Money might not *buy* happiness, but it can afford access to things that do. Like zero debt. Property ownership. Travel. Shoes. Dining out without feeling bad about the food at home. The ability to take care of your loved ones after you've taken care of yourself. So yes. Pay me.
Reciprocity is important. But grace is, too. Not everyone can show up the same way for you, the way you do for them. And, believe, it’s not because they don’t want to.
What’s the criteria for AOTY? To me, it has to be a project that permeates the zeitgeist. That’s transcendent. Culturally profound. That resonates beyond an artist’s core demo + moves people who it wasn’t necessarily intended to. And you’re telling me she’s done that FOUR times?
Today is our six year wedding anniversary. We are in our new home. My mom and mom-in-love are here. Sister. Our dog. I’m learning to do things with my left hand because I’m holding our sweet baby in my right. While eating breakfast that his GREAT GREAT aunts prepared. Thank God.
Hi. We're hiring. ELLE is looking for a video editor, who's experienced in beauty, fashion, celebrity, news, and documentary. Must have a resume *and* a reel. Know someone? Holler. Via email, of course:
alenise [at] hearst [dot] com.
Let me tell you who’s NOT about to have a good season. Sean Grubbs-Robishaw. The man who thinks Howard University should double as a dog park. Who suggested, on air, that if his dogs can’t shit on HU grounds, that the campus should move.
As relieved as I am that a bit of justice has been served, I know that she will still face ridicule, bullying, blame. As victims, often do. As Black women who stand up for themselves often do. But know, we’re still riding for her. And that is that.
I worked SO DAMN MUCH in this role. Without resources and PROPER pay. But guess what? Via freelance, I've made, in one month, what my salary paid in 2.5. I'm PST, working EST, and I'm done early afternoon. I have time for naps. My skin is clearing up. My chest is no longer tight.
Who established the rule that you can’t disclose your last day working somewhere until your last day? That said, my final day at Hearst (ELLE) is Monday, November thee FIRST. And baybeee…
Jhené just performed — what I’m sure was a sold-out show — 31 weeks pregnant, at the Greek. Crystals and singing bowls and moody lighting and the most-chill audience I have ever been part of.
You get your hair done, then next week you need lashes. Get the lashes done, few days after that need a wax. By then, it’s time for a new mani, your tracks are showing, the salon is booked, and your braid’s girl’s gone ghost. And so, the cycle of being a dream girl continues.
Instagram isn't fun because they're forcing us to be content creators, and not everyone wants to be a content creator. Let us just post our damn pictures.
Yahya, dedicating that award to the Black women in his life. Yahya, saying he was most proud that his character came down to Earth to love a Black woman in the way she deserved.
#EMMYs
2023 is my year of no. NO. I’m not going. NO. I can’t help you. NO. I’m not entertained. NO. I don’t want to talk. NO. I don’t want to reconcile. NO. I don’t have a reason other than NO. NO to whatever I feel like saying NO to. And I’m doing it, guilt-free.
Boomers are as young as 59. Gen X is as young as 43. Millennials are as young as 27. We, millennials, are still in cookout training, Kemi. It is NOT our time.
The fashion calendar, as we know it, is done. The weeks and collections and schedules? Reset. What
@AnifaM
did last night? The catalyst. Fashion houses will try to replicate it. Co-opt it. But remember. An African woman did that. A Black woman did that. Wow.
#PinkLabelCongo
I do not want to be a 5 a.m. girl, but if I'm going to get anything done — and also become a millionaire, and have a clean house, and lose XX pounds, and not rush through my morning meditation, and retire early — I have to become a 5 a.m. girl.
BREAKING: Joe Biden will call on Congress today to outlaw exorbitant fees for concerts and sports tickets, TV and internet termination charges, airline fees for families sitting together on flights, and other junk fees.
In 2020. I’m buying less, but buying better. Moving on without the apologies I deserve. Committing to my workout plan. Deleting my work inbox from my personal phone. Not accepting a lack of reciprocity. Sleeping as much as I fucking want. Saving my advice for folks who want it.
I did the freelance thing, I’m doing the entrepreneur thing, and I’m still at the corporate job thing. And, no matter how many TikToks I repost about being a millennial in the workplace and meetings that could have been an email, I am VERY grateful to have a job.
Who established the rule that you can’t disclose your last day working somewhere until your last day? That said, my final day at Hearst (ELLE) is Monday, November thee FIRST. And baybeee…
@bronze_bombSHEL
I interviewed there a few weeks before stay-home. For a role I wasn’t looking for, but one they reached out to me for. Killed it. And I was ghosted. Every time someone shares their experience there, I realize I dodged something serious.
I’d never heard about JW Lucas until today, when he, a white man, fixed his mouth to say he was more capable of leading the Black Lives Matter movement than Tamika Mallory, a Black woman. A verbatim “I’m more capable than you.” So, I’m going back to not ever hearing about him.
I thank God for the work I’ve done on my mental. I still get hurt, disappointed, sad, stressed and mad as hell. But the process is different. How I digest it is different. How I work through it is healthy. And that’s the type of wellness I’m proud about.
I’ve come to realize that the worst that can happen is a “no.” And, if we’re being honest, “no” isn’t such a bad thing. It can actually be the good, best, right thing.
Morning. Stop saying “no problem,” of course,” and “anytime” when folks thank you. Doing something out of the kindness of your heart doesn’t mean it isn’t an inconvenience. Don’t minimize going out of your way. “You’re welcome,” and “you’re welcome,” only.
Everybody’s not a hater. Some people may not get along with you. Others may not like your behavior. A few may even like you, but choose to do so from a distance. And, it’s ok.
I understand the logic behind being kind because you don’t know what people are going through. But damn. Can we just be kinder, nicer, without having to qualify it? Of course, exceptions. But we can do so much better.
Today, after almost six years, I am signing off
@ELLEmagazine
x
@Hearst
. I look forward to doing the work at
@ampbeautyla
+ building a beauty giant. I'm excited about freelance life (first up: a gig at Sony Music). And, I'm happy to publicly disclose that I've made the move west.
Who established the rule that you can’t disclose your last day working somewhere until your last day? That said, my final day at Hearst (ELLE) is Monday, November thee FIRST. And baybeee…
I was taught, at a YOUNG age, to NEVER look like what I was going through. Brave face. Head high. To look my best, even when feeling my worst. Not saying it’s right, not saying it’s wrong, but the added weight of *presentation* isn’t always the easiest one to bear.
@zukosmadre
Thirty years? She worked for them for thirty years, and they never thought to pay for her to — at the very least — visit home? See her children? Have time off? What?!
@Bloo95
Chart placement has nothing to do with cultural impact or resonance, especially with people outside of one's target demo. Chart placement is about consumption, which in an era of streaming + social is not the same as what it was when physical media was the bar.
Strikes and layoffs echo what we’ve always known to be true: that no one is making what it seems, despite access, despite success, despite visibility. And that everyone deserves to be paid a lot more. Across the board.
Ten years ago, we graduated from
#ClarkAtlantaUniversity
. Where we learned to find a way or make one. Where we bonded with lifelong brothers + sisters. Where we found ourselves. Where we found each other. Forever we love Atlanta, and especially
#CAU
.
#PicturePerfectPyles
A vast majority of Beyoncé's peers don't like her, because so many of us do. It's just the truth. They won't publicly admit it, because she *is* so beloved. But, they seethe.
Clark Atlanta is clearing all student balances from Spring 2020 through Summer 2021. Students can enroll for Fall 2021 classes with a balance of zero. My alma mater makes me prouder every single day!
God is good! I’m so excited to be a mom. And now, a boy mom. Especially for my husband. Our son will be the first *Pyles* boy born in 35 years. My husband was the last. But ESPECIALLY for me. Because I am having a SON with THIS MAN! THIS. MAN! 🥹🩵🩵🩵
I’ve reached a point in life where my career is a very low priority. I appreciate the stability. But it does not come before my health, my wellness, my loved ones, my joy, my fun, or what I’m building with my own two hands. It is and will remain at the bottom of my list.