9 Sex-Positive Brands To Add To Your Christmas List No Matter How Naughty Or Nice You Are
Being "feminist as fuck" means something different to everyone, or at least those who identify as feminist. Personally, it has come to mean changing the game for women of color and how they view their sexuality, helping us move towards more liberated versions of our bad ass selves.
How we express ourselves sexually – whether that preference is based off of heteronormative gender roles, toxic ideologies, or the reframing of patriarchal thinking – is an expression of our sexuality. These qualities can be both sexual and non-sexual, verbal and non-verbal. Society tells us that a strong, brave Black man looks like one who doesn't smile – this is only but one example of how sexuality is defined and then confined to something so monotonous.
Being sexually liberated means being able to stand firm and express your sexuality free of shame. It's about maintaining a "you like it, I love it" attitude instead of scrunching your face up in discontent when a friend mentions she's celibate and/or bustin' it down with her flavor of the week. This doesn't mean you can't be curious, it just means you aren't allowed to judge what you don't know. Sex, how we f*ck, and how we enjoy or don't enjoy to be f*cked is another element of our sexuality.
But sexuality and its spectrum in its entirety should be celebrated, so I thought it would be dope to put together a list of sex positive brands to get us all in the spirit, especially as holiday sales creep into our presence – because, hey, you might want to get something for yourself and a friend aka that friend who takes the girl talk to ten everytime (that's proudly me, btw).
Here's a list of 9 sex positive brands for us and by us. And, you know what else? There's no wait to find out if you made the naughty or nice list for these goodies. Like a day in HARPO studios, there's something for everybody.
FreakJawn
FreakJawn was named with the intention of reclaiming the phrase and bringing nothing less than (sex) positivity to it. Not only to give us the shameless strength and confidence to own our sexuality but also to support sex workers, who more often than not are shamed by women and men who push their own discomfort off onto sex workers. If you've ever been in the presence of Philly folks, you know that they love to call just about anything a "jawn." It's used as a noun and it can describe the good, the bad, and the ugly. This includes the phrase freak jawn, which could be positive or negative depending on who's defining freak and how. With fun apparel that FreakJawn regularly produce and the featured holiday line Spooky Dick, we can be rest assured that the word "Freak Jawn" is ours (sex positive women) for the taking.
Related Stories:
'These Pink Lips' Founder Iris Bonner Built a Brand That's Provocatively Empowering - Read More
WOC-Hosted Podcasts Guaranteed to Make You More Sex Positive - Read More
Sex Down South is the Conference You Want to Be At - Even If You Don't Know It - Read More
How YouTuber 'Shan Boody' Built A Powerful Sex Positive Platform - Read More
Motor City native, Atlanta living. Sagittarius. Writer. Sexpert. Into all things magical, mystical, and unknown. I'll try anything at least once but you knew that the moment I revealed that I was a Sag.
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.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Crystal Renay Is Prioritizing Healing, Her Kids, And Her Coins Amid Divorce
Crystal Renay is reclaiming her time and her identity after dealing with heartbreak. The model was married to Ne-Yo for seven years and they share three young children together. However, after a cheating scandal that resulted in a baby outside of their relationship, Crystal decided to end her marriage to the “So Sick” singer. Now, she is focusing on her bag and her kids. She is co-owner of Johnny’s Chicken and Waffles, launching a lip kit line, and is back on TV starring in the new WE TV reality series Bold & Bougie.
But it wasn’t an easy road, especially with reality TV. From the beginning, Crystal and her castmates bumped heads due to misconceptions and alliances with her ex-husband’s former partner, Monyetta Shaw. However, the mother of three exclusively tells xoNecole that she doesn’t regret her decision to join the show.
Crystal Renay
Photo courtesy
“Honestly, being in that space, we had a– you know, when you're first getting to know people, sometimes it can be smooth, and sometimes it can be rocky,” she says. “In our case, it was a little bit rocky and just getting to know each other, and I like to call it growing pains. And I felt like we had a couple of moments, but all in all, like the experience was really good for me, and I would do it over again.”
Crystal describes herself as “career-oriented” and says she is in her selfish season because she is now prioritizing herself first. But she admits that she is still healing from her divorce. The reality TV star shares some tips for others who may be going through the same thing.
“I would definitely say pray, pray as much as you can. Try to take your emotions out of your reactions to things because it’s always going to be something that you don't like in the situation,” she says. “But we can't move off of emotion because 10 times out of 10, a few months later, you're not going to feel like that. So, I'm a firm believer in not doing things that I will regret later. So I would just say be patient with yourself and stay positive.”
While there may be an opportunity to find love again, that’s not Crystal’s focus at the moment. She is in the rebuilding phase of her life, emphasizing the importance of self-care, personal growth, and finding her own happiness. She has had her share of challenges, including dealing with negative emotions and the public's perception of her, but her priorities involve spending quality time with her children and running lucrative businesses.
“I would definitely say pray, pray as much as you can. Try to take your emotions out of your reactions to things because it’s always going to be something that you don't like in the situation.”
“With my kids, I'm very hands-on. I’m team mother with soccer kids, and they don't really make no goals because they like five years old, but I'm there cheering them on every week,” she jokes. “I want to travel, especially this summer, with my kids and take them somewhere internationally because they're at the age where they can handle a long flight. So, me just spending more time and more new experiences with my kids is my main focus with them and showing them all the love that I could possibly give them.”
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Photo courtesy of Crystal Renay