I recently watched a video of a woman on TikTok speaking about the downfall of Black women. How Black women are easy to manipulate and take advantage of. How Black women have no emotional intelligence. How Black women are always playing the victim.
It begged the question: is it possible to rise without stepping on top of someone else?
She had amassed a large following, and video after video consisted of her spewing vitriol toward Black women. Aside from the fact that she herself was a Black woman, what struck me most was how her content brought out the worst in people. The comment sections were filled with agreement. Praise. Congratulating her as if she were some rare exception to the rule.
What makes this type of entertainment so dangerous is that it’s built on sweeping generalizations and harmful narratives.
And honestly, I’ve found more and more content like this over the years on social media. People speaking in absolutes about entire groups of people.
White people are this.
White men are that.
Black women are this.
Speaking with such certainty about another group, whether positive or negative, leads to false representations of humanity. Not every man is like that. Not every woman is like this. Not every Black woman represents herself in that way.
Our brains are incredibly useful tools, and naturally, they generalize information. For example, when we see a door, no matter what it looks like, we automatically assume it opens and closes from hinges. It’s helpful that we don’t have to relearn how doors operate every single time we encounter a new one. We use old information stored in our memory and proceed accordingly.
On one hand, generalizations can be efficient. Effective!
On the other hand, they can stunt our capacity to view people as humans deserving of love, belonging, and dignity.
If we constantly consume content that places people into absolute boxes with labels attached to them, eventually our brains begin categorizing them that way automatically. We stop seeing individuals and start seeing stereotypes. We stop listening with curiosity and begin filtering people through assumptions before they’ve even spoken.
And the scary part is this: outrage sells.
Algorithms reward division. Rage gets engagement. Mockery gets clicks. People build entire platforms off making someone else the villain.
But there is another way to rise.
You can build your voice without humiliating someone else.
You can speak truth without dehumanizing people.
You can heal without creating more bitterness in the process.
Some of the strongest people I know are capable of holding two truths at once: acknowledging harmful patterns while still preserving the humanity of the people involved.
That takes emotional maturity.
That takes wisdom.
That takes restraint.
The internet often rewards the loudest voice in the room, but real leadership requires discernment. It requires the ability to pause long enough to ask: “Is this helping people grow, or just teaching them who to hate?”
Because eventually what we repeatedly consume shapes how we see the world. And if we are not careful, we can slowly lose our ability to see people as complex human beings and instead reduce them to categories, assumptions, and caricatures.
We need more people willing to rise without tearing others apart to get there.
Body
Strong Without Comparison
One scroll through social media and you’ll find people tearing down other people’s bodies, casting judgement on habits, and spewing negativity. One person may say one thing, and another person may contradict. Now-a-days you don't have to search too far for comments like "too fat" or "too skinny". Seems like no matter what we do, people are never pleased. Or... we feel like we are never good enough.
Somewhere along the way, moving our bodies stops being about honoring our body and starts becoming about proving something.
I've started to realize that strength built through comparison is fragile.
You do not have to shame another person's body to feel good in your own.
You do not have to mock where someone is starting to celebrate how far you’ve come.
You do not have to become harder, colder, or crueler to become stronger.
Real strength is secure.
One of the things I love most about Lagree –shameless plug here 😂 – is that the machine humbles everyone equally. It doesn’t care what size you are, how much money you make, or how aesthetic your workout outfit looks. The shake comes for all of us.
And honestly? There’s something beautiful about that.
Because movement becomes less about performing and more about reconnecting. Listening more. Breathing more...and learning to endure more.
Constantly measuring ourselves against everyone else creates tension we were never meant to carry.
But healing can come when we start asking: "how do I care for myself well?” instead of "how do I measure up?"
You can become strong without punishing yourself.
You can pursue growth without self-hatred.
You can transform your body without declaring war on it first.
That’s the kind of strength worth building this summer.
If you are in the Denver area and are looking to build strength through Lagree, stop by my studio for a class!!
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