We have Megan Thee Stallion to thank for that unforgettable hot girl summer of 2019. And then COVID-19 had us getting a shot for hot vax summer (‘cause it was time to be OUTSIDE outside in Tulum or wherever your vaccination status took you). But in 2022, after doing the most in our professional and personal lives, it’s time for soft girl summer — or better yet, living that soft girl life. 

On this episode of Unbothered’s Go Off, Sis podcast, the hosts rock the mic with a special, intimate conversation with just the UB fam. They take a beat to dig a grave for the strong Black woman trope and bury the expectations that come with it. That cliché has been giving relentless stress and anxiety — with a side order of exhaustion — to Black women ever since someone foolishly thought “strong” was a coveted identifier. 

But when it comes time to examine the hosts’ individual definitions of soft girl summer, and the ingredients that make up a soft life, that’s when the conversation gets a bit spicy. Is softness about yachting? Is it owning the latest Fendi bag? Is it securing the lead designer position at work? 

Co-host and VP of Unbothered, Chelsea Sanders, asks the ladies to go beyond what’s dominating their TikTok and Instagram timelines. “How are we vibrating higher and making the best choices for us?” Sanders asks. “Regardless of what we decide this soft life summer means?”

While Kathleen Newman-Bremang, co-host and Unbothered Global Deputy Director, doesn’t believe a soft life should be connected to work at all, and yet somehow, she finds herself automatically thinking about her 9-to-5. “My gut reaction was to say money, of course, creative freedom, and sleep.” She adds, “A soft life is about doing away with some of the structural systemic expectations that have been put on us.”

Co-host and Associate Social Media Strategist Maiya Carmichael just wants to be happy like Mary J. Blige. “I just want to feel like I’m on a natural high. I want to feel like, ‘Wow, like I’m floating.’ I want to be in an emotionally good place. I want to be in a financially good place — and that doesn’t mean I’m balling out of control like Beyoncé. It means the bills are paid. I can go out and eat and drink with my friends, and I can buy what I want to buy.”

But everyone isn’t happy that the soft life is “accessible to Black women,” says co-host and Culture Critic Ineye Komonibo. The backlash to Black women wanting to live a soft life proves that some people feel a way about Black women daring to abandon the proverbial cotton and tattered strong Black woman robe for a sexy fabric that’s not associated with struggle and suffering. “Outside of the Black community, people are like, ‘Black women [don’t want] to be tough? That doesn’t sound right.’”

To hear more about the soft life in relationships and how it relates to privilege, listen to the full episode, below.

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Gynecologists may know us on a deeply (read: uncomfortably) intimate level, but the one topic that seems to be off the table? Fertility and family planning. “They check us for STDs and other complications, but they don’t talk to us about our fertility,” says nutritionist and health coach Gessie Thompson on the latest episode of R29 Unbothered’s Go Off, Sis. “They don’t say, ‘Do you want to have children? There are two tests; let’s check your AMH and your FSH levels.’”

Given that Black women are disproportionately affected by diabetes, endometriosis, heart disease, and fibroids, Thompson, who struggled with infertility connected to those non-cancerous growths, doesn’t understand why physicians skip conversations about the path to motherhood. Even if the patient isn’t thinking about babies in her 20s, there should be a discussion, especially because women’s egg production drops in her 30s.

Thompson could’ve benefited from this information when she (at age 30) and her husband decided to have kids. After a miscarriage, multiple surgeries, and several rounds of IVF, Thompson’s miracle baby Nia was born. She battled infertility for a decade. And now the DeTox Now founder is devoted to helping women naturally shrink fibroids and endometrioma, banish toxic food, and have their own miracle babies.

Some insurance plans cover egg freezing and IVF, but if yours doesn’t, Thompson flags the hefty price tag attached to these procedures. “What are some of the financial hacks for reproductive planning?” asks Maiya Carmichael, Refinery29’s Unbothered co-host and social media coordinator.

Thompson nods to actress Kellee Stewart’s suggestion in OWN’s Eggs Over Easy documentary. “Have an egg shower,” she says. “And say, ‘For my birthday I wanna freeze my eggs. Here’s my Cash App, GoFundMe, and Zelle. The gift I’m giving myself is preserving my fertility, so when I’m ready to build my family, [my eggs] are ready for me.’”

To hear more about Thompson’s radical self-love philosophies, dating non-negotiables, and appearance in Eggs Over Easy, listen to the full episode, below.

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After 10 years on The Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA), Porsha Williams took her Georgia peach to go. And even with a lead role in Porsha’s Family Matters, she no longer considers herself a reality TV star, but as someone who works in entertainment. So, fans and critics can expect to see Williams feed her creative appetite by producing projects and taking the lead behind the camera.

Her latest flex is “The Pursuit of Porsha: How I Grew into My Power and Purpose,” a memoir chronicling her journey toward finding her truest self. “This is my story. This is how I processed these situations in my life,” Williams says, setting the record straight.” I’m only telling my side, it’s not hurtful to anybody else.”

In the latest episode of Go Off, Sis, the podcast from Refinery29’s Unbothered, the hosts talk about what happens when “people stop being polite and start getting real” on reality TV. And they get Williams to peel back the layers to discuss divorce, happiness, and postpartum depression.

And since everyone has an agenda when they join a reality show, no matter if it’s Ready to Love, Married to Medicine, or Selling Tampa, co-host Ineye Komonibo’s questions get to the heart of the matter: “Were you expecting the level of responsibility that you had to take on? What was Porsha’s reasoning for getting on this big platform at the time?”

Williams said her intentions were “1,000% cookie-cutter positive.” She wanted to show the house with the white picket fence and bring attention to her activist grandfather’s legacy. But the camera saw something different.

“I don’t think when I joined the show, I knew I had on a mask. I was being my title — I’m being a wife. And not the realest type of wife,” she says looking back on the first season on RHOA. “When I married Simon [Guobadia], I’m not wearing the ‘title’ of wife. I’m Porsha…I’ll still have my identity. I’ll still have my voice.”

To hear more about The Pursuit of Porsha and the type of conversations Williams plans to have during her book tour, listen to the full episode, below.

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Let’s just go ahead and say Black women artists gave us the soundtrack to 2021. Megan. Chloé. H.E.R. Jazmine. Normani. And Go Off, Sis, the podcast from Refinery29’s Unbothered is passing out giant bouquets of peach and yellow chrysanthemums to these melody-makers. We’re celebrating them for giving us energy, rage, comfort, and encouragement when we needed it most. Oh, and they get a girl-you-doing-a-good-job dance for parlaying their music into even larger duffle bags. Saweetie and that McDonald’s meal? Brilliant. Megan and Popeyes’ Hottie Sauce? Genius.

Unbothered’s creative lead producer and DJ extraordinaire Crystal DeVone slips into the co-host seat on this episode to share a few gems about Black women in music. “Before, it was one person at a time. You could only listen to Nicki Minaj. Then we wait. Next year, listen to Cardi B. At one point, women weren’t even out,” DeVone shares. “Now you have a song [by a Black woman] to listen to when it’s a heartbreak, or when you want to feel your wokeness, or you just want to feel good.”

Not only is there a musical buffet, but these baddies aren’t trying to be a cheap imitation of someone else. Remember when the powers that be handed Rihanna a bottle of peroxide so she could be a blonde baby Beyoncé? Remember what happened when Ursula Stephen gave Rihanna that career-altering bob in 2007? They didn’t know Rih was a savage. Send an email to the folks in charge: When you free the girls, you will get thee work.          

“One of the reasons [artists] don’t have to care as much about what A&R rep is checking for them is because they’ve been able to use the platforms available to them in 2021 that weren’t available 20 years ago,” says co-host Chelsea Sanders about an artist’s ability to be authentic and unapologetic. “They can hop on Twitter and release a song. They can hop on TikTok like Doja Cat does and go wild.”

To hear more about how Black women artists are using social media to elevate their brand and if a Whitney Houston hologram tour is good for the culture, listen to the full episode, below.

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Hands down, the best place on the internet — if you want to see civilians and celebs get celebrated or dragged — is Black Twitter. It was the first to come after an ex-NFL player who questioned Jill Scott’s beauty. It was the first to offer the #ThanksgivingClapBack as a coping mechanism for annoying relatives on turkey day. And it was the first to declare that Black people would get their superpowers on Dec. 21, 2020 (okay, that didn’t happen, but maybe some of us will get telekinesis this year).

Even if you don’t rock with Black Twitter, everyone knows to show up for the hilarious commentary, memes, and nicknames (Miss Rona, for one). Comedienne and Home Economics star Sasheer Zamata enjoys Black Twitter’s unmatched shenanigans when catastrophe strikes. “I love how fast we are when it comes to the jokes,” says the Saturday Night Live alumna. “We’re so used to creating humor out of tragedy. It’s appropriate that when we have mass tragedy, we are the ones who bring the humor.”

In the latest episode of Go Off, Sis, the podcast from Refinery29’s Unbothered, the hosts connect with Zamata about collaborative TV show environments and the fallout when Black creatives get their ideas snatched on social media. “There’s room for regulation. How can you track who says what? You can. People’s names are right there [on Twitter] and there’s a timestamp,” Zamata offers. 

Co-host Ineye Komonibo says followers go nuts on Twitter because there aren’t any rules. “We’re gonna say whatever we wanna say — for better or worse — which means there’s gonna be a lot of hot takes. A lot of arguments,” she says. “And if you’re on the outside, know your place. Be a fan. Spectate. Retweet. Laugh in the thread, but you can’t contribute.” 

To hear about shadow-banned Black content, comedians as truth-tellers, and influencers robbing Black culture, listen to the full episode, below.

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Actress Niecy Nash isn’t one to back down from a fight. Case in point: In the award-winning dark comedy Claws, the execs initially saw Nash’s onscreen character Desna Simms, the owner of Nail Artisan in Manatee County, as a done-up blonde with loose, beach waves. But Nash believed Desna was on a fast track headed toward a life of crime; she was not the soccer-mom type. “I fought up until the night we began principal photography to wear my hair just straight, straight,” Nash recalls. “No curls, nothing. [I changed her] clothes. I fixed myself up the way I thought she would look, and I sent the photos to all the powers that be.”

She won that fight but admit that it doesn’t always happen that way. In the latest episode of Go Off, Sis, the podcast from Refinery29’s Unbothered, the hosts give “the dopest bouquet of flowers” to Nash, as she checks in to talk about Claws, now in its fourth and final season, the importance of putting more Black talent in the room, career moves, and l-o-v-e. And on that topic, co-host Kathleen Newman-Bremang asks: “From the outside looking in, we are seeing you and your wife Jessica [Betts] in interviews. It gets spicy in those interviews. Your love is just like oozing out. So is there something about this relationship that makes you more comfortable with the PDA, or with sharing some of those intimate moments with all of us?”

“Well, I’m super comfortable with PDA for anybody I’m with — that’s number one,” Nash replies, candidly. “Number two, the things that makes this relationship different from many others is that, for me, it’s the first time I feel fully seen.”

To hear about more about what a healthy relationship looks like and why Nash operates from a place of abundance, listen to the full episode, below.

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Moriah Mierre always knew she wanted to be in beauty — she spent her childhood accompanying her mother to her weekly hair appointments (a smooth ‘90s-style updo) and watching her get glammed up. “My mother was already a beautiful woman, but after she got her makeup done, I was like, ‘Oh wow, you look so gorgeous,’” remembers Mierre, who recalls her mother’s signature, a bright fuchsia lipstick with a plum lipliner. 

It was this early exposure to the transformative powers of beauty that inspired her to pursue a career in beauty — and ultimately, open the doors to her very own luxury makeup studio, The Beat Lounge, in May. “When women come sit in my chair and I’m done with their look, they have this newfound confidence — it lights a fire in them and they look like they’re ready to take on the world,” says the 31-year-old Detroit native. “As women, we’re so used to pouring ourselves into everyone else, but when you come sit in my chair, this is the time for you.” 

In partnership with Target, we talked to Mierre about what it takes to be a beauty entrepreneur, how she's growing her business, and what she’s doing to uplift the Black community.

When did you first fall in love with makeup and beauty?
“Growing up, I always watched my mom and the women in my family get dressed up and do their makeup. Seeing that every day, I just instantly fell into it. But my mom didn’t let me wear makeup. In high school, I started to try it out and my mom would get so upset. She’d say, ‘You’re too young. Just wait.’ When I graduated high school, I became engulfed in it. I was obsessed with watching YouTube videos; I’d watch makeup videos for nine hours a day. Then, I started practicing and getting into it at 19.”

Let’s fast forward a bit. You’ve worked with many celebrities, but it isn’t easy to book celebrity clients. Who was your first celebrity client and how did you get the gig?
“My very first celebrity client was Big Sean. I had a job at a makeup boutique, and they fired me but didn’t tell why. And I just prayed — not long after, I got a call to do men’s grooming for Big Sean for a campaign. I got the job because a friend who knew him personally referred me. I took it as a sign, and from there, I started diving into my entrepreneurship.”

You’re growing and bringing on more artists to work in The Beat Lounge. How do you deal with clients who only want to work with you?
“We’re still in that phase because I’m traveling a lot to L.A. People know when they come to me, they’re going to get professionalism, good customer service, and quality. They know how particular I am, how professional I am. And they know I wouldn’t have anyone working under me who doesn’t have those same qualities. This automatically makes my clients trust me.”

What’s the key to making The Beat Lounge the place to get your makeup done in Detroit?
“It’s a luxurious experience. I have the lounge area with cozy, beautiful chairs and I serve you with wine or water. And there’s music to set a joyful vibe. Each artist has a personal vanity, so our clients can watch the whole process from start to finish. A vanity gives me that Hollywood feel. Some salons don’t allow clients to see themselves and the process. I think [seeing your transformation] is the most special part. It’s a fun process for them to watch and you get to feel like the star of your own show. You are the celebrity. You are the star here.”

Speaking of treating women like stars, how do you uplift the Black community?
“By bringing women together and promoting empowerment, self-love, beauty, and self-care. Getting your makeup done is a form of self-care. Clients tell me about the hard times they’ve been going through in the pandemic. And they say, ‘I wanted to come in here to take care of myself. I need a self-care day.’ They thank me for making them feel beautiful because they had forgotten, or they thank me for being a part of their special day and making them feel the most beautiful they’ve ever felt in their lives."

Let’s talk about business. What’s one of the biggest mistakes you’ve made in business?
“I’ve been a full-time entrepreneur for six years, but I’ve been doing makeup professionally for nine years. I’ve learned the power of contracts. I used to do [verbal] agreements and that doesn’t work. I’d get myself into sticky situations. In business, you learn why having contracts is so important. It’s something you and the client can always refer to.”

There is competition in every industry, how do you stay focused to show up and own your lane?
“I don’t look at what other people are doing. I focus on my brand and my work. What I’m doing is my mission and my purpose, and I just stick with that. I don’t compare myself or compete with anybody else. I was sent here to help these women, and that pushes me. I’m making women feel seen and heard and valued and loved. I have no choice but to show up. It’s not about me at this point. It’s bigger than me.”

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“What does [luxury] really even mean?” asks Chelsea Sanders, co-host of Go Off, Sis, the podcast from Refinery29’s Unbothered. “Designer shoes? Bags? A trip? Getting flewed out? Is it a soothing bath? Some of your favorite Black-owned products?”

In the latest episode, the hosts explore all aspects of luxury, who gets to define it, and why we’re entertained by look-at-me opulence — especially when it doesn’t do anything for underserved communities. 

Elaine Welteroth, Project Runway judge, former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief, and former co-host of The Talk, joins the conversation with her take on how Black people are redefining and reclaiming luxury. “For a lot of us, luxury is now buying Black. Luxury is investing in our communities,” she says. “I’m here for celebrities who understand the platforms they have and the importance of using their platforms to amplify Black designers, who for too long, have been iced out of luxury conversations — simply for lack of access.”

Welteroth shouts out Black designers, including Kerby Jean-Raymond, the founder and creator of Pyer Moss, who are showing up as their authentic selves and proving to be agents of change instead of playing by the establishment’s rules. Case in point: Jean-Raymond’s Pyer Moss Fall 2021 Couture show highlighting Black inventors. “He had Elaine Brown from the Black Panther Party,” she says. “That moment, which opened the show, won’t be fully appreciated for years.”

To hear the hosts chat more about excess, splurges, and Black capitalism, listen to the full episode, below.  

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In the latest episode of Go Off, Sis, the podcast from Refinery29’s Unbothered, the hosts welcome big little boss and 16-year-old actress Marsai Martin, who’s fresh off her two wins at this year’s NAACP Awards (bringing her total to a whopping 11).

After producing and starring in 2019’s Little (opposite Issa Rae and Regina Hall), the Black-ish star has become the youngest executive producer in Hollywood — and she’s constantly adding cherries to her résumé, like launching Genius Entertainment (a family business production company) and producing Disney’s Saturdays, a comedy that pays homage to roller skating. [“Roller skating] is an activity that is so big in Black culture, but you don’t hear about it often,” Martin says. “We just finished filming the pilot. It will inspire young Black girls to do their thing and do what they love.”

Saturdays is just one of many projects from Genius that’ll focus on Black stories and love, with shows and movies that feature Black girls. Martin says she’s over content that’s about pain and trauma. “I started Genius to make sure young Black girls don’t go through what I went through. When I was younger, [I didn’t see] girls who looked like me onscreen,” she explains. “If you don’t see it actually happening, how do you know you are able to do it? I just want to create content that everyone can relate to, not just a certain white male-dominated group.”

To learn about Martin’s sisterhood with other Black starlets in Hollywood, like Euphoria’s Storm Reid, along with her advice for other aspiring artists, listen to the full episode, below.

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Taiia Smart Young, Khareem Sudlow

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There’s a certain pleasure HBCU alums get when they see another HBCU grad in a TV show or film. That win for her, him, or them feels like a win for all of us, and seeing actress Javicia Leslie kick butt (and do her own stunts!) as a superhero is a gain for the culture. In the season 3 finale of R29 Unbothered’s Go Off, Sis podcast, Leslie, a proud Hampton University alumna and the first Black actor to play Batwoman in The CW’s superhero TV series Batwoman, join the hosts to talk about the magnitude of being the lead on the call sheet and how she copes with “miserable” people spewing their negative thoughts about her role (i.e. “There’s no such thing as a Black Batwoman”).

For one, she’s learned to disable comments on social media and not engage with the haters, choosing instead to rise above it, because she understands the power and purpose behind her role. She goes on to describe a moment when a dad explained how his daughter saw the Batwoman casting, pointed at Leslie’s photo, and said, “Dad, that woman looks like me.”

“Everything I do matters,” she says. “And it matters because there’s some little girl that’s waiting for the next episode, and she needs me to perform.”

To hear more about the power of the HBCU network and how Leslie deals with negativity on social media, listen to the full episode, below.

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Taiia Smart Young, Khareem Sudlow

#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

Every October, historically Black college and university (HBCU) alumni flock to their alma maters to reunite with classmates, party in fierce fits, and cheer on their football teams. There’s homecoming and then there’s HBCU homecoming: a family reunion, a cookout, a fashion show, a physical and spiritual baptism in Blackness all rolled into one. 

HBCU homecoming has come to mean so much more than showing school spirit — it’s evolved into a weeklong celebration that honors a legacy steeped in history and a lineage of Black predecessors who have paved a way for all those who come after them.

But this year, due to the pandemic, homecoming as we know it is canceled — leaving many HBCU grads feeling homesick, even in spite of online get-togethers. No virtual event could ever take the place of coming back to campus, reveling in the energy and excitement, and reuniting with lifelong friends. That’s why we partnered with Target to speak to three HBCU alumnae about what homecoming means to them and why attending an HBCU was so important to their lives and careers. Meet our digital homecoming court: Gabrielle Corrica (Spelman College), Aisha Johnson (Howard University), and Asia Milia (Hampton University).

Gabrielle Corrica
Spelman College, class of 2016

When it was time to head to college, Gabrielle Corrica was more than ready to put some serious miles between her hometown and her campus. “I grew up in Riverside, CA, which is a suburb about an hour away from East LA. It’s a pretty anti-Black environment, and I was over it,” Corrica says from her apartment in New York City. 

Choosing to attend an HBCU was a no-brainer — she was eager to escape the micro and macro aggressions she’d faced in her predominantly white high school and community. Corrica applied to three schools, including Atlanta-based Spelman College, her now alma mater. Spelman and Howard University’s business programs made a huge impression on the teen, but for Corrica, HU couldn’t compete with Spelman’s all-women student body. 

“There was the promise of sisterhood,” Corrica says with pride. “Spelman was created for and dedicated to the education of Black women and there’s no other institution, other than Bennett College, that has that.”

At Spelman, where she was an economics major, Corrica didn’t feel like she was the exception to the rule. She was the standard who was challenged, instead of underestimated, by classmates and professors. After graduating in 2016, alumni support helped the web designer and brand strategist navigate her way through corporate America gigs to full-time entrepreneurship.

While she didn’t plan to attend homecoming this year — Corrica is anxiously awaiting her five-year reunion — she was heartbroken that COVID-19 interrupted the fun for others. “For so many alums, it’s a family reunion,” she says. “It’s a chance to reunite and love each other and share memories, but it’s also a way to celebrate the legacy and the power of our institutions.”

Some homecoming shenanigans are still fresh in her mind. As a freshman, Corrica was part of her dorm’s Stroll team and even though they didn’t win the competition, she bonded with her teammates. They still remember the dances like it was yesterday, which obviously means a stroll line will pop up if they’re together in the club. 

Next year, if things are safer and homecoming is hosted again as planned, Corrica plans to overpack for the event. It’s a must, she says, to have an ensemble of head-turning looks to take her from coronation to the step show to the football game to tailgate to the party. “You get automatic cool points,” she says about returning to the yard as an alum. “Your sunglasses sit a little different on your face. You walk around like you’ve been through some things, but you’re still here.” 

Although it’s too early to think about those five-year reunion details, Corrica is hopeful that’ll include a “big brunch and big bottles” situation, toasting Spelman’s legacy of academic excellence and ethical leadership. 

“We’re instilled with the idea that it’s our responsibility to pull as we climb, to create more opportunities. It’s our responsibility to protect each other. We are all we got,” says Corrica, feeling sentimental. “I think about how I can pull up others, even as I’m finding my footing as a young entrepreneur.”

Shop Gabrielle’s outfit:

Aisha Johnson
Howard University, class of 2011

Attending an HBCU wasn’t exactly part of Aisha Johnson’s college plan; Black colleges weren’t on her immigrant family’s radar. Their eyes were on the Ivy League or other predominately white institutions, places they could tell folks about back in Jamaica. But a family friend suggested Johnson check out Washington, D.C.-based Howard University, which she did, along with other local schools in her Florida hometown. When acceptances came through, and the scholar-athlete was accepted to the University of Florida, a classmate claimed that Johnson was merely an “affirmative action” pick.

Those words stung, especially since she’d worked hard to earn stellar grades and excel at track. That exchange with her classmate solidified Johnson’s decision to attend an HBCU. “I had to prove them wrong. I knew for a fact that I could go to an amazing school and it would have nothing to do with affirmative action,” Johnson says. She chose Howard University because of its noteworthy journalism program and decided to concentrate on public relations.

“At Howard, I wasn’t just the best Black person, I was one of the best amongst the best. It really helped me feel a greater sense of pride and confidence, because I didn’t have to deal with that overlying feeling of race,” Johnson says. “I could assert myself in different ways and not think about how I’m going to be perceived or whether someone felt like I deserve to be there.”

Now, as a digital content creator with an emphasis on self-care, she’s part of a HU network that shares information. “That’s something I’m grateful for. We’re not the type to be crabs in a barrel. There’s this sense of camaraderie and we’re willing to help each other,” says Johnson, noting that she hired a HU grad at her last corporate job. 

The only reason the 2011 grad isn’t completely devastated about missing homecoming this year is because she and her Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority sisters celebrated their line’s 10th anniversary last year, complete with a movie trailer, Instagram page, and matching jackets. But because people are paying more attention to “HBCUs, Black people, and Black culture in a way that’s less about appropriation and more about learning,” she believes homecoming would’ve been major this year. 

Howard’s homecoming would’ve certainly definitely hit differently with 2020’s Democratic candidate for vice president, who is also an AKA, a Howard grad, and has Jamaican roots. Johnson says she’s “never felt more seen” by the nomination. 

Homecoming with Johnson’s line sisters is especially meaningful because they can reminisce about their glory days of winning the Neo Stroll competition and being Sorority of the Year — or that time one famous Canadian rapper popped up for a surprise Yardfest performance. If COVID-19 hadn’t interrupted everything, Johnson would’ve been raiding her closet for cute outfits to wear to the step show, tailgate, or Sunday brunch with friends who are now lawyers, doctors, and CEOs.

“You won’t catch me in a plain dress. I’m going to have my legs out and I’m going to give you a statement sleeve, or a cool print and a bold lip,” Johnson says. “It has to be curated and statement-making.”

Shop Aisha’s outfit:

Asia Milia
Hampton University, class of 2017

Although Asia Milia had a lot of friends at her small high school, she didn’t truly feel seen. Sure, she was homecoming queen and mastered difficult routines as a member of her school’s step crew, but in the classroom she was one of two Black students. When it came to college, Milia was determined to find a new school family, one where the students looked like her but also came from all different experiences.

Attending an HBCU had been on Milia’s mental vision board since elementary school, and the Virginia-based Hampton University had an edge over the competition because her cousin had attended it, deeming it “the real HU.”

“I knew there was going to be an amazing alumni network and Black students who were achieving great things,” says the native New Yorker. “There’s nothing like an HBCU family.”

Although Milia was initially intimidated by Hampton’s upperclassmen’s success, she followed their lead and made big moves of her own. During her senior year, she left Hampton for two weeks to be a Fashion Week intern. She credits the school for giving her the mettle to grab that real-world experience before graduation. 

“I think [the school] feeds that hustler mentality,” Milia says. “When you have your mind set on something and you have the confidence to believe in yourself, there’s no way you’re not going to accomplish everything you set out to do.”

That HU connection also helped Milia secure an internship at a national women’s magazine after she earned her strategic communications degree. A fellow Hampton grad slid her résumé to the right person and Milia stayed at the beauty and fashion bible for more than a year, often working with the editor-in-chief. It was there that a then-fashion and beauty editor-at-large (and a fellow HBCU alumna) gave the newbie advice and took her out for a celebratory-meets-business kiki when Milia snagged her current gig at a different popular magazine.

It’s been three years since she’s graduated, and she’s particularly heartbroken that homecoming has been canceled this year. “I was really looking forward to this year. I feel like I finally have my life together,” says the editorial assistant, who’s committed to carving out a space online for curvy Black girls. “Homecoming is our family reunion and to skip a whole year of that hurts. Coming out of summer, homecoming is the vibe we all need. It’s about seeing everyone you spent four years with and catching up with them outside of social media.”

With so many Hampton undergrads watching Milia’s moves on social media, she knew there’d be pressure to make sure that her homecoming looks would meet or exceed her fashion presence on Instagram. Once, she opened a credit card just to charge a pair of red thigh-high boots because she wanted to style it with a camo jacket for homecoming. Every fit has to be carefully coordinated based on the weekend’s events, Milia insists, including parties, brunches, and run-ins with exes. 

“You have to have your brightest outfit for the yard on Friday. You need heels, but they better be comfortable. You can wear sneakers on Saturday for tailgate,” Milia says, listing everything she would have packed for homecoming. “But which sneakers are they going to be? Because people are going to be looking.”

Shop Asia’s outfit:

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Taiia Smart Young, Khareem Sudlow