‘Insecure’ Star Christina Elmore Chose An All-Black Birthing Team To Deliver Her Baby
Yes, the actress who plays Condola on the hit HBO show was pregnant in real-life! Insecure star Christina Elmore's character Condola has ruffled a lot of fans' feathers over the last two seasons for getting in the way of Issa Dee, played by Issa Rae, and Lawrence, played by Jay Ellis, rekindling their relationship and (spoil alert) became pregnant with Lawrence's baby.
This past Sunday's episode, "Pressure, Okay?!," showed Condola finally having the baby and how uncomfortable co-parenting can be if the parents don't communicate.
While the episode gave a realistic view of life after having a baby, Christina also gave a realistic view into her decisions as a Black mother birthing Black babies. The actress, who also stars in Twenties, opened up toWomen's Health about why she chose to have an all-Black birthing team deliver her baby.
Already having a four-and-a-half-year-old son, Christina was preparing to have another son and while her first delivery experience with an all-white midwifery team went well, the world around her was different now due to the pandemic and police brutality and she wanted to be more intentional about how she went about her second birth.
"I found out I was pregnant on the day that George Floyd died," she said. "And it was a weird feeling. I was mourning and rejoicing at the same time. It was a really hard time to be Black in America. I would choose to be Black every time, but it was hard to see that this country wasn't made for us."
"I was bringing another Black life in this country, and I wanted the experience to be different for him. I wanted him to be caught by Black hands that would be able to give me the care I deserved."
While it wasn't easy, she found an all-Black midwifery team in Los Angeles and she expressed that she immediately noticed a difference in her care.
She started experiencing hypertension toward the end of her pregnancy and while it's common, it can still be dangerous.
"So, my midwives jumped into action. They came over to my house every morning and evening to check my blood pressure. They also started connecting me to other Black providers, including an acupuncturist who was able to do cupping to help calm me and bring my blood pressure down a little," she revealed.
"There was such a difference in my holistic care. This was a group of women who just heard me. I didn't expect to have that in the medical field—it felt so unique and special."
The delivery felt even more special as she said she felt "safe" looking across the room at women who resemble her mom and aunties.
Christina isn't the first Black woman to turn to another Black woman to assist in her birth. Reportedly, many Black women are looking into having home births due to the pandemic and the risks they as well as their babies face when giving birth.
Black women are three times more likely to die during childbirth in comparison to white women and Black babies' infant mortality rate is twice as high as white babies.
Featured image by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for BET
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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Sheila Rashid's Androgynous Approach To Unisex Clothing Is A Lesson In Embracing Individuality
The ItGirl 100 List is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
For Sheila Rashid, it all started with some free-hand drawings and a few strokes of paint.
The Chicago-based clothing designer and creative director of Sheila Rashid Brand recalls using her spare time in high school to hand paint designs on t-shirts and distressed hoodies, distributing them to classmates as walking billboards for her art.
Rashid sought to pursue fashion design at Columbia College in Chicago but eventually took the self-taught route to build upon her knack for crafting one-of-a-kind, androgynous pieces.
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Thanks to the mentorship of local designers taking her under their wings, Rashid was able to gain valuable experience in putting together collections and creating patterns; equipping her with them with the necessary skills to pursue her own collections.
After two years of living in New York, Rashid returned home to the Chi and uncovered the unique flair she could offer the city. “I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world,” she tells xoNecole. “That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
For the Midwest native, inspiration comes from her time around creative peers and the city’s notorious winters — known to be a main character in many Chicagoans stories. “It's a different perspective and mindset when I'm making stuff because of the weather here,” she explains. “When we get summer, it’s ‘Summertime Chi’ — it's amazing. It's beautiful. Still, I find myself always making clothes that cater to the winter.”
"I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world. That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
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Many designers have a signature aesthetic or theme in their creations. In Rashid’s design story, dancing between the lines of femininity and masculinity is how she’s been able to distinguish herself within the industry. Her androgynous clothing has garnered the eye of celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper, WNBA star Sydney Colson, and more — showing her range and approach to designs with inclusivity in mind.
“I think I do reflect my own style,” she says. “When I do make pieces, I'm very tomboyish, androgynous. My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes.” From denim to overalls, and color-drenched outerwear, Rashid has mastered the structure of statement pieces that tell a story.
“Each collection, I never know what's going to be the thing I'm going to focus on. I try to reflect my own style and have fun with the storytelling,” she shares. “I look at it more like it's my art in this small way of expressing myself, so it's not that calculated.”
"My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes."
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Still, if you were able to add up all the moments within Rashid’s 20-year career in design, one theme that has multiplied her into becoming an “ItGirl” is her confidence to take up space within the fashion industry as a queer, Black woman. “Being an ItGirl is about being yourself, loving what you do, finding your niche, and mastering that,” she says.
No matter where you are on your ItGirl journey, Rashid says to always remain persistent and never hesitate to share your art with the world. “Don’t give up. Even if it's something small, finish it and don't be afraid to put it out,” she says, “It's about tackling your own fear of feeling like you have to please everybody, but just please yourself, and that's good enough.”
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
Featured image Courtesy