She Ill
Somewhat off the beaten path, the frozen clusters of grass and sand quietly crunched under my Cool Grey 11’s.
I climbed to the top of a dune breathing in…
deeply, belly full, and out, belly in - cold ocean side air. The sun and tide were both high. The light danced on the tops of the rippling waves creating a glimmer that caused me to squint. Iridescent shimmers from the seashell adorned shore added a whimsical allure to it all. While cognizant that the day was the Spring Equinox, I was unaware that during the exact moments these words were forming in my spirit, and these photo’s were being taken - Spring was finna slide. Nature has a way of beckoning me that I no longer question but just allow. If I feel the urge to go to the park, take a walk, or pull up to the nearest body of water - I do it. If even only for a few minutes, I’m instantly grounded and out of my head and beautifully placed back in the present. So, it’s more than fitting that I find myself beach side at the exact moments of the Equinox’s arrival with one of my biggest inspirations Vogue cover tucked underneath my arm. A cosmic coincidence, or simply divine, if you will.
Vogue’s March 2023 cover story by Chioma Nnadi and photographed by Jamie Hawkesworth find Badu in a reflection space discussing the impact of her always ethereal and enduring personal style. Badu fondly recalls her early style esthetic saying that “the look was as meaningful as the music.” “I remember being among an elite group of young people who were really embracing what it meant to be an African here, generationally. We embraced locs and ‘fros and our natural state, our fabrics and jewelry. It was a beautiful time.” Let us briefly rewind back to February 1997. A precocious Aquarius child, 10 year old me was begging my mother to drive me to the fabric store so that I could wrap my hair just like Erykah Badu. My father bought me my first copy of “Baduizm”. The drum kick opening on “On & On” was the beginning of something special for me. When she stepped into the frame of that music video I was smitten kittens. I’d instantly recognized and resonated with a form of Black beauty that was unknown to me outwardly but spoke volumes to me intimately. Erykah Badu is a force. Like an element in nature, she has guided me through the seasons of my life with her music, style, grace, poise, wisdom, and most truly her authenticity. There will be a Long Story Short essay on Ms. Badu’s personal influence soon enough, but if I were to ever be so honored for her to read these words I’d simply just want to say “Thank you”.
I’d also like to note that yes, I did wear the head wrap to my 5th grade class, and yes it fell off halfway through the day. And yes, Ms. Badu still reigns supreme as one of my style inspirations 26 years later.
