culture
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Don’t Blame BET for Your Unrealistic Expectations
When I was younger, I wanted my older cousin to be like Denise Huxtable. I wanted to talk to her about boys and clothes and go to the mall with her. However, she was a bit more like Daria Morgendorffer, the snarky, sarcastic loner on MTV’s animated ’90s series Daria and Beavis and Butt-head. When…
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My Man Wants to Use Extra-Large Condoms, but He Doesn’t Really Measure Up
Me and my guy were out to have sex for the first time. He pulls out a Magnum condom. Not to sound “thotty,” but I’ve seen big ones before, and he’s not a gold member … at all. I asked if he had a regular-sized one and he seemed upset. My reasoning was for safety.…
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Social Activism That Makes a Difference and Makes Money
Harriette Cole is the author of the book of meditations 108 Stitches: Words We Live By and a contributing editor at The Root. Follow her on Twitter.
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This Throwback Video Suggests Quentin Tarantino Enjoys Mocking Black People
Quentin Tarantino recently said in an interview with the New York Times that he couldn’t care less about his black critics: “When the black critics came out with savage think pieces about Django, I couldn’t have cared less. If people don’t like my movies, they don’t like my movies, and if they don’t get it,…
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Shop and Sweat With These Breast-Cancer-Awareness Supporters
It’s that time of year again, when charity turns pink: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer in the U.S. by the end of the year, and about 39,620 deaths from the disease. The statistics are alarming, and the effect on…
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How to Celebrate Columbus Day Like Columbus
Columbus Day—our annual recognition for and celebration of the man who discovered our amazing country—is finally here today. And I couldn’t be happier. Because no other holiday—not Christmas, not Thanksgiving, not even Arbor Day—is as fun to celebrate. Because while you probably can’t celebrate Easter like Jesus, you can actually celebrate Columbus Day like Christopher…
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Are You Frustrated With the Word ‘Female’?
Female, a word that seemingly has been a part of our everyday vernacular since forever, is the latest hot-button topic in the war regarding what you can and cannot say. Earlier this year, Jezebel’s Kara Brown singled out the problem with calling women “females,” unpacking how the term made her feel. Then, most recently on MTV’s…
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Wanted: Anyone Who Is Young, Fabulous and Female in Houston
Attention, all the young, black and gifted women in Houston: The Root’s Young, Fabulous and Female series continues in Houston Oct. 15 with moderator Devi Dev, a No. 1-rated personality heard daily on iHeartMedia’s 93.7 The Beat, as well as a television pop-culture correspondent for CBS affiliate KHOU. Join The Root and Toyota for a…
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A Million Man March That Leaves 20 Years of Reflection
Among the many feelings from 20 years ago, perhaps the most striking was defiance. Nothing like a “Let’s burn the National Mall down” defiance (even though anger was in much heavier supply back then, as it is now), but more of a “We’ll show them” defiance gassing our post-teen, boom-bap-hip-hop-soundtracked Gen X awe with the…
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The Weeknd and Nicki Minaj Deliver Steamy SNL Performance
Nicki Minaj was not billed as an official guest on Saturday Night Live, but she crashed the party anyway. Musical guest the Weeknd brought her out to perform a remix of “The Hills” during his Saturday Night Live debut. The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, sang the first half of the song solo…