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Gone are the days of boy-band induced hysteria in Times Square outside of MTV’s Total Request Live (TRL for the real ones) and stunt tours packed with the bold-faced names of the early 2000s like Nelly, Eve, Jessica Simpson, 3LW, Dream and headliners Destiny’s Child on the same bill. We’ll probably never see Mariah Carey casually drop by a studio during a live taping or watch a python straddle Britney Spears’ shoulders while she bends time and space with the sheer force of her swagger. But mostly, we’ll never catch Beyoncé slipping ever again. 

Twenty years ago on May 8, 2001, the baby-faced lead singer of the biggest girl group in the world made her film acting debut in MTV’s Carmen: A Hip Hopera in the titular role at 19 years old. The movie musical — a reimagining of the 1875 opera, Carmen, from French composer Georges Bizet, and its subsequent all-Black Broadway adaptation, Carmen Jones — was a big event. It brought together the who’s who of rap royalty of the era: Jermaine Dupri, Mos Def (now Yasiin Bey), Da Brat, Wyclef Jean, Rah Digga and Lil Bow Wow. What a time. Playing opposite Bey as Sgt. Derek Hill was none other than early aughts heartthrob, an Internet Boyfriend before Internet Boyfriends, the inimitable Mekhi Phifer who proved he has mad skills on the mic as well as in a monologue. But all of that couldn’t save Carmen: A Hip Hopera from an uneven script, mediocre reviews and takes from pundits who attested that Bey should stick to singing. 

This is some of the messiest and horniest work Beyoncé has ever given us and we’ll never get the chance to see her as unpolished, or as problematic, again. 

Listen, we don’t speak ill of Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, first of her name, in this house. We at Team Unbothered, like good commoners and card-carrying members of the Beyhive, bow down to our Queen Bey and her unmatched excellence. Long may she reign. However, we also like to keep it real. And anyone who worships at the altar of Beyoncé knows that she has exactly one weakness: her inability to disappear into a role or deliver an acting performance half as good as anything she gives us on stage. And that’s OK. Queen Bey has given us so much. It’s truly the least she can do to show us that she isn’t perfect at everything — and since she doesn’t do that anymore, Carmen is one of the few examples we have left of pre-perfectionist “until I see some of my notes applied, it doesn’t make sense for me to make more” Beyoncé. But that doesn’t mean she’s terrible in this movie. Remember, it was her acting debut. Director Robert Townsend (B*A*P*S, The Five Heartbeats) told VIBE that he had to “fight” MTV execs for Bey to be considered for the role and sang her praises throughout the press tour. “There are certain people who have never acted that don’t want to look stupid,” Townsend said to the LA Times. “But Beyoncé was willing to step up and play. She has really good instincts, and was really comfortable in front of the camera.”

That comfort (which is most evident in the scenes with Carmen’s best friends Rasheeda and Nikki played by Rah Digga and Joy Bryant proving that Beyoncé wasn’t exactly ready to go solo yet) and willingness to “look stupid” is why Carmen: A Hip Hopera is such a gem. There’s a raw quality to Bey’s performance — from her hesitant flirting to confidently dropping bars on bars — that acts as a time capsule of a superstar before her prime, and a glimpse of her future as the greatest rapper of our generation. I said what I said. As much as there are flashes of brilliance in Carmen: A Hip Hopera, there is also the mess. 

Carmen, the character, is messy as hell. When we first meet her, she’s hitting on a man in front of his girlfriend and proving the Jezebel stereotype that plagues Black women in pop culture was alive and well in 2001 (while Missy Elliott served as a producer on the film, it was mostly helmed by men). The entire plot revolves around us rooting for Carmen’s relationship with Hill (Phifer) and the night they met he was still engaged to someone else. But Carmen, as Hill boasts in a rhyme (written by Sekani Williams, music by Kip Collins), is anything but common and her ambition to be a Hollywood actress outweighs her love for Hill, even though the man went to prison for her. She moves on quickly to a rapper named Blaze (Leroy Casey) before meeting a tragic fate at the hands of egomaniacal men (spoilers don’t count two decades later!). Throughout, she uses seduction and success as her motivations until both prove to be her downfall. This is some of the messiest and horniest work Beyoncé has ever given us and we’ll never get the chance to see her as unpolished, or as problematic, again. 

With the clarity of hindsight and 2021 vision, you could read Carmen: A Hip Hopera as an anti-police, prison abolitionist manifesto (free Bow Wow!), or as a reductive tale of gold diggers and homewreckers, or as a remake ahead of its time which paved the way for another “hip hopera” which changed Broadway forever (I’m not saying Carmen crip-walked so Hamilton could run but I’m also not not saying that), or you could just have some fun with it. Here, some of our very own bold-faced names of Team Unbothered revisit the 2001 classic and share their unfiltered thoughts. Beygency, please forgive us. 

Laurise McMillian, Content Strategy Editor & Head of Social

It made for such a fun girls night but I felt like I was watching narrative porn in the beginning. Softcore porn! I was like holy shit, Bey. And the plot was like what the fuck? When did [Carmen and Hill] fall in love? They knew each other for two seconds. There was a moment when Beyoncé cooked breakfast and I was like, which frat bro wrote this fantasy in here? It was definitelllllllyyyy directed by a man. So ridiculous. 

There was a moment when Beyoncé cooked breakfast and I was like, which frat bro wrote this fantasy?

Laurise McMillian

The positives: Joy Bryant is fucking HOTTT. And the acting was good if it was indeed that. Mekhi Phifer carried the whole film, but nobody is surprised. Wait, I forgot about MOS DEF. I take it back. He carried the film. He was his normal nonchalant self but as usual it worked. Beyonce in low-rider jeans was an amazing moment. No wonder they’re coming back. I loved seeing Rah Digga and Joy Bryant take Blaze’s money and tear up L.A.! Very hot girl summer energy. Lil Bow Wow in jail had me in tears laughing. 

Ineye Komonibo, Entertainment Writer 

Watching this 20 years later, it’s so cringe LMAO. I keep wondering if Beyoncé looks back at these days when she was so much more out there as a young person and gets embarrassed. Or is she like, “Yeah, I did that!” Also, Beyoncé really has been THEE lyricist forever. She didn’t write her lyrics obviously, but our girl has been nice with the flow for a very long time. 

Carmen: A Hip Hopera is a reminder that Beyoncé has been about the culture since she first hit the scene.

Ineye Komonibo

Finally, even though the movie isn’t talked about as much (given the cringe-factor, I low-key understand why), Carmen: A Hip Hopera is a reminder that Beyoncé really has been about the culture since she first hit the scene. This is a Black production through and through, and she was at the center of it all — just like she’s always been.

Chelsea Sanders – VP

Ok first of all, where did our star-studded movies go? Mekhi Phifer. Mos Def. Wyclef. Da Brat. Joy Bryant. Bow Wow when he was still ‘Lil. This movie is packed with every early aughts Black star they could find — this is lyrical history, people. While we’re giving out flowers, we need to give Robert Townsend all of them because he directed all the classics of my adolescence – this masterpiece, B.A.P.S., The Five Heartbeats! He knows exactly what he’s doing with this musical journey with Queen Bey. Even though I have some notes on Beyoncé’s  acting, this movie was crafted around her, as it should be.  

Let’s also give a moment for Beyoncé’s range in this classic, because we already know she’s serving House of Dereon meets Crossroads looks.

Chelsea Sanders

Let’s also give a moment for Beyoncé’s range in this classic, because we already know she’s serving House of Dereon meets Crossroads (another classic) looks. That range more than makes up for the mid-tier budget MTV gave this. Rapping Beyoncé is arguably my favorite Beyoncé and she’s giving me all the “Top Off,” “Feeling Myself,” “Upgrade U” energy we need. By the end of this viewing, I’m convinced Carmen is in the top two Bey, the rapper moments and it ain’t number two. 

Everything about this plot is problematic, but that honestly made it easier to not get caught up in the details of what’s actually going on. Save for Carmen’s “where them dollars at?” attitude, we can leave the rest of this reductive Jezebel-turned-tame-housewife-with-big -dreams-she-can-only-achieve-by-scheming narrative behind. Also, we all know Beyonce doesn’t cook, so this is truly a work of (highly entertaining) fiction. We can thank Da Brat’s rhinestone durag for that. Signing off, Chelsea “Curves Like a Cul de Sac” Sanders. 

Brooke Obie, Deputy Director

I tried watching Carmen. I really tried. it’s so bad! It’s SO bad. The whole cast deserved better than those corny lyrics. Also the plot is nonsense. Why would aiding Carmen who committed a petty misdemeanor at best result in prison time for Mekhi Phifer? Nonsense. That was where I cut it off. I would love a remake starring Chloe Bailey with bars written by Beyoncé’s team. But that’s from about 15 minutes of watching. That was all I could take. Love you, Bey!

The plot is nonsense.

brooke obie

Sydney Clarke – 2030 Fellow

I didn’t know Carmen: A Hip Opera existed until… last week. I felt like I was transported to another world while watching it. The low-rise jeans that sit right above everyone’s butt crack, Beyonce’s constant hair changes and the surprising bar scuffle at the beginning were just the start. Cops are still crooked and doggish like Lt. Miller (Mos Def), while Hill spent his time being crazy in love (I had to) with Carmen who seemingly popped up out of nowhere in her  red dress. 

When Carmen auditions in California, the casting director asks her to be “more urban, more Black” and Carmen responds with utter confusion, as she should, because being Black is not a monolith. This scene brought up memories of my childhood being told I wasn’t Black enough or I spoke like a white girl which left me feeling distanced from the capital B, capital E, Black Experience. It reminded me that sometimes the dreams we want for ourselves are guarded by the most out of touch gatekeepers who are there because of convenience and oftentimes because of their race. 

Throughout the movie, I thought Carmen was the worst and the root of all the trouble that unfolded, but at some point I was rooting for her.

Sydney Clarke

Throughout the movie, I thought Carmen was the worst and root of all the trouble that unfolded, but at some point I was rooting for her. When she realized her relationship with Hill wasn’t working, she removed herself from it. She took the results of her spiritual reading (shoutout to our colleague Stephanie Long and her tarot reading piece, because clearly Black girls were in love with mysticism in 2001) and made a move that would put her in a position to live life instead of scrape by and survive with what little time she had left. 

To my surprise, I actually enjoyed the music a lot. Everyone understood the musical assignment and delivered. Hopefully, this summer I can channel some of the Black Girl Magic Rasheeda, Nikki, and Carmen had because they were an example of true friends. They built each other up and I loved seeing that play out. They remind me of my girlfriends and the bond I have with them, knowing that I can go to them to build me up, make me smile, and keep it real with me when I need a reality check.

Sandy Pierre, Branded Execution Specialist

My initial thoughts when it first started was wow this is kinda bad. The transitions into different scenes were as basic as can be, but then I remembered it was made in 2001. As I got into it, I started feeling it. As annoying as Mos Def was, he spit the best lyrics. It was a vibe! I also totally forgot Mekhi Phifer could low-key rap. 

I guess hoes deserve to be happy too.

Sandy Pierre

Now, let’s get into Carmen. She confused me a bit. She started out as being this promiscuous girl going after people’s men then she fell in love with Hill. I guess hoes deserve to be happy too and in the end she only cared about her career (which she wasn’t good at) Also when she wanted him to break his parole to be with her, that was screaming toxic! He also grew somewhat of an obsession with her that wasn’t healthy. My man Hill was going crazy! I want my man to love me but I don’t know about that much, where it becomes a little scary. Bey and Wyclef singing “The Cards Never Lie” was my favorite song back then and it still hit the same. But the music scene she did with her friends in her apartment was horrible!!! Overall, I wasn’t mad at it. It was definitely a ghetto Hollywood love story.

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Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Khareem Sudlow

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Mother’s Day has quickly become one of my favorite holidays.

It’s not because of the amazing fact that my sweet husband and daughter spoil me rotten with breakfast in bed, extra snuggles and home-made cards {that doesn’t hurt!}. It’s because it’s a beautiful day to stop and truly savor the progress that I have made as a new mom over the past few years. It’s also a great moment to truly appreciate the journey of motherhood.

When June was born, I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. As I celebrate my third Mother’s Day this year, I can honestly say that I still have no idea what I’m doing {ha!}. However, I am more comfortable in admitting that now than ever before. Do I have all of the answers? Absolutely not. Do I have days where I break down in tears, feeling like I’m doing a terrible job? You betcha! Would I trade anything in the world over being June’s mom? It’s honestly my favorite thing in the world.

I am so proud, happy, thankful, humbled and incredibly grateful to be celebrating today as June’s mom.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of my fellow mama’s out there… to all of the mom’s, grandma’s, mother’s who have lost children, those who have lost mother’s, those yearning to be mother’s and to mother’s in strained relationships with their child – wishing you all love, peace and happiness today and always.

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jaceylenae, Khareem Sudlow

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If you don’t know a horse girl, aren’t one yourself, or haven’t seen one on throwback TV shows like Wildfire, horse girls are, simply put, girls who love horses. Sometimes they ride them — but they don’t have to; you can be a horse girl if you’ve never even been in the presence of a horse. Horse girls watched Spirit on VHS on a regular basis and preferred Felicity — a fellow horse girl — to the other American Girl dolls. The O.C.’s Summer Roberts was a horse girl (hello, Princess Sparkle), Beyoncé is a horse girl, and Kacey Musgraves is definitely a Horse Girl.

But despite their representation at the A-level, until recently, true horse girls haven’t exactly enjoyed a vaunted social status. Their exceptionally long hair got pulled, and their detailed horse drawings folded up and passed around class. Urban Dictionary describes them as “girls who gallop on the track during gym class.” And frankly, some do: In Finland, hobbyhorse riding, according to The Wall Street Journal, is a growing sport that involves young girls riding fake horses, made of cloth or plastic horse heads attached to sticks. But it’s not just hobbyhorse girls who were subject to mockery. Even those whose horse-related interests ended with My Little Pony T-shirts and binder stickers were often forbidden from sitting at the cool-kid table.

In the last few years, however, horse girls have found themselves at the center of attention — and not because they can clear a fence with grace while galloping on all fours. Horse girls everywhere were vindicated when Musgraves performed “High Horse” horseback at the Houston Rodeo in 2019. At the same time, Western tropes were (once again) experiencing peak popularity, with Ganni’s heart-embossed cowboy boots and Canadian tuxedos spotted on every #GanniGirl from New York to Copenhagen, and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road (Remix)” — which saw the singer in an enviable selection of cowboy wares for the music video — reaching the tops of music charts. 

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Today celebrities aren’t wearing lace bodysuits while horseback at a packed arena, or a custom hot pink cowboy hat at the Grammys. Instead, like most things this year, the horse girl look has mellowed out since the pandemic, becoming more outdoorsy — think cottagecore vibes — than showy. With nowhere to actually go but outside, everyday horse girls have become standard sightings on social media feeds and beyond.

It began with Gigi and Bella Hadid, who spent a majority of quarantine last year at their sprawling farm in Pennsylvania, where every day is an episode of The Saddle Club. It was there that Gigi shot her little sister for the August cover of Elle — a shoot that included photos of her nuzzling up with her horse while wearing Hermés leather chaps, cleaning it in a Saint Laurent blazer, and riding it in a Dior dress. Since that shoot, Bella has posed with her horse on Instagram on countless occasions, calling him her “fearless son” and braiding his mane like you would your best friend’s hair. 

On Instagram, entire lifestyle brands have embraced the sudden demand for equestrian style, like Recreational Habits, which launched in the pandemic and features a curated mood board titled @rhequestrianclub and preppy-athletic apparel. Runways, too, have become enamored with horse girls. A model on a horse, albeit in a wedding gown, closed Chanel’s spring ‘21 Haute Couture show, while Celine’s fall ‘21 film featured a lineup of Gen Z models horseback riding. The most blatantly equestrian display was at Gucci’s fall ‘21 show, when models carried whips and crops while wearing riding boots, helmets, and tailored velvet blazers. Some models wore harnesses — others carried them. The film showcasing the new collection concluded with every horse girl’s dream: two white Stallions. 

In turn, sartorial items that would once live only in the wardrobes of actual equestrians are becoming closet mainstays for all. Knee-high boots, like those featured at Gucci’s show, have surpassed both ankle-height and over-the-knee styles on our spring wishlists, while cowboy boots continue to reign supreme on runways. Stirrup leggings, a big trend of the last year, have single-handedly made leggings cool again, and shrunken, fitted polos are frequently spotted on Instagram and TikTok. 

Arguably the most horse girl item of all — chaps — is back, too, and not just on Hadid or Kim Kardashian. According to fashion writer Laura Reilly, chaps are the one fashion item she’s most excited to wear post-pandemic. “My friend and I are planning a chap party in their honor,” she tells Refinery29. Reilly originally bought her leather chaps on eBay for “a Halloween that never happened.” “All of my friends have a pair in the back of their closets somewhere — they just need an excuse to wear them.” But really, with horse girls taking over fashion, is an excuse even necessary?

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Eliza Huber, Khareem Sudlow

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On Monday, popular YouTubers Nikki and Dan Phillippi shared some heartbreaking news: they made the decision to euthanize their 9-year-old bull terrier, Bowser. But Bowser was not sick, or in pain, or suffering from an incurable disease. No, the vloggers chose to end the life of their dog because he bit the couple’s 1-year-old son, Logan, after the toddler tried to take some of the dog’s food.

“I feel awkward, just like opening this video,” Nikki says, clearing her throat while sitting next to her teary-eyed husband. “I don’t even… there is no cheery way to open this video, so… we’re here today to share with you what’s been going on in our life.” Nikki then proceeds to share that they put the dog “to sleep” on Friday, and that while the dog was “our dog” it was really her husband’s dog, and that she hesitated to even share their decision due to the possible reaction of the couple’s fans. “People aren’t going to get it, people are going to be upset,” Nikki said. “And Dan’s response was, ‘Nobody is going to be as upset as I am upset, or as upset as I am.'” 

Dan then jumped in to describe what happened. “For many many years, for most of his life, he was an extremely dangerous animal outside the walls of my house,” he said. “He was definitely an outside animal that I had to keep inside.” The couple claims that Bowser was attacked as a puppy and, as a result, became aggressive. “We could have put Bowser down a really, really long time ago, and several times, and have just been putting the day off,” Dan said in the video. “He has seriously injured a couple different dogs.” 

But the breaking point for the couple was when the dog bit their son. The couple shared that their son had previously hurt the dog’s ear, and after another incident, the dog bit the child in the face. Dan admitted that “it wasn’t bad” and that their son was healing with “a little mark on his face” — the couple even said that the “incident” was a moment when the child stole food from the dog and the dog reacted defensively — but the damage was done. 

Both Nikki and Dan also claimed that the Humane Society told them they could not re-home the dog and that euthanasia was the only option. They then decided to use a euthanasia service to have the dog put down at home, but not before the couple did a “goodbye photoshoot” with the dog. And yes, the dog posed next to the couple’s 1-year-old son. Nikki shared the photos on her Instagram, which has since gone private.

Reaction to the couple’s decision was swift and unmerciful. “Add this to spreading deadly misinformation, alt-right conspiracies, being anti-mask, anti-vaxx, anti-abortion, anti-BLM, (let’s just say it, racist) bigot,” Meghan Rienks, another popular YouTuber, tweeted. “How sick do you have to be to take a photoshoot with your ‘dangerously aggressive’ dog knowing you’re about to end his life? Your dog is so aggressive but had no issues putting the baby next to it for a cure [sic] lil pre-murder photoshoot?” another popular YouTuber by the name of Tea Spill tweeted.

If the couple shared the family news in hopes of garnering sympathy, they definitely miscalculated the reaction of their audience. 

FYI all dogs deserve the chance to be rehabbed for behavior issues…Rehomed or dropped at a rescue or trainer who helps dogs w bite or behavioral issues for fucks sake. Never put down bc UR embarrassed about being a bad dog owner.

— Kelsey Darragh (@kelseydarragh) May 6, 2021

How sick do you have to be to take a ✨photoshoot✨ with your “dangerously aggressive” dog knowing you’re about to end his life? Your dog is so aggressive but had no issues putting the baby next to it for a cure lil pre-murder photoshoot? pic.twitter.com/2jX9FfJywZ

— ᵗᵉᵃSpill (@TeaSpillYT) May 6, 2021

I have a very temperamental dog. He bites people when he feels nervous, unsafe or if you try to touch him when he doesn’t want to be… I know these things because im his OWNER. Therefore I make sure he’s not in situations where he will react… I don’t kill him!

— Jaclyn Hill (@Jaclynhill) May 6, 2021

Of course, they’re not the first Vloggers to share some personal information to the shock and horror of many. YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer infamously shared their decision to essentially “re-home” their adopted child, Huxley.

The moral of the story? For someone so *on* the internet, it should have been easy to assume that if you kill your dog, people are going to have feelings about it. In other words (and perhaps in a way this Very Online Couple can understand) like the Netflix documentary Don’t F*ck With Cats made very clear: Don’t F*ck With Pets.

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A week after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a handful of family activities — during which Kate Middleton made a case for skinny jeans — she rewore a garment from the couple’s 2010 engagement shoot: a cream-colored, silk blouse from Whistles.

This time around, Middleton wore the blouse during a phone call with finalists from Hold Still, a community project she founded during the pandemic, in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. The photos — which were taken last fall at Sandringham House, one of the Queen’s favorite country retreats in northern England — were released this week to coincide with Hold Still’s book launch. Honoring Her Royal Highness at the estate, Middleton paired the blouse with the Queen’s pearl-and-diamond earrings. 

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This isn’t the first time that the Duchess has double-dipped in her wardrobe. In fact, Middleton’s garnered a reputation for recycling past outfits. Just last week, while celebrating her anniversary at Manor Farm in Northern England, Middleton chose a pair of brown, knee-high boots from Penelope Chilvers that have been a staple in her wardrobe since 2004. In September, Middleton rewore a dress and a mask from previous sightings while touring small businesses suffering due to the pandemic. The dress, a floral number from Beulah London, was first showcased during a Zoom call with Heads Together, an organization led by the Royal Foundation that’s working to change the conversation around mental health in the U.K., the previous May. Meanwhile, her floral face mask, from Amaia, accompanied her everywhere throughout the country’s lockdown. 

With Middleton bringing back her engagement blouse, maybe her Alexander McQueen wedding gown could be next on her tour of past sartorial haunts? We’ll try our best not to get our hopes up.

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