Steve Harvey took the bold step of speaking up about the sex tape made by Mimi Faust on Love & Hip-Hop. Faust is a single mother who decided that she might be able to find her way to additional fame and fortune by showing her “skills” on camera and putting it out there for the world to see. Harvey discussed the matter on his radio show, and gave the kind of advice that every young woman might want to hear.
The first thing that Harvey tells Mimi is that making the sex tape isn’t a good idea. He reminds her that, as a single mother, you can’t just do anything in order to make money. He pleads with young women to remember the value of their personal brands and their image. He also says that they should be cognizant of the things that people will say behind their backs after they make poor decisions. ”You ain’t here for sexx,” he says. ”You’re here for life! He (God) has a purpose for you.”
Harvey also reminds Mimi that there isn’t a single mother on earth who doesn’t understand what she’s going through. At the same time, Harvey communicates that doing any old thing for money and fame is not a good investment in your future.
I respect Steve Harvey immensely, as far as celebrities go. While transitioning to mainstream media (even doing daytime television, which was once reserved for the Al Rokers of the world – I never wanted to be like Al Roker), Harvey has done a better job than anyone of maintaining the kind of authenticity that is rare among black men of his stature. The money hasn’t changed him and it appears to have only made him stronger.
I only know Steve through our mutual friend, Ed Gordon, but from what I’ve learned in both private and public settings, he appears to be a 21st century black celebrity: One who works hard to earn his money, but understands that he has a commitment to his community at the same time. This allows him to pursue the kind of double bottom line that makes him more than just another smiling negro on TV.
By the way, I agree with everything Steve says about Mimi. As a father of daughters, I try my best to help my girls realize that they are precious in their healthiest form and should never fall to the temptation of feeding their spirits to either abusive relationships or a series of poor choices. We all make mistakes, but Mimi is making the kind of mistake that her daughter will make her regret in about 5 or 10 years. The money she makes from this tape is going to be gone in just a few years, but the tape is going to last forever.
Financial Lovemaking lesson from this story:
1) Understand that your investments, both financial and non-financial, don’t just impact you. They also affect the people you love. Mimi’s daughter is the first person who comes to mind, who may not be comfortable with her friends in school knowing that her mother is famous for selling her body on video.
2) Steve Harvey has done a masterful job of building a career that also allows him to make lots of money while also helping to build his community. He is one of a small number of prominent black men who actually takes the time to mentor young boys and speak on the matters that impact black America. Unfortunately, there are too many celebrities who are so focused on money that their wealth turns them into liabilities, rather than assets to other black Americans.
3) Every choice you make is an investment, whether it involves money or not. Also, there are some investments that have short-term payoffs, some long-term. Mimi’s investment in this video is one that gives short-term benefits but has huge, unforseen, long-term costs. Montana Fishburne, the daughter of Lawrence Fishburne now trying to work her way back into mainstream media after a few similarly complicated years, is now learning this the hard way.
See the video here.