While accepting her Icon award at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, 71-year-old Cher not only celebrated the fact that she’s been able to have a career spanning more than 50 years, but that “I can do a five-minute plank, okay?”

According to Women’s Health, Cher said in 2010 that getting older, for her, has meant getting more serious about her workouts.

“You have to work twice as hard,” she told E! “You have to be in the gym all the time.”

When I heard that the entertainer is out here holding planks longer than some athletes, I was very much impressed, and also feeling the need to step my game up (I can do about 90 seconds before I start feeling like my insides are going to explode). But I was also left wondering how long is good enough when it comes to a plank? And by good enough, I mean a good sign of one’s stability.

A man broke a world record for the longest plank by holding one for eight hours. But some experts say that if you can hold a plank for a really, really long time, there’s a chance your form may not be as good as you think.

Physiotherapist Sarah Connors told the UK’s The Guardian years ago that a proper plank is one with your elbows directly under your shoulders, fists clasped. Your head, neck, back and legs should all be in a straight line. “The Plank is a position you will find difficult to hold if your core stability is poor, because you need to activate these muscles to keep the spine supported and the body in a straight line,” she said.

Connors said that if you hold your position under 30 seconds, your core strength requires some work. If you can last between 30 and 60 seconds, you’ve approached the average time. If you can go above 60 seconds, you have good core strength. Anything longer than that is great, as Connors said, “The longer the better.” You don’t have to go overboard each and every time you hold one, though.

But more than trying to beat anyone’s plank time, including a 71-year-old Oscar winner, you should want to improve your personal time as planks build muscular strength of everything from your core and hamstrings to arms and glutes, help you work on your waistline and improve your overall posture. Test your strength seeing how long you can hold one, and then try to improve your time each opportunity you have during a workout. One minute, let alone five minutes, is something to pat yourself on the back about.

Image via WENN 

The post 71-Year-Old Cher Can Do A Five-Minute Plank, But How Long Is Good Enough? appeared first on MadameNoire.

Black Twitter and the internet at large is a powerful place. After someone reposted an old picture of the two superstars together at a fashion show and someone suggested a plot for a film, with this tweet:

Rihanna looks like she scams rich white men and lupita is the computer smart best friend that helps plan the scans https://t.co/PhWs1xd3nj

— WHOOPHERASSKOURTNI (@1800SADGAL) April 18, 2017

After that, it was a snowball effect. Lupita announced that she was on board with the idea. Rihanna followed shortly after. Then people started suggesting that Issa Rae write the project and that Ava DuVernay direct. All of these women agreed. And while it seemed like things were moving in the right direction, you never know how these studios and networks will handle a good idea. But apparently, Netflix is not slow on the uptake.

And according to Entertainment Weekly, they snatched up the film project. EW reports that there was “a dramatic negotiation session at the Cannes Film Festival. And just like the internet dreamed, Ava will direct and Issa Rae is writing the screenplay.

According to sources, Netflix got the project after a very aggressive bid, beating out multiple suitors. The subscription service has yet to comment on the acquisition.

My main question was how will the Twitter users who created the concepts be recognized and, more importantly, compensated for their idea. Well, reps for Issa Rae told Vanity Fair, that “the users who imagined the concept for the film will be credited and included in some form.”

Sources claim that Issa Rae is already working on the script and the studio is hoping to begin production at the beginning of 2018 after DuVernary completes A Wrinkle In Time.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

The post That Lupita, Rihanna Movie? It’s Happening With Ava DuVernay & Issa Rae Too appeared first on MadameNoire.

Many women have found themselves in the unfortunate position of listening to a man with whom they were not in a committed relationship with explain why sex without a condom “feels so much better.” Hopefully, said man obliged to your request for protection and put on a condom — and kept it on. If, however, he put on a condom, took it off without your consent, and re-entered you, he has committed an act of sexual assault according to two bills introduced in Washington and California.

Stealthing is the official name of this crude “pull out” method, which is hardly a new “trend” as some news reports have pegged it. What’s new is the attention the act has received as late, due in large part to a study published last month by Yale Law School student Alexandra Brodsky that theoretically outlined possible legal and civil remedies to nonconsensual condom removal. Thankfully, lawmakers were paying attention.

According to BuzzFeed News, “Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Melissa Sargent was the first in the nation to propose a bill that would modify her state’s interpretation of consent to ensure that sex is not consensual if a ‘partner removes a sexually protective device, like a condom, during a sexual act without telling the other person who agreed to have sex with that device in tact,'” she told the outlet. Last week, Rep. Cristina Garcia of California also introduced legislation that would “expand the state’s definition of rape to include tampering with a protective device during sex without the other person’s knowledge.”

“It’s no longer consensual if you take a condom off without my permission,” said Garcia who shared she’s been a victim of the act which may soon be considered a crime in the eyes of the law. “It’s about power and you think you have ownership of someone’s body and you don’t.”

Hack interviewed a man named Brendan who unashamedly admits to regularly stealthing women and not seeing anything wrong with it. He told host Tom Tilley when asked how many times he’s stealth someone:

“Most of the time. If I’m asked to put one on – which isn’t as often as you might think. People are pretty chilled with doing it bareback.”

As far as how long into sex it takes him to pull a condom off, he cavalierly replied, “I don’t know. Pull it out, take it off, put it back in. Everyone’s happy.”

He said most times women don’t notice when he’s removed the condom, but if they happen to notice and ask him to put the condom back on, he said, “Normally I will,” adding, “No-one’s ever angry but if someone asks me to put it back on I’ll put it back on for sure. That’s fair.”

If Reps. Garcia and Sargent get their way, what will also be fair is prosecuting men like Brendan who have no qualms about stealthing women, although both acknowledge ideals surrounding consent will make it difficult for victims to prove their cases even if the sexual assault classification does happen.

Has this ever happened to you? Do you think stealthing should be considered sexual assault?

The post Has A Man Ever Removed A Condom Mid-Sex Without Your Consent? That Could Be Considered Rape appeared first on MadameNoire.

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Many of us know from statistics and even personal experience that in most instances of sexual assault, the perpetrator walks away scot free, never facing any legal consequences. But even in the instances where sexual predator is held accountable for his actions, the result is so far from justice, he might as well have been acquitted.

Such was the case with millionaire John Joseph Boswell and his assault, for which he pleaded guilty, of an African immigrant working as a hotel maid in the Mayflower hotel in Washington D.C.

According to The Washington Post, the incident took place on January 19 while Boswell was in D.C. to celebrate the inauguration of Donald Trump. Boswell, 70, is the chief executive of Independent Stave Company, the world’s largest whiskey and wine barrel manufacturer.

Boswell had contributed more than $120,000 to Republican candidates over the past 25 years. And though he was hesitant to support Trump at first, favoring Ben Carson and Marco Rubio, he eventually followed the lead of his party and decided to celebrate Trump’s inauguration.

When the hotel maid, who remains unnamed in the Post article, entered his room, around 2 p.m. to make his bed, he approached her from behind, began rubbing her buttocks and, according to the police report said, “This is very nice stuff,” he said, according to the report. “I like that!”

The woman froze and in shock started saying, “Sorry, sir. Sorry, sir.”

When another maid came out of the bathroom, Boswell immediately stepped away from the other. The first maid ran out of the room, shaking and told her coworker that she would have to finish cleaning the room by herself.

When she started to make the bed, Boswell tried to approach her too, placing his hand on top of her shoulder. But the second maid ordered him to sit down.

The first maid did not report the incident to authorities. But the next day she told her manager what had happened. Afterward, police became involved.

On the day of the inaugural parade, police showed up at Boswell’s hotel room. When he stepped out, the maid identified him and he was arrested.

Boswell was released the following afternoon. He was being held with protesters for the Trump inauguration so when he was released, the crowd that had gathered outside of the courthouse believed he was a part of the resistance and cheered for him.

But someone who had been in court when Boswell was charged, shouted that he was a sex offender and the crowd began throwing things at him, The Washington Post reports that an orange slice struck Boswell in the head.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice,” he told a Post reporter.

And while there have been very minimal social ramifications, legally Boswell has gotten off with less than a slap on the wrist. Though Boswell pleaded guilty to the assault last month in court, the 70-year-old, who is married with three children, was sentenced to a mere 10 days in jail and six months of probation.

But the way our justice system is set up, Boswell’s jail sentence was ultimately suspended.

Boswell, despite his guilty plea, still believes he’s innocent.

“I patted her on the lower back. It was just a friendly gesture.”

In the end, Boswell paid $50 into the Crime victims’ compensation fund which is one-fifth of the maximum penalty for Boswell’s crime. The fact that Boswell makes $600,000 a month, his penalty is virtually nothing.

And while Boswell is on probation, he’s been allowed to travel overseas, including a trip to the Bahamas last month.

And toward the end of this one, he’s scheduled to spend two weeks in the Dominican Republic for a family reunion.

Disgusting.

Meanwhile, the woman who he assaulted is still suffering. Boswell’s legal team made a visit to the maid’s apartment, traumatizing her even further. As a result, one of her coworkers said that she’s moved.

Furthermore, she said, “Whenever she would talk about it. She would cry.”

The post This Millionaire Sexually Assaulted A Black Hotel Maid And Was Only Fined $50 appeared first on MadameNoire.

If I ever heard Teyonah Parris utter the words “bad hair day,” I’d probably have to stop following her on Instagram and unfriend her in my mind. The actress who has come to be known as much for her beautiful mane as her acting chops on shows like Mad Men and Survivor’s Remorse, has yet to have a bad hair day in the public eye. But when we got a chance to chat with the Julliard grad about her hair routine and any hair risks she’s taken, we asked, on the off chance it was possible, if she ever had a hair disaster and it turns out she’s had quite a few, behind closed doors of course.

Now that she’s a brand ambassador for Dark and Lovely, those mane mishaps are far behind Parris, But we appreciated the good laugh over the “what was I thinking?” hair stories. Check out our chat below as Parris also reveals her hair inspirations, how her character Missy’s natural hair journey came about, and why she loves what Dark and Lovely stands for.

So many women look to you for hair inspiration, who inspires your hair choices?

Man, I am on Instagram clicking the hashtag #NaturalHair like everybody else! When I see myself I’m like, “Girl move.” Social Media is a huge part of a lot of our journeys and watching girls on YouTube, I really look everywhere.

What’s your weekly hair care routine?

I use Dark and Lovely’s Knot Out Conditioner as my co-wash just to get my hair nice and clean and then I use the Clumping Curl Creme Gel. I put it in two-strand twists and then I pin it up and keep it that way for a few days until I’m ready to have a twist out and then I use my curl refresher spray to bring it back to life. Dark and Lovely also has a Clay Cleanser and I use that for my deep clean about once per month.

Women love the updos that you wear on red carpets, but what are your personal favorite hairstyles to rock?

I don’t have the skill, technique, or patience to do an updo on myself, but certainly when I go to events I’m able to work with some amazing artists who execute those updos and I absolutely love them. Those are particularly special because I didn’t feel like I saw a lot of women with natural hair in upos and the more polished looks. I didn’t see that reflected in the media as options for us so I especially love wearing those hairstyles.

Personally, in my normal, regular life, I love a protective style — box braids, Havana twists, I’m all about that. Being on set all the time, they’re always in your hair so a protective style is essential for me. And when I just want to wear my hair out and have fun I love a good twist out. I get in the shower, wash my hair, use my Knot Out conditioner, get out and do chunky twists — I love a good chunky twist — and a good one for me is letting it dry for about two days. Then I let my twists out, hit my hair with my curl refresher spray, and I’m on Instagram poppin’!

Have you ever had a hair disaster?

Yes, absolutely! One time I got braided down for a wig. The girl braided my hair in this beyhive so tight she took out the whole center of my head. I was bleeding! And I felt like Boo Boo the clown for letting her do it! That was probably the most dramatic and worst disaster, but then you have the ones where you’ve just grown out of that stage. Like when I had orange hair that I thought was kind of blond-ish, copper-ish and then I found out it was about four shades of orange — in that moment I thought I was killing the game.

My latest disaster was maybe six months ago when I had Havana twists and I called myself cutting them out but I cut them in a bob — way shorter than my hair. I went back to my lady so she could put the twists back in and she was like where is you hair? I said, “You know what I was standing in the mirror as I cut them and was like I should get these Havana twists in a bob. The other lady told me that wasn’t possible because my hair’s too long, look!” And then I realized, Oh, I just cut off the entirety of the length of the back of my hair. That was pretty stupid, but it’s just hair. It’ll grow back. It’s fine.

What’s the biggest hair risk you ever took?

I would say going natural. It’s not really a risk in hindsight, but when I was going through it it was the most dramatic thing ever for me. I was getting opposition from my some of my family members — lots of support from friends — but if anything I would say that was my biggest hair risk. I started growing my relaxer out in ’09 and I was fully chemical free in March 2010.

On set, how much input do you have into your character’s hairstyles?

It’s so funny because generally those kinds of character concepts are collaborative between the showrunner, the network, and myself. You talk about it and you land somewhere, hopefully, if not in the same place, somewhere in the middle. With Survivors Remorse, it was so interesting because when I booked that job I looked at that character and thought, ‘There’s no reason she can’t be a natural girl,’ but I was too afraid to say anything. But once we came back for a second season I was like, “Okay I got the job, I’m alright, let me try bringing it up” and my showrunner was totally on board and supportive of it and the network also agreed. The journey of a woman going natural had never been on television and I thought it was a great platform, that women would be able to see themselves and relate to Missy’s journey and we did it.

Recently, with the Shea Moisture Hair Hate ad we saw the trouble brands can run into when they don’t rightly represent their consumers. What opportunity exists for you as a brand ambassador with Dark and Lovely to fill the void?

What I love about Dark and Lovely is this is a company and a brand that’s been around for over 45 years and I definitely feel like I can attest from my own journey that they’ve grown with their consumer. They haven’t left anyone behind, they’ve instead expanded to represent women with all types of hair, and particularly Black women. They make no excuse or secret of who they are here to take care of. I found when I wore my hair in a relaxer, they had a line that catered to those needs and when I went natural they had products that catered to those needs. What I love about Dark and Lovely is when you look at their marketing, it’s dark women with curly, tight coils like myself. It’s women with all types of natural hair and no Black woman feels left out, so that’s what I love about the Dark and Lovely Brand.

The post Teyonah Parris Reveals The Hair Disaster That Made Her Feel “Like Boo Boo The Clown” appeared first on MadameNoire.

Mary J. Blige

Rihanna

Winnie Harlow

Winnie Harlow

Naomi Harris

The post We Can’t Get Over These Cannes Gowns appeared first on MadameNoire.

#FreeBresha: Bresha Meadows accepts plea deal. Sentence includes jail time and six months at mental health facility https://t.co/PcYofjicMp pic.twitter.com/0Mq1J7pDAA

— The Root (@TheRoot) May 22, 2017

A couple of weeks ago, we reported on an update about the Bresha Meadows case. For those who may not remember, she was the 15-year-old girl accused of allegedly murdering her father, Jonathan Meadows, a man with a history of abusive.

After spending the last nine months in a juvenile detention center, her lawyers came up with a plea deal. The deal would cause Bresha to remain in custody for a year and a day, with six months afterward to be spent in a mental health facility to treat Bresha for her post traumatic disorder. The nine months count toward her sentence and she will be transferred to the mental health center on July 29 and could be released six months from then.
Well, according to several new reports, including The Root, Meadows accepted the deal. The finalized version of it could send her back home to be with her family by the beginning of 2018.

Meadows’ attorney Brad S. Wolfe told The Root, the deal was “…an obvious and easy decision as it allows her to reintegrate into life.”

Still, advocates who have been arguing for Bresha’s release believe she should have been allowed to go home and be with her family immediately.

But her family seems to be okay with the deal.

“Bresha’s family and the entire defense team is elated and relieved with this resolution. This young lady just got her life back, when she was facing life without parole.”

During the hearing, Bresha Meadows hugged her loved ones and said, “Today is a good day.”

WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren Ohio

The post “Today Was A Great Day” Bresha Meadows Accepts Plea Deal appeared first on MadameNoire.

@MissyElliott @TheRealEve @LilKim @TRINArockstarr @AtlanticRecords @AtlanticRecords pic.twitter.com/liifXZh3J3

— Azealia Janks, Esq. (@garbii93) May 23, 2017

@MissyElliott Straight FYA !! " class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> #ImBetterRemix @TheRealEve @lilkim @TRINArockstarr @MissyElliott pic.twitter.com/AUzOPgXGY1

— EDIDION (@Edidion2012) May 23, 2017

@MissyElliott @TheRealEve @LilKim @TRINArockstarr Nicki: pic.twitter.com/ubFemkiE6w

— yosub wyd? (@yosub) May 23, 2017

@MissyElliott @TheRealEve @LilKim @TRINArockstarr Eve, Missy, Kim AND Trina? Gimme one moment.... pic.twitter.com/sjyhUqd9pn

— princess quincess (@quinterrius_) May 23, 2017

@MissyElliott @TheRealEve @LilKim @TRINArockstarr U know what Missy!!!!!!!!!" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> pic.twitter.com/qvodOawpYM

— Lil' Kim Buzzz (@LilKimBuzzz) May 23, 2017

@MissyElliott @TheRealEve @LilKim @TRINArockstarr Your missing Remy but Eve killed it fa sho

— TeamReminisce Mackie (@TeamReminisceM) May 23, 2017

@MissyElliott @TheRealEve @LilKim @TRINArockstarr pic.twitter.com/LeYXzm1fxa

— S.S. (@surferguy_1) May 23, 2017

@MissyElliott @TheRealEve @LilKim Missy just snuck up on all of us with this remix like..... pic.twitter.com/EcHD20ePU5

— DJsMakeMeHorny (@KTownLilKimFan) May 23, 2017

@MissyElliott @TheRealEve @LilKim @TRINArockstarr I'm already looking forward for a @BETAwards performance!!!! Make it happen

— ANIRA (@4everMiseria) May 23, 2017

@MissyElliott @TheRealEve @LilKim @TRINArockstarr Come On Legends!!!! pic.twitter.com/RTAiW3TNfV

— ⚯͛Kristopher△⃒⃘ (@Krischievous) May 23, 2017

The post Missy Elliott Dropped A Remix For Her Song “I’m Better” Ft. Lil Kim, Eve, & Trina appeared first on MadameNoire.

You have to spend money to make money, as the saying goes. But if you have no money to spend to start your own business, then you have a major entrepreneurial dilemma. And that is the situation many African-American women looking to make their business dreams come true find themselves in. Access to capital just isn’t there. And you can basically forget reaching out to venture capitalists for support. People tend to like to do business with people who look like themselves and Black female venture capitalists are pretty much nonexistent.

Think about it.”Even a failed startup is able to raise, on average, $1.33 million in venture capital. But if the startup is run by a Black woman? She might get $36,000,” reported Day News.

One look at Forbes‘ recently released 2017 Midas List, featuring their selections for the world’s 100 top venture capitalists, and the problem is obvious. The list has zero Black men. And not one Black woman either.

Research by digitalundivided found among the 60,000 companies it surveyed, 1,630 white male venture capital partners and a mere 5 (or .003 percent) Black women. And out of 10,238 venture deals from 2012 to 2014, just 24 (.002 percent) of them were with Black women.

“Silicon Valley jargon calls this the 2 percent problem, referring to the narrow slice of African-American representation in the largely white and Asian male-dominated world of tech startup. On the Midas list, it’s more like a 0 percent problem,” reported Day News.

The few Black women who are venture capitalists are trying to make a difference. Monique Woodard is among the .003 percent of capital partners who are of color. When she became partner at 500 Startups, she launched an initiative to invest $25 million for approximately 100 Black- and Latino-led early-stage startups.

“I very specifically wanted to work at the early stage when founders need the most help and the most support,” Woodard told USA Today. “That’s where you can make the most impact for black and Latino founders.”

Woodard is also the executive director of Black Founders, an organization focused on creative diversity in tech and increasing the number of Black entrepreneurs in the sector. She’s one person making sure change is coming to Silicon Valley.

The post Why Are Black Female Venture Capitalists Nowhere To Be Found? appeared first on MadameNoire.

Jada Pinkett Smith

Beyoncé

Tyra Banks

Ashley Graham

That's the only meal I know how to cook.. but for real. Kale pesto pasta.

— Ashley Graham (@theashleygraham) January 17, 2017

Jackie Christie

Prinyaka Chopra

Eva Mendes

Penelope Cruz

I can cook a little bit. I can cook a few Spanish dishes. But, in movies, it looks like I cook much better than I cook. I am not the most organized person in the kitchen, but I took a lot of lessons. I played a Brazilian chef once, and then, in Volver, I played somebody who owns a restaurant. I really had to know how to cook, so I took lessons, both times. But, my lessons were more to be the assistant of a chef, so I could learn to cut the vegetables very fast. I can do all of those things really well, but I’m not that good at cooking.

Sofia Vergara

Jennifer Lawrence

The post You Are Not Alone: Stars Who Admit They Can’t Cook appeared first on MadameNoire.

A couple of months ago I wrote about the opinion that there’s a certain age when braids become a no-no for grown women. Well, I decided three days before turning 32 that it was the perfect time for me to re-rock the hairstyle I always wanted to wear as a child but couldn’t because my mother didn’t have cornrowing hands. I was also on my way to South Africa for 12 days and I couldn’t be bothered to pack hair products on top of all of the “just in case” outfits I was already struggling to fit in my luggage. And I knew when that 6 am wakeup call came in before one of our early morning safari game drives I was not going to want to lose another minute — or 5 –wrestling with my edges and Eco Styler gel. On the flip side, however, I didn’t want to wrestle with a lack of edges when I returned from the motherland and had to go back to wearing my own hair.

That fear is why I haven’t worn braids since 2014. Other than one of y’all telling me my jumbo Havana twists made me look like predator (rude!) what really stopped me from wearing twists and braids during the past three years is the fact that I once gave one overzealous braider free reign over my head and my little 3c edges just couldn’t withstand the weight of the extension and the tightness of its attachment. The braid fell out and took my baby hair with it – in my hotel room right before dinner during EssenceFest in New Orleans – and I was done with what I now considered a “so-called protective style.”

And then I saw this hairstyle created by YouTuber Kersti Pitre that I couldn’t get out of my head, even as I sat in a chair getting the blowout of my life before being told I’m going to have to chop off a good chunk of my hair (again). I thought, maybe now’s a good time to get on the protective style train. In fact, maybe I need to take it across country since I don’t seem to be able to take care of my own hair for an extended amount of time without having to lose some of it. So, despite the sarcastic comments from those who teased me about the cliché move of getting braids before boarding a flight to Africa, I decided to go for it.

Since I already had the style in mind, all I had to do was get the hair. I chose X-Pression Braid Hair in the color 1 which automatically comes in 82″ length. If you’re more adventurous than me, you’ll be happy to know aside from the traditional shades of black, brown, and blonde, this braid hair also comes in blue, pink, purple, red, violet, and yellow (it’s summer, live a little!).

Hair in hand, I headed to 125th street which is notorious for African braiders who ask “Hair braid miss?” even when you walk by with a perfectly laid ‘do. And about four hours later, my style was complete and I was listening to two braiders tell the other women they want their hair like mine next time. I also noticed my head and neck didn’t feel heavy like they did in the past when I would get braids, which is a testament to the lightness of this synthetic hair. And I walked out of the shop with 4.5 of the 7 packs of hair that I came in with which was good news to me, especially since the hair can also be used for crochet styles which typically take even less time than braids.

As you can imagine, life over the next two weeks was pretty easy — wake up, decide, if I want to wear all my hair up in a bun, half way up, or all the way down, and go. I also found I wasn’t so paranoid about my edges because my hair was braided to my head in the front and enough hair had been added to the two braids on each side to keep from putting too much tension on my own hair. To add shine and keep my own strands from drying out, I sprayed Maui Moisture Nourish & Moisture + Coconut Milk Weightless Oil Mist on my braids and scalp each morning.

Unfortunately, just as I’d forgotten how convenient braids can be, I forgot that they do require just a bit of maintenance. Without a silk scarf abroad, after two weeks I decided the frizz that was creeping up was a sign it was time to take my braids out. But soon as I did I already missed the convenience of not having to do my hair in the morning and of always looking ready to go — without really doing anything. I’ve also become more aware of just how much I manipulate my hair, especially the ends, on a daily basis which is probably why I keep having split end and breakage issues. My hair needs a break. Good thing I have those other packs of hair left, I’m ready to ride the protective braid train throughout summer.

The post Getting Braids Again Is Easily The Best Hair Decision I’ve Made In 2017 appeared first on MadameNoire.

#AdviceFromMovieCharacters The Pursuit of Happyness pic.twitter.com/a57hvxLWBT

— William Scott (@TheCuredRebirth) May 24, 2017

#AdviceFromMovieCharacters You're gonna need a bigger door pic.twitter.com/hgVG3OAWX4

— Tee (@liltr2) May 24, 2017

#AdviceFromMovieCharacters stay away from humans because the human world is a mess pic.twitter.com/dU8cJSx2sS

— RK♠️♥️ (@HeartEyes4Brady) May 24, 2017

Just keep swimming ! #AdviceFromMovieCharacters pic.twitter.com/2WOuqEuZH6

— Silver Eye☄ (@Sb_spark) May 24, 2017

#AdviceFromMovieCharacters Change who you are to get the boy you like ♀️ pic.twitter.com/sli3YxYObo

— Latrice (@treee09) May 24, 2017

#AdviceFromMovieCharacters Show me the money! pic.twitter.com/MKwB6k8Yqo

— MakerSource (@maker_source) May 24, 2017

#AdviceFromMovieCharacters Carpe Diem pic.twitter.com/AdypOwGzrf

— Apple Cider Radio (@AppleCiderRadio) May 24, 2017

Dont say 'What?' again #AdviceFromMovieCharacters pic.twitter.com/iFY7fqxNZR

— MARK (@markwest713) May 24, 2017

#AdviceFromMovieCharacters Do or do not. There is no try. -yoda

— solivagant.wanderer (@solvagntwander) May 24, 2017

"...you come at the King, you best not miss" #AdviceFromMovieCharacters pic.twitter.com/YpALzSdcqP

— Stephen Kinsella (@TherapistSteve) May 24, 2017

#AdviceFromMovieCharacters Just say No to the chocolate pie pic.twitter.com/IxeqwswXed

— JrHollywoodReporter (@JrHollywoodNews) May 24, 2017

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. #AdviceFromMovieCharacters

— Harriet Eve Bell (@Babybellno1) May 24, 2017

The post Advice From Movie Characters That Just Might Help You Get Through The Rest Of The Week appeared first on MadameNoire.

Sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross is six months pregnant, expecting her first child with husband, former NFL star Aaron Ross. And while most would take it easy during their first pregnancy, the 32-year-old is an athlete. Richards-Ross has been preparing for childbirth in the same way she prepares for a race — training.

“The trick to [working out while pregnant] is to make time for it,” Richards-Ross told PEOPLE. “The first trimester is the toughest and I struggled with feeling overly fatigued and sleeping all the time, but now that I am well on my way, I’ve found my groove and getting my workouts in has been fun again.”

And the fact that her husband, whom she calls her “accountability partner,” works out with her helps a lot.

Richards-Ross tries to avoid moves that require too much of her abdominal muscles and that are high impact. Instead, she’s been opting for long walks on the treadmill, exercise bikes and elliptical machines. As for strength training, Richards-Ross said, “I do still weight train, but avoid anything that puts too much strain on my core.” She continued, “I squat, lunge, light bench press, shoulder press, standing hamstring curls on the machine, bicep curls and lateral pull downs.”

Richards-Ross is hoping that by going hard and light at the same time with her fitness routine, she’ll be able to combat going overboard with the inevitable pregnancy weight gain and have a smooth delivery.

“It gives me energy and is the perfect balance to the additional eating and cravings,” Richards-Ross said. “Although I’m not training nearly as hard, I feel that my body is very responsive to the workouts I do.”

Richards-Ross is due to deliver in August. “I also hope that it will make my delivery as easy as my pregnancy has been!”

Image via WENN 

The post Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross Is Six Months Pregnant — And Maintaining A Consistent Workout Routine appeared first on MadameNoire.

If we all had our way and didn’t care about what people thought, I’m sure many of us would exercise with our favorite bonnets on, hair wrapped up and protected from whatever sweat and mayhem is sure to come. But instead, many of us do our best to just keep our hair out of our way, and in turn, it can get damaged in our tight ponytails and filled with gunk when we end up sweating up a storm. But there are a few products out there that help you cover up and protect your hair (like hair rings that don’t leave dents or pull on the hair like ordinary scrunchies), and in some cases, keep the sweat at bay. Check out a few we’re fans of, including swimming caps for women with extra long hair, socks that cover up and help you style locs, and a moisture-wicking cap from actress Nicole Ari Parker.

Save Your Do GymWrap $15

InvisiBobble Hair Ring $9

Swak Couture Yoga Headband $13

Extra Long Loc Soc $18

Loc Soc Swim Cap $24

Halo II Headband Sweatband $15

The post Must-Have Wraps, Rings And Caps To Protect Your Hair During A Workout appeared first on MadameNoire.

Blessing keep falling in Leslie Jones’ lap. Not only has she managed to maintain her spot on “Saturday Night Live,” while so many haven’t made it, and now BET just announced that Jones is just going to be hosting this year’s BET Awards.

According to a press release from BET, it’s Jones’ first major award show gig and she’ll follow in the footsteps Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, Chris Tucker and Mo’Nique. With the inclusion of Jada, who hosted alongside her husband Will, Jones will be the third woman to host the annual award show.

As for Jones herself, she said, “I am so excited to be hosting The BET Awards this year. BET was the first network and place where I was on TV – I am looking to turn this whole experience into a joyful homecoming.”

I remember Leslie from “Comic View” and I love a good full circle moment.

The 2017 “BET Awards” will air LIVE on Sunday, June 25 at 8 pm ET from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, CA on BET.

The post Guess Who’s Going To Host The 2017 BET Awards appeared first on MadameNoire.

Yesterday, Danielle Brooks wrote a letter to her 15-year-old self on Refinery 29 that’s as applicable to many of us today as it would’ve been in high school. The letter was written with the same mix of sentimentality and wit we’ve come to love from Brooks and her character Taystee on Orange is the New Black, and I can’t help but admit I let out a good, hearty chuckle at this paragraph from the actress:

“Spoiler alert: You won’t be asked out to the prom. One day that boy you had a crush on, you’ll run into him at the grocery store and discover he has three baby mamas and works at Verizon. Not even as a manager. And the other dude, you’ll realize he doesn’t even have enough courage to pursue his dreams. How would he ever be able to handle yours? Again, be patient. One day you will bring all the boys to the yard. They will be sliding in those DMs girl. That phrase will make more sense in 2017.”

With nine sentences, Brooks took me right back to 15, 14, 13, 16, 17, and 18. Like her, I also was not asked to the prom and as far as that “boy” I had a crush on? Well, I had more like a crush conglomerate. About half of the boys in my church youth group I was trying to get to know — not totally in the Biblical sense but close enough to it to sit on the phone with my best friend countless hours every night talking about who talked to who, hugged who, wore what, was “so cute,” and possibly still a virgin, besides us.

Fast forward to 2017 and I’m friends with the majority of said boys on Facebook now and, save for one, all I pretty much see are baby daddies who never left the sad city we grew up in and don’t do much with their lives except go to jobs to pay the bills — and complain about their baby mamas on social media. One slides me a Facebook message or Snapchat approximately every other month asking me when I’m going to invite him to visit and why I never gave him a chance back in the day; another has been on the verge of being blocked by me for years — mostly because whenever I see a status update from him I can’t stomach the thought that I ever obsessed over him at any point in my youth. And while I have no knowledge of the whereabouts of the diehard boy crush who played me to the left on any given third Sunday, considering he did a stint in a juvenile detention center at some point during the height of my crush, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say I didn’t miss anything.

Of course, after typing that out I have to question whether the status of these men says more about me than them. But considering I’m not doing so shabby on my own, I’m gonna ride with Brooks’ advice as a grown woman and “Be patient.”

Do you know where your first crush is now? Is he doing well or making you wish you never drew his name in hearts on the back of your Math notebook?

Photo: Bigstock

The post Serious Question: Where’s Your First Crush Now? appeared first on MadameNoire.

A Perfect Set of Tweezers

Eyelash Curler

Double-Ended Eyebrow Brush

Eye Shadow Brush

Bent Eyeliner Brush, $3

Beauty Blender

A Fabulous Blush Brush

Primer

A Makeup Mirror

A Good Old Fashioned Stack of Q-Tips

The post 10 Must-Have Tools For Your Beauty Stash appeared first on MadameNoire.

I have a girlfriend who is preparing for a marathon. She’s been working hard, both inside of the kitchen and inside of the gym, to get in her best shape. Every day she wakes up early or waits until she has returned from work and gets moving. But one place she hasn’t moved towards is the weight room in the gym. It’s a shame because strength training is something that could really help her when it comes to training and conditioning.

Her critique of that section of the gym is a common one: There are too many men who she worries will either make her feel like a piece of meat when picks up a weight, or worse, will make her feel as though she doesn’t belong there. What she says doesn’t shock me considering many women and even men feel that way when it comes to the weight room. To be honest, it can feel like you entered the wrong place and that you’re in the way, but when you’re on a fitness journey, pretty much every stage feels like that. If you want to get into a new cardio class, you tend to overcritique yourself and think everyone is staring at the missteps you make. If you want to try running, you assume that your form is terrible and you’re moving in slow motion when compared to everyone else. And yes, if you want to pick up some weights and do some strength training, you’re concerned that your weights are measly and that you’re not cut out for the weight room.

It can all be overwhelming, indeed. But here’s some advice to keep in mind so you don’t let all of that hold you back.

Go in With a Plan

Don’t just walk into a weight room or section, pick up a set of dumbbells and start standing around dumbfounded about what to do with them. I’m a big fan of going into the gym, in general, with a plan so that I don’t waste too much time. So before you go, do yourself a favor and figure out what you want to work on specifically, and look up at least three to five moves you can do in sets with those weights. When you have a game plan, you will be less likely to worry about other people.

Get Out of Your Head

If you spend a lot of time thinking that everyone is talking sh-t about the way you’re doing your moves or the fact that you even entered the weight room, the more you are going to psych yourself out. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling people you don’t weight train because of how everyone treated you that “one time,” when you know good and well no one said a word to you. With all things new there is the worry that we are making fools of ourselves. But if we let those thoughts hinder us from getting in our workouts, the less progress we’ll make and the more time we’ll waste.

Pump Your Jams

Allow your music to be your hype man. Put on your headphones, turn up the bass and get into a zone. I often like to do certain moves to a beat, as it can be a challenge. But whatever you listen to while weight training, whether trap or house music, let it get you pumped up and focused on the task at hand — not the people around you.

Don’t Let People Intimidate You

If you find a spot in the section where you can see yourself in the mirror and you feel good, don’t let someone step right in front of you. Don’t let someone take your weights when you step away to get wet wipes. What I’m saying is, don’t let people make you uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean you have to curse anyone out, but it does mean that you need to find a way to politely speak up if you feel your space is being invaded or if someone has accidentally gotten in your way.

Have Fun

Exercise shouldn’t always feel like a chore. The more fun you have with it, the more likely you are to miss the gym when you can’t make it on certain days. If you go into your workout pumped at the gains you know you will obtain from your strength training workout, you won’t feel like you’re entering such a serious space that you don’t fit into. Pat yourself on the back when you get through with that increased number of reps or those deadlifts. Get some enjoyment out of your gym activities — strength training included.

Image via Bigstock

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