NOMNYAMAZANA

Nigerian writer, blogger and now photographer Oroma Elewa has just been named as a new style icon by Refinery 29. Where have they been? This girl's been on it for a minute.  I visit her blog regularly and mostly it's filled with beautiful imagery of her.  Because of where she is (New York) and the kind of beauty she is, it's much more complex than categorising it as an ego blog. There's something about her that makes me a little jealous.  That's how I know that her messaging is successful. What she stands for has value.  Her perspective on black beauty is evident in the photographs she takes. Yes it's of models that mostly look like her peppered with images of herself by other photographers.  What I admire is the freedom to be an artist without carrying the weight of black women's body/skincolour/hair issues heavily. Oh the issues are still there, but they don't appear heavy enough that they can't be carried by ''other'' viewers.  Like her own beauty, her perspective draws you in.