Sulwe

"Firstly, I was intrigued by the author. I think Lupita is such a fantastic role model for young people. Her story, what she’s done as an artist is inspirational. I also feel as a human being that she really does stand for diversity and inclusivity. She’s been able to achieve so much as an Academy Award winning actress. Yes, I love this book. I think it’s important and relates to the fashion and textile industry because fashion is inextricably linked to identity. So the clothes you wear, even if you don’t feel that you’re choosing them to define you, other people will define you based on your appearance. That is a reality of the world that we live in. Not only that, but people look at your ethnicity, and where you’re from and your background. And I think colourism is also intrinsic to identity. It’s really important for not only people of colour, but for all human beings to understand what colourism is, and the impact of that on human beings, on young people, and how that is central to beauty and the fashion industry. My thing in life is all about promoting self love, which is why I’m usually pictured with my natural hair without wearing any makeup, which is daunting for me, and means that I’m not chosen for many opportunities, because of colourism, because there’s a preference for a certain type of look which is linked to European beauty standards. All of those things relate to the fashion industry, because the faces we see, the pictures that we see, even the success of designers are linked to these things. So for example, even though Afro-Caribbean women have contributed so much in terms of cultural artefacts, textiles, fashion and art, there are no household names that are Afro-Caribbean women in the fashion industry. So if you’re a young Afro-Caribbean girl growing up in the world, it’s important for you to understand the world that we live in, in order to create a lane for yourself. I grew up in the UK, where it’s very politically correct, people don’t like to discuss race, they prefer to act like it doesn’t exist. I was fully aware of race as a child. From when I was six years old I was being called names, so it’s not something that you can get away from. I remember going to a casting in Paris and being told very categorically that I was brilliant but a bit too dark. In Britain we would say “that’s terrible, how dare that person tell you that!” But actually, from a mental health perspective and from a career perspective, it was the best thing that could have happened because for the first time in my life I realised that I was good enough, my face just didn’t fit. So I’ve chosen this book, because it’s about loving yourself for who you are. I think that this book, particularly for non-Afro-Caribbean people, will really enrich them and cause them to think about unconscious biases and micro aggressions, which apply to any people. We don’t need to use the context of race, we could use the context of what I call superability, or – as the world calls it – disability. You could be autistic, you could have different things you’re negotiating. And you need to understand that people are going to think that you can’t do certain things even though you can, because of their stereotypes, because of their ideas of what you can and can’t do. I discussed this recently with an 11 year old autistic boy who vented to me about how he feels his teacher treats him, how his classmates treat him. They have this idea that he can’t do the same things, but he can do the same things and in many cases he’s actually quite bored because he knows more than what he is being taught because he does get a lot of homeschooling as well. So I think Sulwe is a great book to help us to understand that all humans are the same, but we have our differences. And it’s important to understand those differences in order to understand the world we live in, to understand the fashion industry, and why there has been a lack of diversity. I’ve already talked about loving yourself for who you are. That’s why I personally go out with my natural hair, without wearing makeup. I go to red carpet events like this, which is not normal in the world we live in. That’s not what women do, they go out in a very made-up way, they feel like they need to buy a brand new outfit, like they need to put on this mask. There are certain humans who can’t even go to the shop in their natural form. So for me, it’s all about self love, but at the same time I’m a practical person which is why I think I get on with young people, who often feel like they’re being mollycoddled. People like Greta Thunberg demonstrate that young people can handle being told what’s going on, and actually we’re much better at coping with trauma and issues in society at a young age than waiting until we’re fully formed and then being bombarded with the reality of life. So that’s why I thought this is a great book. I think Lupita is a great author."