In Nigeria, tea is the all-encompassing term for every hot beverage consumed. For the non-ratchet TV viewers, and those who don't reside in the deep south of USA, 'tea' goes beyond that definition and refers to indulging in a bit of gossip. Not just mild gossip, but that of a slanderous nature. Spilling tea, is to divulge dirty secrets about others. Sipping tea occurs most frequently when you've thrown shade, a pause for effect if you will. Again, there may be need for translation. To throw shade means to be rude, abusive or insulting...in an intelligent way (for the 90's kids, its equivalent to coming at someone sideways).
Ankara Top : DIY | Trousers : Thrifted (Viyella) | Heels : Dorothy Perkins
Back to the matter: why I've decided to centre my post around tea is because I'm its number one victim/ champion/ subscriber/ advocate. I love a good screen capture iMessage, or @mention in the comments of a controversial post, but to what end? I remember having to peel myself off the sofa from watching back-to-back E!News, Fashion Police or trawling through NecoleBitchie or YBF! I could renounce all responsibility and blame it on society, but who am I kidding? I can sit there for hours going back and forth with my girlfriends just biting into someone...for what? They don't know my name. The hours I've spent cannot be monetised and will not pay my bills.
I have a theory that sin has been masked by contemporary culture as trendy/ revolutionary. Tea, otherwise known to the general public as gossip, is sin. Coining a new term wont redeem your baseless actions, and sure as hell wont save you if an error were made and the message were sent to the wrong recipient. It's bad to go around forming high & mighty, talking mess about everyone else but yourself.
Necklace : Market (Turkey) | Silk Shirt : River Island | Sandals : Market (Enugu, Nigeria)
Of late, I've been doing a lot of soul-searching and realised why I indulge in soul-carnivorous acts such as shade-throwing and tea-spilling; status frustration. Indulging in a bit of gossip elevates you to be the Judge of another's character, actions, or what have you. There's a thin line between informative conversation revolving around someone else's life, and passing judgment. At the end of the day, judgment isn't ours to dole out. Tea is sin. Like any other sin, giving it up is hard as hell (for want of a better term...rather fitting though). I know indulging in high tea does nothing for my soul, and I've tried several cleanses over the years (most notably around lent). What helps is basing tea on its wider social implication i.e. discussing Caitlyn Jenner's impact on the normalisation of transgenderism. What do you think?
"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people"
Eleanor Roosevelt
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