gave her her first shot at fame, but the star actually happens to be very well acquainted with fellow Prince protégé ,  Apollonia Kotero. The two were once neighbors at a condo complex in Beverly Hills and became very close friends. How ’bout that? Carmen continues to fascinate Hollywood for whatever reason. She’s a product that continues to circulate in heavy rotation. And as long as she’s willing to put herself out there, the public will be there, willing and waiting to eat her up. Fancy.

Stance against The Orignal: Are you kidding me?

Here we have, once again, thanks to the loveable SBK, a series of Vanity icons for you to use on your favorite forum or social networking site! Show your love for the sultry diva all over the world wide web! And while your at it, be sure to register as a member for the All Is Vanity Gallery for more Vanity graphics and exclusive HQ photos you won’t get anywhere else! Stay sexy!

We must come to the realization – Vanity is dead, and left to us are only a black box of memories. For years, the world has searched itself over for one who would be as exuberent, eccentric and beautiful as she, but alas, no one has ever been cordially bestowed. Leave it to us, shall you? Don’t mind if we do. In presenting Vanity (20)12, we judge our elects on the most accurate LST scale: Looks, Style, and ‘Tude. But in the end, you’ll be the judge.

Nicole Scherzinger is a native Hawaiian, Kentucky-bred singer, dancer, model and actress most known for fronting the all-girl group, The Pussycat Dolls and spawning the world-wide hit, Don’t Cha.

Looks
The two women share a similar skin tone and complexion, though Vanity, may have perhaps been lighter at times. They both have an exotic appeal and long jet black hair. Nicole has fabulous high cheekbones and gorgeous big brown eyes that’d captivate any red-blooded animal. Her nose is longer than Vanity’s, and she has a slightly different jaw structure, but overall the two women could be mistaken for twins. Okay, maybe not twins. Perhaps distant cousins?

Style
Its no secret. As the lead act in an all-girl burlesque-pop group called The Pussycat Dolls, Nicole is a scantily clad pop star, just like our lady Vanity, who, of course, started the trend. The two both harbor an eccentric hooker-esqe sense of style, and don garters and lace as if it were the most noble attire. There is also an undeniable flamboyance unmatched by the  most enthusiastic drag queen.  Nicole’s ensemble is usually peppered with a dated twist; usually something from the 70′s or 80′s. Vanity, also being one of vintage tastes, would take something old and revamp it to fit her personality.

‘Tude
Despite her vivid stage persona, Nicole is known for being rather meek and mild. Nothing like Vanity. She’s also often referred to as a “good” girl. No, not “nasty” or “wild”. In fact, looks and style seem to be where the similarities end for the two women.

Conclusion: Ultimately, if we’re speaking in terms of on-stage persona, Nicole in this day and age is only moderately close to Vanity. The group, The Pussycat Dolls are an obvious hearkening back to Vanity 6, with their bodes of sexual liberty and risqué performance exposés. Nicole, like the girl group she once led before going solo, is only a carbon copy of what once was. While her looks are on point, it’s obvious that what she sells on stage, isn’t the like behind closed doors. You were close baby, but no cigar.

Rating: 8/10

Think we’ve got it all wrong? Could Vanity have already been reincarnated? Tell us who you had in mind in the comments. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite in November’s upcoming election! Ask not what your diva can do for you – but what you can do for your diva!