Stories by design: a series of stories about multi-hyphenate and millennial women in or around Africa. By Sade Adiat Disu founder of marketing & media firm Adiree Company and marketplace Adiree.com
The woman wearing a similar Ankara pattern as me (except it was a skirt set) received a gazing look by an attractive man on the bus. She flushed and smiled with pleasure when the man finally mustered up enough testosterone-driven complements— “You look like a perfect Angel!!” He then continued complimenting her on the choice of color against her skin.
I secretly wished her death by drowning or by fire-—though not out loud. The recently congratulated women turned to me, eager to share her joy. She saw through my face and thought twice about her wishful sister Girl moment.
She recanted her celebratory moment, one look at my outfit which bore similarities. I, on the other hand, wasn’t amused. I looked at her up and down, smiling stiffly, though I thought….Betch! I turned away. Hissed under my breath… Mchewwww and smacked my lips.
In an attempt to nurture (at this point resurrect) my bruised (most likely buried) ego, I whispered to myself: “I’m much cuter by farrrrr anyway.” In fact, I look better than an angel. I look like heaven. God knows. I looked up as the bus came to a halting stop at the red light. I suddenly realized I had missed my stop while mentally toying with this imaginary beauty pageantry.
Adiree Company is a media, marketing, and marketplace group reaching multicultural consumers. Every month, readers turn to content by Adiree — for impactful conversation, our marketing and it’s marketplace to engage with meaningful products. Focusing on everything from culture, lifestyle to careers, Adiree Company leverages the power of diversity and heritage to engage and empower. Adiree Company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Lagos Nigeria.