It's a dope time to be young, black, and sexy. And we've got the series to prove it!
Producer Mel Jones snatched everyone's edges with the masterpieces that were Dear White People and Burning Sands. This year, she is taking gentrification and Black friendship under her visionary wing and bringing us Leimert Park, a web series she directed and will make its debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
There has been a rise in the production and telling of stories that more directly reflect the complexities and layers of the black woman. And one of those many layers is our sexuality. Though exploited, it wasn't explored quite as often as it has been in the recent years. More and more producers and directors are making shows that are featuring us as sex goddesses and getting the sex and pleasure we deserve. Unapologetic and liberated as hell. What used to be taboo is now the center of shows like Being Mary Jane, Insecure, She's Gotta Have It, and now Leimert Park.
Leimert Park centers around three friends sharing a house in South LA's Leimert Park, the neighborhood once known as a black neighborhood and a hub for contemporary and historical African-American art, music, and culture in Los Angeles.
The web series brings to life three friends: Mickey, played by Ashley Blaine Featherson, is a beat producer who hasn't had an orgasm in three months; Ashli Haynes plays Bridget, who equates sex to love and is an assistant to a visiting artist; and Kendra, who is a videographer of sex, filming sexual encounters with the idea of landing an art show opportunity, is played by Asia'h Epperson.
In the show, the women are living under the same roof, navigating the space of self-love and shamelessly fulfilling their sexual desires in an environment that is changing slowly, but surely.
Sex positivity and self-love has been the topic of conversation lately, and its fluidity is becoming the center of how women portray themselves in art and media. Leimert Park is bringing this same discussion to Sundance Film Festival. Mel, the show's co-creator and director, had the desire to really celebrate women who own their bodies and seek pleasure with no shame.
"I wanted to see images of Black women being the objects of desire and seeking pleasure with no shame. 'Leimert Park' reflects the Black women I know and love and I hope it inspires women everywhere to practice self-love and self-care and embrace their sexuality."
We've been seeing the rise of Black stories being told on television with black-ish, Insecure, Queen Sugar, and grown-ish. Their reach has been so strong because of the undeniable authenticity that permeates each character, each story, and each environment depicted.
Mel Jones is using her own authentic story to bring Leimert Park to life and highlight her own personal experiences as a woman finding her way in spaces that teach us about ourselves, inside to out.
"I've been mentored by and partnered with Stephanie Allain at Homegrown Pictures for seven years and she encouraged me to create this show which was my authentic story to tell. Aaliyah Williams, who runs digital at MACRO, heard this story before it was even a script and championed the series and advocated for me as a first-time director. I'm forever grateful to both of these incredibly supportive women."
The web series is set to premiere at Sundance Film Festival this month. Watch the trailer below:
Will you be tuning in?
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Again, the answer never changes because, if there is one thing that Shellie Reneé Warren is gonna get, it’s 6-8 (sometimes nine) hours of sleep. However, since my chronotype (check out “Ever Wonder What Personality Traits Make Someone A 'Morning Person'?”) means that I like/prefer to write in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I will sleep for the night for five hours and take a nap in the day. And y’all, that is just fine with me because I am well aware of the fact that napping does everything from give me more energy, heighten my alertness and even make me more creative to decrease stress levels, strengthen immunity, and reduce my chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
My problem is I will oftentimes go “overboard” with my daytime zzz’s. What I mean by that is, in order to get the most out of a nap, they say thatyou shouldn’t sleep for longer than 25 minutes or so; otherwise, you could wake up feeling sluggish (I don’t but…). Also, it can make resting, soundly, at night a bit of a struggle.
So, what are you saying, Shellie? We should get quickies in? Yeah. And it’s funny that the word “quickie” would come up because just like a sex quickie can do wonders for you (and it can — check out “12 Super Solid Reasons To Have A Quickie Every Single Day”), it’s a full-circle moment when I say that something that can improve the quality of your sex life is to have a power nap (a nap that lasts between 10-30 minutes).
Wanna know how the two things correlate? Honestly, it’s no secret that sleep and sex work together to optimize both (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”). Today, though, we’re going to tap into how a nap, specifically, can have you partaking in some of the best sex that you’ve experienced in a minute. I’ll explain.
Naps Reduce Stress
GiphyIf you’re feeling super stressed out right now, you are not alone. There is plenty of data out here that says that most of us are stressed for at least a couple of reasons at a time — and that can impact your sexual health on a few levels. For one thing, it can bring about feelings of depression and/or anxiety. Stress can also throw your hormone levels off (including your cycle) which can weaken your libido. Stress can make you want to put distance between you and your partner (yes, literally).
Stress can also make it challenging to get aroused or to have an orgasm. And just what can help to decrease stress? Taking a nap. Since sleep has a way of helping you to “get off of the clock” and relax a bit, that can lower your stress levels and “reset” your body so that you are calmer — and that, in turn, can do wonders for your sex drive and ultimately your sex life.
Naps Improve Your Mood
GiphyThere is one person in my life, and fairly 80 percent of the time, she’s in a super good mood. Oh, but let that girl go without sleep, and…who is this woman? LOL. There’s research behind why this happens. When a person is sleep-deprived, it messes with their brain chemicals, and that can amplify emotions like anger, restlessness and sadness. In fact, one study revealed that people who had their sleep disrupted throughout the night, they ended up having their positive outlook on life reduced by about 30 percent.
And geeze, who wants to have sex when they’re not feeling very good? Anyway, since serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your moods, your sleep patterns, and your libido and sleep is what helps to keep it in balance — by taking a nap, not only can it help you to feel better, it can also increase your desire for sex (it can also build up your endurance which is also…sexually beneficial).
Naps Increase Your Focus and Concentration
GiphySomething that some of my clients bring up is how, when it comes to having sex, sometimes the flesh is willing while the spirit is weak because, although the desire for intimacy is there, so much is going on that they aren’t able to get still enough to focus on experiencing copulation with their partner. This also tracks because, when you don’t have enough rest, your brain finds itself not working in harmony and that can make it hard to do everything from approaching life with a sense of flexibility to making necessary decisions.
Certain data also reveal that a lack of rest can cause you to have a really poor attention span and not process things in context (the more you know). So, if you really want to get some yet it’s hard for you to focus long enough to make it happen, ask your bae to lie down with you and take a nap. Between the sleep and the snuggling (check out “Fall's Coming: 8 Wonderful Health Benefits Of Cuddling”) — you may wake up with your mind and body totally on the same page. #wink
Naps Can Make You Feel Better About Your Body
GiphyEven if, overall, you feel really good about your body, I think that we all have moments when we feel less attractive than others — and who wants to have sex when they don’t really feel…very sexy? Well, something else that sleep, in general, can do is increase your confidence in your body.
For one thing, if you want to lose a few pounds, sleep can actually make that happen by helping your body metabolize the glucose (sugar) that’s in it so that you can better manage your appetite. Other studies go on to share that since sleep deprivation can impact one’s mental health and emotional stability in a negative way, of course, getting enough rest would increase body positivity.
Shoot, science even goes so far as to say that insomnia can cause people to have an elevated level of dissatisfaction when it comes to their body image. Don’t take their word for it, though. Look in the mirror before a nap. Then look in a mirror after waking up from me. Do you feel better? I’d be surprised if you don’t.
Makes Your Brain Bigger…Which Could Make Your Orgasms Better
GiphyI saved the best for last by design. Now if you’re wondering how in the world a nap can improve (and possibly increase) your orgasms — oh, there is a method to the madness…trust. For starters, the saying that your biggest sex organ is your brain? That isn’t a myth. Long story less long, the brain is what houses your central nervous system and that is what controls how men and women sexually function (yes, literally).
And since the brain also releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin during sex and brain activity significantly increases in women during sexual activity (especially right before she orgasms) — well, would it trip you out to know that when you take a nap, your brain actually expands? A bigger brain (that’s healthy) can potentially intensify your sexual experiences (and your climaxes) — and who doesn’t want that to go down?
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Like I said earlier, I never have to be convinced to get a nap in. However, if your sex life has been a bit stagnant lately, you’ve been feeling a little sluggish and you’re not sure what to do — I’m hoping that a nap can get you right.
There’s enough science to prove that it can. All you need to do is give it a shot.
Now where’s your pillow and sleep mask, chile?
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