A post on Instagram made me cry yesterday.
It wasn’t about a social injustice. It was not a death. It was not yet another hashtag with a fellow Black person’s name because of a police killing. It wasn’t an abused puppy.
This in fact was a promotion. Seeing Lindsay Peoples Wagner news that she was named the new Editor in Chief of Teen Vogue made me cry.
Tears of joy. But still a Kim K ugly cry.
Why?
Many reasons actually. The biggest one being that I relate so very much to her. No, we have never met IRL. No I have not been following her for long but yes I see myself in her. Vocal. Positively disruptive. Strong. Resilient. Wanting change.
The reason this resonates so deeply with me and why it charges me up is because I am that girl. I rarely bite my tongue. I rarely just allow injustices to happen and not speak up. I almost always challenge those in power and I always try to affect change. I unabashedly point our wrongs and I vehemently advocate for right is right and wrong is wrong.
Because this is who I have been since the beginning, I have been told by those offering advice that in order to be marketable I have to avoid certain topics and I should not speak up on things that may make those in power not want to work with me. I have been told to not speak on Black Lives Matter if I want those blogger campaigns. I have been advised not to change my hair so much because brands don’t want to see that. I have been told to keep my captions witty and happy because that is what brands want to see. I have been told all of this while also being told to “be myself”. Ha.
Basically I must silence myself in order to get ahead.
Well don’t we, especially as Black women already do that enough? I have placed invisible duct tape on my own lips numerous times in the workplace in order to keep my job so that I can pay my bills. Why should I “sell out” or quiet myself outside of that? One is tough enough but two is just downright impossible for an outspoken person like me. And I just won’t do it. My people successfully rebelled against slavery. The least I can do is write a few blog posts when institutions do something wrong or unfair.
So to see Lindsay Peoples Wagner continue to rise up in the ranks while still being outspoken gives me hope. It offers me hope that the world may be changing. That it is ok to speak up and still have the opportunity to be promoted or be successful. It shows me that I am on the right path but that I do need to be a bit more strategic in how I speak up. I know that I am often a little TOO quick sometimes to speak up and yes I am working on it.
So yeah I cried when I saw her promotion. And after I cried, I wrote and sent her a thank you message. Because I am grateful and because I am inspired.
O U T F I T
V I D E O
Background on the outfit:
I bought this red fringe jacket last year at the thrift store because I liked it. It was not a fall trend yet but I was drawn to it. I love the suede and I love the way it feels. I more than anything live by the motto: inhale fashion and exhale style.
In my quest to be a better person all around, I am doing more thrifting in order not to give too much money to more fast fashion places. After reading about them and their waste, I don’t fee comfortable giving them so much of my money. That does not mean that I ban or boycott them but it does mean I am trying to thrift far more! So bear with me if I do not always have the exact item to link in order for yall to purchase. I am working on it though 🙂
