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Sabrina Elba On Wanting To Be Known As More Than Just Idris Elba’s Wife
Model, entrepreneur, and humanitarian Sabrina Dhowre Elba is opening up about the importance of preserving her identity following her marriage to actor Idris Elba.
The pair has been together since 2017 following a chance encounter at a jazz club in Vancouver. At the time, Idris was in town filming Mountain Between Us and decided to check out the club while Sabrina was out celebrating a friend's birthday.
That same year, Idris and Sabrina made their debut as a couple by attending a film premiere. As their bond progressed, Idris and Sabrina would showcase more about their lives by going to more events, publicly speaking about one another, and sharing intimate moments on social media.
In 2019, the couple tied the knot in Morocco. Over the years, in addition to their romantic relationship, Idris and Sabrina have professionally collaborated on several projects, including their genderless skincare brand S'Able Labs, their Coupledom podcast, and their humanitarian work.
During a recent interview with The Breakpodcast, Sabrina revealed why she felt it was essential to maintain her identity even after marrying a high-profile celebrity and the struggles she faced during that process.
Sabrina Elba On Maintaining Her Identity After Marrying Idris
In the July discussion, the 35-year-old explained it was important for her to preserve her identity because she wanted to be seen as an equal regardless of being married to Idris.
"It was really important to me to maintain my own identity," she said. "Sometimes that can be hard when someone else's identity is so strong and so big, all the reasons why I love him for, his massive personality."
Further into the interview, Sabrina claimed that although she tried numerous ways to maintain her identity and her independence by speaking up about specific issues that were important to her and sharing various social media posts, it wasn't well received by some people.
"I'm still going through this discovery. I don't want to lose that and not be afraid to explore what that is because I heard early on, 'Why are you talking? You've just married someone [famous].' Or 'Why are you on [social media] posting?'" she stated while mentioning what inspired her to stand her ground.
"I was like, okay, let's not silence someone's voice. My mom always told me the most important thing you have in this world is your voice. I was like, I'm still going to talk about whatever I want to talk about. If I want to post a pair of shoes, I'm still going to post a pair of shoes. I'm not going to change my identity."
Sabrina On Her Past Struggles
When asked about the negative comments she’s received, Sabrina disclosed that it wasn't necessarily the remarks that rubbed her the wrong way but rather people's attitude toward her when she would talk about certain things and post online.
"It was almost the attitude towards me of there's no reason that you should be speaking up or talking about things you care about because you're only here because of him," she stated. "I remember thinking, you know what, that's your prerogative because I'm still going to say, talk, and be whoever I want to be."
Despite the adverse reaction, Sabrina added that none of this made sense to her because she grew up in an African household where women could express themselves. However, with Idris' help and guidance, Sabrina revealed she found her voice while navigating through the storm.
"It didn't make sense to me because I grew up with such a strong woman. My mom was a strong African woman, no one would have taken that from her," she said. "I thought, let me just figure out what I want to say and who I am. I was going through this exploration, and Idris [was] just hand-holding because he's like really good at that. I feel like I've come now to a place where I can say I'm quite proud of who I've developed into over the past couple of years. "
Sabrina wrapped up her statement by saying she is now content with the person she has become and what she stands for.
"I maybe couldn't have said that like four years ago, maybe I was still going through that kind of journey. But now I feel quite settled and in a groove and quite good about who I am and the things that I have been able to speak on. That feels refreshing," she stated.
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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.
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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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