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That Melanin Love

How These Women Inspire Me

By teisha lesheaPublished 4 years ago 7 min read
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I do not own the rights to these photos. All photos are courtesy of Instagram. From left to right: Necole Kane (Instagram @hellonecole), EmpressAK (Instagram @empressak) and Aisha Thalia (Instagram @aishathalia)

“My melanin is powerful. It threatens the ignorant, challenges the misinformed. My articulation intimidates. It demands respect the moment I speak. You understand me clearly and with all that all I’ve ever had to be, was black…” – Nii Lee Cyrus

Specific individuals that you see online that give you the joy and motivation you need to help you get on with your life. Lately, many of us have the luxury of working from home until this coronavirus has passed many of us are at home in solitude and tranquility with just our TVs, a stockpile of toilet paper and our phones. If you aren't productive with your time, you can easily get lost in the spell of the "timeline." Exposing your mind to a plethora of false information. Rarely you see profiles with absolute authenticity and uniqueness. Last year I made a conscious effort to filter my timeline on what I need a daily dose of and what speaks to my mind and spirit. I've stopped following gossip blogs, I've cut down my celebrity follow list to under ten, and I've used the search bar and hashtag filter to seek out people and pages that would lift my mood. I don't consider myself a social media expert. I have no clue how to take a proper selfie, but what I am an expert in is my peace and my energy. I want to take the time and present to you these three lovely ladies who have opened my eyes to all things possible. They are Aisha Thalia, Necole Kane, and last but certainly not least, EmpressAK.

I do not own the rights to this photo. Follow Aisha on Instagram @aishathalia

One Photo- Aisha (pronounced I-sha) Thalia

What drew me to her Instagram page was, of course, her body. Humans tend to get attracted to things that they don't have or don't need. On the surface, this photo screams, "look at me" and "I have no class" but, once you take the time to read in between the lines, your perspective changes. I came across her like any on my explore page on Instagram. Initially, I just followed her for her beauty. You quickly start to notice her love for wearing bikinis. The designs, colors, and patterns that can fit on such a thin string was fascinating to me. I ran into her at a low point in my life. The self-love for myself was non-existent. At the time, I would want to focus on others and not deal with my trauma.

I also admired her transparency. Anyone with excellent vision can see that she's beautiful, but her thought-provoking captions were what I looked to reading. She is a woman who hurts, has bad days and how she survived heartbreak she explains this all in her captions. Her authenticity is what speaks to me. Her willingness to open up to strangers and to inspire other women to be their best selves is heartfelt. What sets her apart from the rest is her engagement. Every comment that I've ever posted, she has responded with such gratitude and grace. She never portrays to be better than everyone else, and that can be appreciated. Her platform has changed my perspective on many things—one of them being that we need to stop correlating dressing sexy as a negative. Dressing sexy doesn't mean you are welcoming to sexually assaulted, fondled, and cat-called. Wearing sexy doesn't give the ok to be disrespected and beat. Dressing sexy is an extension of who you are as a human and as a woman. The times that I would judge, I was only judging myself. She speaks about her college degree, her children in which she is choosing not to show on social media, about veganism in such a way that is inspiring and not demeaning. She is a perfectly imperfect woman and she lets women know like myself that it is ok.

Photo courtesy of Forbes. Follow Necole on Instagram @hellonecole

One Social Media Account xoNecole

I have been following the evolution of Necole Kane for years. Once a gossip blogger, this business-savvy woman has transformed her brand. She went from writing about the latest celebrity gossip to allowing women to share their stories, such as: "Cutting My Hair Was The Worst Mistake I've Ever Made," written by me Teisha Leshea. Before TMZ and The Shaderoom, there was this popular celebrity gossip blog called Necole Bitchie. After realizing that this wasn't something, she was willing to do, she took a step back to process what the next steps would be. She came back with a vengeance and a re-branding that would help shape what we now know as xonecole. To see a company, employ, so many smart, goal-oriented, forward-thinking women of color makes me so proud. I've been officially writing for two years now. I recently took a risk and submitted one of my articles to the site for syndication.

Follow xonecole on Instagram @xonecole

After a month I got an email from one of the editors asking if I wanted to become a contributor to the site. One of my many dreams came true in that moment. Every staff member of that company is so welcoming and friendly. Recently they created a xotribe group through the Mighty Networks app. This community is of women from all walks of life sharing information, willing to be vulnerable and inspiring to be the best versions of ourselves. The site represents the many layers of what it means to be a woman and a woman of color. They provide a sisterhood that transcends beyond social media. They host events, and they have discussions dedicated to career, relationships, and motherhood. I also enjoy that the founder and creator herself, Necole Kane, interacts with its users daily. It makes me feel seen to see a reply from Necole herself.

The exclusive xoTribe courtesy of xoNecole and Necole Kane

Head wrap and photo courtesy of empressfinds. Follow empressak on Instagram @empressak

One Video or Podcast That Brought Me Joy

This person deserves to be in all categories of this challenge. I love her spirit, intellect, and her love and admiration for black people. This speech-language pathologist (SLP) is not only passionate about her students but is also passionate about uplifting and enlightening her people on social media. EmpressAK has engulfed what it means to be a social media influencer. Not only does she help children speak with such pride, but she also is the creator and founder of Empress Finds, where you can find bold head wraps and jewelry that would spice up any outfit. She is a multi-faceted woman whose confidence shines brightly with every post on her profile. She has this series on her Instagram page called "#AKFacts," and in this series, she brings light to topics that bring the black perspective to the conversation. She educates the masses on certain stereotypes that many African Americans face every day. Her videos are a mood changer. They are a constant reminder that I am one of a kind. I can only be imitated and never duplicated. I am one of a kind and I should know, love, and respect my history because my history can only create HERstory. She is me, and I am her.

Social media is whatever you make it. If you know the science behind the algorithm, you can curate what pages and posts speak to you the most. We have become slaves to our devices and somewhat robotic. With a couple of likes, these apps can dictate your every move you'll make before you even know. It's so important that we are careful about what we are feeding our eyes and our minds. After realizing this, I made sure that I filtered my friend list and followers based on my interest. I don't go following the hot trends. I have to remind myself that I am the trend. Social media isn't going away anytime soon, so why not have it cater to your needs? These are black women with different backgrounds and different shades that remind the masses that we are exotic, which is different from the norm.

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About the Creator

teisha leshea

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