LEVELED UP BLACK WOMEN

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Growing up I envisioned a world of luxury and splendor, I would go through countless of magazines that I found in Salons poring over the pages, cooing as I read countless of articles and marveling at the photos. However, the idea that I would ever buy, some of those amazing Fendi bags or wear hautecouture designs, seamed so ridiculous to me at that time.

“I am magic, I know it, I own it, I walk it"― Malebo Sephodi

My view and perception of luxury were pretty much modeled by the media. Watching movies or reading some of these magazines, you would quite clearly know who their target market was and it was not Black people. This issue boggled me for a long time, why is it when we talk about luxury, femininity, and home life the black woman could not be associated by those terms? I read countless books trying to understand this phenomenon.

“We have so much coming in as sisters, when is our interior life ever put at the forefront? We constantly want to give to other people … Too much of not caring for yourself is not a good thing. We’re bad at that as achievers. Self-care is a priority and we have to do it more.”- Ava DuVernay

During my quest, I went through scores of literature and I never found a proper answer, until I attended a class on Feminism and International Relations. We discussed why Feminism especially in the Black context was problematic and the assumption Black women faced the same inherent struggles that White women faced was false.

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Most of the leading women in the feminist movement were white women. Black women, especially in the Americas, never got the opportunity of being housewives, they never got the opportunity to raise their children and cultivate femininity.

Black women had to adopt masculine traits to survive, both colonization and slavery, wrecked black women as they lost the capacity to enjoy womanhood.

These masculine traits made us also unattractive to other races and our men and therefore their perception about us was negative. We ended up being desperate for men who did not love us and were indifferent to our needs, because of our lack of self-esteem. Over the years, this has changed a lot. More black women are beginning to embrace femininity and are fully aware of their beauty and their capacity to acquire anything and everything.

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A lot of black women are beginning to take charge of their own lives, we are traveling, leveling up in our lives, and willing to embrace what the world has to offer. With our newfound confidence, we can choose who we fancy and live our lives however we wish.

There are countless blogs, vlogs, and schools to train black women on how to embrace femininity, and also to set their sights on a better life, an elite lifestyle. I commend these women who are fighting for black women, by offering them opportunities to access elite circles and how to not settle for the bare minimum.

My reason for starting this blog was to add my voice to this movement. To help women regardless of background, age, and nationality, to believe in themselves, and to help them level up. To share information and knowledge, gleaned from constant research and experiences. I'm also on this journey and would love you all to join me as we level up together.

"Even if it makes others uncomfortable, I will love who I am.”- Janelle Monáe