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Meet The Influencers On A Mission To Normalize Black Women And Luxury
If you are a frequent reader of my articles, then you know that I am front-of-the-class here for the culture. Using all of my platforms to be vocal about Black women and all things Blackity, Black, Black, Black is how I get down, and frankly, if you aren't here for me bragging on my people, then we probably won't have much in common. The wave has been snowballing too, because so many feel the same way I do, which is something we've had to consciously build up as a community.
The internet is filled with pages showing love to melanin, comments are up and stuck in celebrating our likeness, and we stick together, m'kay?! Just ask TikTok.
But now? Now it's time we take it a step further and level up on what it means to be balanced.
And with that, in walks Clarke Peoples, Amber Janae, and Skylar Marshai. When scouring the internet, I came across these three influencers, who are all on a mission to normalize luxury in Black women's lives. Each woman spoke with POPSUGAR about what it means to indulge in wealth and wellness, which Skylar has coined as 'unapologetic audacity.'
Unapologetic audacity. Love to see it. Write it down, use it in a sentence.
Ultimately, here's what else they had to say:
Clarke Peoples | @clarkepeoples
After going viral on TikTok earlier this year when she posted a day-in-the-life video showcasing her high-rise apartment in New York City (and casually mentioning a date with a millionaire), Clarke amassed over 3.6M views and garnered so much attention, mostly due to the fact that people were labeling her as a "prostitute" and a "sugar baby."
The 20-year-old Columbia student explained:
"I love to see Black women living in luxury [but] people were actually going and responding to other comments asking, `What does she do for a living? Oh she's a prostitute.' I was totally appalled."
Since then, two other videos have racked up millions of views—one where she explains how she makes her living and one recapping a date with a wealthy doctor.
"I see so many videos online of women of other races living lifestyles like this and it's not necessarily the norm, but it's something that when we see it, we don't think twice about it. [Seeing] other Black women who didn't have the best childhoods growing up be able to make it and do it for themselves, I think it's so inspiring."
Skylar Marshai | @skylarmarshai
Skylar Marshai is goals all around and truly lives up to the building a life she romanticizes. The storytelling travel influencer has gained such a luxe lifestyle following, that her social media is littered with comments and post engagement. When asked how she has gotten to this point, she says:
"I think a lot of it is 50 percent manifestation. I spent a lot of time speaking these things into existence and [visualizing] the things I wanted in my life. It's almost like what we were owed. [...] It's beyond the flights. It's beyond the monetary things. It's this idea of abundance and leisure, which Black people are not allowed. We've not been given that before. We've had to make it."
Her parents taught her the audacity of living out loud.
"None of this feels new. None of this feels foreign, especially being a Black woman: it's something that we should normalize more. Stepping into wealth. Stepping in Black love, and it should be easy, like, damn, I don't want to struggle all the time."
Her advice? Fall in love with your life as it is now and the rest will fall into place.
"It's looking at what you might define as luxury and assuming that you can have it. A great first step? Romanticize your morning routine. Romanticize a day in your life. Finding luxury in smaller moments and then integrating it into your life in that way and so you can create luxury for yourself. So often or for the longest time, luxury has been out of touch for us [and] now it's within reach."
Amber Janae | @ajscribes
For Amber Janae, her lifestyle is one that she has always known. The author and lifestyle blogger opens up:
"I come from a lineage of women who are very strong, very independent. I've always grown up around women who, regardless of being married or in long term relationships, they always have their own. They're always able to provide for themselves, live well, but also look really amazing while doing so [...] just quality everything."
In turn, Amber sees luxury as a form of peace.
"Ultimately, I'm living in luxury when I know that everything around me brings me a sense of calm. [...] so the idea that luxury—Black women in luxury or just Black women experiencing luxury in itself—is only tied to material things, completely takes away from living a life of luxury because you continue to feed into the things or pour into the things that live outside of you."
Her advice? Find out what you classify as 'luxury,' and do that. A LOT.
"Just be one with whatever your definition is of being a Black woman and living in luxury. Learn what excites you. Learn what brings you peace. Learn what calms your spirit and continue to strive for those things. Stand on that."
Unapologetic audacity for the win!
Read the full article here.
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Featured image by Getty Images
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Charmin Michelle is a southern native and creative spirit who works as a content marketer and events manager in Chicago. She enjoys traveling, #SummertimeChi, and the journey of mastering womanhood. Connect with her on Instagram @charminmichelle.
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
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Mariee Revere On Her History-Making Million-Dollar Sales And The Future Of MoonXCosmetics
If the name Mariee Revere sounds familiar, it's probably because you heard of her beauty and skincare brand, MoonXCosmetics, or you may have heard about her history-making achievement of making $1.8 million in less than eight minutes. But before starting her million-dollar brand, Mariee was just a teenager trying to cure her acne.
While she grew up in the skincare capital of the world, South Korea, Mariee didn't really experience breakouts until her senior year of high school. Like many people who get their first breakout, she didn't know what to do, and there weren't many products out there at that time. So she decided to experiment. What she didn't know was that what she came up with would ultimately be her ticket to success.
"When I graduated high school, I moved back to America, Georgia, and I ended up making, like, the oil, the Rose Galore oil, which is like the staple product of my brand. I don't know what made me make it, but I did, and it literally cleared my face up," she tells xoNecole in an exclusive interview.
"I end up selling it as a body oil first because, obviously, I'm 17, [and] don't have any background as an esthetician or anything like that. I just made a product that worked for me, but people bought it and was using it, and I reformulated it, and then it just stuck like with me."
While MoonXCosmetics is known for its facial products, it wants to expand to body care and home. It just released its new product, Moon-Gel body wash, and it's only up from there. As Mariee continues to grow the brand, it's more than likely that she will see more history-making moments. And so far she has.
Photo courtesy
When asked if she feels pressure to obtain more of those milestones, she says yes and no. "I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more," she says.
"I want to say more reach than more like fast-paced sales. I do want that. Obviously, every girl wants that, but I do want to have a better overall reach for my brand because I did take two years off so I was able to learn, [and] study a lot of different things. See how things have changed from 2020 to now."
"I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more."
Another part of expanding for any company is hiring people. Finding the right person to help you can be a hassle, especially for business owners who are used to doing all the work themselves. Mariee can relate to this, and she touched on this topic in her documentaryThe Million Dollar Story. She recommends having someone be your "right-hand man" who you trust to handle the ins and outs of the company.
"I could say, definitely get, like a right-hand man to help you within the process because that really was what helped me. I never had a job. I literally was 18 now, being like, you know, the boss of over 30+ employees at one point in time, and I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about no W-2s, no taxes, no clock in, clock out because all I [have] ever known was my brand," she explains.
"So I definitely partner with people who are very skewed and versed in those areas, and they helped me get through it. Even to this day, I still have my same person helping me with hiring, firing, [and] doing everything that I can right now because I'm still learning. But obviously people get jobs young, so they have way more experience than me, but still learning."
And though she is still learning, one thing she makes sure to stay on top of is being consistent. Consistency is what trips many people up when it comes to achieving goals, but Mariee says it's all about scheduling. Whether it's when to post on social media or email marketing, scheduling it out can make a world of difference. That same practice also works when planning out her future goals for the company.
"Right now, future goals would be to drop at least five more products before the end of the year. We always do outreach, where we do drives and all that, but definitely do way more this year, she says. "Then really dive into body [care], and then hopefully open up MoonXBody underneath MoonXCosmetics to let that branch out and be open and definitely get back consistent."
For more information, visit moonxco.com.
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