

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson And The Cost Of Being The First
If the vote splits along the party lines as it is expected to, judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be confirmed as the next justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America.
The former public defender and judge will have the distinction of being the first Black woman to occupy the prestigious and coveted role, a fact that has dominated much of the conversation around her nomination and her confirmation hearings.
For four days, Judge Jackson sat in front of a belligerent committee answering a barrage of questions ranging from the ridiculous to the downright offensive. Questioning whether her time as a public servant makes her equipped to become a justice to asking her topical — yet irrelevant —- questions about critical race theory and transgender identity. Notably, Texas senator Ted Cruz grilled Jackson about whether he could “turn Asian” or if “babies could be racist” while holding up a copy of an anti racist book for babies. During the hearing, Republican Senator and Senate Judiciary Committee member Thom Tillis from North Carolina even quipped that the extent of his legal knowledge comes from watching the show Law & Order.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson being sworn in for her SCOTUS nom hearing
J. Scott Applewhite-Pool/Getty Images
Of all the performances that took place during the confirmation — the bravado, the racism masking as curiosity, the feigned ignorance — it is perhaps the role of the worthy that we all watched Jackson play. There was a photo taken of Jackson as she stands squarely in the middle of a group of white photojournalists who have their lenses fixed directly on her – an almost too apt visual metaphor for the constantly leering gaze of whiteness that Black women operate under.
The disrespect that Jackson faced inflamed a familiar wound for many of the Black women who watched the hearings. There’s not only an expectation for Black women to absorb the verbal assault that comes from being a Black face in a white space, but a virtue that we must inhabit in order to survive.
Much is made about the breaking of glass ceilings, but nothing about the blood that pours out from the person who does the shattering. We’ve been convinced that abuse is worth accepting for the sake of class ascension and being in rooms we’ve historically been barred from. Instead of questioning whether these spaces are worth assimilating into or worth existing at all, we laud the strength of Black women who trek through the treacherous world of whiteness as a way to assuage our guilt for not doing anything to alleviate the burden that requires resilience.
It matters little that Judge Jackson is considered the most qualified person who would ever sit on the Supreme Court or that she has a white husband and the backing of organizations like the Fraternal Order of the Police or that she’s well educated or one of the “good ones.” There’s a fluidity to whiteness’ cruelty, an ever expanding playing field that allows for such moral impurity to happen. What if instead of trying to climb the ever increasing ladder that is required of us to get into these elite spaces, we decided that the ladder isn’t worth climbing? Or that the ladder shouldn’t exist at all?
During the confirmation hearings, Senator Cory Booker gave a speech of support and celebration for Judge Brown Jackson’s nomination that roused many but left me unmoved. He spoke about the legacy of resistance that led to both him and Jackson being able to sit in that room this week. But violence is just as much as a part of that legacy. After listening to Booker’s speech, I couldn’t help but feel that after all those years of righteous struggle, the best we could do was become a part of the thing that tried to kill us.
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.
The $1900 Anti-Aging Beauty Find Kelly Rowland Uses Almost Every Night
Every now and then, a celebrity name drops a tool or regimen that they swear by to keep their beauty and fitness game on lock. And every now and then, those finds make us think that whatever product they're using might be worth the investment. Today, Kelly Rowland just so happens to be that girl.
Over the weekend, while headling Beautycon, the 42-year-old singer revealed to PEOPLE that her biggest beauty splurge comes in the form of LED light therapy. She told the outlet, "There's this light by Shani Darden, the LED light, and it's not cheap. But I literally sleep under it every night."
LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, and in light therapy, these little diodes emit different wavelengths of light to benefit your skin. LED light therapy has seen an uptick in popularity for its benefits, which range from acne reduction and skin rejuvenation to pain relief and a more even skin tone.
She continued, “It's like a 20 to 30-minute time limit. When I'm under there, it [has] red lights, blue lights, and other colors of light. But those are the ones that I use the most, and they are so awesome because of the simple fact that they are like killing germs and [helping with] anti-aging, which is amazing."
Kelly didn't lie when she said her go-to beauty device was a "splurge." Retailing at a whopping $1,900, the Shani Darden best-selling LED Light Therapy Mask "is clinically proven to reduce acne, pigmentation, and wrinkles." Per the website, the re-engineered "diode LEDs deliver the highest dose of red, blue and near infrared light therapy in cutting-edge wavelength combinations for smoothing, clearing and brightening benefits."
Kelly is someone who gets badder with age, and over the years, the wife and mom have been vocal about her dedication to self-care through the use of beauty products. In a 2022 interview with PEOPLE, she shared her inner beauty philosophy, "Give yourself as many compliments as you possibly can. You start with one, you can have two. You have two, you can have four."
Keep scrolling for some of Kelly Rowland's other beauty faves, including a couple of additional Shani Darden finds:
Pat McGrath Labs Sublime Perfection Foundation
Pat McGrath Labs
"For me [with foundation] it was either not enough coverage or too much coverage … Pat [McGrath] found the perfect blend of them both," Kelly told PEOPLE. "This is actually my color, and it blends in beautifully with the skin – the texture of it is just like silk. I brush it on, or, sometimes I use the little sponge and push it into the skin. It's my favorite. She just nailed it, she really nailed it."
Shani Darden Skin Care Facial Sculpting Wand
The Cut
Regarding this product, Kelly revealed to The Cut, "I go up my cheekbones, across my skin and my temples with her wand — it’s incredible."
Shani Darden Skin Care Retinol Reform
"I've been with [esthetician] Shani [Darden] for almost 10 years. I was having the toughest time with my skin after I had Titan [seven years ago]. Before she sold this, she put it in a little tube for me and told me when and how to use it–she likes to educate, which I really appreciate–and my skin changed in a matter of two weeks." - via PEOPLE
Augustinus Bader the Rich Cream
The Cut
“Sometimes I use the Rich Cream, and sometimes I just use the Cream," she explained to The Cut about her product preferences.
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Featured image by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Beautycon™