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Billie Eilish makes the time to have self-care showers and swim when she's feeling rough.

Following a family of four, I shuffle into the Anaheim Convention Center for The Takeover, an annual car show displaying and celebrating the sickest lowriders in California. Like me, hundreds of people gather around more than 1,000 souped-up and tricked-out vehicles. We all marvel at the street opulence.

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Scottie Beam and Sylvia Obell, the multi-hyphenate media darlings and culture connoisseurs, first met and became friends at ESSENCE Fest. Their story reads so much like a perfect Black girl meet-cute, you would almost believe that it was fiction if you didn’t hear it yourself. Over Zoom, Beam and Obell immediately put me at ease, and make me feel like I’m a part of their close-knit friendship. As Black women, our DNA is coded to recognize where we are kept safe, and Beam and Obell are well-versed in Black girl love languages: from early ‘00s references, to the praise of each other’s hair, or our shared love of Beyoncé, the nuanced cultural takes heard on their podcast are borne out of a deep care for Black women.

A woman has shared her male colleague’s “infuriating” response when she informed him of her decision to be childfree. Earlier this week, TikTok user @honeyandmud went viral when she recounted the conversation she had with her male coworker, who seemingly couldn’t wrap his head around her choice to not have children. “I was chatting with a guy at work today and he asked me if I have any kids, to which I responded with: ‘Oh no, I’m not gonna have children,’” she began the TikTok, which has since been viewed more than 230,000 times. Her coworker laughed off her response and replied: “You say that now, but never say never,” according to the TikToker. When she further stressed that she knew “for a fact” that she was never going to have children, she said her colleague seemed surprised by her comment, and asked why she didn’t want kids. “I’ve known since I was a child that I don’t want to have kids,” she explained. “I’m 35 years old now and that hasn’t changed and I really don’t see that changing in the future, so yeah, I can confidently say I don’t want kids and I’m never going to have them.” However, her justification didn’t seem to please the male colleague. “Even after that, he still replies with: ‘Well, you never know,’” she said. In the viral video, the woman went on to explain why her frustrating interaction with her coworker was a “common theme” among people who choose to be childfree, or not to have children. @honeyandmud i am so happy you love being a parent, but i promise you that i would not. trust that i can understand that about myself. #childfree #childfreebychoice #childfreemillennial #letusbe #storytime ♬ original sound - honeyandmud “Anytime somebody is choosing to be childfree, there are always people – usually parents – who are like: ‘You’ll regret that one day,’ like they know the person better than the person knows themselves,” she shared. “Do you not think we know ourselves? Do you not think we understand this decision and have thought about this decision and have our reasons why we don’t want to be a parent or bring a child into this world?” “Trust that I know myself, alright?” she added, along with the caption: “I am so happy you love being a parent, but I promise you that I would not. Trust that I can understand that about myself.” The TikToker’s interaction with her male colleague struck a chord for many childfree people in the comments, who took the opportunity to share just some of the many judgemental comments they’ve received because of their decision to not have children. “I chose to be childfree and at 44, STILL get the ‘You never know,’” one person revealed. “I’ll be 40 in a few months and people still want to tell me never say never,” said someone else. “They are still trying to convince me even after I voluntarily paid money to be permanently steralised,” a third user wrote, while another person said: “It’s the most infuriating conversation to have because they act like they know you better than you know you.” “Voluntary childlessness” – also called being childfree – has grown in popularity among US adults in recent years. In November 2021, a survey from the Pew Research Center found that 44 per cent of adults said it is “not too or not at all likely” that they will have children someday, a seven per cent increase from 2018. While there was no single reason why a number of Americans have lost interest in becoming a parent, some survey respondents cited financial burdens or the unsettling “state of the world” as reasons to remain child-free. Earlier this year, childfree TikToker Jackie Dives was praised by viewers for showing “what a life without children can look like”. “I knew in my heart and in my gut that I didn’t want to be a parent,” Dives said in her viral video last March. She added that it was difficult for her to imagine what her life could be without children because there weren’t examples of child-free women “in media or pop culture”. “I had no idea what my life would look like if I didn’t go down the path that everyone expected me to go down,” Dives explained. “It felt really lonely and strange, and I had to go seek out other women who had also made that choice.” Meanwhile, another TikToker sparked a conversation about the sexist double standards that childfree women face after she claimed that her OB-GYN refused to consider her for a tubal ligation to prevent pregnancy. The Independent has contacted @honeyandmud for comment. Read More ‘Child-free’ woman applauded for sharing videos showing ‘what a life without children can look like’ Stop shouting at babies on planes – nobody has the right to a ‘child-free’ existence Woman, 22, sparks debate about medical freedom after doctor refused to sterilise her: ‘I just don’t want kids!’ Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat

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Lewis Hamilton described Max Verstappen’s dominance of Formula One as being like “he is having a smoke and a pancake” following the Dutch driver’s eighth straight win at the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton finished fourth and trailed Verstappen by 49 seconds at Spa-Francorchamps. During the 44-lap race, Verstappen even goaded his rivals by calling on Red Bull to change his tyres for “some pit-stop training”. And when asked if it was too easy for Verstappen at the front, Hamilton replied: “What do you want me to say? I have not spoken to him,” before adding with an accent: “He is having a smoke and a pancake. You know the film?” The seven-time world champion was referencing the 2002 Austin Powers movie in which Dutch villain Goldmember asks the main character if he would “like a smoke and a pancake”. Hamilton is now 35 appearances without a victory – the longest streak of his career. Across the same period, Verstappen – the man who beat him to the title in the contentious season-ending Abu Dhabi race of 2021 – has triumphed 25 times. Hamilton was demoted to seventh in Saturday’s sprint race after he was penalised by the stewards for tangling with Sergio Perez. He failed to make an impression on the podium places on Sunday. Hamilton also bemoaned the unexpected return of porpoising for Mercedes which last season plagued the grid’s once all-conquering team. “It was not bouncing a little bit, it was bouncing like last year,” said Hamilton. “It was bouncing everywhere. “They (Mercedes) don’t know (what caused the bouncing) and to me it is a concern. I know what I want and I am praying for it. I am just waiting for the day that we get it.” Hamilton is out of contract at the end of the season, and while both he and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, say an extension to his £40million-a-season deal will be struck, it may not be concluded in the near future. Asked if he expected Hamilton’s contract to be signed during Formula One’s four-week summer break, Wolff replied: “I don’t want to give you a date. It is lawyers speaking to lawyers. It is no material thing anymore. We have to give it time. And I don’t want to commit to a date.” Reflecting on Mercedes’ porpoising, the Austrian added: “The car was bouncing on every straight, and even Blanchimont was a corner that Lewis was having to lift, and that is usually an easy flat. “You bounce on the straight, you overheat the tyres on braking, and that is a vicious circle. “It is frustrating to check out for the holidays like this but we will understand more tomorrow.” Read More Max Verstappen taunts F1 rivals with ‘pit-stop training’ offer Lewis Hamilton reveals return of major issue with Mercedes car at Belgian Grand Prix Max Verstappen extends invincible streak with victory at Belgian Grand Prix ‘We should not be deterred’: Lewis Hamilton unhappy with stewards after penalty F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Race results and times at Spa-Francorchamps Max Verstappen sees off Oscar Piastri to win thrilling sprint race in Belgium