Source: Instagram

We’ve been hearing about Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Stewart’s “budding” music career since she emerged on the scene a few months ago; however, with the exception of the above photo, there has been little to no evidence of it. During one episode, her cast mates put her on the spot, asking her to sing a song for them, but it never happened. It appears that it won’t be long before we get to hear Porsha’s music, though. During a recent interview with ABC News Radio, the reality star opened up about her latest project, which she says will be about love and relationships. She also discussed why she chose not to show her 9-year-old step-son on the show, in addition to a miscarriage that she suffered in the past. Check out some of what she had to say.

On her forthcoming music project:

“I’ll be coming out with a project. I’ve been working with different producers to get that together. It’s a very serious thing to me. It’s not just play-play. I’m not just trying to put out a one hit wonder.”

On her step-son not appearing on the show: 

“He’s a nine-year-old little boy. He’s my stepson and I absolutely adore him. We[Kordell and I] did make the decision not to feature him on the show. [Real Housewives] is something that I decided to do and Kordell signed up to support me. Syre…doesn’t have a place on the show for me.”

On suffering a miscarriage and Kordell’s reaction to the negative pregnancy test: 

“With me suffering a miscarriage before that [the recent pregnancy test scene] was difficult for both of us and…at the moment he [Kordell] doesn’t want to put too much pressure on it because he knows how much that means to me. And really when you’re trying to have a baby the best thing to do is to just not concentrate on it, just let it happen.”

On being a proud trophy wife:

“Being a trophy wife per se is not just about your outer looks. It’s about the man who has put you on the pedestal and him admiring you and thinking well enough of you to put you up there. And I think it’s important for our little girls to know that they can be a princesses and they can have it all…So I feel proud to represent — and I use the word lightly — the Black trophy wife.”

Okay so we kind of knew the whole trophy wife theory wasn’t totally baseless, but it was still sort of an unspoken element of business practices and decisions. Your spouse is a reflection of you, men who want to move up the corporate ladder should have an equal partner on their side—and it wouldn’t hurt if she was arm candy too—but I’m not sure it was ever understood to be the deciding factor in the hiring process, at least not openly.

Vanderbilt’s head football coach has blown the whole top off of this phenomenon with a comment he made during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone. James Franklin very calmly, and without reservation, told host Clay Travis that his candidate’s appearance isn’t the only thing he’s critiquing during the hiring process, he’s also checking out his wife.

“I’ve been saying it for a long time, I will not hire an assistant until I see his wife. If she looks the part and she’s a D1 recruit, then you got a chance to get hired. That’s part of the deal. There’s a very strong correlation between having the confidence, going up and talking to a women, and being quick on your feet and having some personality and confidence and being articulate and confident, than it is walking into a high school and recruiting a kid and selling him.”

I want to ride with Franklin on this because I somewhat like his point about men and confidence and approaching women, but the shallowness of what he’s saying is making it hard for me to fight the urge to gag. It’s clear from his comment that a D1 recruit is another word for barbie doll and men, but more so the women with them, are essentially being judged on how attractive they are as proof that a man didn’t just settle for any old woman, or God forbid care about her brain more than some other b words.

The Business Insider took a less superficial take on the role women play in their husband’s hiring process by pointing out that this element is more important the higher you climb in your career and the more male dominant the industry is.

“The general rule of thumb is that the spouse starts becoming a factor once you start getting into leadership positions, especially with smaller companies where great sacrifices might be required on the part of families—that’s when the hiring executive wants to meet Mrs. Candidate, more often than not to gauge whether she’ll be supportive of the sacrifices required, and also to sell her in to the promise of the role, etc.”

That I can stand behind, but when it comes to looks being used to prove a man is a true go-getter or more ambitious, I’m not feeling it.

What do you think about wives being judged as part of the hiring process in certain fields and for certain positions?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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