Ain’t it funny how most folks always think that Memorial Day Weekend is the official start of summer when, actually, the summer season doesn’t kick off until June 20 (or 21, based on how the summer solstice plays out)? This means that if you’re still trying to get your summer body all the way together, you’ve still got some time because (this year) summer doesn’t end until September 22.
Okay, but what do you do if you want to look oh so very right in your monokini, yet you also want to enjoy some of the best that food has to offer during this time of year, too? If that’s your personal dilemma, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve got 10 tips for how you can have a ball with food, remain healthy, and still have a snatched body in the process. Let’s do this.
1. Try Breakfast Salads in the Morning
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If you grew up hearing that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, more research is revealing that if you skip it altogether, it’s not quite as detrimental to your health as we were led to believe. Still, that doesn’t mean that if breakfast is your thing, it doesn’t come with some major benefits. It fuels you for the day. It boosts your metabolism. It can also lower your risks of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. The key is to consume a breakfast that’s as healthy as possible, and two options that are pretty popular right now are breakfast salads and breakfast toast.
Since a lot of the ingredients that go into both are full of fiber, protein, and essential nutrients, going with a meal that is light and “brunch-able” is a great way to start off your day, no doubt. Check out some easy-to-make breakfast salad recipes here and delicious breakfast toast ones here.
2. Make Your Own Smoothies and Popsicles
Speaking of breakfast foods, although breakfast isn’t my favorite meal, I will get down with a smoothie, preferably a homemade one. It’s definitely one of the quickest, easiest, and most convenient ways to get a lot of nutrients into your system while you’re on the go. Plus, if you’re someone who isn’t a big fan of raw fruits and veggies, by combining them into a smoothie, you can get them into your body in a way that is easier to “take in," not to mention the fact that smoothies are great for maintaining gut health and they can even help you to lose weight if that is a summertime mission of yours.
The key is to balance how much sugar you put into them (men only need nine teaspoons a day while we only need six). Oh, and if you’re “smoothie-d out” or you want to try another option, make your own popsicles or slushes. You can put fresh fruits in those as well, and they can help to keep you hydrated while giving you a healthy sweet tooth fix. Check out some summer smoothie recipes here and DIY popsicle recipes here.
3. Enjoy All of the “High Water” Foods
When it’s hot outside, you actually need to up your water intake in order to stay well-hydrated. Some health experts say that this means men should consume 15 ½ cups a day while women should have no less than 11 ½ of them.
If water isn’t really “your thing,” one way to still get your fluids in is to eat foods that have a high amount of water content in them. Some of those include watermelon, strawberries, cucumbers, melons, lettuce, tomatoes, and cauliflower — all of which are light and “cool” foods to eat during this time of the year.
4. Have Carbs Before 2 P.M.
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If you can’t see going throughout summer without some ice cream, French fries, or even sushi (rice is high in carbs) — no one says that you have to. The key is 1) to consume high carbs in moderation and 2) try and eat them as early in the day as possible. Since most of us tend to be more active during daytime hours, if you’re worried that some chocolate gelato is going to pack on the pounds or cause your blood sugar levels to skyrocket, having it while you’re taking a walk or before your evening workout can make it more of a stress-free delight for you. Science backs it.
5. Support Local Farmers (and Farmers Markets)
Aside from the fact that supporting your local farmers and farmer markets is a fabulous way to financially back your community, there are some health benefits that come from doing it as well. The food is fresher, there is less of a need for preservatives in them (because they aren’t being shipped from state to state), and you don’t have to play so much of a guessing game when it comes to figuring out exactly where your food sources are coming from.
Hmph, let me tell it, a great first or second date is meeting someone at a farmers market early in the day. Then, if things go well, have a picnic with some of the produce that you purchased in a park later that afternoon. Thank me later.
6. Snack Healthy
One of my goddaughters isn’t a big eater; she is a huge snacker, though. If you were raised to believe that is a big-time no-no, honestly, snacking throughout the day has its benefits. It can give you more energy, help to keep you from overdoing it when it’s time to have an actual meal and it can provide you with some essential nutrients that you might not (automatically) receive at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
The key to snacking well is eating healthy foods. Some of the ones that are great for this time of the year include nuts, berries, hummus, dark chocolate, cheese and crackers, beef jerky, olives, cherries, Greek yogurt, and guacamole (in moderation on that last one; guac can be a bit on the fatty side).
7. If You Are Vegan or Vegetarian, Watch that Sodium Intake
Most things in our culture are fads; veganism isn’t exempt. However, if you do happen to be a vegan or vegetarian, it does you no good to look down on (us) meat eaters if your meat substitutes are loaded with sodium, preservatives, and additives. That said, if you plan on putting some meat alternatives on the grill this summer (more on grilling at the end), definitely read the labels on the packages beforehand. Heart disease continues to be the top killer of Black women, and too much sodium in your system can contribute to that on a few different levels.
8. Have Water with You Cocktails and Mocktails
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Remember how I said a little earlier that remaining hydrated is super important, especially during the summer season? Adding to that, it always trips me out when I read that a whopping 75 percent of Americans aren’t just dehydrated — they are chronically so. And since summer is when a lot of outdoor parties and vacations go down, I think it would be ridiculous of me not to put on record that alcohol is a diuretic (which means that it definitely has the ability to dehydrate you).
So, if you’re gonna turn up, try and have (at least) one cup of water for every two cocktails that you consume. And what if you prefer the non-alcoholic version of cocktails known as mocktails? Sugar has the ability to dehydrate you as well and since many mocktails are loaded with that, the same water rule for cocktails should be applied.
9. Grill Lean Meats
If you do plan on enjoying your fair share of grilled meats over the next few months, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. One, although grilled meat is certainly better for you than, say, frying it, the smoke and carcinogenic compounds that can come from preparing meat in this fashion do have the ability to increase your cancer risk. For the record, doing things like removing the fat, marinating the meat beforehand, lowering the temperature of your grill, and grilling for shorter periods of time can all help to make grilling a healthier experience. So can eating leaner meats because they are lower in saturated fats yet they can still give you the nutrients that you need.
10. You Don’t Have to Go to EVERY Cookout. Lawd. LOL.
Let’s not sit up here and act like one of the best things about summer is going to somebody’s cookout. Problem is, some of the unhealthiest foods (and drinks) are oftentimes served there, from hot dogs and ribs with barbeque sauce to potato salad (with all of that mayo) and sodas. That said, just make sure that if you are invited to more than a few cookouts, either you don’t attend every one or you eat something healthy before you attend. That way, you’ll eat one hamburger instead of three or one rib instead of an entire slab. Feel me?
Now that you know how to do it responsibly — enjoy the taste(s) of summer, y’all!
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Featured image by Getty Images
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So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
"They asked for body products and we wanted to make sure we listened. But also layering fragrance begins with the body routine." The body wash is $33, and the body lotion is $35. Keep reading below to hear more about Tabitha and Chance's new collection, their body rituals, and what makes their partnership successful.
Fridays with Tab and Chance body collection
Marcus Owens
xoNecole: How did you come up with the scents for the collection?
Tabitha Brown: We love warm scents that make you feel sexy and loved. [We’re] both fans of gourmand [scents], including bergamot, vanilla, tonka and chocolate.
xoN: If you could describe your working relationship in one word, what would it be and why?
Tabitha: It's our first time building a product line together and our first time working with fragrance. So having patience with the process and each other has been the best way to build.
xoN: What is your body care ritual?
Tabitha: Exfoliate with a scrub a few times a week, but using a moisturizing body wash daily. After a shower, I spray a body mist that compliments what scent I am choosing for the day. Most times vanilla mist wins because it’s a perfect base for layering. I then hydrate [my] skin with lotion. Then, once dressed, I layer my favorite fragrance, Her Business, first and then His Business on top.
Chance: [I’m] way more simple. Just body wash and lotion and then my cologne and I’m good to go.
xoN: We enjoy watching you two together online, whose idea was it to start 'Fridays with Tab & Chance'?
Tabitha: It actually happened by accident. Back in 2018, my fans had just been asking about how we met, so we did a video answering questions one Friday and people in the comments [asked], will y’all do it again next Friday? And so we did and the next thing you know Fridays with Tab & Chance was born.
xoN: In what other ways do you plan to expand Fridays? Restart the podcast? TV show?
Tabitha: We are working on a lifestyle content show vs the traditional Fridays podcast. More to come soon.
xoN: You do many things together, but what would you say is your favorite quality time activity and why?
Tabitha: We are really simple. We love watching movies or TV series together on the couch or in bed. It’s really one of our favorite things to do together.
xoN: What is your favorite thing about the other person?
Tabitha: I love that he makes me feel safe and how hard he works to be an amazing father.
Chance: I love that she is crazy enough to pursue her wildest dreams.
xoN: What is the key to a successful partnership in business and personal?
Tabitha: The key is knowing that you both are going to change, and giving each other grace, patience, and understanding during those changes.
See more on tabandchance.com.
Feature image Marcus Owens