I rarely get wrapped up in the world of entertainment “news” and gossip but something about this rash of recent, high-profile celebrity divorces has me upset. In 2011, we saw racks on racks of celeb divorces – Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson; Ashton and Demi; J.Lo and Marc Anthony; Mel Gibson and Robyn Moore; Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver; Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries; and Katy Perry and Russell Brand. While those couples certainly have problems of their own, they’ve gone largely overlooked by black folks. However, black gossip blogs, urban radio and …

I recently shared this Marie Claire (UK) article about women waiting longer to give birth and it sparked a few questions that got me to thinking even more.
‘The rising numbers of women conceiving for the first time in their 30s or 40s follows a trend we have seen over the past decade, although the number conceiving over 40 is still relatively small,’ says Elizabeth Duff, a senior policy adviser at the National Childbirth Trust.
ONS [Office of National Statistics] figures show that in 1990, 229,400 pregnancies occurred in women over 30, with …

I wasn’t compelled to write anything about the No Wedding, No Womb shenanigans but I’ve seen two posts today about marriage, children and Black folks that made me want to share my own point of view. One piece from Clutch Mag focuses on the “single mother syndrome” in the Black community. You can read the piece for yourself but a few assertions therein stuck out for me: (1) More black children are born to unwed mothers because of poverty and lack of access to competitive job market; (2) If women …

Rozonda Thomas, known to most of us as TLC’s Chilli, has a show on VH1 in which she lets us in on a lot of her most intimate and personal thoughts. See, Chilli’s trying to find a man – a soul mate – and she’s tossed her hat into the reality television ring to do it. According to the show’s site, “‘What Chilli Wants’ features ‘Chilli’ from pop supergroup TLC, as she has decides to take the reins of her romantic situation and launch an all out search for the love …

I had to ask myself today, “why is everyone jumping on Kelis’ back today?” The answer: Yesterday, Nasir Jones was ordered to pay Kelis Rogers back child and spousal support stemming from a 2009 order (TMZ). What I’ve seen on the internet today in response to the judge’s ruling is outrageous and indicative of a deep-seated contempt for women in general and common misconceptions about the legal process involved in a divorce. Think I’m reaching? Stick with me.
Let’s start with a cursory glance at what’s floating around the interwebz:
A trending topic …

One of the common excuses to not wear a condom is that they’re too tight and they hurt. While that’s not much of an excuse at all (don’t fall for it), the supposed reasoning is that the condom is too small or too snug for your guy’s junk. But what about those with the opposite problem of having a penis too small for most condoms?
To be sure, no one wants to cop to having a small penis. Apparently, this poses a problem for condom companies who know it would be …

This is just what I’ve been waiting for. Forget about getting Congress to pass the International Violence Against Women Act or waiting for comprehensive health care reform. I’ve been waiting for another book/article about how Black women need “something new.” The wait is over. Joy!
The Washington Post recently wrote about author Karyn Langhorne Folan whose book “Don’t Bring Home a White Boy: And Other Notions That Keep Black Women From Dating Out,” encourages Black women to date outside of our race instead of playing a game we’re destined to lose… …

Do you know how there are some people, no matter what they generally do, you just won’t get upset with them? I feel that way about Sean PDiddy Combs. I feel that way about Beyonce. I feel that way about Tiger Woods. For now. There’s no telling how this story is going to develop, and it seems to be developing every 12 hours, but right now I really don’t see what the big honking deal is about Tiger Friggin Woods.
Yes. That man cheated on his wife. Can’t say that …

Today is “Taking it to the Streets” day for Strong Start, an organization dedicated to educating young people about healthy relationships and ending teen dating violence. Eleven organizations in Atlanta,, Austin, Boston, Bridgeport, the Bronx, Idaho, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Oakland, Providence, and Wichita will be helping spread the message about healthy relationships. According to the website, Start Strong is also encouraging people to join the conversation online – “We are asking for your best thinking, your best advice, your best observations to get this country learning about healthy relationships, how …

After a heads up from Feministing, I learned that the American Sociological Association put out the results of a recent study showing that about 70% of Americans believe that women should take their husband’s last names when they get married and 50% think it should be a legal requirement. Wow. Although I am not one to put too much stock into polls (I, nor anyone close to me has ever been polled about anything remotely significant so I have no idea where they get these people and their opinions), that’s …