

Single Or Taken: The Battle Of The Relationship Status Is Tearing Us Apart
We all do it. We take into account the consistent experiences we've had and we create digestible categories.
Too many failures at work will have you believing you can't cut it. Too many encounters with ignorant people will convince you that an entire culture is ignorant. And too many bad experiences with dating can create a bias against the whole concept.
The perception of relationships tends to be either romanticized or villainized - we either ache for it or reject it entirely.
It's not hard to understand why so many black women have a fear of commitment. Between men who think sex is owed to them, men who seem like a financial risk, men who can't keep it in their pants and men who don't pull their fair share of weight in relationships - the pickings feel slim. What concerns me, is that it's gotten to the point of putting each other down, by criticizing each other's personal choices. It seems like no matter what we do, there's someone nearby side-eyeing our decisions - sometimes the one giving the side eye is us.
When Tracee Ellis Ross took to the stage at Glamour's Women of the Year summit last year, and defended her right to be a woman in her 40's with no husband or children (and no plans to have them soon), she made a beautifully necessary statement and women everywhere applauded. But principally, this message was no different than Ciara's unsolicited advice to women who seek marriage, or Beyonce's choice to stan for Jay despite his long-time infidelity.
All of them are doing something women could not do a hundred years ago - whatever the hell they want.
And that should always be applauded. But too many times, it's not.
There's nothing wrong with wanting to be married.
Today, marriage represents legal partnership, two families coming together, and the beginning of something that will hopefully last a lifetime. It also represents whatever you want it to represent. When done well, it creates a foundation of balance and stability for children. If you're religious, marriage has spiritual connotations that may make you feel more connected to God. What marriage is not, is required. Telling a woman that she is volunteering to be stifled, or settling because she's marrying a man she loves, is just as bad as telling a single woman she should find a husband before they all run out.
According to Pew Research, 88% of people who get married, do so for love. The same reason we get giddy when we see photos of Angela Bassett and Courtney Vance or Will Smith and Jada Pinkett - because love feels (and looks) good.
Couples like that remind us how beautiful black unions are, the children they produce, the legacy of self-love and support it can provide. But when the harsh reality of love comes into view, our flight or fight response kicks in. We love looking at love, but not embracing the fact that lasting love comes with pain. You can't convince me that a 20-year marriage is free of infidelity, lies, emotional neglect, disappointment, and the desire to give up and walk away. Your favorite "Relationship Goals" couple was fighting in the car this morning, I promise you.
Married or single, people are people - flawed, misinformed, and trying. It may not be plastered on someone's Instagram page, but marriage is saddled with its share of downs.
But no grass on either side is greener.
When I was single, I caught shade from married women.
I was flailing, seeking something, or kidding myself if I tried to convince them that my status was by design - not by accident. It was as if the single women I encountered believed absolutely everything TV teaches us about marriage. Between Real Housewives and The Bachelor, it's portrayed as a bit of a sham that looks good in pictures. But, marriage is just like any other choice you make, you go into it with the information you have, and you hope for the best. Sometimes the information changes. But that doesn't lessen the sanctity of someone's choice.
It also doesn't define a woman. It can, but it doesn't have to. Women are running companies and countries - most of us take that same ownership and confidence into our relationships.
When I was married, I caught shade from single women.
I was settling, aligning myself with patriarchy, and letting go of my identity. Between single and married there is a spectrum of possibilities and it seems like no matter where we are on that spectrum there is a peanut gallery of naysayers ready to tear us down.
But those naysayers are us. We are doing this to each other and to ourselves.
Now, I'm somewhere in between. Not married, not single - but happily partnered with a man I love and adore.
I've had women tell me, mid-sentence, that I couldn't possibly understand their plight because I have "a man at home." As if I've never gone on a few (or a dozen) Tinder dates that ended in irritation. As if I won't one day perhaps find myself single again. Nothing is guaranteed - no marriage, no commitment, no choice is without its risk. So why are we so attached to our relationship status in the first place? Our perception of love as black women has been under attack for generations. But it seems our most current enemy is in the mirror. It's time to change the narrative about black women and love.
Repeat after me:
"I am not my relationship status. I am not single. I am not taken. I am me, simply and happily."
I think single women have a lesson to teach partnered women, and it has nothing to do with judging their choices. In a partnership, sometimes you can forget who you are. The lines start to blur a little and you may need a reminder that who you are has nothing at all to do with who you're with. Hang around a confident single woman for a day and you'll remember. She's probably not talking about why her man leaving the seat up sends her through the roof. But she will ask you about your career goals, your fitness goals, your hair goals. Things you might forget to focus on if your world has become your partner and your home life together.
Partnered women have a lot to offer single women. Sometimes it's nice to have a reminder that not every boy is a f-boy. Some men are capable of being partners, trying their best, being consistent and offering much needed support - and that having that can feel liberating in different ways. A woman in a caring, committed relationship might be the boost of faith you need. But we can only be there for each other if we leave judgment at the door.
Whatever choices we make as black women, those choices have a much better chance at success if we support each other. You don't have to celebrate another woman's marriage in order to be supportive - but you can celebrate the fact that it was a choice in the first place.
Featured image by Giphy
Ashley Simpo is a writer, mother and advocate for self-care and healthy relationships. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @ashleysimpo. Check out her work and her musings on ashleysimpocreative.com.
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.
An author by the name of Alexandra Katehakis once said this about orgasms: “Great spiritual teachers throughout the ages have stated that orgasm is the closest some people come to a spiritual experience because of the momentary loss of self. Why is this true? Because with spiritual sex, you move beyond orgasm into a connection with yourself, your partner, and the divine — recognizing them all as one.”
If it’s counterintuitive to what you’ve ever thought about orgasms, believe it or not, there are even pastors who have said that climaxing is the closest comprehension of heaven on this side of it: it is an extreme kind of bliss that is indescribable and is best experienced between two people who share a sacrificial kind of love for one another.
Although this might seem like a heavy way to intro this particular topic, because the O Method is an orgasm-achieving technique that centers around housing energy, embracing the mental practice of manifestation, and the attempt to achieve the best climaxes ever — it all works together pretty well if you ask me. If you want to take your orgasms to the next level, it’s important that you get out of yourself (to a certain extent), that you see the spiritual role that manifestation plays, and that you are open to trying new things. No doubt about it.
So, let’s learn more about what the O Method is all about and how it very well could be just what you’ve been looking for…even if you didn’t know it.
What Is the “O Method” All About?
Question: When’s the last time you’ve had an orgasm? Not just any orgasm — I mean a really mind-blowing one (I’ll give you a second to think about it). Now, what if you could manifest that experience to the point where it wasn’t a rare occurrence but something that happened almost every time that you and your partner had sex with each other? How absolutely awesome would that be?
That is pretty much what the O Method is all about — helping you achieve the kind of orgasms (and sexual pleasure, in general) that you desire through the practice of manifestation. And since your biggest sex organ is your brain, it would make perfect sense that even with all of the tips and techniques that you might learn to do as far as your body is concerned, honing in on what you think about is super imperative to sexual fulfillment, too. And that’s just where manifestation comes in.
What If You’ve Never “Manifested” Anything Before?
Before we get into a quick lesson on manifestation, I think it’s important to mention two things. One, for the cynics, there is a lot of truth in the fact that it’s got some solid spiritual basis to it because even the Good Book says that as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). At the same time, that same Good Book tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). So, while it is always a good idea to focus on good, positive, and productive thoughts, just thinking about them isn’t enough — at some point, you’ve also gotta get out here and DO something (bookmark that).
Okay, with that mini-sermon out of the way, whether it’s in the bedroom or not, manifestation is basically about focusing on something tangible that you desire, harnessing your energy in such a way that your words and actions are directed towards that longing until what you want, well, manifests. For the record, aside from this having a spiritual backing to it, in many ways, science cosigns on manifesting, too. There is actually a scientific process known as neuroplasticity that consists of reframing your mind so that your actions ultimately end up aligning with your goals — and that is another way to look at manifestation.
So, what if you’re someone who has never set out to do a manifestation practice before? No worries. Something that’s awesome about it is there are several different approaches that you can take.
Some people manifest what they want in their lives via:
- Journaling
- Visualization/Creating vision boards
- Writing down their desires before going to bed (so that they can “download” them into their dream state)
- Creating mantras and affirmations
- Applying the 369 Manifestation Method (you can learn more about that here)
- Meditating
- Learning more about what you want to manifest (which brings forth clarity)
This is important to keep in mind because, when it comes to manifesting the types of orgasms that you want to have, as you can see, you can try different manifestation methods until you find one (or ones) that you are truly comfortable with. One that can ease you into the entire process rather smoothly is something known as sex journaling.
How Sex Journaling Can Actually Help You to Have an Orgasm
As a writer, I’m a big fan of journaling. Mostly because it’s a way to get out some of your deepest thoughts and feelings so that you’re able to really process what is happening inside of you in a private setting. And when it comes to sex journaling, specifically, it’s all about centering yourself on the things sexually that you want to “unpack,” get clarity on or come to some revelations about. For instance, if there’s only been one partner from your past who’s been able to help you achieve the type of orgasms that you wish to manifest, journaling about what makes him different from the other guys can provide you with some solid ah-ha moments.
Or if you need help getting as specific as possible about the sexual experiences that you’re after, journaling can help to make that happen for you — because one thing that manifesting reminds us all to do is be as specific as possible.
Yeah, simply saying, “I want to have better sex” isn’t detailed enough when you want to get your energy to match with your desires — instead, describe how all of your senses should feel in the experience, along with why, that can get you so much closer to achieving your goal. Once those things are documented, you can segue into creating mantras and/or meditation that are based on them. Yeah, sex journaling really is an underrated superpower on a lot of levels (check out “The Art Of Sex Journaling (And Why You Should Do It)”).
5 Tips for Making the O Method Work for You
Now that you know more about what the O Method is and how manifestation plays a direct role in its process, let’s talk about five ways to make the O Method truly effective in your own (sex) life.
1. Focus, FULLY, on your feminine energy. What do rose quartz, amethyst, moonstone (which is a Gemini birthstone as well; yes, I’m a Gemini), selenite, and rhodonite all have in common? They’re crystals that help you to go deeper into your divine feminine energy. Traits that are associated with this include compassion, creativity, kindness, gentleness, and sensuality (feminine energy is also accepting and forgiving). If you were to study energy from a biological standpoint, it’s about producing change, responding to stimuli, and having the ability to do what needs to be done (work). So, when it comes to manifesting the kind of orgasms or sexual experiences that you want, using things like your creativity and gentleness in your thoughts and actions can play a role in bringing balance to your partner’s masculinity, which can create a profound sense of pleasure — after all, opposites do attract.
2. Don’t hold back on what it is that you desire. Whenever I interview sex therapists, something that they all say is, a huge mistake that people make as far as sexual satisfaction is concerned is, they have walls up — not just with their partners but even within themselves. Sometimes, there is intimidation, fear, or even shame around what they really want to happen during sex to the point where they aren’t able to channel their energy fully in those directions in order to manifest what they want. For the O Method to work, you can’t let those types of negative emotions hinder you; the more you are able to articulate what you want and how you want it, the better chance you have of making it happen. So yes, get graphic. As graphic as possible.
3. Make manifestation a daily practice. Repetition is important when it comes to manifestation. That’s because the more you declare what you desire (a mantra), get still and think on it (meditation), or look at the “art” that you’ve created surrounding it (visualization), the quicker it becomes a part of you. So yes, make manifestation a daily practice. For instance, if one of your mantras is, “I am going to have intensely passionate orgasms, one right after the other,” don’t just state that 15 minutes before sex is going to happen. Wake up and declare it. Then say it on your lunch break. And again before turning in. The more your thoughts are “streamlined” in this way, the easier it will be for your body to follow suit.
4. Share this practice with your partner. If you were to do even more research on the O Method, one thing that most of the articles will mention is it’s a practice that you can do alone or with your partner. Indeed. However, I just want to make sure that you get into your psyche that great sex is, in part, about good communication. And so, the more comfortable you are sharing with your partner what you are doing as far as the O Method is concerned and what you ultimately want to happen as a result of the practice, the easier it will be for him to “match your energy” — both in and out of the bedroom. And when your partner is on the same page as you? That definitely increases the chances of attaining your sexual desires — exponentially so.
5. Stay in the moment. While I was reading one article on manifestation, I really appreciated something that the author said: manifestation isn’t some supernatural power. In other words, while it can be beneficial, it’s not like you can just think of something, and it instantly appears out of nowhere. Manifesting is a discipline, and it must be accompanied by action, consistency, and patience — this means that you must also practice mindfulness. Meaning, now that you know better what you’re looking to achieve as far as sex is concerned, every time that it transpires, maintain a level of positive energy, remember what your end goal is, and then determine in your mind to enjoy the moments as they come. Remember, manifestation isn’t to add stress…it’s to cultivate clarity.
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At the end of the day, the O Method is simply a way of reminding you that your mind plays a huge role in your sexual pleasure, and when you channel it and your energy exactly where you want them both to go, you’ll be amazed what your body is capable of doing…and accomplishing.
So, what kind of orgasm are you wanting to achieve? You’ve got a tool to get you there. USE IT.
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Featured image by Giphy