The Art of Fangirling

I am on a mission to make fangirling cool since 2019. 😁Not the lurking in the shadows kind of fangirling but the kind of public shameless gushing that typically grants you severe side eye. Why? Because when something or someone is dope, I tend to get excited! So why not celebrate women that inspire me? In 2019, women celebrating each other shouldn’t be a novelty, but a way of living. I am inspired by women. My life goal is create a platform where we can network, mentor and inspire each other.

“BECAUSE THERE IS SPACE FOR ALL MY QUEENS 👑.”

I promise to be intentional about this on this platform in 2019 so watch this space. That said, let me introduce you to some dope AF women that are killing it on and off the gram; who I also happen to call friends now because, fangirling 😉.

Chinny

Of course, I have to start with Chinny. Met her husband first because he heard me talking to my husband in my Ghanaian accent. Yes I tend to get “local” around him. Anyway, brunch was scheduled soon after and before you know it, I was invited to her wedding 😊 !. This one is a kindred spirit. We had a photo-shoot our first day and have been shooting together ever since. You have her to thank for both the shoot above and this blog because she is always quick to tell me to “just do it!” anytime I share a random idea. To say the love is deep is an understatement. I should probably clarify that even though we have babies about the same age, we didn’t plan it… or did we? 🤷‍♀️. When she is not blogging, she is a kick ass corporate marketing manager and a dope human being. Also my therapist and grocery store when I run out of onions. Did I mention we are neighbors? Go follow her. You won’t regret it.

Cynthia

I’m trying to remember the first time I met Cynthia in person. I mean, I have been a fan since before her blog was called Simply Cyn ( if you know you know). I was drawn to her style and the grace with which she married her career as a lawyer with her passion for blogging. The first time I met her was at an event that she had at the Loft. I was a fan of her AND the loft so it made sense to go. Of course I pulled my friend Chinny with me because if she turned out to be cool, I wanted my bestie to meet her too 😊. If not, well Lol. But if you have met Cynthia in person you know she has a bubbly down to earth vibe that is so refreshing. Fast forward to exchanging numbers and a few weeks later we were meeting Cynthia and her cousin Tina over drinks and Greek food. Four hours and a few drinks later, we were running in the rain to get ice-cream 😭. Gosh I love the internet so much for introducing me to Cynthia and Tina.

Tina

Like I mentioned earlier, I met Tina through Cynthia. Tina is a food and hair blogger that just happens to be cousins with Cynthia. When she is not cooking something amazing or putting some kitchen ingredient in her hair ( I know, total shade 😊), she is a public health nurse. Tina is a the sweetest person you will meet. When I was pregnant with my son, she and chinny threw me a baby shower. Are you starting to see a trend? Fangirling isn’t so bad?!

Fallon

Which brings me to Fallon. Ok, so this is probably where stalker meets fangirl. One random day down the Instagram rabbit hole of dog and cat pictures, I came across her fluffy mut named Frankie #frankie_livingthepupscalelife . I immediately noted that we lived in the same neighborhood and followed her account; back then it was Sage and Sparkle. A few times I actually saw her in the park with Frankie and her baby boy, but was too shy to say hello. It would be a couple more years until I actually introduced myself to her. And when I say introduced, I mean , slide into her DMs (don’t judge me)😊. No but seriously, I was freshly pregnant and she had two babies by then! I figured it was time to meet because at the time none of my friends in NYC had babies: I had no clue Chinny was pregnant too! These days, I can call her my friend and have gotten SO MUCH advise about raising my son and getting my shit together. I mean, I have one kid and he is kicking my butt. She is SUCH a sweetheart in person and she handles those boys of hers like it is nothing. She is currently a successful entrepreneur with a previous career in corporate fashion world. Amazing queen!

Oneika

Then there is Oneika. You already know I love travel so you probably already know that I’m going to tell you that I was following her blog long before I met her in person. She used to be a teacher in a past life before her work as a travel influencer and travel channel personality. Being that my mom was a teacher when she was alive, I felt a connection way before we met. In this case, another blogger Bunmi introduced us when Oneika was looking for a photographer and the rest was history. The way I even met Bunmi in the first place is a total fan girl moment, but I will save that for another post. Oneika has been to over a 100 countries and counting, she is basically a cross between a Powerpuff girl and Michelle Obama, you have to meet her!

#Blackgirlwow

So one day, I had an idea to get all my “insta friends” together in one place and this happened!

SIDE NOTE: No one even seems to notice that Cynthia made my hand red in her instagram post! Lol. I can’t UNSEE it!🙈😭😳

Ever since we released the pictures, I’ve had people ask me where I found the confidence to put this group of powerhouses together. Quite simply, we are all friends hanging out but it never occurred to me that I should feel any less or more of myself because of my social media numbers. I mean, life does exist outside the gram and I happen to own my akward black girl magic so why wouldn’t someone want to meet me? [insert shrug]😋. All I’m trying to say is, there is life after high school. And even if you weren’t part of the cool girl club, …

“OWN YOUR SPARKLE!💃”

Go ahead and fangirl, you just might find out that these women are as magic in real life as they are on the gram with amazing personalities to go along with it. And so are you honey so go ahead and introduce yourself 😉🦋.

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