No sexism. No racism. No ableism. No ageism. No homophobia. No fatphobia. No transphobia. NO HATEFULNESS. AFROPUNK 2016.
When the mantra of the festival is the above you know that you are in the right place. This was my first year going to Afropunk and oh was it everything I expected and more. Fashion. Music. Vibes. I went with my good friend EJ, Marianne, and my roommate, Nicole.
The fashion was EVERYTHING. And really why I wanted to go. I’ve been working on this Black Girl Magic denim vest for a month now. (I dropped hints on snap and insta.) I was going to film a tutorial of sorts but I didn’t – sorry guys! But there was probably over a thousand little pearls that I hand glued onto to this vest for Afropunk. I wanted to make a statement. And I feel like I did. This year more than ever I have fully embraced myself not only as plus-size fashionista but more importantly as a black girl. My magic and melanin are very real. So it was nice to go to a festival that celebrated that.
Music. I really only had to see Janelle Monae. She is such a style queen and I LOVE her music. So that was great. But for me it was more about that blog post I wrote about why I go to the Pride Parade. The Vibes. Everyone was so happy. There was this unexplainable love in the air. An appreciation for the style – the artistry.
SO all this to say, YOU HAVE TO GO. EJ and I made a promise to go every year and make a statement every year, which I am so excited for. These are definitely some of my favorite photos. Big thanks to EJ and Marianne for taking them! And I hope you guys like them.
xox
T
