![]() Inspiration came from England’s underground Northern Soul movement, sparked by the prominent uprising of black American soul music of the 1960s, as well as Malian photographer Malick Sidibé, who died in 2016. The lively images, shot by British fashion photographer Glen Luchford, capture a sense of fun and sophistication revered by the tastemakers and youth of the 1960s. Instead, she discovered she was a part of a group of black models cast from all over the black diaspora. “When I found out it was for Gucci, I automatically thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to be the only black girl there,'” she told NewsHour. To start living a softer life, one has to begin by taking an honest look at their current life, needs and wants devoid of influence from family, friends and social media, says Adeeyo.After years of major fashion houses facing criticism for lack of racial diversity - both on runways and in print - Gucci’s Pre-Fall 2017 campaign, Soul Scene, is an incredible display of style and black culture.Īkua Shabaka, a model featured in the campaign, said she was surprised when she found out she’d been cast for a Gucci campaign with all black models. But if you’re feeling exhausted, give yourself permission to postpone those tasks for another time. So if you’re feeling super energized, perhaps you can get around to the extra items on your list. Then she suggests letting how you feel determine your to-do list for the day. “Something about using your name positions the question from the perspective of someone who cares for you and you can be honest.” “I actually use my name like, ‘Good morning, Zee. Black people have the highest rates of high blood pressure, heart disease and a lot of those things are a direct result of the discrimination and racism that we experience.”įor people who have a hard time putting themselves at the top of their to-do lists, Clarke recommends reciting the mantra, “Today, I choose me.” She also emphasizes the importance of listening to your body.Īs part of living a soft life, Clarke recommends daily morning check-ins where you ask yourself, “How am I doing? How am I feeling right now?” “Your mental health is very tightly connected to your physical health, especially Black women. “The issues are in the tissues, which means when something happens, that shows up in your body-whether it feels like you got punched in the stomach or you feel tension in your shoulders,” Clarke explains. There’s beauty in individuality.” Implementing a soft lifeĪs author and activist Audre Lorde once said, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare.” For Black women, self-care isn’t a nice-to-have, it can literally be a matter of death. “You think there’s a routine or a right way to do it and there’s not. “It’s very easy to get caught up in the aesthetic of it all and believe that you need that matching yoga set, you need to drink matcha lattes and do your ‘hot girl’ walk and cook salmon in the air fryer and sit down with your wine glass,” says Genai. Living a soft life is also about determining what works (and what doesn’t work) for you. It’s about building community with people that make you feel whole and healed.” ![]() It’s saying no because you changed your mind and you want to rest. “It’s not just about buying stuff, it’s saying no at work. “I believe that self-care needs to start practical and once you start it practical, it begins to become instinctual and bleeds into other parts of your life,” she says. Whereas the soft life trend has become synonymous with Black Girl Luxury, Adeeyo insists the lifestyle is about more than Instagram aesthetic-it’s a mentality, one that elevates the importance of mental health. I think there’s a way for the Strong Black Women and Soft Life Girlies to coexist.” The soft life is about more than aesthetics I’m not saying that taking charge is negative, but we don’t always have to jump to be the saviors. “There’s strength in vulnerability and there’s strength in being soft. “What soft life aims to do is highlight that we don’t always have to be strong,” explains Genai. Genai agrees, noting that previous generations prioritized being strong-physically, emotionally and mentally. ![]() That comes with a lot of fatigue and exhaustion, so the status quo becomes overworking and not taking care of yourself.” And when you go back to the times of slavery, we took care of white women’s children and then went home to take care of our own. “I was thinking recently about how Black women don’t have models for rest because our mothers didn’t rest. “From the moment I was born, I felt like I had to be a strong Black woman,” says Black People Breathe author Zee Clarke.
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