Because the Black Weblog Award I yearn to win the most is the Best Writing in a Blog category, because today is the last day to vote, and also because I just celebrated my second bloggiversary, I figured now would be a great time to stroll down memory lane and share some of the Afrobella posts I’m proudest of. If I don’t celebrate myself, who will?
My mama. But her internet skills are lacking, so I’ll just do it myself anyway.
My very first post explains why I got on this journey to begin with. It all begins with my childhood hair idol, Diana Ross. I tell you — seeing her in Central Park in 1983 seared an image in my brain that will never go away. I used to put that towel on my head and sashay down the stairs, singing “I want muscles,” when I was way too young to know what she was talking about. That’s where I first realized that hair didn’t have to be pin straightened within an inch of its life to be sexy. Diana and her power mane, FOREVER.
Meeting Carol’s Daughter was my first attempt at interviewing someone for my brand new beauty blog. Lisa Price was cool as they come, and very receptive to an eager kinda-journalist who just wanted to hang out and observe the action for hours. I admired Mary J. Blige from afar, learned that stars really are just like us, met a legion of Carol’s Daughter fans, and had my first encounter with Hair Milk. The whole experience made me feel optimistic for Afrobella’s future. And it was the beginning of some cool interviews with some of my hair and makeup icons — like Billy B, Titi Branch, Mahisha Dellinger, and Anita Grant.
The Blacker the Berry, an homage to bellas a darker shade of beautiful, who typically don’t get the same level of admiration or appreciation that lighter skinner bellas do. That post was one of the earliest that tackled black beauty issues, which I’ve revisited time and time again in posts like Black Woman, Know That You Are Beautiful, In or Out of Vogue, and Nip Tuck.
The Afrobella Interview with Motown Girl was a big moment for me. Motown Girl is one of, if not THE single best natural hair website on the internet in my opinion. Without her and Nappturality, I don’t know where I’d be. Interviewing her and getting to know her was a truly inspiring experience. And as a person, she’s absolutely wonderful and has been so encouraging on this Afrobella journey. Love me some Motown Girl!
It’s hard to choose just one hair post, but Natural Attitudes: Taking The Plunge was one that helped me analyse my own outlook on accepting my natural beauty. That was one of those posts that felt like therapy when I wrote it. Own Your Fro, Curly, Coily, Kinky, or Coarse, Thinking About Transitioning, and The Professional Prejudice were all posts that addressed my own attitudes and helped me become a better Afrobella through all of your feedback and comments.
Afrobella of the Week – Michelle Obama. That was the beginning of a new passion in politics for me. It was really hard to choose an Afrobella of the Week I’m proudest of — man, I pushed myself so hard to write a new one every week. It was a demanding, research-heavy task, but one I loved doing. After a while, I burned out and just had to back up for a while. The last one I wrote was in March. I plan to bring the series back in due course.
A Most Unique Ask Afrobella, which was a first for me in many ways. The first time I did video — more’s a-coming! And that was a big important Ask Afrobella. Thanks so much to Dan Renzi and to Larramy for helping to answer it right. C, or Chia left a comment at the end of the post — she schooled me on proper pronoun use, and appreciated the hair advice. More power and much love to you, Chia!
Wow. I’ve written almost 600 posts within two years, and gained a real respect for the art of blogging. It takes persistence, endurance, and creativity to keep going. I’m proud to say I’ve got much, much more to write and even more to learn. I hope you keep reading and enjoying the journey with me!
I’m with you all the way Bella!
Buh wait nah..doh your sister big yuh up reglar?
And my sister, my brothers, my whole family! True talk
congratulations on 2 years! I hope you get the award.. I voted for you in every category that you were in!
Congratulations on your 2 years!! I also hope that you get the award 🙂
i didn’t know you interviewed Anita Grant. I loove her products!!
I’ve only been following your blog for a couple of months (how did i miss this jewel?! lol) and I enjoyed this walk down memory lane. Congrats on 2 years!
I always sort through old post for info.My hair is so much more manageable than before I found Afrobella searching the net for the first time.Thank you so much .
I wish I had more time to read all of your posts! I want to congratulate you on your two years and I wish you many years of continued success. I want to thank you for all the wonderful topics you’ve explored and for allowing a community to form, one in which meaningful discourse can actually occur.
You have done very well and should indeed be proud of your achievements. Keep writing, learning and growing: your full potential and true rewards are still to come. Good luck on your journey and may God continue to bless and protect you.
D&M
I love the posts from your mom and dad…the tone is so much like what my mom writes when she puts thoughts to paper or taps the keys…I finally got her to stop typing in all caps!. I also liked the posts you did on weight issues…wow, that was an eye opener. People who were cool on color and hair could be HARSH about weight…I think people learned some things on those, too.
About the light skin/dark skin thing…there is a book called “Other People’s Skin” which is a group of four novellas. The writing is not the absolute best and I wondered sometimes while reading if the editor was half-asleep because there are glaring errors with dates, etc., BUT the second novella, which has the same title as the group title is pretty interesting. It gives you something to think about it. Take a peep at it if you get a chance. Love your posts, bella. May you have many more.
Thank you so much for posting this. I’m a new reader of your blog (it’s great), and it’s good to get some sort of introduction to how this all started. The story that you write about in your very first post is touching and incredibly relatable to many of us “nappturals”; I love your Afrobella of the Week segment (which is what I first stumbled upon when looking up Betty Davis on Google); the wide array of topics that you choose to focus on keep things interesting and unpredictable. In short, your blog is both inspirational and fun. You have definitely reached out to many women and empowered them in a way that is so necessary today, but so difficult to pull off.
So again, thank you!
I think I voted for you…maybe it was the nominations…I’ll double check when I get home, the link has been blocked at work.
Wow, I just realized I’ve been following you for a while now, the only post I did not read when it was first published was your first one. They’re still as thought provoking as they were the first time I read them.
I really do hope you win this award just because it means that much to you.
Congratulations on two years! I’m so grateful for this blog. You’ve answered so many questions i had and covered some important information. Keep it up!
I love, Love, LOVE your blog. I’ve been following (behind the scenes) for a while now. My favorite are your articles addressing natural hair and our unique hair care needs. Over this past year, I’ve experimented quite a bit and now have a new love and appreciation for my curls. Thanks!,
Brightstarr
Hello!
This is the first time I’ve ever posted on Afrobella but I wanted to let you know that I nominated you for an award on my blog! Thanks for being an inspiration to bloggers of color like me! 🙂
Ok the are not yet posted to the site but CONGRATS on winning in your 3 categories!!!! yay..so very proud of you!
Just thought I would comment and say cool theme, did you make it yourself? Looks excellent!