NIKKI GLASER TALKS (REALISTIC) SEX

Attention Inside Amy Schumer fans: Comedian Nikki Glaser’s new show, Not Safe, is probs right up your alley. In an episode appropriately titled "Really Real R&B," Glaser gets honest about sexpectations in the world of sensual bedroom jams. According to Top 40/every Miguel song that permanently sits in our regular rotation, sex is supposed to be the best thing ever, complete with fireplaces and Egyptian cotton, right??? Eh, not always. 

Glaser talks about disappointing or awkward sexual encounters with some regular dudes (i.e. not Miguel), from lost condoms to parental interruptions. It dawns on Glaser that there is no R&B song to properly reflect the weird/silly/uncomfortable moments, so she calls upon her pal/your childhood crush/America's sweetheart Omarion to help deliver an exceptionally honest R&B video about sex called “Like They Do.”  

The song covers everything from sex on your period to using lube (“see even though I try, I make that pussy dry") to your parents finding your used condom.

R&B (and like, all musicians) allude to sex as always being, well, sexy. Glaser is unfogging the mirror on what sex can sometimes be like- dry, uncomfortable, and awkward. Because these moments rarely make it to center stage in any form of pop-culture, people can feel a lot of shame-in-their-game if everything doesn’t go according to plan. Glaser reminds us that sex is not music-video worthy every time, but it it feels waaayyy better to make an R&B song with Omarion and talk about it than pretend it doesn’t happen.

JAZZ JENNINGS LEADS THE NYC PRIDE PARADE

This year, NYC Pride was led by none other than the exuberant and oh-so-wonderful Jazz Jennings. At 15, Jennings is the youngest person to ever serve as Grand Marshal. To give some perspective, the parade had approximately 30,000 marchers with over 2.5 million attendees.  So yeah-- a super big deal. Go Jazz!

Jennings is the star of the TLC show I Am Jazz. She is a trans woman and is an active advocate and activist in the LGBTQ community

"I was so honored to be one of the Grand Marshals at the N.Y.C. Pride  March," she told People Magazine. "Seeing the community unite in hopes of achieving equality – especially in light of the recent tragic events – was remarkable!"

Jennings is, of course, speaking in regards to the tragic shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. 49 people of color from the LGBTQ community lost their lives, and 53 were injured. In the wake of such a dark and painful moment in history, Jennings wanted to bring comfort and happiness to her community.

"Pride is about loving yourself and embracing your uniqueness," she told People. "Admiring the triumphs that have prevailed throughout your life as well as accepting the challenges that you face. Pride is also about sharing all of those emotions of love and happiness with the community around you so we can stay connected, united, and prideful of ourselves and one another."

A hugeeeee congratulations to Jennings for such an incredible achievement! Team THINX attended NYC Pride, and we're supeess excited to see Ms. Jennings cruising through Greenwich Village atop a convertible and being a straight-up ray of sunshine.

SERENA WILLIAMS SHARES HER BODY-POSITIVE WISDOM (& dances w/ Queen Bey)

By now, you've most likely seen the masterpiece of the year that is Beyonce’s visual album, Lemonade. The 45 minute film is filled with iconic moments, and one that sticks out is iconic-superstar-athlete Serena Williams appearing in the music video for Sorry. Dressed in a black leotard and heels, Williams dances through a mansion while holding eye contact with the camera (i.e. you.) Meanwhile, Béyonce sings from a throne-like chair. It is actual perfection.

Williams spoke with The Guardian about the video and her friend Bey. “ It was really powerful putting African-American women together in her story, because [Béyonce] is obviously a super strong African-American woman,” she said. Béyonce initially thought of Serena for the video because she “dances like no one's watching”, which leads us to believe that these two have private dance parties, which snowballs into us feeling some pretty intense FOMO.

Williams also explains how her body (a body, let's not forget, that is ranked #1 in women's tennis) is often labeled by the media. ” Too muscly and too masculine, and then a week later too racy and too sexy,” she said. “ So for me it was just really a big joke.”

Williams credits her mother for always instilling her with confidence and body positively, and that she ultimately is comfortable with her body and likes the way that she looks. She shared one of her main goals with the Guardian as well, which is “to inspire every woman out there.” Team THINX certainly believes she can achieve this, if she hasn't already. 

EVAN RACHEL WOOD CELEBRATES #BIPRIDE

In honor and celebration of pride month, actress Evan Rachel Wood made a powerful video about growing up and identifying as a bisexual, and the difficulties her community faces daily.

The video, titled Pride Month, begins with Woods identifying herself. “Hi everyone! My name is Evan Rachel Wood. I am an actor, a singer, I occasionally write a column for Nylon Magazine, I am divorced. I am also a mother of the raddest 3 year-old boy. I am also openly bisexual.”

As our main gal Emma from THINX has expressed, bisexuality is a label that doesn’t often receive the proper attention or respect in media and representation. Woods described herself as always being “gender fluid” and realizing that she was attracted to girls in middle school. She feared expressing this to her parents, as she didn’t know any lesbians personally. She had a girlfriend when she was 12, but kept the relationship in secret, and was incredibly confused and depressed. “I really started contemplating suicide because I had no way to express myself. I was also very, very confused because I didn’t know bisexuality was a thing,” she admitted. “There was no where to go. I think I already realized being bisexual or saying I’m bisexual was not cute and was looked down upon.”

Woods has been openly bisexual since 2012, when she came out on Twitter. Since her declaration, she has been open about her bisexuality and has promoted awareness and acceptance. 

“I want to wish everybody a happy pride month, no matter who you are,” she concluded. “I liked to call on you to stand by us and to acknowledge us and to open your arms.” Along with Evan and Emma, Team THINX is proud to celebrate #bipride. Watch Evan’s moving video below:

Warning: MAJOR OITNB spoilers ahead. We’re not kidding. We would like to remain friends with you, so please please don’t let us ruin your favorite binge-watching experience. Okay, great. Love you.

SAMIRA WILEY ON WHY HER CHARACTER'S FATE MATTERS

Samira Wiley has played fan favorite Poussey Washington on Orange Is The New Black since it’s premiere in 2013, and was told before entering the 4th season that her beloved character would be killed off. “I basically knew the whole season, which was great for me to be able to have a whole season of this news to myself,"she told Vulture. The rest of the cast did not learn Poussey’s fate until the script for the second-to-last episode, titled The Animals, which revealed her tragic end. 

Although Wiley was (understandably) shocked and startled at first, she starting shifting her perspective when she was told that the plot line would be attributing to the Black Lives Matter movement, with hopes of stemming converation. Poussey was killed during a peaceful protest at Litchfield Penitentiary, when a police office pins her to the ground and ignores her declaration of “I can’t breathe.” These are the same final words of Eric Garner, a Staten Island resident who was held in a chokehold by a police officer. The NYPD prohibits the use of chokeholds, yet the officer was not indicted for Garner's death. This event has been heavily protested by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Image via Orange is the New Black/Netflix

Wiley is proud that she has been able to bring Black Lives Matter to popular television. “At the end of the day, I honestly feel pretty honored to be able to be the person or the character or the actor they entrusted with the responsibility of bringing this story to light,” she told Vulture.

While we will all miss Poussey, we are in awe of Wiley and OITNB for putting forth plots that create such needed conversation around racial injustice and police brutality. 

Brb, time to rewatch before awards season!

by Team Thinx