Are we currently witnessing the end of the bootylicious trend?
As the saying goes, more money, more problems. And it appears for singer K. Michelle, a bigger booty means a bigger headache.
Recently the singer known for her infamous curves sat down with B.Scott to reveal that she is over her "heavy bottom." The very candid and honest K. Michelle has been no stranger to opening up in the past about having gone under the knife to enhance her assets, even opening up last year to the Huffington Post about having had a few nips and tucks, from her breasts to her butt:
“I'm not going to be one of those women who says "I woke up like this. I'm so perfect. No, that's not me. I got my boobs done, I had fat transferred to my butt, I sucked out the stomach. You know, just normal women things."
Well, a lot can happen in a year. While sitting down with host B.Scott, the voluptuous Michelle admitted that she is completely over her enhancements and that in fact–she just wants that old thing back!
"For me, I want my normal shape back.I have like movies and different things [I’m working on], and...I hate being typecasted because my bottom is so heavy. Not saying I don’t love myself, but…you know.
For me, and my career right now, and me doing business—like really being on the frontline in business—I don’t need to have a man looking down at my ass when I’m trying to talk numbers. I don’t need to not be able to get the role. Like, I wanna be in Jurassic Park! Let me be in Jurassic Park! I don’t need to not be able to run through Jurassic Park because my ass is too heavy. Before the dinosaurs come to eat me, I need to be able to go!"
The 31-year-old singer further went on to admit that she "can't even wear designer clothes," due to her radical hip-waist ratio making it difficult for her to be cloaked in couture. K. also added that although she always felt she had a nice shape, for one reason or another, she wanted to add more:
“I took fat and did [my butt] and hips and all that. I just wanted [surgery]. I wanted that shape. That’s the shape that I wanted. I wanted to look like that. I think the older you get you get tired of having to hop into your jeans!”
She even offered up some advice to women who are considering surgery for the time being, letting them know that they must be weary making permanent decisions based on temporary emotions. That is, unless they can afford to reverse those decisions, of course!
“I would say if you have the coins to put it in, have the coins to take it out. That’s really what I would [say]. No, really — because it might be a phase! I would tell [other girls], don’t go and do what you see people doing. But, if that’s what you want to do — if that’s the body you want — go get the body you want! Nothing is wrong with it. But, if you won’t want it anymore — you just don’t want it anymore!"
That's something you can never take away from K–she keeps it real all day! And keeping that in mind, there are few things that the singer can say that might shock us, including this.
Although it's a bit of a surprise that K. Michelle would want to bid her booty "farewell" so soon, plastic surgery trends are always that–just trends.
In the 90's, breast augmentation was the big in-thing. With pop culture boasting larger breasts (everything from popular sitcom "Baywatch" to countless Men's Interest magazines such as Playboy and Sports Illustrated), young women flocked to get a boob job quicker than they could round up their tuition money. By the early 2000's, with the rise in popularity in certain ethnic women–such as Jennifer Lopez, Tyra Banks, Beyoncé, etc.–boobs were "out" and butts and hips were in! Some stars even went as far as removing their implants, including actress and boob-queen, Pamela Anderson.
Back in 2014, Basketball Wives LA star Draya Michele took to her Twitter to express regret over her breast implants, even saying she had plans to remove them by Fall of that year.
"Saying 'bye bye' to my girls in September! I'm tired of these boobs making everything look all skanky all the time... And take it from me, this fake tidday phase is outta style. I like natural boobs like Rihanna's."
Even Kylie Jenner, who has been accused of "mimicking Black woman," admitted last month that she was over her lip fillers, saying: "You know what's weird? I've been into small lips lately. Like, I want them to look small."
So why is it that we even bother getting surgery in the first place if it's bound to get old? Well, the desire to be desirable might be one. In the same way that some men feel the need to flash their money and fancy things to grasp the attention of women, some women also feel the pressures to be worth the attention as well! Not to mention, the media plays a major role in how we view and set certain beauty standards, thus why such features, especially those that are often tied in with being afrocentric or "ethnic" (e.g.: bigger butts, hips and lips) can go from NOT to HOT real quick, depending on who is rocking it *hint, hint*
However, in the case of K. Michelle, who admitted to already having had "a big butt" growing up, if some women are not careful, we may get a little delusional with what we think we need when it comes to surgery. Comedian and actor Sinbad recently stopped by The Breakfast Club and brought up a great point about the excess in Black women competing to enhance what is often already a God-given gift:
When did Black women start getting fake butts? We (Black women) were known for butts and now we can't even compete with the "white fake butt." So now you have Black women doing damage to the face and damage to the booty. We've flipped it so far, I don't even know if we can come back. It's dumb!
I guess in short–check yourself before you wreck yourself! At least in the case of the K. Michelle's and Draya's, these enhancements were done at the hand of professionals. And although that always minimizes the risks of most physical damage, that doesn't protect you from any psychological or emotional damage you may incur later.
Have you had any plastic surgery regrets?
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In fact, aromatherapy is quite powerful when it comes to promoting calm and relaxation, helping to put you into an optimistic mood, reducing stress, preventing insomnia, and improving how soundly you are able to sleep throughout the night. And so, since I’m such an essential oils fan (and I truly am!), let’s get into 10 that will help you to rest well — thanks to the way that they smell along with a few other benefits that they are able to offer you too.
Essential Oils for Better Sleep
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1. Lavender
When it comes to essential oils that are best for you in the “rest and relaxation department,” lavender may be the most popular one. That’s because it is well known for doing everything from reducing pain and inflammation and making menstrual cramps less intense to lowering anxiety and increasing your melatonin levels. On a super scientific note, something else that’s cool about lavender oil is it works with your body’s neurotransmitters in order to reduce restlessness if you happen to be someone who doesn’t sleep soundly due to tossing and turning all throughout the night.
2. Cedarwood
Although I’ve always liked the earthy scent of cedarwood, something that caused it to earn my respect was reading about how it’s an all-natural way to improve the attention span of children who’ve been diagnosed with autism and ADHD. Beyond that, as far as calming oneself goes, cedarwood oil is able to soothe arthritic discomfort, reduce coughing (if a cold is what’s keeping you up), decrease the itchiness and irritation that comes with eczema, lower your stress levels, and, yes, improve your quality of sleep if you’re someone who happens to rest yet not really…rest well.
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3. Patchouli
Another oil that has a solid reputation for decreasing bodily inflammation is patchouli. Some other things that make it stellar are the facts that it helps to ward off depression-related symptoms (if that is what keeps you up at night), puts you in a better mood, boosts your immunity (so that being under the weather doesn’t prevent you from catching some zzz’s) and it even intensifies your libido — ‘cause chile, ain’t nothin’ like the sleep that you get after having an orgasm…or two. Oh, and it absolutely must go on record that patchouli oil also acts as a sedative if you’ve been dealing with insomnia as of late as well.
4. Marjoram
Women who are looking for an all-natural way to regulate their hormones (check out “5 Signs Your Estrogen Is Too High. 5 Signs It's Too Low.”) might want to speak with their doctor (or homeopath) about trying marjoram oil. Some research says that it can help to balance hormones which can make PMS and the latter stages of perimenopause more tolerable (which can make falling and staying asleep easier to do too). Marjoram is also helpful when it comes to reducing pain, easing digestion, and alleviating anxiety.
Plus, since marjoram is an oil that is high in magnesium and magnesium is a nutrient that can help you to get to sleep, stay asleep, and then wake up feeling refreshed — so long as you’re not pregnant or breastfeeding (you should consult your doctor first if you are because it can sometimes produce side effects in your case), you definitely should give marjoram a shot.
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5. Ylang Ylang
Typically, when I think of the essential oil ylang ylang, what comes to my mind is how it can make for a very eventful evening…if you catch my drift (check out “Ultimate Climax Hack? 10 Scents That Make It So Much Easier To Orgasm”); however, it can actually help you out in more areas of your life than just your bedroom. Ylang ylang is another oil that helps to reduce pain and anxiety. Something else to keep in mind about ylang ylang is if you’re having a hard time falling asleep due to something like a headache or even respiratory issues, putting a couple of drops into a diffuser could bring some relief. That’s because ylang ylang is also classified as being a sedative — one that can even help to lower the blood pressure in your bae (healthy men) if need be.
6. Fennel
As a doula, something that I’m well aware of is the fact that fennel seeds can help (some) mothers to produce more breast milk. It doesn’t stop there, though. If sleep is evading you due to gas or constipation, fennel oil can help you out there. Some scientific research also says that it’s the kind of oil that can help you feel less anxious if you’re trying to rest after a long hard day. And, since fennel is known for making sleeping better when it’s in tea form, I don’t see why it wouldn’t do the same thing as an essential oil too.
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7. Valerian Root
If you’re looking for the kind of essential oil that will help you to relax, on pretty much every level, look no further than valerian root. The properties in it are going to help to calm your nervous system, soothe headache tension, lower your stress levels, decrease menstrual cramp discomfort, bring relief to hot flashes (that come with perimenopause) and yes, it’s an all-natural approach to insomnia as well. Although many choose to use it in supplement form, applying valerian root oil to pressure points like your feet can also provide a very relaxing and impactful effect.
8. Jasmine
If you check out my article, “8 Natural Aphrodisiac Scents, Where They Go & How To Make Them Last” from back in the day, you’ll see that jasmine is another essential oil that is considered to be a pretty potential one if you’re looking to boost you (or your partner’s libido). I get why too because its floral-meets-fruity scent can be quite sensual. Beyond the bedroom, jasmine can help you to feel less stressed and anxious, experience less menstrual-related discomfort, and make you feel less depressed — and yes, it contains properties that qualify the oil to be a sedative. This is especially the case if you blend it with another soothing essential oil like lavender.
9. Clary Sage
If pretty much nothing but perimenopause symptoms are what’s keeping you awake at night, you might want to keep a bottle of clary sage oil on your nightstand because it can help to decrease night sweats by naturally “leveling out” the estrogen that may be on a bit of a roller coaster ride in your system right through here. Other things that this oil can do is reduce stress and help to relax your system. Not to mention the fact that if menstrual cramps are what’s keeping you up, some women say that rubbing some of the oil (add a carrier oil like sweet almond or avocado to the oil to dilute it a bit, please) to your abdominal region can provide quite a bit of relief.
10. Vetiver
Final one. In my opinion, it’s kind of surprising that vetiver essential oil isn’t mentioned more in the holistic care space. For starters, it has been celebrated for providing support for children with ADHD as well as decreasing nervousness and anxiety in adults. Some other ways that this oil can benefit you is it’s the kind of aphrodisiac that raises testosterone levels while lowering cortisol ones (cortisol is a stress hormone that’s in your body) which can intensify orgasms and promote great rest — and yes, it’s also mentioned quite often in the sleep-inducing space.
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You know, I once read that since 2010, the amount of people who rely on sleeping pills to get to sleep has pretty much doubled. Since the side effects of the long-term use of over-the-counter sedatives include things like headaches, muscle weakness, digestion issues, and even louder snoring and sleeplessness, consider trying one of these essential oils before popping a pill. As you can see, not only can certain oils help to lull you to sleep — but they can help in so many other areas too. Happy resting, chile.
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