S05.E20: Reunion Part 1

[ErikaAlyson]

Gizelle needs to stop being childish. It's her turn to be the pinata haha. She has been a terrible friend to Karen since season one. That alone is crazy. Gizelle has done some mean comments about even her best friend Robyn concerning cute Juan in her talking heads at least I think. If I were Gizelle I would wonder wear my baby daddy Jamal's mouth has been lol 

[GonnahearmeRoar]

Gizelle deserves some humble pie. I find her to be vicious -she couldn’t wait to spill the tea about Monique and her trainer.  Has me wondering how involved Gizelle is for Monique to come with guns blazing.  Hmmmmmm.

[qtpye]

11 minutes ago, ErikaLovesNihad said:

Gizelle needs to stop being childish. It's her turn to be the pinata haha. She has been a terrible friend to Karen since season one. That alone is crazy. Gizelle has done some mean comments about even her best friend Robyn concerning cute Juan in her talking heads at least I think. If I were Gizelle I would wonder wear my baby daddy Jamal's mouth has been lol 

 

21 minutes ago, Rlb8031 said:

I think that many of the ladies recognize that Gizelle makes her way on the show with mostly contrived plotlines and relationships and keep her job by being the woman who isn't too nice to spread gossip, rumors, and innuendo in her talking heads.  She's taken a page out of the "How to stay a HW" playbook and Monique isn't the only person she's come after. She's done the same to Ashley, Karen, Charisse, Katie, and Candiace. In fact, the only person she has been halfway nice to is Robyn, and early on, she even side eyed her relationship with Juan. It's interesting to hear folks say that they don't understand why Monique is coming at her. I'm more wondering why the rest of them never tried to before?

Candiass has said that Gizelle wanted to get all the ladies together to say that Monique's third child was the trainer's baby and did not belong to Chris Samuels. For the record, Candiass said that she refused to participated (this supposedly happened during Andy's baby shower).

I think DJ Skye has a video about it.

[Neurochick]

33 minutes ago, GonnahearmeRoar said:

Gizelle deserves some humble pie. I find her to be vicious -she couldn’t wait to spill the tea about Monique and her trainer.  Has me wondering how involved Gizelle is for Monique to come with guns blazing.  Hmmmmmm.

So it was fine that Monique told Gizelle that "you come here every reunion with a different man; you can't keep a man."

Is that okay?  I don't know but THAT is some vicious, evil shit.  Any woman who says that is trash to me.

But, I do agree that Gizelle needs some humility.  Wendy was right, Gizelle has "pretty girl syndrome" (and I think Monique might have it too) and she doesn't have to try.

Edited December 15, 2020 by Neurochick

[drivethroo]

36 minutes ago, qtpye said:

That is perfectly reasonable as long as Ashley shows the other women the same respect. The ladies could have come at her about Michael but seemed to leave her alone because of her new baby. I sometimes feel like Ashley thinks the rules are different for her.

Ashley most definitely thinks there are different rules for her.  That's why Robyn continues to remind her of how she kept hounding Robyn about Juan, her finances, etc.  Robyn was minding her business and Ashley kept coming for her.

36 minutes ago, qtpye said:

I am just mentioning this because this could be one of the reasons Monique came for her so hard with Jamal.

I think Gizelle should have left Jamal (and the girls) out of why she didn't want to be around Monique, but I think Monique would've come for Jamal anyway because Monique is very offended that Gizelle was ever any church's First Lady.

20 minutes ago, Rlb8031 said:

It's interesting to hear folks say that they don't understand why Monique is coming at her. I'm more wondering why the rest of them never tried to before?

Who is saying this? Because everyone, including Monique haters, say Gizelle had it coming.

What I (and others) find distasteful is Monique running down Jamal, a man she don't know, that's never had a conversation with her on or off the show, calling him HolyWhore, to come after Gizelle.  You want to read the texts, broadcast his number? Fine, but she didn't have to call that man names.  And it's not the first time Monique has done it because she broadcast Sherman's charges that happened before he started dating Gizelle, to embarass Gizelle.  Chris had to force her to apologize to Sherman for that.

Quote

Gizelle deserves some humble pie. I find her to be vicious -she couldn’t wait to spill the tea about Monique and her trainer.  Has me wondering how involved Gizelle is for Monique to come with guns blazing.  Hmmmmmm.

1) Monique couldn't wait to spill Sherman's tea to embarass Gizelle and there was really no reason to spill SHERMAN's tea because him creeping in the park after dark was before he met Gizelle, it had nothing to do with Gizelle.  Why are you spilling Sherman's tea? What did he do to you?

2) If Monique hadn't been involved with her trainer, there would be no rumor to discuss. If I'm true to my husband, can't no other woman spread rumors that I'm cheating on my husband and I'm going to run away from them.  No, I'm going to confront her and let her know she got the wrong one.  (Or maybe she's got the right one?). And I'm going after the source, not beat up all these little side people.

If I'm Monique, and I've been true to my husband, I'm coming after Gigi, Charrisse and Gizelle. Not running away, not laughing it up.  

Monique isn't angry at Gizelle because of Gizelle's involvement in the rumors.  Monique is angry because she thought she was finally going to cross over in the Gamma Eta Beta Fall 2019 line and they crossed over Candiace instead.

2 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

So it was fine that Monique told Gizelle that "you come here every reunion with a different man; you can't keep a man."

And the gag is if Gizelle met and dated a new man, Monique would be digging up dirt on him too and broadcasting it to scare him away.

The real reason Monique runs away from Charrisse is Charrisse has a encyclopedia set of receipt binders on Monique, starting with how she and Monique conspired to bring Kyndall around to rattle Gizelle and when they got busted, Monique tried to blame the whole thing on Charrisse.  And why did Monique do this? Because Gizelle was blocking her from joining Gamma Eta Beta Sorority, Incorporated.

[Vanderboom]

5 hours ago, Sweet-tea said:

Robyn looked terrible from head to toe from me, including her makeup. The dark lipstick was not flattering. 

Robyn never really looks good at reunions or in her talking heads, but can look stunning just walking on the street. It amazes me. Robyn can make everyday clothing look designer by how she wears it. Gizelle--although she's pretty--has the reverse superpower of making designer clothing look schumply. 

 

2 hours ago, qtpye said:

Ashley is very good at deflecting the blame. She is quite articulate. I feel she very cleverly used her baby as a shield to fend off most the attacks on her this season (usually regarding her disgusting husband).

You are so right. Ashley reveled in the Holy Mother edit she got this season and will try to maintain that advantage for as long as she can. I liked how Robyn was willing to question Ashley's victim narrative, but Ashley seems to have Teflon magic on her side. 

 

[GonnahearmeRoar]

30 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

So it was fine that Monique told Gizelle that "you come here every reunion with a different man; you can't keep a man."

Is that okay?  I don't know but THAT is some vicious, evil shit.  Any woman who says that is trash to me.

But, I do agree that Gizelle needs some humility.  Wendy was right, Gizelle has "pretty girl syndrome" (and I think Monique might have it too) and she doesn't have to try.

I really do like all the ladies.  The ladies are tearing each other apart. Some of this is just so unnecessary and these ladies should be sticking together.  Gizelle has been messy so many times and I enjoyed Monique giving her crap back. Gizelle is not off the table... she is not protected this time because Monique has had enough.  None of them should be promoting ruining marriages....  that applies to all of them including Monique. 

[Mr. Miner]

15 minutes ago, Vanderboom said:

You are so right. Ashley reveled in the Holy Mother edit she got this season and will try to maintain that advantage for as long as she can. I liked how Robyn was willing to question Ashley's victim narrative, but Ashley seems to have Teflon magic on her side. 

She still comes off stupid AF, just by being with her skeevy ass husband.

[RealReality]

4 hours ago, qtpye said:

I think to me, part of the problem is Gizelle defines herself with men. I really do not know what Gizelle did besides be married to and get cheated on by Jamal. Did she hold a job before the show? I know Robyn was in PR, Ashley ran a restaurant (courtesy of Michael), Karen owned her own agency, Candiass won a beauty pageant, Wendy got four degrees, and Monique failed at the rap game. Even her book is about her experience with Jamal.

I know someone who remembered when Gizelle was First Lady of her church. She said they preached a very “traditional” doctrine with women mostly being defined by their roles as mothers/wives. I do not care enough to look up if this is true.

This seems like such a systemic problem to me.  And its not what anyone has to fight against per se, but women are still socialized to define themselves by their men and marital status.   I believe Gizelle's dad was a civil rights leaders, and some of those guys, rightly or wrongly are a little old school, with women expected to be traditional (a la coretta scott king).  

I think Gizelle is trying, because she wants to teach her daughters a better way.  And I know G's dad HAAAAAATES Jamal, but he probably doesn't see how some of his thinking may have influenced her relationships.  

[RealReality]

14 hours ago, Adgirl said:

Chile Candiace has her mama's money and Gizelle has a made up relationship and a 1980s style house. Who the fuck is jealous of them? Gizelle is the Sheree of this show she just doesn't know it--with her broke down fashions and cankles.

I'd take a trust fund from my parents over a man's money.  

Chris S. married Monique after he retired from the NFL, so if they divorce she shouldn't have access to that.  

A bond between a husband and wife can disintegrate, but for a lot of parents, even if you have a strained relationship you don't have to be with them every day and so its less likely things will fall apart spectacularly.  And it gives you the freedom to do what Candace did, and marry for love and not money.  

********************************************************************************************

If I were Monique I wouldn't come back next season.  

I despise Monique, but if she left now, she would leave on a high note.

Next season, Gizelle is going to come for her....hard.  

Whatever little bit of restraint that Gizelle has shown will be gone.  

Gizelle is entertaining and as others point out, she tends to narrate the show through her confessionals.  Monique better hope there isn't a single skeleton in her closet that Gizelle can get to.  

If you salt the earth like that and burn Rome to the ground, I think its best to move on and not stick around for the villagers to get their revenge.  

 

[Keywestclubkid]

24 minutes ago, RealReality said:

I'd take a trust fund from my parents over a man's money.  

Chris S. married Monique after he retired from the NFL, so if they divorce she shouldn't have access to that.  

A bond between a husband and wife can disintegrate, but for a lot of parents, even if you have a strained relationship you don't have to be with them every day and so its less likely things will fall apart spectacularly.  And it gives you the freedom to do what Candace did, and marry for love and not money.  

********************************************************************************************

If I were Monique I wouldn't come back next season.  

I despise Monique, but if she left now, she would leave on a high note.

Next season, Gizelle is going to come for her....hard.  

Whatever little bit of restraint that Gizelle has shown will be gone.  

Gizelle is entertaining and as others point out, she tends to narrate the show through her confessionals.  Monique better hope there isn't a single skeleton in her closet that Gizelle can get to.  

If you salt the earth like that and burn Rome to the ground, I think its best to move on and not stick around for the villagers to get their revenge.  

 

I 100 % agree with you Monique has to know IF she comes back everyone of these ladies that she went scorched earth on will come HARD .And her cryin but I'm a mother I'm a wife how dare you wont do shit... she didn't really think this attack through I don't think .....

Edited December 15, 2020 by Keywestclubkid

[qtpye]

I think Monique did not do the binder thing properly.

She should have said, "Since you want to spread rumors that my last child does not belong to my husband then I think I should talk about some rumors about the man you are supposedly dating".

If I did not know about that plot (and I think most viewers do not)… I would think Monique was pulling out the binder because Gizelle keeps calling Chris Big Boy, which would be overkill.

[Neurochick]

2 minutes ago, qtpye said:

I think Monique did not do the binder thing properly.

She should have said, "Since you want to spread rumors that my last child does not belong to my husband then I think I should talk about some rumors about the man you are supposedly dating".

If I did not know about that plot (and I think most viewers do not)… I would think Monique was pulling out the binder because Gizelle keeps calling Chris Big Boy, which would be overkill.

Well if Monique knows that her last child is her husband's....why the overkill?

The wicked flee though no one pursues...

[qtpye]

9 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

Well if Monique knows that her last child is her husband's....why the overkill?

The wicked flee though no one pursues...

I think if you open the door by talking about people like Gizelle does then you should not be surprised to get the same treatment from others.

For example, Monique has this binder with receipts so she should not be surprised if next year Gizelle brings Gigi on the show or if Charisse is invited back and has some hot tea on Monique.

I think the more apt saying for this situation might be "You reap what you sow". 

We all have told Monique a million times that she should get off the show before it destroy her and everything she loves. Her husband is worth millions, so she does not need the money. She also has a strong following that adores her so she could probably build a comfortable little business from that if she wants to earn her own income separate from Chris.

However, if she insists on being hard headed (trying to get the fame denied to her by her failing rap career) then she is probably going to experience a hard road next season.

Edited December 16, 2020 by qtpye

[Chatty Cake]

I am enjoying the binder and hope there is more in it. Karen actually started the conversation by saying that Jamal agreed to the storyline to save Gizelles job. This was after Karen got Gizelle to admit there is no True Hue at this time. It was long overdue the way Gizelle went so hard for Karen, her marriage, her perfume....etc
Judging by Jamals scenes, what Karen said is true. They filmed a few scenes with the girls but were not believable as a couple. This is probably why the girls weren’t into the pairing at all.  Hell, Gizelle didn’t even look that into it. Her scenes with Juan were better than the lackluster stuff with Jamal.

I’m a Monique fan but saying that Gizelle can’t keep a man stuff was wrong. Why would Gizelle want a man like Jamal, Sherman or Herman? And the makeup line isn’t that big of a deal either. It’s keeping a good storyline that matters because being a Real Housewife is their claim to fame. Wendy can flaunt her degrees all she wants. What she will be remembered as is a Real Housewife. That’s why her going on about her accomplishments is stupid. She was a professor at THE Johns Hopkins, a political commentator and she STILL wanted what Karen and the rest of them had. A spot on a reality show.

 

[Rlb8031]

7 hours ago, drivethroo said:

What I (and others) find distasteful is Monique running down Jamal, a man she don't know, that's never had a conversation with her on or off the show, calling him HolyWhore, to come after Gizelle.  You want to read the texts, broadcast his number? Fine, but she didn't have to call that man names.  And it's not the first time Monique has done it because she broadcast Sherman's charges that happened before he started dating Gizelle, to embarass Gizelle.  Chris had to force her to apologize to Sherman for that.

If Jamal were simply a regular guy, I might be able to see where you are coming from. If he were Chris or Ray or another man who had never been on tv or in the public eye until his wife took a role on this series, he absolutely wouldn't be fair game. Hell, I'll even say that Sherman, although a public figure, wasn't someone whose business should be out in the street. But Jamal??? He's:

1) A public figure who has pursued the spotlight as a minister well before this show was even a thing.

2) Is a known philanderer, who has fathered multiple children with different women, most of whom were people he was supposed to be "ministering" to as their pastor. He fathered one child while married to Gizelle, and at least one since then. 

3) And as a minister, he's supposed to be held to a higher standard than the average person. He doesn't have to be a saint, but he shouldn't be trying to out sin the sinners in the congregation either. 

4) Voluntarily chosen to be part of this circus. 

All of that to say, he's lucky all she called him was HolyWhore. 

[qtpye]

3 minutes ago, Rlb8031 said:

If Jamal were simply a regular guy, I might be able to see where you are coming from. If he were Chris or Ray or another man who had never been on tv or in the public eye until his wife took a role on this series, he absolutely wouldn't be fair game. Hell, I'll even say that Sherman, although a public figure, wasn't someone whose business should be out in the street. But Jamal??? He's:

1) A public figure who has pursued the spotlight as a minister well before this show was even a thing.

2) Is a known philanderer, who has fathered multiple children with different women, most of whom were people he was supposed to be "ministering" to as their pastor. He fathered one child while married to Gizelle, and at least one since then. 

3) And as a minister, he's supposed to be held to a higher standard than the average person. He doesn't have to be a saint, but he shouldn't be trying to out sin the sinners in the congregation either. 

4) Voluntarily chosen to be part of this circus. 

All of that to say, he's lucky all she called him was HolyWhore. 

Word to all of this post. I wish I could like it a hundred times.

I grew up in Atlanta and I hate scum like Jamal. I do not even care that he has a 100 children with 50 women. I hate that these types of churches scam the most vulnerable people who barely have anything in the name of God. It is disgusting and the opposite of what it meant to be a good Christian.

[RealReality]

Pre-binder musings

1. Are chris and monique praying for god to help them drag people?  that seems about as christian as jamal banging half his congregation

2. Does Karen shop at thrift stores, like why couldn't you get the Fendi dress in your size, why did it have to be altered?  Did your shoulders become slimmer since you bought it?  And was it just me, but did the tailor take out EVERY F and just leave her with shoulders of Endi.  If so, whats the point of wearing Fendi?

3.  Hilarious that they all sat around laughing and ki-ki'ing about a trip that Monique couldn't go on.  And to make that the theme of the reunion...I didn't think about how shady it was

4. Apparently G and R need to be blamed for Monique because they had a "look of glee?"  Karen is really doing the most and trying the hardest.  I think she is shady fun, but she may have a real kernel of hate for Gizelle that I never knew about before, or maybe this is just some game of thrones type stuff.  LOL.  

5. You know things are pretty dismal when most of Andy's comments to Monique were about T'Challa.  

[qtpye]

25 minutes ago, RealReality said:

Pre-binder musings

1. Are chris and monique praying for god to help them drag people?  that seems about as christian as jamal banging half his congregation

2. Does Karen shop at thrift stores, like why couldn't you get the Fendi dress in your size, why did it have to be altered?  Did your shoulders become slimmer since you bought it?  And was it just me, but did the tailor take out EVERY F and just leave her with shoulders of Endi.  If so, whats the point of wearing Fendi?

3.  Hilarious that they all sat around laughing and ki-ki'ing about a trip that Monique couldn't go on.  And to make that the theme of the reunion...I didn't think about how shady it was

4. Apparently G and R need to be blamed for Monique because they had a "look of glee?"  Karen is really doing the most and trying the hardest.  I think she is shady fun, but she may have a real kernel of hate for Gizelle that I never knew about before, or maybe this is just some game of thrones type stuff.  LOL.  

5. You know things are pretty dismal when most of Andy's comments to Monique were about T'Challa.  

With BLM, Covid, and people losing their livelihoods left and right...God ain't got time for trifling housewife bullshit. Particularly, coming from a woman who God has given to with both hands.

Maybe Monique has trained T'Challa to snatch wigs? 

[RealReality]

Meh, the binder was a bit of a nothing burger for me.  

I think everyone knew Jamal was humping around and what he does or doesn't do has no bearing on who Gizelle is. I didn't feel sorry for Gizelle, because I really don't think who Jamal is sticking it to has anything to do with her, but if people did, then Monique's plan may have backfired.  

Interestingly, Monique was mad that Charisse gave air to her old friend Gigi to spread those rumors.  But it looks like she did something similar.  

And I think Andy's question about the authenticity of the texts was the one I was asking.  I vaguely remember someone on Atlanta faking text messages and I was surprised at how easy it was, even for dummy Apollo.  I don't think its that hard to get Jamals number and pony something up.  I don't specifically think the texts were fake, but whoever this girl is, if she is sending her text conversations to Monique, she probably wants to be public, so its time to bring her into the light.  She needs to bring her own receipts.  And just LOL at Andy not even wanting to TOUCH Monique's receipts.  

Even Ashley tried to tell Monique not to go there, but oh well.  

Now if Monique and Ashley come back Ashley will really be in a hard position because I think she wants to be friends with Gizelle and Robyn, but I don't think Gizelle will want a single thing to do with Monique after this.  

16 minutes ago, qtpye said:

 

Maybe Monique has trained T'Challa to snatch wigs? 

The perfect crime!

[RealReality]

As for the EveryHue vs. La'Damme battle, I think its a draw

Yes La'Damme is being sold online by a high end retailer, but thats not really a big investment on their part.  They give it a webpage and then they send it out to you for a markup.  

But, having actual brick and mortar space really shows an investment by the retailer in your product, because every inch of a retail space is worth money since there is a finite amount of it.  So, IF Gizelle's EveryHue was in the physical Target locations, thats a pretty big deal.  If Karen't perfume were in a brick and mortar Bloomingdales I would say she wins the battle.  But to take up space in the makeup aisle at target is a pretty big deal, IMO.  

 

If Gizelle re-launches EveryHue maybe she could do it as more of an MLM model.  There are a lot of foundations on the market for black and brown women, but I have rarely found anyone at Sephora or Ulta that was good at colormatching me.  I think that model would be less of a cost, maybe like real brand ambassadors instead of the mary kay model.  

[nb360]

1 hour ago, Chatty Cake said:

Wendy can flaunt her degrees all she wants. What she will be remembered as is a Real Housewife. That’s why her going on about her accomplishments is stupid. She was a professor at THE Johns Hopkins, a political commentator and she STILL wanted what Karen and the rest of them had. A spot on a reality show.

It sounds so sad when you put it like that.

[nexxie]

2 hours ago, qtpye said:

Word to all of this post. I wish I could like it a hundred times.

I grew up in Atlanta and I hate scum like Jamal. I do not even care that he has a 100 children with 50 women. I hate that these types of churches scam the most vulnerable people who barely have anything in the name of God. It is disgusting and the opposite of what it meant to be a good Christian.

Amen.

[PhilMarlowe2]

11 hours ago, GonnahearmeRoar said:

Gizelle deserves some humble pie. I find her to be vicious -she couldn’t wait to spill the tea about Monique and her trainer.  Has me wondering how involved Gizelle is for Monique to come with guns blazing.  Hmmmmmm.

I agree that she's vicious. And it's baffled me that she's typically been a fan favorite. She is truly one of the cruelest housewives ever. I think she has gotten away with a lot over the years because she is beautiful and (kind of) witty. Monique ultimately pays a price for her vendetta against Gizelle, but I can't say that there wasn't something satisfying about seeing Gizelle finally get a taste of her own medicine.

[GonnahearmeRoar]

I hope Monique comes back with some new friends. I find Monique much more interesting than some of the OG’s.  Maybe Candiace can get stepping and focus on college and starting s family. 

[GonnahearmeRoar]

I’ve raised these girls to be strong and be smart. And to understand that—and I think every Black mother has said this to their child—in order for you to succeed in this country, unfortunately, you have to be twice as good. You have to be twice as fast, you have to be twice as smart as the white person standing next to you. Or you cannot advance,” said Gizelle. “Hopefully one day that won’t be the case. But right now, my kids know that they have to be better, smarter, stronger in order for them to make it in this country.” 

I find Gizelle to be racist toward whites and teaching her children to see her narrow views. Don’t use a broad paintbrush and label an entire race. There are many underprivileged whites that have to work just as hard as the blacks to do better.  These conversations divide us. Gizelle references race a lot. 

[Iguessnot]

2 hours ago, RealReality said:

As for the EveryHue vs. La'Damme battle, I think its a draw

Yes La'Damme is being sold online by a high end retailer, but thats not really a big investment on their part.  They give it a webpage and then they send it out to you for a markup.  

But, having actual brick and mortar space really shows an investment by the retailer in your product, because every inch of a retail space is worth money since there is a finite amount of it.  So, IF Gizelle's EveryHue was in the physical Target locations, thats a pretty big deal.  If Karen't perfume were in a brick and mortar Bloomingdales I would say she wins the battle.  But to take up space in the makeup aisle at target is a pretty big deal, IMO.  

 

If Gizelle re-launches EveryHue maybe she could do it as more of an MLM model.  There are a lot of foundations on the market for black and brown women, but I have rarely found anyone at Sephora or Ulta that was good at colormatching me.  I think that model would be less of a cost, maybe like real brand ambassadors instead of the mary kay model.  

If I recall correctly, EveryHue was liquidated long before covid. I picked up a tube but it wasn't a good color match or coverage for me. At the same time EveryHue came out, there was another black owned foundation that was also stocked at Target. Maybe I got a bad tube, but it had the most ridiculous green undertone. 

I'll just stick to my Bobbi Brown and Bare Minerals.

[swankie]

On 12/13/2020 at 9:44 PM, Neurochick said:

Karen is a bitch, who looks more like a frog each year.

And she seemed so proud of her nose job.  Why would you be happy with a nose job that looks even more like a witch's nose?  That thing looked like a baby elephant snout.  Could it be any more hooked?  🤣

[rlc]

La Dame is la shady.

I’d love to go through one day of life with her level of self confidence.

[Legalbeagle421]

8 hours ago, GonnahearmeRoar said:

I’ve raised these girls to be strong and be smart. And to understand that—and I think every Black mother has said this to their child—in order for you to succeed in this country, unfortunately, you have to be twice as good. You have to be twice as fast, you have to be twice as smart as the white person standing next to you. Or you cannot advance,” said Gizelle. “Hopefully one day that won’t be the case. But right now, my kids know that they have to be better, smarter, stronger in order for them to make it in this country.” 

I find Gizelle to be racist toward whites and teaching her children to see her narrow views. Don’t use a broad paintbrush and label an entire race. There are many underprivileged whites that have to work just as hard as the blacks to do better.  These conversations divide us. Gizelle references race a lot. 

This is a reality though. I went to a top university for undergrad and became a civil litigator. I am still the victim of presumptions based on stereotypes and microaggressions. People have doubted me and acted shocked when I said I was an attorney based on nothing more than my skin color. What Gizelle said may not sound happy and nice but it's 100% the truth. Privilege does not mean everything is easy. It means you get to go through life without worrying about things that others are not granted the benefit of the doubt for. 

Edited December 16, 2020 by Legalbeagle421

[islandgal140]

 

On 12/14/2020 at 2:40 PM, Keywestclubkid said:

the flip side of that what does Monique pay for herself? i know she is spending 20k a month plus on a podcast nobody goes to ... is she making her own money? Not fighting or trying to argue with you or anything but lets be fair here .... at least Candace has a job and is helping with income coming in...she isnt just blowing through someones money with no care at getting stank face when told maybe she shouldn't spend so much on a podcast ....

Given the 4 homes, multiple luxury vehicles, salaries of unnecessary employees and Monique's penchant for wasting an exorbitant about of money on vanity projects, I must say I have often wondered about Chris Samuel's finances. Chris is also likely supporting a lot of family members, including Monique's. Ex-pro athletes are notorious for going broke after retirement. 

Perhaps he invested well. I don't even know if he works. Does he?

12 hours ago, RealReality said:

Meh, the binder was a bit of a nothing burger for me.  

The info in the binder may have been old cold tea, however, Gisele's reaction to it was piping hot.  It is almost like she didn't expect anyone to call her on it and she had no retort.  Candiace and Robyn had more to say then she was. She was shocked into silence. She played herself.

I have to say, Gisele seemed kinda anemic pt 1, even before the binder made its appearance. 

8 hours ago, swankie said:

And she seemed so proud of her nose job.  Why would you be happy with a nose job that looks even more like a witch's nose?  That thing looked like a baby elephant snout.  Could it be any more hooked?  🤣

Hate to admit to being so shallow, but I can't find Kern attractive mostly due to that nose.  But her explanation does explain why it looked even witchier as the years progressed. 

The quality of the Karen's wigs have improved but the colors are just a bit too brassy to me. If she could get a current excellent quality wig in the color she used to wear in earlier seasons like this:

She'd be at her optimal best as long as she stayed away from 'ENDI' LOL! 

 

[RealReality]

I think its possible gizelle thought Jamal might "date" someone a little more discreet.....assuming the texts are real.  

It just sounds so....set up. 

 

[RealReality]

10 hours ago, Iguessnot said:

If I recall correctly, EveryHue was liquidated long before covid. I picked up a tube but it wasn't a good color match or coverage for me. At the same time EveryHue came out, there was another black owned foundation that was also stocked at Target. Maybe I got a bad tube, but it had the most ridiculous green undertone. 

I'll just stick to my Bobbi Brown and Bare Minerals.

Black skin tones, or at least mine...is a challenge.  

I use clinque but I'm always open to something  better and I'd love if that came from a black woman.  

I've tried fenty and besides being wildly overpriced it was weirdly orange.  

And I had to push the girl at sephora to find the fenty color match.  

If gizelle could make it work, I'd support it.  

[Iguessnot]

On 12/15/2020 at 8:26 AM, Sweet-tea said:

 

Wendy looked very different in the face to me. Did she have something done? I can’t put my finger on what’s different but it may be her nose. 

 

 

 

It's been driving me crazy too. It's like she's much older or maybe some facial weight gain. 

[ErikaAlyson]

Gizelle's ex Jamal has no shame or respect. I can't believe Monique got his phone number right smh. Why are they all wearing yellow? Who picked that theme? Lol Gizelle looked hurt when Karen was talking about her fashion sense. I don't get how Gizelle doesn't see her style choices haha. She seems hurt,probably about Jamal smh.

[Iguessnot]

25 minutes ago, RealReality said:

Black skin tones, or at least mine...is a challenge.  

I use clinque but I'm always open to something  better and I'd love if that came from a black woman.  

I've tried fenty and besides being wildly overpriced it was weirdly orange.  

And I had to push the girl at sephora to find the fenty color match.  

If gizelle could make it work, I'd support it.  

Fenty is a hot orange mess. I have a Bare Minerals custom color that works well, but I can use the Bobbi Brown Golden Almond right off the shelf. Even the long wear formulation applies naturally. I don't like foundations that apply like you are painting a bedroom wall. IIRC EveryHue was kind of thick for me. Sort of like the Robin effect. Not only was the foundation color wrong for her, it was like shellac. 

 

[GonnahearmeRoar]

4 hours ago, Legalbeagle421 said:

This is a reality though. I went to a top university for undergrad and became a civil litigator. I am still the victim of presumptions based on stereotypes and microaggressions. People have doubted me and acted shocked when I said I was an attorney based on nothing more than my skin color. What Gizelle said may not sound happy and nice but it's 100% the truth. Privilege does not mean everything is easy. It means you get to go through life without worrying about things that others are not granted the benefit of the doubt for. 

Well, I certainly do not put Gizelle or any of the Potomac Housewives into the category of not being privileged... there are many blacks, whites, Asians and on and on not privileged- living on the streets no money, jobs, homeless... the very unprivileged people. 

[RealReality]

1 hour ago, ErikaLovesNihad said:

Gizelle's ex Jamal has no shame or respect. I can't believe Monique got his phone number right smh. Why are they all wearing yellow? Who picked that theme? Lol Gizelle looked hurt when Karen was talking about her fashion sense. I don't get how Gizelle doesn't see her style choices haha. She seems hurt,probably about Jamal smh.

I'm more surprised gizelle admitted it was right.  

They obviously weren't going to air the number so she could have just said it was wrong.   

[Persnickety1]

25 minutes ago, RealReality said:

I'm more surprised gizelle admitted it was right.  

They obviously weren't going to air the number so she could have just said it was wrong.   

I think she was so flabbergasted she couldn't think on her feet to formulate any sort of comeback.  

Normally the housewives reunions kind of bore me with everyone screeching over everyone else, but this one really held my attention. 

I'm really looking forward to the next episode.  

[Neurochick]

17 hours ago, qtpye said:

We all have told Monique a million times that she should get off the show before it destroy her and everything she loves. Her husband is worth millions, so she does not need the money. She also has a strong following that adores her so she could probably build a comfortable little business from that if she wants to earn her own income separate from Chris.

I have never been able to understand why "happily married" people go on any Real Housewife show.

I don't know if the show causes the relationships to explode, but so many of them do explode.  

[RealReality]

Monique now wants to be more than "chris samuels wife"  but she doesn't want to really put in the hard work to be "more".  She wants the shortcut. 

If what charisse said is true, that is a prime example.  She didn't want to take the time and effort to cultivate her own connections so she shortcutted her way into charisse's.  

I think every HW wants to use this platform to get higher visibility and a ladder to something bigger. 

But out of all the women, monique came from a particular....situation.  Karen had her staffing company,

gizelle has a degree and as a first lady she would have had some leadership/mentoring church role (right?  My religious leanings are "terrible catholic" so I've obviously never known a first lady),

Candace has a degree, worked for Obama, did the pageant circuit (and while ashley may clown, she may have been part of more prestigious circuit but she didn't win the big prize).  

Robyn did her house flipping and PR stuff and she has her degree.

 

Don't even get me started on Wendy.  Did you know she is a doctor with four degrees?  LOL and she is a professor at a highly ranked university.  

Monique on the other hand...the accomplishments she can point to are only those associated with Chris s. wealth.

 

A degree or even four is not the be all and end all, but it pushes you a little further down the road.  Monique just has further to travel and seems to be part of the reason why she needs these shortcuts to step out from Chris's shadow. 

 

[Keywestclubkid]

56 minutes ago, RealReality said:

Monique now wants to be more than "chris samuels wife"  but she doesn't want to really put in the hard work to be "more".  She wants the shortcut.

 

Monique wants and likes Status ... Not saying that the others don't but Monique just (to me) seems to be a social climber in so many ways and wants it soooooooo bad she wants to be the HBIC and she just aint ... she is used to having that status with being Chris wife with some people but that's really not cutting it in Potomac and with this group of ladies ... I think that is a lot of the issue she is having with them ... She wants to be Heather Chandler when she is really Heather Duke ..

[NYCFree]

2 hours ago, GonnahearmeRoar said:

Well, I certainly do not put Gizelle or any of the Potomac Housewives into the category of not being privileged... there are many blacks, whites, Asians and on and on not privileged- living on the streets no money, jobs, homeless... the very unprivileged people. 

Gizelle’s daughters, as daughters of two college graduates, will be expected to go to college and have some kind of white color job. It is the reality for them that they will have disadvantages in hiring and advancement in today’s America because they are Black. I have been a white lawyer in NYC and have heard explicit conversations about not hiring people of color because clients wouldn’t “be comfortable” around “them,” and much worse comments that I won’t post. The white lawyers talking to me assumed I would agree with their racism simply because I’m white.

As Legalbeagle421 pointed out above, white privilege simply means that no matter where you are in society, one ”burden” you do not have is how society will treat you if you are that and Black as well. Gizelle leads a relatively privileged life, that does not mean she and her daughters face no discrimination.

[Rlb8031]

15 hours ago, GonnahearmeRoar said:

I’ve raised these girls to be strong and be smart. And to understand that—and I think every Black mother has said this to their child—in order for you to succeed in this country, unfortunately, you have to be twice as good. You have to be twice as fast, you have to be twice as smart as the white person standing next to you. Or you cannot advance,” said Gizelle. “Hopefully one day that won’t be the case. But right now, my kids know that they have to be better, smarter, stronger in order for them to make it in this country.” 

I find Gizelle to be racist toward whites and teaching her children to see her narrow views. Don’t use a broad paintbrush and label an entire race. There are many underprivileged whites that have to work just as hard as the blacks to do better.  These conversations divide us. Gizelle references race a lot. 

I don't understand this. How is Gizelle telling her kids they have to work hard, and perhaps harder than others racist towards white people? She didn't say "white people are bad" or anything about white folks at all. She was speaking to her kids about how THEY would be perceived. Why is that problematic? She isn't the mother of any white children, so why should she talk about whites who may have similar problems?

[LibertarianSlut]

15 hours ago, GonnahearmeRoar said:

I’ve raised these girls to be strong and be smart. And to understand that—and I think every Black mother has said this to their child—in order for you to succeed in this country, unfortunately, you have to be twice as good. You have to be twice as fast, you have to be twice as smart as the white person standing next to you. Or you cannot advance,” said Gizelle.

Did she actually say this at the reunion?  I find so much of this show incredibly dull (with about 15-20% being great, so therein lies the paradox), but I write my posts as the show airs, so maybe I miss some things.  My question is, where in the world would “twice” come from?  I don’t think it’s physically possible to perform twice as good as one’s peers at anything but the most elementary levels, which is setting a ridiculous standard, especially the higher one climbs.  For example, maybe a toddler can be twice as good as tying their shoes as another toddler, but the difference between a competent investment banker and a superb investment banker isn’t double.  Also, how can someone will themselves to be twice as smart as their peers?  “Smart” and “prepared” aren’t synonymous.

Why wasn’t Gizelle 200x smarter when she brought Jamal onto the show?

I think a lot of people get anecdotal evidence confused with empirical.

[RealReality]

22 minutes ago, LibertarianSlut said:

Did she actually say this at the reunion?  I find so much of this show incredibly dull (with about 15-20% being great, so therein lies the paradox), but I write my posts as the show airs, so maybe I miss some things.  My question is, where in the world would “twice” come from?  I don’t think it’s physically possible to perform twice as good as one’s peers at anything but the most elementary levels, which is setting a ridiculous standard, especially the higher one climbs.  For example, maybe a toddler can be twice as good as tying their shoes as another toddler, but the difference between a competent investment banker and a superb investment banker isn’t double.  Also, how can someone will themselves to be twice as smart as their peers?  “Smart” and “prepared” aren’t synonymous.

Why wasn’t Gizelle 200x smarter when she brought Jamal onto the show?

I think a lot of people get anecdotal evidence confused with empirical.

LOL.  I've heard the saying before, as unfair and impossible as it may be.  

Sadly, women and minorities really take it to heart and so even if they are "just as" good as a white man they don't feel they deserve the raise or the same promotions and opportunities 

[NYCFree]

26 minutes ago, LibertarianSlut said:

I think a lot of people get anecdotal evidence confused with empirical.

I don’t. I provided anecdotal evidence because so many people deny racism actually exists that limits the options for Black professionals. Since I saw this explicitly take place by white decision makers, my evidence refutes that.

No one interprets “work twice as hard” literally. The concept is that Black people will have to work hard to prove themselves competent, while white men will be assumed to be competent.

[LibertarianSlut]

19 minutes ago, RealReality said:

Sadly, women and minorities really take it to heart and so even if they are "just as" good as a white man they don't feel they deserve the raise or the same promotions and opportunities 

Ah man, I am in such a dog-eat-dog world that all the people I know—women, minorities, women minorities, men who are gay or straight, any demographic you can imagine—acts like they think they’re entitled to whatever they deserve and then some.  When I have been gearing up to make pitches for my raise in the past, the bullpen between me (a woman) and my husband (a minority) is not clean or pretty when we strategize as to how I’m going to sashay with all the confidence in the world up to my boss, HR, and whoever else (including God, if it’s on His schedule) to make persuasive arguments that I deserve a significant raise and a whole host of perks, when in reality, I probably don’t deserve at least a third of what I’m asking for, but what is the saying—a negotiation is only successful if both of the parties walk away from the table feeling unsatisfied?  I would add to that “uncomfortable” because if I’m going to be uncomfortable making the pitch, my superiors are going to be uncomfortable in weighing my demands.  I work out every last detail, down to where I will stand in the office in order to subtly convey a power position.  I figure out where my damn hands will be placed.

And my husband?  He is so aggressive that I am a shrinking violet compared to him.  Maybe it’s a product of where we’re from, but we suffer no fools.  For anyone who is hesitant—regardless of demographic—I think that is a personal problem they need to overcome ASAP.  No one is going to fuck with my money, and I will “act as if.”  Tyra said a long time ago that no one should dull their shine for anyone, and I believed her!

[RealReality]

3 minutes ago, LibertarianSlut said:

Ah man, I am in such a dog-eat-dog world that all the people I know—women, minorities, women minorities, men who are gay or straight, any demographic you can imagine—acts like they think they’re entitled to whatever they deserve and then some.  When I have been gearing up to make pitches for my raise in the past, the bullpen between me (a woman) and my husband (a minority) is not clean or pretty when we strategize as to how I’m going to sashay with all the confidence in the world up to my boss, HR, and whoever else (including God, if it’s on His schedule) to make persuasive arguments that I deserve a significant raise and a whole host of perks, when in reality, I probably don’t deserve at least a third of what I’m asking for, but what is the saying—a negotiation is only successful if both of the parties walk away from the table feeling unsatisfied?  I would add to that “uncomfortable” because if I’m going to be uncomfortable making the pitch, my superiors are going to be uncomfortable in weighing my demands.  I work out every last detail, down to where I will stand in the office in order to subtly convey a power position.  I figure out where my damn hands will be placed.

And my husband?  He is so aggressive that I am a shrinking violet compared to him.  Maybe it’s a product of where we’re from, but we suffer no fools.  For anyone who is hesitant—regardless of demographic—I think that is a personal problem they need to overcome ASAP.  No one is going to fuck with my money, and I will “act as if.”  Tyra said a long time ago that no one should dull their shine for anyone, and I believed her!

I understand surely every person approaches these things differently.   Anecdotally I can tell you of one friend who busted her hump at a government job for 10 years without a promotion that she wanted because she has been socialized to think that,as a woman, and a black woman when you demand your worth you are being "difficult, uppity and unappreciative"

My brothers wife has the same deal.  She is doing the work of someone much higher than her.  She works herself to the literal bone.  There is a white guy at her job who is above he and he consistently messes things up and feels he is entitled to a promotion.  

 I tell her over and over that she needs to bring that Steve confidence to her workplace.  She knows she is great at her job.  She went to an ivy league business school.  She works herself to the bone at a lower title.  Steve has a higher title and messes up all the time.  But she doesn't want to be "aggressive" or "entitled" or "unappreciative"

I can't blame Steve, he asked for what he wanted and he got it.  Maybe, in some small way....maybe because he never felt he had to work twice as hard or be twice as good as anyone. 

I think its fantastic that you've either never felt these feelings or you overcame them because its just a societal trick to keep women and minorities earning less. 

And LOL at everyone being aggressive!  Those environments stress me out, but its where you make the most moola! 

[geauxaway]

Has Gizelle ever worked a full time wage earner job?   From what I can gather she got married and became the First Lady.  Now she is faking relationships for a reality show paycheck.  That’s the example she is setting for her daughters while telling them to work twice as hard?