The Evolution of Eve: How She's Winning As The New Co-Host Of The Talk
It seems like a lifetime ago that I was in middle school, humming the lyrics to Eve's Gotta Man and pretending to embody the confidence of my then-idols. In my mind, I had the love of my life, the bomb career, and the sex appeal.
The black women I admired on television had all this swag and charisma that I assumed would automatically come with age; I literally could not wait to grow up. Now that I'm older and have redefined what success looks like from my point of view, who I look up to has evolved significantly since middle school.
Eve/Instagram
We all know her as Eve, the rapper, the first lady of the Ruff Rider label, the movie star, and the star of the eponymous UPN sitcom Eve. Radiant, collected, and all grown up, Eve is back and she's better. With a fresh approach to life, her career, and what role she has as a businesswoman coming up in the music industry, Eve has entered the spotlight once again, gracing the stage as one of the hosts of the popular daytime talk show series, TheTalk in place of Aisha Tyler, who recently left the show.
Now that she has added yet another accolade to her lengthy resume, it's dawned on me how I am still able to relate to Eve on an adult level.
Like many women that came before her, as well as those continuing to raise the bar in their respective industries, Eve shows millennial women how having a support system in place has actually helped her adjust to this new career opportunity. Eve explained the speedy hiring process and what it meant for her tribe, consisting of her husband and four stepchildren, who would have to figure out how they'd make things work with her living in California and her new family being in Europe.
"It didn't take that long. I came out that first week and did that test week. The next week I went back home to London. I got a call probably that Wednesday or Thursday, saying they're gonna make a decision soon and then by like Monday or Tuesday they were like 'They want you.' I was like, 'Wait a minute, what?' Because my husband and I were like 'What are we going to do if this happens?' and he was like, 'We'll deal with it,' and then it was like, 'Let's deal with it if it happens,' and then when it did it was one of those 'Yay! Oh sh**!' kinda things, but he's so supportive and he loves California and my stepkids love California. They were excited like 'Are we gonna go to school out there?' I was like, 'Let me just get the job first.' It's exciting, it's an exciting chapter. I stepped back for awhile, so to get to come back on this kind of platform is amazing. I feel very happy and blessed to be here."
Leaving fans in the dark can be risky, especially in an industry where everything is constantly changing. In a recent segment of The Talk, Eve opened up about her struggle to keep up with the rest of the world via social media.
"...I've teared up twice since I've been on the job already, but at the same time it's kinda nice. I'm not the best at social media, I feel like I don't share that much. I am a slow sharer, so being on this, where you are talking about topics and stuff — my first week I was like 'I don't know if I want to say this much…' — but after I started opening up, it actually feels good. It actually feels nice that there could be people in the audience or people watching that feel the same way. It's nice, the support that you get from the audience."
And when asked how she handles social media backlash to some of her commentary on the show, particularly in regards to an unpopular opinion like the one she shared after Nicki Minaj graced the Break The Internet cover for Paper Magazine, Eve gracefully gave insight as to why you won't see her clapping back on social anytime soon.
"Some people don't deserve responses. Any kind of social media, you kinda want to clapback, but you're giving them what they're looking for. I'm learning, I'm definitely learning but at the same time everyone is entitled to their opinions regardless."
Overall, it's empowering to witness another woman's evolution and Eve is no exception. Every level requires a brand new set of responsibilities that can be overwhelming to undertake, but less than two months in her new role, Eve already seems completely in her element as a television personality. She is truly living in her moment.
Check out some of our favorite winning Eve moments on The Talk so far below:
When Eve shared her thoughts on Nicki Minaj's racy magazine cover:
When Eve confirmed that she's trying to have a baby but kept it real that she didn't want to keep being asked about it:
When Eve spilled the tea on a rival rapper trying to steal her shine at her show:
Keep shining Eve! The only direction to move is up and forward, a mantra all of us girl bosses can learn from.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Stress Awareness Month: Sneaky Workplace Triggers Affecting Black Women, And How To Cope
We all know about the major stress triggers of everyday life, from relationship woes to monthly bills to unexpected emergencies, but there are small, subtle triggers that impact Black women in a big way, especially when it comes to work. It’s good to be aware of these sneaky stressors in order to maximize your day and find ways to incorporate solutions into your self-care routines.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables. And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
valentinrussanov/Getty Images
How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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Featured image by Charday Penn/Getty Images