STAEBOOM

I Had a Good Reason to Say No

Everybody I told went straight to the danger. Then I told my mom.

Nov 6 • Shaunte Young

October 2026

Somebody Is Telling People You’re an Asshole

It’s amazing how much grace we give ourselves just because we know what we meant.

Oct 23 • Shaunte Young

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The Audacity of Making Me Prettier

Somebody took my picture, gave me lashes, a smaller nose, and fuller lips, then posted it on Instagram. Without asking me. And the worst part? I kind of…

Oct 16 • Shaunte Young

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You Can End the Sentence After "Good"

I just turned 42. The trouble with “for your age” is how easily somebody else’s expectations become your private rules.

Oct 2 • Shaunte Young

September 2026

You Can Be Mad at Me

I apologized. He gave me two middle fingers. We both moved on.

Sep 25 • Shaunte Young

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I Want My Son to Date Black Girls

I know exactly how that sounds.

Sep 11 • Shaunte Young

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I Gave Somebody's Biggest Dream a Two

For a few weeks, somebody else’s months of work ended with a number on my screen. I didn’t think much about the weight of that until I gave one of them…

Sep 8 • Shaunte Young

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I Don't Know How Many of My Opinions Are Actually Mine

We're fed so many opinions about how to live that eventually the noise starts sounding like our own voice.

Sep 4 • Shaunte Young

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August 2026

Evil Doesn't Ask Anything of Us

A conversation with my daughter about the case all over the news, postpartum depression, and why "evil" is the easier lie to tell a kid.

Aug 28 • Shaunte Young

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Put Your White Man Pants On

I watched a white man do something at lunch today that I would never have done. Then I realized I might need to start.

Aug 14 • Shaunte Young

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Your Problems Aren't That Big. Your World Is Too Small.

Half of what feels like a crisis isn't a crisis. It's a small world with nowhere else to put its attention.

Aug 7 • Shaunte Young

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Nothing Feels Like Enough Anymore

When ‘more’ becomes the minimum, even a good life can feel like falling behind

Aug 1 • Shaunte Young

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