Michaela Angela Davis

Cultural Critic / Writer / "Urbanista"

Michaela Angela Davis has crafted a career dedicated to creating and celebrating African-American culture through media. In an era of reinvention, Davis’s innovative and creative thinking has allowed her to evolve brands to elevate urban culture. Currently, she is a part of an elite talent and brain trust challenged with re-imaging the largest media brand for African Americans: the BET Network. She’s also creating a primetime special on the current state of black women for BET and a young women’s mentoring initiative, “Fly Girls Inspire.”

For over 15 years, Davis has explored the power and beauty of urban style, women’s politics and hip-hop culture. She began her editorial career in 1991 at Essence magazine where she worked under her mentor Susan L. Taylor as fashion editor. She later returned in 2004 as the Executive Fashion and Beauty Editor also directing the Culture section. In addition, she advocated for the groundbreaking initiative “Take Back the Music” a multimedia campaign to bring awareness to the hyper-sexualized representation and lyrical disrespect of young women of color in mainstream media. She also served as Fashion Director on the launch team of Vibe. In 2003, Davis was Fashion Director and ultimately Editor-in-Chief of Honey, the first book for the globally trendsetting “Urbanista” (the 18-34 stylish urban-American woman). Honey was the nation’s fastest growing women’s title during her tenure.

Her writing focuses on fashion, gender, race and culture appearing in a host of international magazines, websites and books, including Everything But the Burden: What White People are Taking from Black Culture. Davis is also author of Beloved Baby, a scrapbook and journal for alternative families. She has become an expert on the topic of black women’s images in the media, which promoted her speaking career – making appearances at many prestigious campuses such as Yale, Brown, Spellman, and many local community institutions.

As an activist, Davis hosted a session at the 2005 Congressional Black Caucus speaking at the first Young Feminist Summit as part of NOW’s 50th anniversary. In 2006 and 2007, she co-produced and served as a panelist at the Essence Music Festival’s Empowerment Seminar Series, which focused on young women and image. “Who You Calling a Ho?” and “Sisters Take Issue with Our Images” received record audiences. She is currently presenting “The Michelle Obama Effect: The Tour,” a multi-city national program.

As a cultural critic, Davis has appeared on several television networks such as CNN, MSNBC, FOX, PBS, and many others. She is a re-occurring expert on pop-culture TV specials on BBC, MTV, VH1 and BET. Most recently, she covered the historical 2008 presidential election and inauguration for TVOne and appeared on CNN’s D.L. Hughley’s Breaks the News and the Roland Martin’s Election Special. Davis has consulted and contributed to Clutch, an online magazine for the Urban-American woman and Where My Ladies At?, an interactive web based film and website. She hosted and co-produced a progressive internet-broadcast fashion news show, The Rogue Fashion Report. She was commissioned as an expert advisor on Black Style Now!, an exhibit and program at CMNY.

As a fashion stylist, Davis lent her unique taste and image-making prowess to a host of artists and cultural icons, such as Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, Prince, Diana Ross, Donald Trump, Mary J. Blige, Maxwell and many others. From Vanity Fair to Ebony she’s added her fresh fashion flavor to countless magazines. Michaela has been a frequent commentator and style expert on Metro TV and Women’s Entertainment Television’s Full Frontal Fashion, E! and The View. She has also served as wardrobe designer and consultant for VH1 and the urban classic film Paid in Full.

Presently, Davis serves on the board of Black Girls Rock!, ImageNation and The Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School. She also hosts a monthly mentoring program and multi platform destination, Salon de Shine.