

The curve is real. We are millennial women that know what we want, why we want it, and how we want it done. So when a guys tries to holla we can decide within a matter of seconds to give him a chance to or leave him on "read."
Iman Shumpert revealed recently that he had shot his shot four times before Teyana Taylor let him score, and now she couldn't imagine a life without him. The stylish couple has a new reality show on VH1 Teyana & Iman, chronicling their budding professional lives meanwhile enduring the trials of parenthood while raising their 2-year-old baby girl Junie.
Teyana said that their happily ever after came when she was healing from a very public break-up and was helping long time friend, Iman heal from a recent work-related injury. She told Wendy Williams:
"I played very, very hard to get. I did not like him at first. Because when I first met him, he had just got drafted, he was young, he was doing a lot. I was at a party and he was drunk and he had his shirt off. It was just too much going on baby!"
Later, the couple became friends, which led to a romantic relationship in 2014. In an interview with VH1, Teyana talks about the first time she felt sparks fly between them.
"When you catch butterflies, do you run away from it and get scared and miss out on love? Or do you just follow your gut? What does your gut tell you? And at that moment, I caught butterflies no matter what my feelings were on him five minutes prior, I was in love."
Later, the two found out they were pregnant with a baby girl, Iman proposed, and shortly after, the couple was married in the same bathroom where Teyana gave birth to baby Junie. That is one hell of a love story, and it made me wonder, have I been curving my own 'King Charming'?
Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Roger Dubuis
For me, it takes approximately 10 seconds within meeting a guy to know whether I find him attractive or whether I'm going to blow him off. He literally doesn't even have to open his mouth, I just know. I'm sure it has something to do with pheromones and astrology.
I'm slowly but surely beginning to wake up to the idea that love at first sight just isn't common. Everything that feels good ain't good for me.
We all know a few men in our lives that we refuse to let out of the friend zone, and rightfully so. The ones who are really cool people, but there's just no romantic chemistry. When it ain't there, it just ain't there. Iman Shumpert is proof to all men that if you are steadfast in your pursuit, the fates just might eventually align in your favor.
Keep your curve game strong, but Teyana reminds us to listen to our gut when it comes to matters of the heart.
Make sure you take a look around you and make sure that the man of your dreams isn't trapped in the friend zone, waiting for a text back.
Teyana & Iman premieres on VH1 Monday, March 26 at 9pm ET/PT.
Featured image by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Roger Dubuis
'Sistas' Star Skyh Black On The Power Of Hypnotherapy & Emotional Vulnerability For Men
In this insightful episode of the xoMAN podcast, host Kiara Walker talked with Sistas star Skyh Black, as he opened up about his journey of emotional growth, resilience, and self-discovery. The episode touches on emotional availability, self-worth, masculinity, and the importance of therapy in overcoming personal struggles.
Skyh Black on Emotional Availability & Love
On Emotional Availability & Vulnerability
“My wife and I wouldn't be where we are today if both of us weren't emotionally available,” he shared about his wife and Sistas co-star KJ Smith, highlighting the value of vulnerability and emotional openness in a relationship. His approach to masculinity stands in contrast to the traditional, stoic ideals. Skyh is not afraid to embrace softness as part of his emotional expression.
On Overcoming Self-Doubt & Worthiness Issues
Skyh reflected on the self-doubt and worthiness issues that he struggled with, especially early in his career. He opens up about his time in Los Angeles, living what he calls the “LA struggle story”—in a one-bedroom with three roommates—and being homeless three times over the span of 16 years. “I always had this self-sabotaging thought process,” Skyh said. “For me, I feel therapy is essential, period. I have a regular therapist and I go to a hypnotherapist.”
How Therapy Helped Him Heal From Self-Doubt
On Hypnotherapy & Empowering Self-Acceptance
Skyh’s journey is a testament to the power of tapping into self-development despite life’s struggles and being open to growth. “I had to submit to the fact that God was doing good in my life, and that I'm worthy of it. I had a worthiness issue and I did not realize that. So, that’s what the hypnotherapy did. It brought me back to the core. What is wrong so that I can fix it?”
Watch the full podcast episode below:
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Quinta Brunson Gets Real About Divorce, Boundaries & Becoming
Quinta Brunson is the woman who chooses herself, even when the world is watching. And in her June 30 cover story for Bustle, she gives us a rare glimpse into the soft, centered place she's navigating her life from now. From leading one of television's most beloved series in the last decade to quietly moving through life shifts, the creator of Abbott Elementary is walking through a personal evolution and doing so with intention, grace, and a firm grip on her boundaries.
Back in March, the 35-year-old filed for divorce from Kevin Jay Anik after nearly three years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences." The news hit the headlines of news outlets fast, but Quinta hadn't planned to announce their dissolution to the public so quickly.
Quinta Brunson On Divorce, Public Scrutiny & Sacred Boundaries
"I remember seeing people be like, ‘She announced her divorce,’" she told Bustle. “I didn’t announce anything. I think people have this idea that people in the public eye want the public to know their every move. None of us do. I promise you. No one wants [everyone] to know when you buy a house, when you move, when a major change happens in your personal life. It’s just that that’s public record information."
In regards to her private moves becoming tabloid fodder, Quinta continued, "I hated that. I hate all of it."
"I Am An Artist First": Quinta On Cutting Her Hair & Reclaiming Herself
Still, the diminutive phenom holds her crown high in the face of change and is returning to the essence of who she is, especially as an artist. "Cutting my hair reminded me that I am an artist first. I want to feel things. I want to make choices. I want to be a person, and not just stuck in having to be a certain way for business." It's giving sacred rebirth. It's giving self-liberation. It's especially giving main character energy.
And while the headlines keep spinning their narratives, the one that Quinta is focused on is her own. For her, slowing down and nourishing herself in ways that feed her is what matters. "It’s a transitional time. I think it’s true for me and my personal life, and it’s how I feel about myself, my career, and the world," Quinta shared with Bustle. “I feel very serious about focusing on watering my own gardens, taking care of myself and the people around me who I actually interact with day-to-day."
That includes indulging in simple rituals that ground her like "making myself a meal" which has become "really, really important to me."
That spirit of agency doesn't stop at the personal. In her professional world, as the creator, executive producer, and lead actress of the critically-acclaimed Abbott Elementary, Quinta understands the weight her choices carry, both on- and off-screen. She revealed to Bustle, "People used to tell me at the beginning of this that the No. 1 on the call sheet sets the tone, and the producer sets the tone — and I’m both of those roles."
She continued, "I understand now, after doing this for four years, how important it was that I set the tone that I did when we first started."
Quinta doesn't just lead, she understands the importance of curating the energy of any space she enters. Even amid a season of shifts and shedding, her power speaks loudly. Sometimes that power looks like quiet resistance. Sometimes that power is soft leadership.
And sometimes that power looks like cutting your hair and taking back your name in rooms that have forgotten you were an artist long before you were a brand.
Read Quinta's cover story on Bustle here to witness the fullness of Quinta's becoming.
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Featured image by Zach Hilty/BFA.com/Shutterstock