Aja Barber

Warning: The author reminisces a lot in this piece and comes to conclusion that she has probably kept an unhealthy amount of clothing from high

The TJ Maxx beauty section is lit right now, and I made you a full list of the products you can currently find on their shelves — basically, what I bought last Sunday.

Marc Jacobs claims he doesn't "see" color, but people of color beg to differ. Whether he recognizes it or not, Jacobs is part of the cultural appropriation problem, turning black natural hair into his own "trend."

Hugh Hefner - people either love him or hate him, and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of room for middle ground. He was an abuser and civil rights advocate.

The entertainment industry allows abuse to flourish and allows abusers to hide behind fancy titles and big credits.

There are so few people in this world who can bring very many strong, stoic people to their knees in the hour of death.

It’s going to be a very frugal holiday season in 2017. Let’s get crafting and make homemade holiday presents for everyone!

Recently I went through another round of unfriending on Facebook. It keeps things tidy, the arguments thoughtful and my head from exploding. This time around I just got rid of any white person that felt passionate about "certain political topics," but wasn't showing up for people of color, as we watch the meteoric rise of fascism in America and police violence. I’m not obligated to educate anyone for free, especially if they don’t appear to be absorbing what I’m saying or having the tough conversations on their wall with their peers.

“She did and does not present herself as a Mother in America. That performance was nothing but skanky weird. Get over yourself.” Signed, jerk on the Internet.

When I help people clean out their wardrobes, the items I come across that hang in the back closet never seeing the light of day are usually pieces purchased in a frenzy — out of necessity instead of joy.