

Angela Bassett Has This Message For People Who Think She Looks "So Young"
Is it me, or does Angela Bassett still look the same as she did in 1993?
The phrase "age ain't nothin' but a number" may have been coined by Aaliyah, but truly comes to life in the form of Angela Bassett. Women are like wine, as we grow older, we become more of a commodity; a fact that is especially true for this timeless actress, who recently sat down with Allure magazine and revealed that she is damn tired of everyone telling her that she looks young for her age.
Allure
In the interview, she even recounted a time when a woman in Whole Foods told her that she looked "so young", to which she replied:
"Hearing that is a wonderful thing — seeing as I'm 80!'"
She explained that although she's flattered that she can keep the public wondering how she's snatched our wigs for decades with her ageless beauty and immaculate physique, ageism has become a major factor in her career. She explained:
"As we advance, 60 is the new 40, or 70 is the new 50. It keeps getting pushed. But you have to keep the stress down and the attitude hot."
Thanks to our social media-centric generation, Angela gets to test these standards in her career everyday. In season 3 of American Horror Story, the actress plays an immortal voodoo queen and proves to the world that black don't crack, literally. She shared:
"Yeah, black don't crack. I appreciate that about Ryan Murphy's work, the stories he's interested in telling. He has a brave voice; he's outspoken. [Coven] was a gumbo of social and feminist issues — femininity and womanhood, also ageism and racism, provocative and topical. It was a really powerful season. What it gives you, the actor, is filet mignon, when you've been used to Twinkies."
Although Angela's former work may have been twinkies in her opinion, they were ones that we ate right up. From How Stella Got Her Groove Back to Tina Turner in What's Love Gotta Do With It, Angela Bassett has proven to be one hell of an actress and even more of an icon.
In the 2016 elections, Angela worked with Hillary Clinton's campaign to garner the democratic vote. Her work, by her own definition, is the true definition of real feminism.
Angela's revealed that the road to her spectacular career started at an HBCU and landed her at Yale, where she would ultimately meet the love of her life. Thanks to her mother's high expectations and her undeniable talent, the young actress found herself with two degrees and a life full of potential ahead of her.
"Looking at these pamphlets, these white kids sitting on the grassy knoll with their books… There was no idea at that point that [my mother and I] would go around to these campuses and speak to the kid. You're going to college. Soon as you graduate, you're outta here. Pick any college and go. Lo and behold, got into Howard — thought that's where I'm going. A historically black college, Washington, D.C. Then Yale! You don't get into Yale every day, and my mama is freaking out on the sofa over there. And I only have to take out a loan for 1,200 bucks."
Recently, Angela returned to Yale to accept an honorary doctorate in fine arts, and revealed that it was a surreal experience that brought on a whirlwind of nostalgia.
"It was great to go back to that campus. Those corridors. It comes rushing back, that feeling of being 18 and meeting new folk from around the world, negotiating stuff you never saw before. The food. What is this called — London broil? I'd never been around so many choices in my life. And who are all these people? What is Exeter? Oh, your daddy's a what? Senator, doctor, lawyer. My mother is a data processor for Health and Human Services. Welfare. But I'm here. On financial aid. Doing theater."
Angela has proven to the world that a little black girl from Harlem can grow up to be the Mother of Wakanda, a Yale Graduate, or even an Oscar-winning voodoo queen if she works hard enough. In the interview, she also recalled the time she thought about giving up. She said:
"I said, 'Oh, Uncle Charles, I was supposed to be out here for only six months, but I'm working,'. And he said, 'Baby, don't get off a winning horse.'"
Angela is proof that age doesn't matter when your hustle is timeless, and is a reminder to stop telling women they look young for their age. No matter where we lie on the spectrum of age, we slay.
Click here to read the full interview.
Featured image by Getty Images
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.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Blac Chyna Opens Up About Her Initial Fear To Share Her Spiritual Journey With Others
Watching Angela “Blac Chyna” White’s transformation in real-time has truly been a sight to see. It wasn’t that long ago that she announced that she was reversing her cosmetic surgeries in an effort to go back to who she was before the world came to know her as Blac Chyna. In previous interviews, she stated that she was dissolving her facial and lip fillers, removing her breast implants, and getting a butt reduction, as well as removing the dimple piercings that enhanced her fame and controversial tattoos.
In a recent Tamron Hall interview, the mother of two said that she has “fully recovered” from the procedures. She is also celebrating one year of sobriety and opened up about being worried about how her new journey would be received by others.
“I’ve been in the entertainment industry for so long, right, and of course, like, you know, coming out, I’m like young, I’m gonna do wild things as we all have,” she said.
“...I feel like by me being vocal and showing everybody you can change your life and things can get better, like through myself, that right there is an accomplishment, and that’s a part of freedom, too.”
But as she started on her journey, many people have shown her grace, which is something she’s grateful for. “And then the fact that people have been showing me grace, it’s like amazing,” she said. “And I feel like when I did it, I just did it. It was more so like spiritual thing and I feel like people see that, and I’ve always been like my authentic self, so what you see is kinda what you get with me, and that’s just kinda what it is.”
Chyna, who recently received an honorary doctorate from Sacramento Theology Seminary and Bible College, has also repaired her relationship with her mom, Tokyo Toni. The social media celebrity surprised her daughter on the Tamron Hall Show. Prior to the sentimental surprise, Chyna dished on the reconciliation and having a better understanding of her mom.
“I must say, some of the things I have to take accountability for because, like my actions. As a mother, you don’t want to see your daughter doing certain things ‘cause it’s like it doesn’t matter what my past was or what we’re going through, I didn’t raise you that way,” she admitted. “So, it’s like, okay, maybe I was a little bit wrong. Maybe I was acting out a little bit. But I feel like as we grow older, I kinda see more, and I understand more.”
Chyna will be starring in season two of Fox's reality competition show Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
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Feature image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images