If I were not African Queen, I wonder whether it would be clear to me that Africa is a place where the people do not need limp gifts of fish but sturdy fishing rods and fair access to the pond. I wonder whether I would realize that while African nations have a failure of leadership, they also have dynamic people with agency and voices. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
I had a discussion with some of my colleagues this morning about what it means to be an African and how things have changed. Women in the Zulu Tribe used to and some still do, go around naked (or dressed in very skimpy clothing) in villages, embracing their bodies, accepting their breasts, thighs, round bits and not so round bits. But in our urban culture we look down on women who dress like Nicki Minaj and ask and sneer, why the hell isn’t she dressed? The only difference is that she is naked in front of millions, but isn’t it is the same, being naked just in front of 20?
We used to go around naked, and we didn’t see anything wrong with it. We first of all chill all covered up at 40 degrees Celsius , almost dying of a heat stroke and we keep our clothes on While Beyonce now dresses the way we used to dress and its generally cold in those parts of the world (lets take a moment and think about it). You might say… – well, its about context, where you are – I understand the beach is a perfect place to wear a bikini, but says who? Oh yes, the perverts and rapist that took away our rights to be ‘expressive’ when ever we wanted to so we will cover up for fear of being judged and for fear of being looked at with lusty, beady eyes but the truth is, no matter how much we are covered up, if a man wants to undress you, he doesn’t need to use his hands. #Sigh… Why cant people just look at a female body and just be in awe? How great God is for designing such a creation!!?!? but.. that’s a discussion for another day.
Speaking of design.. This dress was designed by Athalia Ramoroka, from Pretoria. Designed for an African Princess to wear on a very special occasion and on this particular day, the princess was none other than yours truly. The dress blew me away. It is authentic, colorful and earthy, perfect for an African themed party or traditional wedding. I also loved the beading at the bottom of the dress as well as the black net fabric under it that made this dress even more special.
Someone wants told a young black girl that she was a princess, but she didn’t believe it then he said, it doesn’t matter who you are, what matters is what you believe. People will only start treating you like a princess as soon as you start acting like one and believing that you are. So believe in who you are, believe in your abilities and believe in your worth. You are more than what you think you are.
Below is the behind the scenes video to this shoot. Take a look at the images then check what really happens while shooting beliciousmuse shots.
Dress available to order at Athalia Ramoroko +27 82 699 4540
xoxo
[…] outfit to the RVK Fashion week is by the Ever so creative Fashion Designer (Athalia Pilane (Ramoroka). I stopped by her office after work before the show for my fittings and was in awe at how cute and […]