“Black Girl Stuff” is back! On the latest episode, hosts Akilah Ffriend, Brii Renee, Demetria Obilor, and Tori Brixx dove into the comments to discuss why one New Jersey teacher’s clothing choices have sent social media into a frenzy; Rihanna’s booming beauty empire that’s now adding a hairline into the mix; our correspondent Kennedy Rue’s conversations with Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Hart, DJ Khaled and Latto; and the only Black woman to own a bank in the United States. Thomas Q. Jones also stops by to discuss becoming an actor after an incredible pro football career. As always, you can catch “Black Girl Stuff” every Tuesday on REVOLT at 9 p.m. ET as well as every Wednesday on our website, YouTube channel, and app. Watch the latest episode here.
1. Clashing in the Comments
A New Jersey school teacher’s social media has gone viral for all of the wrong reasons. People have found an issue with how she dresses due to her curvy figure. One Instagram user said, “It’s not her curves for me. It is the inappropriate clothing. And if kids wanted to go looking for her page, they would see their teacher popping that butt and other sexual things you would do to get attention from men. I mean, it’s not like it’s her natural body. She chose to get a body like that [while] being an educator, so she gotta deal with the backlash.” While the Instagram user was strong in their opinion, the girls didn’t agree with everything that was said.
Renee expressed her perspective, saying, “I don’t think there’s a such thing as a ‘professional’ body type, but I think you should know that when you go to get certain augmentations done to your body, certain stigmas are going to come along with that.” She went on to say, “I do think that it is a little distracting for a 5-year-old or a fifth grader to be in a classroom with her.” Ffriend added to the topic by mentioning, “All bodies are professional, but if you have more of a curvaceous figure, whether bought or homegrown, you do need to be more conscious of how you show up in the world.” The topic hasn’t just divided social media, but it divided the ladies as well, as each had a different opinion.
2. The Kennedy Chronicles
Our official “Black Girl Stuff” correspondent Kennedy Rue sat down with Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg to discuss their new movie, Me Time. When asked about the closeness of their friendship before and after the film, Wahlberg said, “We’ve been friendly for a while, but I couldn’t get him to do any movies with me until this one came … he’s never invited me to his house.” Hart chimed in to say, “What he’s trying to say is of course we’ve known each other, acquaintances … there’s a mutual respect, there’s a bond here.” Next, Rue sat down with Regina Hall to discuss her new film, Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul. When talking about the film, Hall said, “I grew up in a Christian church. For my role, just understanding the dynamic of church and seeing first ladies, but I don’t think I ever knew much about them. Any information I could find, anywhere I saw them having conversations, interviews with their husbands, alone, separately, with one another — just anything that gave me insight into their own personal journey as a first lady.”
Lastly, on the red carpet at the VMAs, Rue spoke to DJ Khaled and Latto. Khaled, who is fresh off of the release of his new album GOD DID, made certain to talk to REVOLT before leaving the carpet: “REVOLT is us. You see I was walking … they said, ‘REVOLT,’ I ran back.” Latto talked about what it meant for her to be at the show this year and said, “Last year, I was debuting ‘Big Energy’ and now I’m four-times nominated.” Quite the improvement, to say the least! Latto also mentioned that her dream collaboration would be with the one and only Nicki Minaj.
3. Thomas Q. Jones on Transitioning Into Acting
Depending on your hobbies, you may recognize Thomas Q. Jones from his most recent role as Mane on “P-Valley” or his 12-season-long NFL career, during which he played for teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Kansas City Chiefs. Jones retired as one of the top 25 rushers in NFL history, and he’s now transitioned into acting. When asked about his transition, Jones said, “It wasn’t that hard, actually. You know, I played 12 years and when I retired, I was just burnt out from football. I played football since I was an 8-year-old kid, so, like, what’s next? I kind of struggled with it for like two years. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do, I didn’t have anything I was as passionate about as football. But fortunately, I was able to bump into some really cool people — Clifton Powell, some other actors … I ended up getting an agent, and that’s when I was introduced to Hollywood.”
He also talked about his struggles with being typecast, separating his NFL career from his acting career, the latest season of his show “Johnson,” the conversations Black men have with one another, the “high-value man” debate, and plenty more.
4. BG Boss of the Week
BG Boss Rihanna came into our lives as the Caribbean pop superstar who dropped one classic album after another for over a decade straight. Today, Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty empire has made her a billionaire, and she’s shown zero signs of slowing down as she recently announced that a Fenty hair line is in the works. While fans may be begging Rihanna for a new album, she’s giving us everything else we need first. The second BG Boss of the Week is Kiko Davis, the only Black female bank owner in the United States. She’s the majority stockholder of First Independence Bank in Detroit, Michigan, which just so happens to be the 10th largest bank in the country. Davis isn’t just a great representation of what it means to be a BG Boss, she’s also a great representation of what it means to put action behind your words, as she’s made it her mission to change the lives of Black people for the better.