“You f--ked me over and left my brain impregnated with your bastard babies called memories. It was all fun and games when I let you up in me, but now you won’t even take joint custody.”
That was the line that touched my soul. The line that stirred up some old memories of feeling used and emotionally abused after giving up a part of myself to a man boy who knew no more about how to love me than I knew about how to love myself. Because to be honest, if I truly knew my value and my worth at the time, he would have never been able to overdraft from my emotional bank account. He wouldn’t have been able to leave me emotionally broke and broken—curled up in a fetal position wondering what was wrong with me.
Via Buzzfeed
In a recent Buzzfeed video titled, “What I Wish Someone Told Me About Having Sex,” spoken word artist Daysha Edewi drops some heavy knowledge about the consequences of having (protected and unprotected) sex—not just physically, but mentally. With accompanying visuals that further enhance her words, she taps into a narrative that unfortunately too many women can relate to—one of passion that leads to pain after allowing a lover to play Geppetto with your emotions.
“I thought I knew everything there was to know about having safe sex. Always carry a condom, and never, ever get pregnant [...]People love to talk about how to avoid STIs of the physical kind, but nobody likes to talk about the STIs that can destroy your mind. The ones that can have you tossing and turning at 3am raking your brain and constantly wondering, was I not good enough for him?”
Because we’ve all been there. Those sleepless nights spent crying silent tears wondering how did you end up in this place? What could you have done to be better for him? Were you not caring enough, or not catering enough? Should you have been more submissive or more dismissive of the obvious bullshit that he was feeding you? Yeah, those thoughts.
“My sister always told me that my body was a temple, so never let a man in that doesn’t take the proper time to worship you, because you are a goddess that is truly worth sacrificing for. And I only wish that I had taken the time to listen to her more often, but instead I chose to listen to you. And that would’ve been okay if it weren’t for the fact that you’re love for me was untrue, because you liked someone else when you said that you liked me, too.”
Oh man, here we go. Here’s where we messed up, not realizing that his worthless lies weren’t worth our time.
[Tweet "We’re given the solution to problems we have yet to face by those who've been through the fire."]
But we choose to touch the stove to see if it’s hot anyway. And we get burned. Oh, do we get burned.
Via Buzzfeed
She continues:
“It took all but two texts to get you through my door, but let me text you about some child support. Just an honest why? Because I will never let myself be reduced to some 2am whore, creeping out of windows and sneaking through back doors. I will never let myself be reduced to just some side chick, just another side dish at the table that you pick at while you wait for your main entrée to just being your other bitch.”
How many of us still fight for a battle that we know we’ve already lost? Instead of walking away with our heads held high we come crawling back begging to be validated by the one who made us feel invalid to begin with.
“I am a person. I have feelings and emotions that have a right to be protected, and having a vagina and two tits shouldn’t make me any less deserving of your time or someone to be disrespected. So if you’re going to choose to be with her over me, well I guess you have to do what’s best then and I guess I just wish that we had taken the time to use both mental and physical protection, and had a conversation about what this all really meant before we had sex.”
Believe it or not, this last part breathes hope. It shows that she’s now aware of who she is and what she deserves, and that she no longer will accept that she’s anything less than a Queen to be treated like royalty. That this was just a lesson that she had to learn in order to win in the game called love. In this case, in order to win she had to start by loving herself.
Thank you, Daysha for speaking life back into the dead part of our souls.
Let us know what you think of Daysha's heartfelt words!
In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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Feature image by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images
