As timeless beauty and singer Ashanti lived her absolute best life on vacation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Black Twitter users rightfully gathered one bothered man who attempted to shame the singer for being an unmarried 42-year-old woman.
The “Happy” crooner shared stunning photos of herself soaking up the sun on Saadiyat Island, located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on March 15, via Instagram. The collage of images and one video of the Long Island beauty strutting her stuff in a barely-there lime green bikini and a flowy printed coverup confirmed why Ashanti is – indeed – a baddie.
View this post on Instagram
Her photos wound up on Twitter via fashion and lifestyle vlogger Tosci Marie. The influencer shared her admiration for the 42-year-old baddie’s carefree and child-free lifestyle, writing, “Ashanti really be on vacation 365 days and no kids. Lmao.”
Instead of minding the business that pays him, one fledgling Houston rapper, whose blue verification check is sponsored by Twitter Blue, threw shots at Ashanti on the social media platform.
“Being a fine 42yo with no kids & nobody wanna marry you is not a flex,” he wrote.
Being a fine 42yo with no Kids & nobody wanna Marry you is not a Flex https://t.co/znbtIlzTXX
— IG: RealFamilyConcrete 🔱 🔥VirGoat 102🩸 (@RealFamilyCrete) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The diss was enough to get Black Twitter up in arms. Men and women alike relentlessly lambasted the wanna-be rapper’s opinion and his “career.”
Why are y’all so miserable?? If u are happy with your life why comment on how others choose to live ???? Especially someone who’s not bothering no damn body.
— Brandon Robinson (@kilocopter) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Or, hear me out, she doesn’t want to get married and can’t or doesn’t want kids. Living life on your own terms and only being responsible for yourself is a big flex.
— Aphrodite ✨ (@BombshellCole) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Doing WTF she wants to do is the flex. Chill on the projection. Part of being a man is minding your business.
— schwarz and proud (@Freetownmkteer) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
But if she did have a kid, y’all would call her “Nelly’s Baby Mama” and she’d be the topic of podcasts. She don’t bother nobody, let’s not do this….
— Caillou’s Barber🫧 (@schnax_4myG_O) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The easiest thing to do is “get a man” y’all not a hot commodity at all. More women will start to find out “Husband” really stands for “Headache”😂ðŸ˜
— Tera Chantelle™ï¸ (@teraxchantelle) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Marriage does nothing for a woman, it adds to her life in no way shape or form. This woman looks happy, healthy, and carefree everytime we see her. THATS what makes life great!
She’s living life! but y’all only see women’s value as far as the man their attached to… pic.twitter.com/TeqRMQPg12
— ðŸˆâ¬› (@Luv3h8) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
N*gga yes it is lol marriage and kids is a headache
— Drew Comments (@sjs856) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Houston-based emcee even had the audacity to plug his lackluster rap song since his dusty tweet began to gain traction.
“I’m 39. I got kids, & I’m married a lil. I can rap too.”
Im 39 I got Kids & Im Married a lil
I can rap tooâ€¼ï¸ https://t.co/TuowNCFUUm
— IG: RealFamilyConcrete 🔱 🔥VirGoat 102🩸 (@RealFamilyCrete) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The online bully probably should have left that tweet in the drafts because Ashanti’s fans went in on his music, comparing his lack of success to the “Only You” singer’s stellar 20-year career.
— WTF did Harry Styles mean by that?? (@CoriAgain2) March 17, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
You suggesting she can’t find a man. But she did find a record company to eagerly produce and promote her successful music for decades.
Can you say the same, Crete?🤔
— srburris (@srburris) March 17, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Bringing up age – you 39 still trying to make it in the rap game hating on a celebrity with more success than you’ll ever see. Embarrassing.
— Nick (@studmeetsworld) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
If I had to choose between Ashanti’s single kidless life, or married and kids with a 40 year old SoundCloud rapper I’d choose the latter a million times.
— Krystal La’chelle (@prettytingz_) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
You: 39 year old rapper not on Billboard Ashanti: Has written songs for the likes of JLo and Beyoncé.
Who said they don’t want to marry Ashanti? Marriage & kids are choices not lottery wins. Some people don’t want either. Go clock in. pic.twitter.com/flwB3NtL3e
— Ishmael Mayhew (@ishcontent) March 16, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Rapping at 39 w/ kids? Time to give it up, the kids are hungry.
— Protecting My Peace 💆ðŸ¿â™‚ï¸ (@NubianKingBenji) March 17, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Being 39, still rapping and nobody wanna sign you is not a flex. Take this down.
— Habitual Line Stepper (@Sw33TeStPeAcH) March 17, 2023
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
In December, Ashanti opened up about wanting to settle down with the “right person.”
“Trust me, there’s a lot of guys that want to be my baby daddy — and they’ve tried. But I have to make sure it’s with the right person,” she revealed.
New York Times bestselling author and publisher Denene Millner recently wrote about living happily ever after– unmarried.
After having been previously married, Denene said it plain that matrimony wasn’t her jam anymore. She explained that opting to remain single– allowed her to explore who she was without having to bow down at the whim of a husband.
“The more I focused on what my heart needs, rather than what others think it needs, the closer I came to understanding this one true thing: I am capable of immense love, but I have zero desire to be married again,” the brilliant former journalist expressed.
“Marriage, to me, you see, is a commitment to an institution—one set up within a system that has clear and distinct roles for women—roles I have zero desire to fulfill ever again. I don’t want to be my significant other’s maid/chef/housekeeper/babysitter/organizer, trapped behind the prison bars that eventually surround relationships sanctioned by the government, and sealed with a ring and the ‘I do,’” Denene continued. “Heaven forbid some Negro take a page from rapper Finesse2Tymes and get to complaining that I don’t hop directly out of bed in the morning to serve him—make breakfast, have sex, clean up after him—it would be the last thing he’d ever utter to my ass, I promise you that. ”
And while some Black men may believe that a Black woman’s value is based on being married and having babies, a 2019 study by behavioral scientist Paul Dolan determined that unmarried women with no children live longer, more fulfilling lives than their married counterparts.
“We do have some good longitudinal data following the same people over time, but I am going to do a massive disservice to that science and just say: if you’re a man, you should probably get married; if you’re a woman, don’t bother,” Dolan wrote.
On the contrary, men fared better when they are married.
The benefits for married men were higher because they’d reportedly “calmed down.”
“You take less risks, you earn more money at work, and you live a little longer. She, on the other hand, has to put up with that and dies sooner than if she never married. The healthiest and happiest population subgroup are women who never married or had children,” the behavioral scientist continued explaining.
So while some Black men may think that Ashanti is destined to be miserable because she isn’t married, data indicates that the 42-year-old bombshell may be on to something.
Stay pressed.
