Dating in 2021. For some it can be a dumpster fire. For others, it can be...nice.
Personally, ya girl is off the market, and—thank God—not having to juggle the chaos of swiping left or right. But for those who are out there still seeking Boaz, the horror stories I've heard, seen, and read about, can range from “just not working out," all the way to plain ole creepy.
And sometimes...this shit is just entertaining AF.
Case in point, Twitter user, Janae Music, sent the internet up (cause it’s stuck) when she tweeted the following:
To translate, she went on a date with a guy, but saw her 'favorite guy' while out on that date. But instead of him blowing up her spot or ending the courtship, in the mature move of the century, he instead decided to take her out the next day (because he knows what he wants, mostly—don't let that go over your head fellas).
And once everyone began reacting, she defended her situation by saying that she's not exclusive with either and that she's only been dating them for a short period of time. Soooooo, basically, sis said she can do what she wants!
As she should.
Giphy"Exclusively dating" is a topic of conversation that's been circling the waters like a great white for the past few years, mostly once women discovered that we too can date around and see what situations work in the best interest of ourselves. It's newly applauded, and damnit, what took so long?!
Of course, men like to cry and pout at the idea of us doing what they have done for centuries (because, ego), buttttt ladies, it's real out here!
Why should we be the only ones putting all of our eggs in one basket?
I mean, God forbid a woman does what's best for her, right? *eye roll*
Tuh.
And make no mistake, exclusively dating is not the same as entering a relationship, but we're not here for that convo, we're here to discuss the topic at hand. Should we be exclusively dating while shopping around? And is not doing so still frowned upon?
Well, of course the innanet weighed in Janae's dating life, as almost 90,000 likes later, the praise and the hate, alike, came rolling in.
The fellas couldn’t fathom the idea:
Twitter
Because, again, ego:
*Hesitant
But most of the ladies didn’t care:
And the applause kept coming in:
Twitter
And some loved it:
Some explained it:
And some knew that doing so was best:
But regardless on how you feel about it, Janae wants the guys to know that for the ladies, it’s simple:
We have options.
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
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"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
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The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
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3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
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While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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If you’ve never heard of a temporal landmark before, the long short of it is it’s moments in time that stand out to you to the point that it creates the perceptions that you currently have, plus it influences how you use your time in real-time. Since the holiday season kicks off during the fall season, activities like football games and homecomings mean a lot to people, and for some of us, the fall season marks the beginning of a new year (Rosh Hashanah), that’s another thing that makes autumn such a wonderful time of the year — we enjoy the way that we spend that season…a lot.
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