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5 Reasons Why Teri From 'Soul Food' Was Not The Villain
“The family f—cked my husband,” were the iconic words Vanessa Williams said as her character Teri Joseph in the '90s classic family drama Soul Food. The line came after Teri witnessed her husband cheating on her, and moments before she would attempt to stab her husband with a kitchen knife.
But can you believe that 25 years after the film premiered, there are people who still think Teri is the villain? The number of villains in Soul Food is endless: Diabetes for taking out Big Mama; Mel Jackson for playing yet another havoc-wreaking light-skinned; Ahmad for being up in grown folk's business; whoever let Lem's ex into him and Bird’s wedding; Lem for dancing with his ex at his own wedding??
Teri however, is not one of them. And even if she was the villain (she’s not!!), xoNecole has compiled a list of reasons as to why she’s justified to be.
1. Maxine stole Teri’s boyfriend
From very early in the film, we learned that Teri’s sister Maxine (played by Vivica A. Fox) stole Teri’s boyfriend and later married him. Imagine having to spend every Sunday dinner for the rest of your life watching your ex-boyfriend and your sister peacefully smackin' on yams and collard greens and fried chicken after betraying you in such a way and the rest of the family going along with it. And to top it all off, Maxine had the nerve to have beef with her sister?
2. Teri's husband took $5k out of their joint savings
There’s perhaps nothing scarier than thinking you’re married to a handsome, successful, educated, well-adjusted man only for him to come home one day and say “honey, I’m pursuing a music career.” Mind you, this was before the internet when you could upload your music to Soundcloud or TikTok for a chance to go viral. But this was the reality Teri had to live with her husband, whose audacity led him to take $5,000 out of the couple’s savings account just to pay for studio time. Imagine if an actual emergency arose. Oh sorry, I can't pay for a new car battery because my husband wanted to play the keyboard at his ginormous age!
\u201cTeri from Soul Food had every right to be sour toward her family. She was the oldest, took all the pressure, paid everyone\u2019s way, and her man cheated on her with her cousin. I would be a Bitch too.\u201d— the writer formely known as LEX (@the writer formely known as LEX) 1647557954
3. Cousin Faith f—cked Teri’s husband
I mean where do we even begin with this one? Your jobless cousin comes into town unannounced, crashes at your place for free, and then you walk in on your husband with his booty butt cheeks out as he’s breaking your cousin’s back. I would’ve stabbed both of them then and there!
4. Family expected Teri to pay for everything
It should be stated that I probably wouldn’t have tried to sell Big Mama’s house, but I also wouldn’t expect my sister to pay for all the expenses on the house either, ESPECIALLY after how cruel I'd been to her.
5. Bird being rude after Teri got Bird’s husband out of jail
As far as I’m concerned, Teri is the only real b—tch in this entire film. She thinks her sister Bird has been abused by her husband and the first thing Teri does is send her goons after him to rough him up. Weeks after Bird’s husband ends up in jail for the altercation, Teri calls a friend at the DA office to drop the charges, and instead of saying THANK YOU, Bird and that triflin' husband of hers instead chastise Teri.
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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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