As if Beyoncé rocking a crystal bikini on the “Renaissance” album cover wasn’t already an indicator, the thongkini is officially summer’s hottest swimwear trend. The thongkini, or thong bikini, looks like a traditional two-piece swimsuit from the front, but in the back, it features a thin strip of material designed to show as much skin as possible.
Back then, I remember watching Black, British, beautiful and talented Jamelia on (now defunct) MTV Base, awe-eyed and obsessed. What I didn’t realise was that, just like me, the famous star would soon re-examine her relationship with her natural hair. The internet-born natural hair movement had yet to come into the public consciousness, and all I wanted was GHDs, a relaxer and a super straight weave with yaki hair extensions. I spent much of the 2010s with heat damage, as many of my friends did — an all-too-familiar millennial tale. For many Black women who grew up well before natural hair bloggers began sharing self-loving afro hair tutorials on YouTube, the journey to embracing afro hair textures, especially the tightest of curl patterns, was one filled with misinformation, internalised texturism and insecurities. For some of us, it still is. Despite significant commercial progress made in the Black hair care industry (from product innovation to representation in media and advertising), there appears to be unspoken generational differences between Black women and girls who witnessed the far-reaching embrace of natural hair on social media in their formative years and those who didn’t.
Jeans are one of the key staples in my wardrobe. You too? Wonderful. You’re going to enjoy what’s coming ahead. While I will wear black jeans (in fact, I used to live in them), I typically reach for blue jeans these days to complete my daily looks. In terms of washes and cuts, it really runs the gamut from lighter to darker and straight-leg to wide-leg silhouettes.
While I’m not an exceptionally picky shopper, I’ll admit that I’m definitely a snob when it comes to my jean collection. I’m a denim girlie through and through, so unless a dress code prohibits me from showing up to an event in my favorite pair of jeans, I’ll opt for the style time and time again. Since I practically live in denim these days (yes, even when I’m simply lounging around at home), I always get excited come fall and winter because the cooler temperatures give me an excuse to stock up on even more jean styles — in my world (or at least my closet), the limit simply doesn’t exist.
Starting the process of shopping for baby items can be overwhelming. There’s just so much out there. You could spend hours searching for blankets or monitors due to the overwhelming number of options. To make the process a bit easier, I reached out to a few friends who are moms and asked them to share the best baby products that made their lives as new parents more manageable, as well as the clothing brands they continue to swear by.
