We hear a lot of women talking about receiving photographs of wrinkled sausage in their inboxes, and unsurprisingly, most of them don't seem to be very happy about it. Some women post them in their GroupMe's and laugh about it with their girlfriends, others send scathing texts to the gross culprits, and the unnamed few actually like it.
Regardless of the outcome we all must admit that sending a peen pic is rather distasteful and definitely not creative. So in an effort for men to step their game up and find better ways to communicate than sending skin burritos with their precious data--this is a post for the humane few to share with their men friends.
From one man to another, here are 7 alternatives to sending her a peen pic:
1) Link to a mutually interesting article or book suggestion
Show her that you read bruh. Show her how you are abreast of what's going on in the world and our community. She'll be excited to know that you pay attention to more than just Instagram, Drake and the latest gossip. Be informed and inform her.
2) An enlightening quote
Feed her mind homie. Leave her in a daze. Motivate her with some metaphorical sh*t. Sometimes I just type a word in Google attached with "quote " and read a list of quotes associated with said word. Nothing is sexier to a woman than a man with an intuitive spirit and depth.
3) Food
What's my secret weapon? Well, I can cook. My food pics have done more than any junk photo could do. Once she sees you can whip up a little something, wait for the "So when are you gonna cook for me?" line--that's your cue playboy. When you get to her house or she comes to yours, the only thing you'll have to ask next is, "How do you like your eggs, fried or fertilized?"
4) A dope playlist
There was a girl that I once talked to that loved music. We would go throughout the day sending new music to each other that we stumbled upon. If she likes music, put her on to a new song. Pass on a good song that she'll love and will always associate you with.
5) A non-braggadocios accomplishment
You passed an exam you studied hard for, you killed your quarterly assessment, or you got a certification that will propel you to more bread- share the good news. Women love to see a man out here getting it and working hard. She'll congratulate you and celebrate with you later, that's what real women do.
6) A compliment
Tell her something you liked about her that she was unaware of. It doesn't even have to be physical, as a matter of fact avoid the physical. Tell her a positive thing that she's brought into your life. Compliment a strong point about her, show her that you appreciate her.
7) A funny meme
Lighten up the mood, keep her laughing. Now with memes it's even easier to crack a joke, it can be goofy or even slightly inappropriate, but in meme form you get a slight pass. There's nothing wrong with being associated with laughter. Make her smile. Brighten her day.
Whatever you do fellas be unpredictable and be respectful. If you want to take risks and be direct, then be calculated and still be respectful.
Happy Dating!
Editor's Note: This article is in response to Dear Men: We Aren't Interested In Your Unsolicited Peen Pics.
Ladies, what do you think of Steve's tips?
Steve Hall is founder of the site theSUNK.com (the Sh*t U Need 2 Know). He is also a contributor at SingleBlackMale and have written guest posts at Clutch Magazine Online, Howard's The Hilltop Newspaper, and NerdattheCoolTable.
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So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
