Being from the South has contributed so much to how my family has culturally embraced beauty. I’m so grateful I have my face and my body and I look how I look. Big ups to my parents because I’m such a cute half-and-half version of them. I have such stunning women in my family. My mom is gorgeous. My sister is gorgeous. They are these glamazons walking around, just these really outwardly beautiful people who also have beautiful spirits.
When I was growing up, my dad owned hair salons. And when I was in pre-K, I saw this hairstyle on a Just For Me box—it was like a mushroom with two pigtails at the top. I wanted it, but in burgundy. So he gave it to me, and my hair was so bouncy, and I just remember being so happy about that. Of course, it was popping. I almost twisted my head off, shaking my hair. I just loved my bounce.
Because of that love and support from my family, I’ve always known that I’m beautiful. But I feel like women, specifically African American women, get marginalized. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized: “I know I’m beautiful. I really don’t need anyone to tell me that. But you all need to tell other people that look like me that they’re beautiful too. I don’t necessarily need to hear it, but I know there are girls who need to hear that.”
I know I had a very unique upbringing. I’m grateful for that and for how nourishing and uplifting and supportive my community was. Being from Atlanta and going to an HBCU, it’s special that my first modeling experience was there, at a homecoming fashion show. That show was at the Atlanta University Center. It’s like an oasis for young Black people to find themselves. And to have that experience before going into this industry fortified me to understand that I’m not by myself. There are so many beautiful, talented, gifted Black people who contribute so much to the world. And we deserve to be celebrated and seen.
And so being Black, and then also being nontraditional in size, I’m just like: “You all really not about to play us. None of us.” I know people are not used to seeing confident, educated, happy, chunky African American girls, and I don’t care. They’re just going to have to get used to it.
Abundance isn’t supposed to be afforded to us. We didn’t come to this country to be abundant. The idea of being joyful, being educated, being proud, being confident, being happy, being alive is just literally not something that was set up for us here.
I know I deserve that. It’s our divine right.
Hair: Evanie Frausto for Bumble and Bumbles; Makeup: Marcelo Gutierrez for M.A.C Cosmetics; Manicure: Aja Walton for Essie; Prop Styling: Andrea Stanley.
