BET Producer Kristen V. Carter
Guest blog post by screen/script writer Kristen V. Carter CEO of Jazzi Entertainment and BET show producer.
I used to hate girls. I thought they were just good for stealing your man, and then laughing in your face. I know, I know…a bit dramatic but very true. Throughout my adolescence, I had my fair share of girl groups. All of the cliques started off like sisterhood societies – sleepovers, secret handshakes, loud negroidian chants, and complete with official names and symbols! But of course as kids change, arguments fly, and hormones rage, those relationships fizzled out faster than…yes, faster than that!
By the time I was 20, I decided “to hell with female friends.” There were a few cool people that I remained friends with through the years but for the most part, I was pretty ashamed of my gender’s catiness and disloyalty. I didn’t understand why most of my friend’s friendships ended because of dudes that are oh so fine in high school but will dry up by the time we graduate from college. Yes, this does happen alot! So I started collecting male friends. Typically, I like(d) being the only female in a group of dudes because they’re generally pretty simple and easy to get along with. I don’t mean simple like dunce simple. I just mean pretty basic in cutting to the chase in regards to feelings, situations, etc. (I’m not sure how basic they are now that I’m a few years wiser but I digress…)
I despised girl groups so much that I avoided them and made fun of them. (I know – real mature, Kris!) Even if the people were cool, I’d always sorta tilt my face to the side and say, “There’s at least one shady B-I in this group…now who is she?!?” But then a strange phenomenon started to occur – as my friend circle started to grow post-college, I not only gained more male friends but I just started meeting really cool people in general. Men and women just not about the okie-doke, just wanting to have fun and be folks. Now, as I think about it in retrospect, I became way more open to sharing who I am as opposed to being on guard that someone’s gonna hurt my feelings or as I said earlier, take my man and run…LOL
A few days ago I bumped into a family member of one of my former friends. For some reason, she still hasn’t gotten over the fact that her niece and I are not friends. But I guess I can understand…leaving a friend behind is like breaking up with the whole family. No, it is breaking up with the whole family so when anyone sees you, they just give you this kinda pouty look like, “Awww, why didn’t you make it work? I’m still mad you aren’t friends.” In previous years, I’d always respond, “Well, tough!” (lol) but there’s no need to be that way anymore. People truly come into your life for a reason, season, or a lifetime and if they are meant to stay or make their way back full circle, they will.
The closer I have become to my friends and cousins, the more I recognize just how important it is to have brotherly and sisterly bonds. Specifically, to be able to laugh at yourself, vent and have sisters give you insight on more mature and womanly situation. Ha. Seriously! So, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all the women who have allowed me to burn their ears recently. I believe you know who you are! Thank you for being sisters to me.
Guys, you know I got you on Men’s Day…I seem to have something long winded to say every time that holiday comes around. 
