Adrienne Houghton On Ignoring Logic In Her Love Story: 'He Was The Worst Look For Me'
What you want might make you cry, and what you need might pass you by… if you don't catch it. What you need, ironically, will turn out what you want to be… if you just let it. Though these masterfully poetic words were spoken by Ms. Lauryn Hill in 1998, they still ring true, because any woman that's ever been in love can tell you that what looks good ain't always good for you. Adrienne Houghton recently echoed this sentiment when she slid through TSR's The Same Room with a word about how holding on to what you thought you wanted might make you miss out on what God has for you.
Pro tip: what God has is better.
In an episode of The Shade Room's series that also featured Angelica Nwandu and Stephanie Ike, Adrienne opened up about how it's possible to love God and still struggle. After a publicly tumultuous split from Rob Kardashian in 2009 and breaking off an engagement with her boyfriend of six years, Lenny Santiago, in 2015, Adrienne finally found 'the one'; but that didn't come without experiencing some major heartbreak, first. Adrienne said:
"For me, one of my lowest points was relationship things. Especially in my twenties. Oh, my twenties sucked. They were awful. And a lot of it had to do with wanting to be loved. I was looking for this love and I love really hard and so I expected that in return. And when I wouldn't receive that love in return it was incredibly hurtful. Even making the decision of breaking an engagement, that's not only was that depressing but it's embarrassing."
Coming from a family where she was constantly praised and told that she was loved, the 35-year-old TV host sought the same kind of love from potential suitors, and for a while, she was unsuccessful. Adrienne said that at some point, her loneliness transformed into a fear of abandonment and she began to question her faith.
YouTube/The Shade Room
"Moments like that can make you feel so low. There's so many things you think of in that moment that literally make you feel like, 'God, why do you feel so far from me?"'
The truth was, God wasn't far at all. Although God had already spoken to her and told her time and time again that he wasn't right, the heart wants what it wants, and like most of us, she was hard-headed. She explained:
"I know that I know that I know that I have a praying mom. And I know that I know that I know that God had spoken to me and told me that that was not the man for me. But I wanted that. I was on some, 'I been through too much. I deserve it. I want it.'"
Before you point your judgy finger at Adrienne, think about the last time you loved a man that you knew wasn't right for you. We've all been there, word to Adrienne and Lauryn Hill, we've all done it. In 2016, Adrienne married a man who tells her she's beautiful every single day, but along with a wedding ring, came a whole mess of scandal. She revealed that the key to finally finding the kind of love that her heart desired was understanding that sometimes, you don't have to understand. She explained:
"It didn't come in the package I thought it was. Do you know how much wrong was wrong with him? Had I gone off of logic, I would never be as happy as I am today. I went against everything that logically made sense."
A few years ago, her husband, Gospel songwriter, Israel Houghton, made headlines after it was alleged that he cheated on his wife of 20 years and fathered two children with a mistress. Despite the news breaking shortly after their wedding, Adrienne refused to jump ship and stuck by the man who God told her was the one.
"I'm not an idiot. I'm not stupid. I read everything you read. I genuinely felt led by the Holy Spirit. This is the one for you. For people who were perfect, who had no ex-wives, no children, but I would feel repellant toward them. They were on paper and what the public would have thought would have been perfect for me, they were repellant to my spirit."
Although Israel checked off none of her boxes, ultimately, she knew that life wouldn't be the same any other way.
"Israel was the worst look I ever could have gone with. I was the worst look for him. He was the worst look for me. But in the storm. What looked like a circus to everyone else, we were at home like this [leans back in a chilled position]."
All sugar ain't sweet. And sometimes, the things we think we want aren't as dope as the things we'd have if we'd just let go of what we think it should look like. Maybe finding the life of your dreams starts with you letting go of the life you thought you wanted. Adrienne thinks so.
Featured image via YouTube/Shade Room
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
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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Another season of Love Is Blind has come to a close, and almost two months later we’re still unpacking the drama that is Clay and AD. The finale, reunion, and post-interviews with Clay and AD after season six of Love Is Blind left millions of people wondering - why couldn’t AD see the signs? Clay told her he had a fear of marriage, his parents experienced infidelity, and he seemed to have many doubts about saying, "I do."
After changing his mind at the altar and hearing AD question why she feels like she’s never enough, I was finished watching. I didn’t need to hear anything else because, at that moment, I realized this wasn’t about Clay; this was about AD feeling inadequate before she ever met Clay.
If I’m honest, I don’t watch much dating television. TikTok keeps me updated with the clips that I need to see in order to be kept in the loop, but it’s difficult for me to watch an entire season of dating TV because seeing Black women settle for less and questioning their beauty is a trigger for me. In many ways, there were points in my life where I was AD, settling and ignoring red flags because I wanted to be loved.
Now, on the other side, it doesn’t feel good to see Black women lower their standards on national television. There have been many hot takes on this couple and who was in the wrong. Did Clay play in AD’s face or did she not listen to the truth of what he told her from day one? Was his reason for joining the show to promote his business and not to find the one?
We’ll never know the truth, but what we can do is learn tactics to better our self-worth. Founder and CEO of The Self Love Organization Denise Francis shared her expertise with xoNecole on what tangible steps to take to improve feelings of worthiness. “Self-love blooms in a garden where self-worth is planted, nourished, and whole. However, when your self-worth is challenged, displaced, or broken, it could be difficult to rebuild," Denise explains.
How To Rebuild Self-Worth
During her self-love coaching sessions, Denise likes to walk her clients through the cornerstones of rebuilding self-worth: grace and self-compassion. To her, self-worth is never lost, it's only displaced, so practicing self-compassion and giving yourself grace is a must. "We tend to place our self-worth in entities and people of ourselves such as relationship status, physical appearance, material possessions, social media followings, what others think of us, and more. Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth.
"Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth."
"When we place our value into people or things, we tend to feel that we are not enough, worth it, special, or important when relationship status, job titles, friendships, and physical appearances are lost or changed. We then tend to feel lost within ourselves because we’ve placed our value outside of ourselves. Using grace and compassion, you can rebuild your self-worth by returning home to who you are at your core," she concludes.
How To Return Home To Yourself
Denise advises taking a step back and using self-reflection through journaling by answering the following journaling prompts:
First, ask yourself, "What do you tend to attach your self-worth to and why?"
Is it your relationships, your job title, your finances, your appearance, etc.? Why do you think you place so much emphasis on external status? How does it make you feel when you are defining yourself through these entities and/or people outside of yourself?
Then, ask yourself, "Without these things, who am I?"
Once you have your answers, show yourself kindness, remove the shame, and, as Denise says, "Redefine yourself by detaching your value from the things and people you have no control over and no longer serve you. Challenge yourself to define yourself outside of titles and societal values."
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person. You begin to find value in the way you love instead of your relationship status, your compassion instead of your popularity, your drive instead of your income/job title, and your heart instead of your physical appearance," she adds.
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person."
"Be intentional with healing your self-worth by leaning into the people and things that nourish your core values. Surround yourself with the people who love and cherish you, they will always remind you just how valuable you truly are."
It all goes back to self-compassion and grace. As Denise explains, leading with those two things as you heal and rebuild your self-worth allows you to reduce negative self-talk that might come up for you. "This weakens thoughts like, 'I am not enough... why am I never enough?'" she shares, "And 'I don't deserve this while strengthening thoughts like 'I deserve better,' 'I am enough,' and 'I am worth it.'"
Denise continues, "Once you return home and remember the irreplaceable person you are, you can rebuild your self-worth by placing it back where it belongs. It belongs to you."
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Featured image by LaylaBird/Getty Images