Is it just me or do we all know a male who seems to be living in a perpetual state of scrutiny?

maybe it’s us right now?
as we navigate the high-stakes forest of corporate life,
or even if we are in entertainment or sports,
the whispers begin the moment we start to climb the ladder.

“Is he married?”
“Does he have kids?”
“I don’t see him talking about anyone special…”

once those whispers gain volume,
especially if we are hiding who we are inside,
we will do anything to lower them.
we duck for cover with “the ugly“,
“the desperate“,
or some black males get with “the white” to keep a low profile.
in all of those spaces,
it’s better optics to have a vixen on your arm around your straight (or white) peers.
even in our families,
among our friends,
at church,
or in the neighborhood,
if you’re a guy without that “basic” life…