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Trump crashed America and maybe a plane in under 72 hours but somebody worried about my eye bags [1]

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Date: 2025-01-30

So, after weeks of feeling like absolute doggy doo and gearing up for yet another medical rodeo (because my body loves a dramatic subplot), I finally sat down and wrote a Substack.

It’s been way too long since I chatted with my Substack fam, and yes, I do miss y’all when I step away. So imagine my surprise when, after pouring my little heart out, I was greeted with this gem from a long-time follower:

Amanda Williams

18h ago

"You need to stop with the filters."

Oh. OH.

Now, it’s not just the unsolicited advice that got me (though, spoiler alert: it did). It’s that “You need to…”

Excuse me? The only things I need to do are stay Black, pay taxes, and eventually croak. Everything else is negotiable.

This little nugget of wisdom gave me flashbacks to other pearls of societal wisdom like:

“You need not wear such a short skirt.”

“Why so much makeup?”

“Isn’t that dress a bit tight?”

And let’s not even get started on entire-ass movies like Bad Hair that use horror to shame Black women for wearing extensions and wigs. Justin Simien tried to pass it off as a love letter to "natural" sisters, but honey, love letters don’t come wrapped in backhanded shade.

And let’s get one thing straight—nobody’s hair is ‘natural’ once you’ve done anything to it. The moment you style, comb, braid, or even slick down that one rogue baby hair, congrats! You’ve entered the realm of personal grooming, which (shockingly!) is no one’s damn business but your own.

For me, using a filter is part of that. Sometimes, I’m fresh off an infusion, looking like I haven’t slept since Obama’s first term. Sometimes, insomnia has me out here looking like the Crypt Keeper on a bender. Either way, guess what? Not everyone needs to see that!

And let’s talk about the double standards. White women color, perm, bleach, and extend their hair daily with nary a raised eyebrow. But when a Black woman dares to enhance her look? Suddenly, it's a debate. Marjorie Taylor Greene straight-up tried to clown Jasmine Crockett for wearing lash extensions. Make it make sense.

But back to the real kicker: why does this even bother people so much?

Like, on the list of Global Issues™, me using a filter ranks somewhere between "should I order oat milk or almond?" and "is Mercury in retrograde?" Meanwhile, Trump managed to shut down the entire U.S. for 48 hours and may have literally caused a plane crash, but sure—let’s hyperfocus on my under-eye bags.

And before anyone comes for me—no, I’m not using a filter in this video. Not because I bowed to the pressure, but because I just didn’t feel like it. Oh, and there’s a weird painless bump near my eye that occasionally weeps and bleeds when irritated. Going to see my doctor about that. But did I want to share that detail? Nope. And yet, here we are. All up in my business.

Look, at the end of the day, we all curate how we present ourselves. We shower, pick out clothes, style our hair, and decide how we want to be seen. That’s normal. That’s human.

So if you don’t like filters? Cool. Don’t use ‘em. But don’t come for those of us who do. Personal choices are just that—personal. And if someone else’s minor, harmless decision gets under your skin, you might wanna take a long, hard look at why that is.

And let’s not forget the golden rule: you never know what someone is going through. Maybe they’re covering up exhaustion, illness, or just a bad skin day. Maybe they just like how they look with a little extra glow. Either way? Be kind. It’s free. And Lord knows we need more of that.

One Love. ✌🏾

PS--If you can’t tell I am tired of feeling constantly micromanaged by everyone—we got bigger fish to fry than this shit. Please stop!

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/30/2300328/-Trump-crashed-America-and-maybe-a-plane-in-under-72-hours-but-somebody-worried-about-my-eye-bags?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

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