“To me, womanhood is kindness and we can never have too much of that. It’s collaboration too, as women empower women,” Rachel Fortune, founder of the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards and one of the subjects of our On Womanhood series muses as we discuss what it means to be a women today.
Part three of our series continues to explore the individual characters and personal paths to empowerment that define modern-day womanhood. Scroll down to read about Rachel Fortune's road to sustainability, author Emma Dabiri's mission to normalise afro hair textures and Anthropologie’s first European employee Cynthia Stefanelli's views on the empowering nature of fashion.
Part Three
Emma Dabiri
Author, Academic & Broadcaster
Meet Emma Dabiri – author, BBC TV presenter, teaching fellow in the Africa studies department at SOAS university and mother. In 2019 she released her debut book Don’t Touch My Hair, an exploration of afro hair that starts with the discrimination she experienced against her own kinks and coils and goes on to explore the historical and modern-day importance of black hair textures. Here’s her story.
I was born in Ireland and moved to Atlanta as a baby before moving back to Ireland. I love being Irish, but it’s been complicated. Being black in Ireland back in the ‘80s was really tough – there was a lot of racism, it was in many ways really lonely and isolating. The culture shock after Atlanta was a lot to deal with initially.
The response to Don’t Touch My Hair and being approached by women who have been impacted by the book has been pretty incredible. Like I said, one of the things that was worst about growing up was the isolation I felt, so it’s wonderful that there are so many ways people can connect today. On one hand it makes me feel sad and angry that so many of us have these shared experiences because of global anti-blackness. On the other hand people also reach out because a hairstyle might have brought back good memories from their childhood, or an idea discussed in the book sparked a new perspective – it’s really beautiful when that happens.
The key to changing the dialogue around afro hair textures is visibility. Particularly for the more stigmatised kinky and tightly coiled textures. More visibility, better education and better understanding.
I’ve started a petition to have afro hair textures recognised as a Protected Characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act. With the advent of the natural hair movement people of African descent have been rejecting the standard that insists we must straighten our hair to ‘fit in’, undoing centuries of thinking that stigmatises our hair textures. Shamefully, the reaction from many UK’s schools has been to punish and denigrate children. The use of exclusions as a punishment for having afro hair, effectively a punishment for being black, is discriminatory and needs to be stopped. You can sign the petition here.
Being a figure in the public domain can be tough, and some of the comments that are left on my interviews and articles are deeply racist. But it comes as little surprise. the first time I was called the n-word I was four or five. I’ve been dealing with this sh*t my whole life.
I’m a mother of two – the conversations I’m having are extremely important for my children’s future. I want to teach them to be kind to themselves and others – kindness to yourself informs how you treat others. Children also need to know that they are loved and that they belong, especially children of colour in majority white countries. These are the foundations for self-assurance. It’s not enough to say, “don’t be shy”, “be confident” without having laid the foundations for that to be possible.
What’s next? The US edition of Don’t Touch My Hair, called Twisted is out on May 15th. I’m excited to see the response.
Author, Academic & Broadcaster
Meet Emma Dabiri – author, BBC TV presenter, teaching fellow in the Africa studies department at SOAS university and mother. In 2019 she released her debut book Don’t Touch My Hair, an exploration of afro hair that starts with the discrimination she experienced against her own kinks and coils and goes on to explore the historical and modern-day importance of black hair textures. Here’s her story.
I was born in Ireland and moved to Atlanta as a baby before moving back to Ireland. I love being Irish, but it’s been complicated. Being black in Ireland back in the ‘80s was really tough – there was a lot of racism, it was in many ways really lonely and isolating. The culture shock after Atlanta was a lot to deal with initially.
The response to Don’t Touch My Hair and being approached by women who have been impacted by the book has been pretty incredible. Like I said, one of the things that was worst about growing up was the isolation I felt, so it’s wonderful that there are so many ways people can connect today. On one hand it makes me feel sad and angry that so many of us have these shared experiences because of global anti-blackness. On the other hand people also reach out because a hairstyle might have brought back good memories from their childhood, or an idea discussed in the book sparked a new perspective – it’s really beautiful when that happens.
The key to changing the dialogue around afro hair textures is visibility. Particularly for the more stigmatised kinky and tightly coiled textures. More visibility, better education and better understanding.
I’ve started a petition to have afro hair textures recognised as a Protected Characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act. With the advent of the natural hair movement people of African descent have been rejecting the standard that insists we must straighten our hair to ‘fit in’, undoing centuries of thinking that stigmatises our hair textures. Shamefully, the reaction from many UK’s schools has been to punish and denigrate children. The use of exclusions as a punishment for having afro hair, effectively a punishment for being black, is discriminatory and needs to be stopped. You can sign the petition here.
Being a figure in the public domain can be tough, and some of the comments that are left on my interviews and articles are deeply racist. But it comes as little surprise. the first time I was called the n-word I was four or five. I’ve been dealing with this sh*t my whole life.
I’m a mother of two – the conversations I’m having are extremely important for my children’s future. I want to teach them to be kind to themselves and others – kindness to yourself informs how you treat others. Children also need to know that they are loved and that they belong, especially children of colour in majority white countries. These are the foundations for self-assurance. It’s not enough to say, “don’t be shy”, “be confident” without having laid the foundations for that to be possible.
What’s next? The US edition of Don’t Touch My Hair, called Twisted is out on May 15th. I’m excited to see the response.
Cynthia Stefanelli
Assistant Manager at Anthropologie Paris
Cynthia Stefanelli, assistant manager at our Opera store in Paris, was Anthropologie’s first ever employee in mainland Europe. From being a young woman managing – and being respected by – a much older team to the empowering nature of fashion, Cynthia shares her experiences of womanhood.
I was Anthropologie’s first ever employee in mainland Europe. It was amazing to see the evolution of the brand between our little space at BHV, growing now to be two successful stores in the heart of Paris. The brand is now in another dimension here, and it’s just the beginning.
Being a young woman and managing a team of people who were older could have been intimidating. Everyone in the different teams that I managed were, and still are, really respectful. My philosophy is that with good management, age doesn’t matter – the situation will be good for all involved.
My journey so far into the world of fashion hasn’t been ‘classic’. I didn’t go to university – I started working aged 18 after a Professional Baccalauréat in ‘metier de la mode,’ which is fashion. It had always been my first interest, but after the four years I have spent at Anthropologie, interior design has also become a passion. Anthropologie has given me the support and space to step up in my career and also in my personal development.
For me, fashion is empowering. It’s one of the most visual ways for a girl or woman to project who she is. Fashion allows women to express what they feel, gives assurance and can outwardly signal strength.
I admire all the woman who assert themselves in their own way. I aspire to women who are able to express what they think and what they want with confidence. With all of the societal pressures, it can be difficult for a woman to accept who she is – every woman and girl deserves to feel beautiful, smart and of course happy.
Assistant Manager at Anthropologie Paris
Cynthia Stefanelli, assistant manager at our Opera store in Paris, was Anthropologie’s first ever employee in mainland Europe. From being a young woman managing – and being respected by – a much older team to the empowering nature of fashion, Cynthia shares her experiences of womanhood.
I was Anthropologie’s first ever employee in mainland Europe. It was amazing to see the evolution of the brand between our little space at BHV, growing now to be two successful stores in the heart of Paris. The brand is now in another dimension here, and it’s just the beginning.
Being a young woman and managing a team of people who were older could have been intimidating. Everyone in the different teams that I managed were, and still are, really respectful. My philosophy is that with good management, age doesn’t matter – the situation will be good for all involved.
My journey so far into the world of fashion hasn’t been ‘classic’. I didn’t go to university – I started working aged 18 after a Professional Baccalauréat in ‘metier de la mode,’ which is fashion. It had always been my first interest, but after the four years I have spent at Anthropologie, interior design has also become a passion. Anthropologie has given me the support and space to step up in my career and also in my personal development.
For me, fashion is empowering. It’s one of the most visual ways for a girl or woman to project who she is. Fashion allows women to express what they feel, gives assurance and can outwardly signal strength.
I admire all the woman who assert themselves in their own way. I aspire to women who are able to express what they think and what they want with confidence. With all of the societal pressures, it can be difficult for a woman to accept who she is – every woman and girl deserves to feel beautiful, smart and of course happy.
Rachel Fortune
Founder of the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards
What do you do when you’re struggling to reconcile your love of fashion and style with a more sustainable way of living? Rachel Fortune decided to ignore industry conventions and cut her own path, resulting in the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards, a programme that celebrates the meeting of ethical production and aesthetic beauty. Here’s her story.
I started my career at a well-known fashion house as visual merchandiser before working as an in-house and independent fashion and personal stylist. My world was two sided: the throw-away attitude of the high street juxtaposed against the detail and craftsmanship of the luxury brands. The two weren’t sustainably compatible, however, I was adamant that there must be a middle ground where fashion could be both affordable and sustainable.
Watching The True Cost documentary cemented the idea that I had to make a change. It was a turning point in my life and career. I realised I was working in an industry that I had no real understanding of. I was emotionally moved by the devastating implications the cotton industry was having on the health and wellbeing of the local farming communities, and visually disgusted by the mountains of landfill and polluted rivers caused by the direct result of our desire for more and more clothes. Every one of us is contributing to the death of our people and planet by not understanding the implications of our spending power.
At that point, I started to make a change in my personal styling business. My work is about more than the aesthetics of clothes. It’s about how the clothes make the wearer feel with the aim of building women’s self-esteem through the power of fashion. Knowing your body shape and what you feel great in are the initial steps to building a sustainable wardrobe that makes you feel and look confident and stylish, and that you’ll wear again and again.
The longer I worked in the industry, I became increasingly informed and concerned about the ethics and sustainability of the supply chain. I was also concerned by the widely held belief that quality and aesthetics are somehow compromised for the sake of being ‘virtuous’ or sustainable. I set up the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards to address these concerns. Backed by some of the most formidable names in fashion and retail, including Anthropologie, it’s become the definitive award of its kind to verify and celebrate brands that hold both style and substance in equal measure. Its very existence is to champion daily change.
Setting up your own venture is tough but to quote my latest 'woman-crush’ American lifestyle coach Marie Forleo, "Start before you are ready". As women in particular, we have a great ability to delay our dreams and passions. Whether we tell ourselves we aren’t good enough or have other ‘commitments’ that need tending to, we rarely put our needs first. Just start. No one is perfect so why should we expect that of ourselves? The most important step is to make progress. Small steps lead to big changes.
The Sustainable Lifestyle Awards is judged by a panel of inspiring women who help shape my view of womanhood. In my eyes womanhood is kindness, we can never have too much, and collaboration, as women empower women.
Founder of the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards
What do you do when you’re struggling to reconcile your love of fashion and style with a more sustainable way of living? Rachel Fortune decided to ignore industry conventions and cut her own path, resulting in the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards, a programme that celebrates the meeting of ethical production and aesthetic beauty. Here’s her story.
I started my career at a well-known fashion house as visual merchandiser before working as an in-house and independent fashion and personal stylist. My world was two sided: the throw-away attitude of the high street juxtaposed against the detail and craftsmanship of the luxury brands. The two weren’t sustainably compatible, however, I was adamant that there must be a middle ground where fashion could be both affordable and sustainable.
Watching The True Cost documentary cemented the idea that I had to make a change. It was a turning point in my life and career. I realised I was working in an industry that I had no real understanding of. I was emotionally moved by the devastating implications the cotton industry was having on the health and wellbeing of the local farming communities, and visually disgusted by the mountains of landfill and polluted rivers caused by the direct result of our desire for more and more clothes. Every one of us is contributing to the death of our people and planet by not understanding the implications of our spending power.
At that point, I started to make a change in my personal styling business. My work is about more than the aesthetics of clothes. It’s about how the clothes make the wearer feel with the aim of building women’s self-esteem through the power of fashion. Knowing your body shape and what you feel great in are the initial steps to building a sustainable wardrobe that makes you feel and look confident and stylish, and that you’ll wear again and again.
The longer I worked in the industry, I became increasingly informed and concerned about the ethics and sustainability of the supply chain. I was also concerned by the widely held belief that quality and aesthetics are somehow compromised for the sake of being ‘virtuous’ or sustainable. I set up the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards to address these concerns. Backed by some of the most formidable names in fashion and retail, including Anthropologie, it’s become the definitive award of its kind to verify and celebrate brands that hold both style and substance in equal measure. Its very existence is to champion daily change.
Setting up your own venture is tough but to quote my latest 'woman-crush’ American lifestyle coach Marie Forleo, "Start before you are ready". As women in particular, we have a great ability to delay our dreams and passions. Whether we tell ourselves we aren’t good enough or have other ‘commitments’ that need tending to, we rarely put our needs first. Just start. No one is perfect so why should we expect that of ourselves? The most important step is to make progress. Small steps lead to big changes.
The Sustainable Lifestyle Awards is judged by a panel of inspiring women who help shape my view of womanhood. In my eyes womanhood is kindness, we can never have too much, and collaboration, as women empower women.