At just 14 years old, Black-ish star Marsai Martin is the epitome of black girl magic.
Unapologetically natural and confident, Marsai is the youngest executive producer in Hollywood. Yes, you read that correctly! Not only is she the star of the highly anticipated film Little, she's also the executive producer. Talk about boss moves!
Related: Marsai Martin Is Proof That We're Never Too Old Or Too Young To Pursue Our Wildest Dreams
Thursday night (April 4), hundreds of movie lovers gathered at Regal in Atlantic Station for the blue carpet premiere of Little. Filmed in Atlanta, the film follows the life of an overbearing tech mogul Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall). Scorned by her catastrophic childhood, Jordan has a larger than life attitude. So much so, she treats everyone including her assistant, April (Issa Rae), like trash. Jordan's life gets turned upside down when a spell turns her back into the person she tries so hard to forget -- her 13-year-old self. Now, younger Jordan (Marsai Martin) must depend on the very person she treated poorly to help her navigate life as a tween.
To walk the evening's blue carpet were Marsai Martin, Issa Rae, Regina Hall, Will Packer, Little director Tina Gordon, Star's Luke James, Stranger Things' Caleb McLaughlin, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, V-103 host Jade Novah, and many more.
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationGetty Images
On the carpet, xoNecole caught up with Marsai to find out what it was like working with such beautiful, talented black women:
"It was amazing! I worked with Gina on 'Black-ish,' so we go way back. It was more of a family reunion with her and most of the people on the crew. But, with Issa, I was actually nervous. I was nervous because she's actually a creator herself. So, I was like do you like the script? But, when I started working with her the chemistry was there, and she's so chill and easy to work with."
Marsai and Issa's chemistry on-screen is simply undeniable! Together, they resemble the female version of Shawn and Marlon Wayans.
INSIDE THE ATLANTA PREMIERE OF LITTLEwww.youtube.com
Brighter than Issa's smile was the glacier sitting gracefully on her ring finger. From the success of her hit HBO show, Insecure, to landing a lead role in the upcoming film The Photograph, it's safe to say Issa is having what I like to a call a "Cardi B year".
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationGetty Images
Issa wasn't the only lady basking in her black girl magic. While most children are concerned about recess and cartoons, Marsai had her eyes on something bigger. She noticed the lack of black characters in the 1988 film Big and thought why not do a modern version, but with a majority black cast. She pitched her idea to producer Will Packer and the rest was history. Will loved the idea so much he enlisted the help of an all-black female crew to bring Marsai's vision to the big screen.
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationGetty Images
To reintegrate the importance of a black woman's perspective in Hollywood Will told xoNecole:
"First of all, it hasn't been told enough. We don't have enough black female storytellers telling their story. So, for me to be able to empower somebody like a Tina Gordon…when you think about black female directors, there are very few, and especially very few in the comedy space. So, I'm just proud to be able to left one up."
Atlanta Red Carpet Screening Of "Little" With Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, Will Packer And Tina Gordon At Regal Atlantic StationGetty Images
Uplifting and funny, Little touches on themes of self-empowerment, personal evolution, bullying, and the importance of encouraging those around you. Director Tina Gordon explained to xoNecole why the theme of being authentic really resonated with her:
"People say it as something simple, but a lot of things can get in the way of you being your authentic self. So, the idea of people saying you can't do this or no one has ever done that before—in the case of Marsai. Little negative things that people say along the way sometimes changes who we really are. So, the movie just asks you to take a moment and think about if you've adjusted anything in yourself because of something someone said negatively about you and get back to being authentic."
Do your inner child a favor and be sure to catch Little in theaters everywhere April 12.
Check out some of our favorite celebs that showed up and showed out at the ATL screening by clicking through the gallery below.
Terrence "T.C." Carson
Featured image by Getty Images
- Issa Rae Joining Marsai Martin in Universal's 'Little' | Hollywood ... ›
- Regina Hall, Issa Rae & Marsai Martin On Their Film, "Little" - YouTube ›
- Marsai Martin on New Movie 'Little' - Marsai Martin Youngest ... ›
- Issa Rae and Marsai Martin talk new comedy 'Little' | GMA - YouTube ›
- 'Black-Ish' Star Marsai Martin's Comedy 'Little' in Development ... ›
- Little Star Marsai Martin Is the Definition of Black Girl Magic (and the ... ›
- Marsai Martin Set to Become Youngest Producer in Hollywood History ›
RELATED
Take the vaginal microbiome, for example. Even if you do happen to know what that is (and you get an automatic 10 points if indeed you do!), how often do you hear it brought up in conversation, in articles, or even on social media? And yet, as you’re about to see in just a moment, if more of us focused on taking good care of this very thing, our vagina — and overall health — would prosper on a whole ‘nother level.
So, if you’re curious about something that you maintain to keep your vagina in the best shape possible, read on. This here will certainly do it.
What Is Your Vaginal Microbiome?
Mother Nature Art GIF by Emilia SchettinoGiphyOkay, so what exactly is the vaginal microbiome? Well, let’s begin with the term human microbiota.
The long short of it is each human has a whopping 10-100 trillion symbiotic microbial cells in their body; most of them are housed in the gut. What this is called is the human microbiota. Well, the genetic profile of the microbiota is known as the microbiome, and the vaginal microbiome, specifically, consists of the different types of bacteria that are housed in a woman’s genital tract.
The reason why all of this is so vital is because, since 80 percent of your immune system is housed in your gut and the overgrowth of bacteria in your genital tract can lead to various infections (especially bacterial vaginosis, which is otherwise known as BV), you’ve got to be proactive in taking good care of both your microbiota as well as your microbiome.
As far as your human microbiota — which is sometimes called your gut microbiome — is concerned, you can check out a few tips on how to properly care for it here. In the meantime, when it comes to your vaginal microbiome, we’ll get more into how to keep it in good condition below.
How Does Your Vaginal Microbiome Impact Your Overall Health and Well-Being?
You definitely want your vaginal microbiome to be as healthy as possible. The main reason why is that it helps to keep your vagina at a good pH level which creates an environment where you are less vulnerable to vaginal infections, including STI/STDs, bacterial vaginosis (BV), yeast infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs) and pelvic inflammatory disease. Also, if you are currently in the process of trying to conceive, a healthy vaginal microbiome can help to reduce your chances of your baby being born prematurely. So yeah, having and maintaining a healthy vaginal microbiome is a pretty big deal.
Not only that but when you end up getting recurring infections, that can end up taking a toll on your overall health and well-being. For instance, studies reveal that STI/STDs can increase your chances of getting cancer, developing problems with your nervous system, heart disease, and even neurological damage. Or if BV goes untreated , that can increase your chances of getting an STI/STD, developing pelvic inflammatory disease, or being diagnosed with endometriosis.
So basically, the more proactive you are in taking care of your vaginal microbiome, the better your chances are of your health remaining in great condition, period.
5 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Vaginal Microbiome in Good Shape
Menstrual Cup GIF by Period NirvanaGiphyIf you just read all of what I said and you’re thinking something along the lines of, “Okay, Shellie, simplify what I need to do to take care of my vaginal microbiome,” — the first thing that I would say is you need to make sure that there are more “good bacteria” in your genital tract than bad. A surefire way to do that is to consume probiotics, specifically, the kind that are high in lactobacilli, because it contains what helps your vaginal pH to remain where it needs to be.
If you’ve never taken probiotics in a supplement form before, a list of some of the (current) best ones for women’s health is located here and here.
Aside from that, here are five other proven and effective things that you can do:
1. Eat plant-based foods.
One of the main goals that you should have is to “feed your vagina” foods that will either give it more good bacteria or will help the good bacteria that is already in your vagina thrive; many plant-based ones will do just that. Prebiotic ones like onions, asparagus, and bananas will help healthy bacteria to grow. Probiotic foods like sauerkraut and pickles help to create good bacteria.
Foods that are high in fiber, like sweet potatoes, blueberries, and almonds, can help lactobacilli to remain intact (while we’re here, processed food has been proven to throw your vaginal microbiome off, so please consume them in extreme moderation).
2. Use a menstrual cup.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a billion times. Lawd, I wish that I wasn’t late in the game when it comes to using a menstrual cup. Although on my heavy period days, I was going to need the backup of pads regardless, on lighter ones, a cup feels like you’re not on your cycle at all! Oh, how I adore them so.
As far as your vaginal microbiome goes, they’re bomb because, well, since cups collect blood (instead of just letting blood lodge in your vagina like tampons do), studies say that you increase your chances by 37 percent to have a healthier vaginal microbiome and reduce your chances by 26 percent of not getting BV at all. Sounds like a win, all the way around, if you ask me.
3. Make sure your lubricant is pH-balanced.
Although some people think that lubricant should only be used if you naturally struggle with getting wet, I don’t agree. So much, in fact, that I once penned, “The Wetter, The Better: 10 Creative Ways To Use Lubricant.” Just make sure that you go with a lube that will help your vagina to remain at the pH level that it should be (which is somewhere between 3.8-5.0).
Silicone-based ones are good in this department. Plus, they last longer than water-based lubricants and are safe to use with condoms or on your sex toys.
4. Consistently sterilize your sex toys.
Speaking of sex toys, please make sure to sterilize yours after each and every use. Not only does it help to keep bad bacteria at bay, but it also reduces your chances of getting an STI/STD or even BV or a UTI. For tips on how to properly clean yours, click here.
5. Drink some coffee. Or green tea. Or red wine.
If very few things bring you joy, like a hot cup of java, I’ve got great news for you. Since coffee contains polyphenols and polyphenols are plant-based chemical compounds that are loaded with antioxidants, drinking coffee can help to support the good bacteria that are in your vagina (so long as you don’t overdo it!).
If coffee isn’t your thing, green tea and red wine have these polyphenols in them, too.
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Featured image by Miguel Sotomayor/Getty Images