The children of Windrush parents form two camps: those who remained in the Caribbean with grandparents and later joined their parents in England and those born in England but sent to live with grandparents in the Caribbean. Of the latter group, I was sent from England at the tender age of three and a half….
Small children have no shame or compunction about bursting into tears. Girls cry more than boys, and women cry longer than men (men do cry despite the stigma of weakness). Research states that crying releases oxytocin and endorphins, chemicals that make us feel better. That said, we are all wired differently and tears do not…
As the lyrics of Johnny Nash’s famous song, ‘I can see clearly now,’ my cataract surgery has been a resounding success, coupled with treating astigmatism. I am jubilant to see again with 20/20 vision and amazed at the now innovative, less intrusive laser cataract surgery. Diagnosed four years ago with the early onset of cataracts,…
Ageing and self-esteem take a nose dive for middle age women, when menopause takes its toll on their figures. They worry about how big their asses, hips, thunder thighs, bellies and jiggling arms are. That said, 50+ black women, compared to their Caucasian counterparts, are marginally less obsessed due to their culture. Do grown men…
Photo: Optical Chemist/Pexels.com Mortality is rarely at the forefront of anyone’s mind, as death has long been universally feared and a taboo subject. I know what you are thinking, death is such a morbid topic. Morbid it may be, but this is a conversation that needs to be had between spouses or partners and an…
Photo:@pixaby/Nappy.co Though the Wind Rush Generation’s legacy is one of contribution, struggle and positive change to British society, rarely talked about are the specific problems associated with the separation between parents and children during their exodus. For the children left behind or those sent to the Caribbean to live with family. For some the separation…
Sisterhood is a second family of our choosing and is invaluable to our well-being mentally and physically. A black woman’s relationship with her sisters, be it, a business group, womanist group, or best friends, are effective and successful because they share a racial identity and history, which creates a truly empathic, unconditional bond. Feeling comfortable…
Makeup has its advocates and its critics. Referred to by its French origin ‘maquillage’; British slang ‘war paint’ and cockney slang ‘slap’ (the latter two, heavily applied). Notwithstanding the adage “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, the assisted beauty of makeup is a blessing, though not a marker of beauty. The Good As…
Wellness is a preventative, holistic, intentional, active process. The practice of personal choices towards the pursuit of activities and lifestyle for good health and well-being to enable living a longer happier life. Two 50+ black inspirational women whose wellness journey has brought them into the limelight are: Ernestine Shepherd, an 86-year-old American woman who is…
I started my hair journey in 2020 not as a process of self-discovery or liberation, but due to severe breakage. Coincidently, also recovering from an illness, I had an ‘aha’ moment, to utilize recuperation to cease relaxing and dyeing my hair to give it a break and try to remedy the damage. The adage a…