I just finished Season 2 of The Crown and am still riding a wave of all things royal, so I decided to take a look at Queen Elizabeth's 2017 Christmas Announcement. Low and behold, my eyes zoomed in on the awesomeness of HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's engagement photo sitting right there! I instantly had so many thoughts (that are still live on my IG stories).
1) Is that a wedding picture of her and Phillip or Prince William and Kate? If it's not Prince William and Kate, is it weird that she doesn't have their picture up there?
2) What about all of her other kids/grandkids? Does only the lineage of her eldest son (and heir apparent) get shown? How does that affect the other family dynamics?
3) Do her kids roll their eyes at Camilla having a picture up there? Or better yet, do you think Prince Harry or Prince William have pictures of Camilla in their home? If my dad married his side chick after my mom's death, I don't know if I'd want her picture anywhere in my house.
Also, did y'all see our future Duchess of Sussex, Ms. Meghan Markle, looking like a whole conservative snack during Christmas with the Queen?!! I'm not sure what the fashion budget is for a royal, but Meghan is coming all the way through with the looks. I'm already thinking of ways to snag that Chloe Pixel Bag ... or should I say waiting for the Zara/Forever21 version because I'm not about to drop 1k of my non-royal budget on a purse.
The Royal Engagement photos were released yesterday morning and of course the couple looked stunning! I think all of the photos were great, but my favorite had to be their candid shot which was released as their way of saying "thank you" for all of the well wishes they've received. Imagine that -- releasing a "candid" shot as a way of saying thank you! Ha... I'll continue to take the little nuggets of their life we're being given and devour them up.
I was also a huge fan of the dress Meghan wore -- a Ralph & Russo gown that had our girl dripping swagu all over that photoshoot. The couture runway piece was originally sheer, but it appears Meghan got it lined. She looked amazing.
Since I'm currently watching Season 2 of The Crown on Netflix (just saw Princess Margaret have her birthday photoshoot), I think it's dope to see the continuation of their traditions in real-time, our time. It also feels like a breath of fresh air to see the different ways HRH Prince Harry and Meghan are going about things -- their courtship, engagement, breaking some old traditions with the Queen's apparent approval! It's dope af and hella modern.
Also, it must be said... the REAL star of the engagement photoshoot was fashion photographer Alexi Lubomirski! Listen... Do you see how fine that man is? Oooo weeeee!!! I didn't have any clue who Alexi was, but feel like most dudes named Alexi have to either be fine or have some sort of sultry swag behind that name. Anyways, he's a fashion photographer and did a wonderful job shooting what are sure to become iconic, historic photos.
If you're like me and want to stay connected with everything the Royals are doing, follow the official @KensingtonRoyal Twitter account.
After swooping in to save ourselves (and everyone else) in Alabama's Senate race last night, I was thrilled to wake up to news that today is officially National Black Women's Day! I'm not saying Black women do everything... but we do everything! Look at the results from the Alabama Senate race. 98% of Black women voted against Republican candidate and actual pedophile Roy Moore, and voted for Democrat and non-pedophile Doug Jones. Black women showed up yet again to do the actual work that needs to be done. Thanks to the work of Black women (and men), a known pedophile is not taking the reigns in Alabama, and the once red state was turned blue. You're welcome.
There are already a ton of think pieces floating around analyzing how disturbing it is that a KNOWN SEXUAL PREDATOR was even being taken seriously, but more than that, I can't believe that 63% of white women voted for him. Two-thirds of white, female voters in Alabama voted for a known pedophile! Let that sink in.
While I would love to have a world where ALL women are united and fighting for justice and what's right (because the power of women could seriously change the entire world), it can't be denied how disconnected we are and wherein the weak link lies. Luvvie posted her thoughts today and said it best:
"We talk about fixing this country? Well, WHITE WOMEN have to get in formation. White men get blamed all the time but white women support them, vote for them, feed them, love on them. White women have been shielded from culpability all their lives and through history and have been able to move in the system of oppression without getting blame when they have been active participants. ACTIVE. They keep it going. In fact, they’ve benefited the most, because they’ve done none of the work, got all the perks, and none of the blame." - Luvvie
For generations Black women have been saving ourselves (and in the process everyone else) as we fight for what's right, fair and makes commonsense. I hope the results from last night's election show everyone the power of our voices, our votes, and that we can make REAL change happen. I hope this leads to funds being raised to support black organizations and fighting the injustices faced by black voters, especially in areas where the vote is still being suppressed.
Instead of "thank you's" it'd be nice to see black women being placed in decision-making positions of power, given opportunities to effect change and a few seats at the tablet. Clearly we're always adulting and making sure our country doesn't go to hell in a hand basket... we can easily navigate your boardroom too.
Happy National Black Women's Day to all of my beautiful queens who are always doing the hard, necessary work. You're magical and amazing. Take some time for self-care this upcoming weekend. You deserve it.
Back in October I had the opportunity to participate in Seattle Startup Week 2017 and host Hack Nation's #PitchBlackSEA competition. The event celebrated the entrepreneurial and creative genius of black founders in Seattle, while connecting them to the entrepreneurial ecosystem they're often excluded from.
This was also my first paid hosting gig outside of the on-camera work I've done through my 9-5 job. I was excited and had all sorts of butterflies in my stomach. It'd been a minute since I felt the rush of nerves associated with venturing into uncharted territory. Many thanks, again, to Taelore and Kenny for giving me the chance to do something I love.
Remember back in the day when a standard ice-breaker type question was asking someone what type of music they liked? I'd always say "I like a bit of everything" and be met with a smug expression... Like, who really likes everything?
Well, looking at my Spotify 2017 Wrapped list, it confirms that I rocked out to 24 different genres of music this year... pretty dope to see. Also, I listened to 29,795 minutes of music!!! What in the entire hell. I don't know if this included podcasts, but wowzers... I sometimes struggle to find 30 or 60-mins here and there to do stuff, but clearly I have time.
It'd be interesting to take a look at the breakdown for the time given to each category of music and podcasts... or even further, know what I was doing while consuming... but that might be my analytical side that loves metrics swooping in. I mean, I'm the same person who lives for my weekly FitBit metric wrap-up email.
If you're a fan of lists and metrics, check out your Spotify 2017 Wraped list and see what you actually consumed.
While I try to unscrew my face and get my eyes out of the furthest reaches of my head, a few things we're not about to do...
1) We're not about to pretend like black women didn't have any "hope" for relationships, marriage, successful careers, or all-around dopeness before Meghan Markle entered the scene, before she started dating HRH Prince Harry, and before they got engaged.
2) Let's not pretend like marriage and being "chose" is the epitome of making it and something everyone dreams about, hopes for, or actually wants for their life.
3) Let's dead the TIRED ASS NARRATIVE that black women are seriously sitting around looking to celebrity relationships as a guide for our romantic lives, needing to cling onto anything to give us "hope" that we too can get married and have what others deem as "it all".
4) Let's also not act like there aren't a TON of amazing black women out there offering daily inspiration and #BlackGirlMagic independent of a man or any romantic relationship.
It's disappointing to see trash headlines like ABC News missing the mark on WHY black women in particular are EXCITED (not hopeful)about Meghan Markle's engagement.
So often black women are made to seem less than desirable as partners... told that if you're on the other side of your 30s, divorced, focused on your career, etc... you won't be wanted, should settle for "what you can get" and that something is wrong with you as-is. All of this is nonsense and seeing someone like Meghan Markle navigate that space on an international stage, carry herself well, and have her partner PROUDLY claiming his love and adoration for the entire world to see, that gives me excitement, not hope.
It's exciting to see myself and my mother in her mother... to see a beautiful brown woman, educated, with locs and full edges, focused on self-care, raise a great human being and have those images shown all around the world!
To see someone who is at the height of wealth/status PROUDLY CLAIMING Meghan Markle, someone who on paper has a few stats that men who don't have a cent to their name would criticize and dissect... it's pretty fucking cool... and petty, but also really cool.
None of these are things that I feel black women were sitting around twiddling our thumbs and waiting to see happen, but let's not act like this isn't a HUGE deal. Anyways, who else is ready for this wedding? See y'all on May 26th, 2018!
Yes, I know her title will technically be Duchess of Sussex, but I do plan on referring to her as Princess Meghan. Now that that's out of the way... it's Friday, the world is still trash, and literally the only thing that matters to me right now is that Meghan Markle is engaged to HRH Prince Harry and about to add some much-needed #Melanin to the Royal Family!!! I saw the news earlier this week (read: in the middle of the night thanks to being sick and on a wonky sleep schedule) when my favorite writer Demetria Lucas D'Oyley (who stans for the couple) posted updates!!!!
First off, if you haven't watched their official interview together go do that now. It should be required viewing before proceeding to read this post and make any decisions on how you feel about them as a couple. I get that everyone isn't into celebrity culture, but people I personally know who consume copious amounts of trash, have had interesting things to say about the intrigue surrounding Meghan and this royal coupling. Let's not act like this isn't a big deal...
I've noticed the media doing in-depth reporting on her father and his side of the family (presumably because he's white and the siblings seem to be chatty), but I wanted to highlight her mother who is oozing #BlackGirlMagic all over my timeline. Doria Radlan, mother of the future Duchess of Sussex, is a psychotherapist and yoga instructor in California and all-around kween. Please make sure you're saying kween in your Abbi and Illana Broad City voice. She deserves that.
What's also exciting for me is seeing a black woman... beautiful brown skin, educated, focused on wellness, gorgeous locs, edges flourishing... it's really cool to have that visibility on a national stage and add depth and diversity to the images we see of black women. Her mom is modern and dope af. Yassss to all that #NoirPixieDust.
I've also been saddened in particular to see so many Black people coming for Meghan wondering "how black she is" and to what degree she "claims her blackness". She wrote a great essay for Elle last year describing her experience as a biracial woman and it's one I'd encourage everyone to read. She takes pride in the heritage of both her parents and chooses to identify as a biracial woman.
I'm not biracial and have no clue what that experience is like, but as a black woman in an interracial relationship, if I had kids I'd be heartbroken if they didn't claim me... and as amazing of a man and partner as my bae is, if they didn't claim him, it's break my heart even more.
I like to focus on the fact that her two parents came together and made a beautiful, intelligent human being who seems to use her platform for good and has a solid understanding of who she is and where both sides have come from and through. So, yes to raising more amazing humans!
On a personal note, as someone who has 2 black parents, but was raised in a predominately white neighborhood, I was plagued with the question of "why do you talk like that" or statements of "you're not black enough", so I'm definitely more sensitive to this topic.
Okay -- so the fun things I'm secretly waiting for:
1) Her mom to show up to the wedding front row with her locs FLOURISHING showcasing #Melanin all over TV screens across the world.
2) Meghan to rock her curls! Her hair will get wet at some point and I hope they photograph her curls looking bomb.
3) Their future kids to have gorgeous, coarse, frizzy ass hair and look insanely cute
4) Just how sickening this wedding guest list will be!!! President Obama and First Lady Michelle, Serena Williams... maybe even Beyonce!!! I'm hosting a watch party and will be indulging in all things royal.
