Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020 is upon us, and true to form, it's kicking off with New York Fashion Week. NYFW is one of my favorites, perhaps due to a slight bias of my love for New York, and the aesthetic and energy NYFW attracts every season (of which I've personally experienced while on the scene back in the day), and don't get me started on the parties.
NYFW is unmatched for many reasons and pivotal to my interest in the whole fashion month; one of the reasons is all the expressions of blackness on display. It has been hailed for being the most diverse fashion week, from the black designers showcasing including Pyer Moss and LaQuan Smith to the models, editors, bloggers, and stylists at the shows. Where other cities' fashion weeks have failed, NYFW gives a platform for black women to have their rightful representation in fashion, an industry where our influence and contributions are undeniable.
During NYFW, BET's annual Black Girls Rock, a multifaceted celebration of Black Girl Magic, aired this past Sunday, so what better time than fashion month to give it up to the black girls killing the fashion game?
Here are some of my favorite black girl street-style looks from NYFW:
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Featured image via Matthew Sperzel/Getty Images
Among the many individuals who battle severe asthma, Black women face a unique set of challenges. It's not uncommon for us to go years without a proper diagnosis, and finding the right treatment often requires some trial and error. Thankfully, all hope is not lost for those who may be fighting to get their severe asthma under control. We spoke with Juanita Brown Ingram, Esq. and Jania Watson, two inspiring Black women who have been living with severe asthma and have found strength, resilience, and a sense of purpose in their journeys.
Juanita Brown Ingram, Esq.
Juanita Ingram has a resume that would make anyone’s jaw drop. On top of being recently crowned Mrs. Universe, she’s also an accomplished attorney, filmmaker, and philanthropist. From the outside, it seems there’s nothing this talented woman won’t try, and likely succeed at. In her everyday life, however, Juanita exercises a lot more caution. From a young age, Juanita has struggled with severe asthma. Her symptoms were always exacerbated by common illnesses like a cold or flu. “I've heard these stories of my breathing struggles, but I remember distinctly when I was younger not being able to breathe every time I got a virus,” says Ingram. “I remember missing a lot of school and crying a lot because asthma is painful. I [was taken] to see my doctor often if I got sick with anything so I was hypervigilant as a child, and I still am.”
Today, Juanita says her symptoms are best managed when she’s working closely with her care team, avoiding getting sick and staying ahead of any symptoms. Ingram said she’s been blessed with skilled doctors who are just as vigilant of her symptoms as she is. While competing in the Mrs. Universe competition, Juanita took extra care to stay clear of other competitors to ensure she didn’t catch a cold or virus that would trigger her severe asthma. “I would stand off to the side and sometimes that could be taken as ‘oh, she thinks she's better than everybody else.’ But if I get sick during a pageant, I'm done. I had to compete with that in mind because my sickness doesn't look like everybody else's sickness.”
Even when her symptoms are under control, living with severe asthma still presents challenges. Juanita relies on her strong support system to overcome the hurdles caused by a lack of understanding from the public, “I think that there's a lot of lack of awareness about how serious severe asthma is. I would [also] tell women to advocate and to trust their intuition and not to allow someone to dismiss what you're experiencing.”
Jania Watson
Jania, a content creator from Atlanta, Georgia, has been living with severe asthma for many years. Thanks to early testing by asthma specialists, Jania was diagnosed with severe asthma as a child after experiencing frequent flare-ups and challenges in her day-to-day life. “I specifically remember, I was starting school, and we were moving into a new house. One of the triggers for me and my younger sister at the time were certain types of carpets. We had just moved into this new house and within weeks of us being there, my parents literally had to pay for all new carpet in the house.”
As Jania grew older, she was suffering from fewer flare-ups and thought her asthma was well under control. However, a trip back to her doctor during high school revealed that her severe asthma was affecting her more than she realized. “That was the first time in a long time I had to do a breathing test,” she describes. “The doctor had me take a deep breath in and blow into a machine to test my breathing. They told me to blow as hard as I could. And I was doing it. I was giving everything I got. [My dad and the doctor] were looking at me like ‘girl, stop playing.’ And at that point [it confirmed] I still have severe asthma because I've given it all I got. It doesn't really go away, but I just learned how to help manage it better.”
Jania recognizes that people who aren’t living with asthma, may not understand the disease and mistake it for something less serious. Or there could be others who think their symptoms are minor, and not worth bringing up. So, for Jania, communicating with others about her diagnosis is key. “Having severe asthma [flare-ups] in some cases looks very similar to being out of shape,” she said. “But this is a chronic illness that I was born with. This is just something that I live with that I've been dealing with. And I think it's important for people to know because that determines the next steps. [They might ask] ‘Do you need a bottle of water, or do you need an inhaler? Do you need to take a break, or do we need to take you to the hospital?’ So, I think letting the people around you know what's going on, just in case anything were to happen plays a lot into it as well.”
Like Juanita, Jania’s journey has been marked by ups and downs, but she remains an unwavering advocate for asthma awareness and support within the Black community. She hopes that her story can be an inspiration to other women with asthma who may not yet have their symptoms under control. “There's still life to be lived outside of having severe asthma. It is always going to be there, but it's not meant to stop you from living your life. That’s why learning how to manage it and also having that support system around you, is so important.”
By sharing their journeys, Juanita and Jania hope to encourage others to embrace their conditions, obtain a proper management plan from a doctor or asthma specialist like a pulmonologist or allergist, and contribute to the improvement of asthma awareness and support, not only within the Black community, but for all individuals living with severe asthma.
Read more stories from others like Juanita and Jania on Amgen.com, or visit Uncontrolled Asthma In Black Women | BREAK THE CYCLE to find support and resources.
Preparing for the best that is yet to come keeps the waiting/ preparation season thrilling yet peaceful. You’re not forcing situations and simply receiving the goodness life has to offer at the divine time it’s supposed to come. While living life to the fullest in my waiting/ preparation season, I continue to do these five things that keep my spark and hope alive for what’s to come next.
5 Things you can do while in your waiting/ preparation season:
Keep your heart fixed on your desire
Whatever you do, don’t lose sight of what you’re believing in and preparing for. Consider this your North Star that may feel so close, but so far. Through the trials you may experience, reflect on how these situations shaped your character. Ask yourself questions like “What did I learn about myself?” “Have I gained new ideals?” “How will what I learn help me get closer to my desire?” I like to meditate and achieve stillness while asking myself these questions to truly hear my heart. In a world where there's so much noise and chatter, it’s important to stay fixed on what you want for yourself.
Strengthen your faith
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This season in your life may come with heightened vulnerability. The important thing to remember is to not let anything break you. It’s necessary to strengthen your faith and believe that what you want is more than capable of manifesting in your life. Strengthen your faith in every way! This can be through hearing other people’s testimonies, watching uplifting content, repeating your affirmations, and/or reading books focused on positivity. My favorites are The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Think and Grow Rich, and The Power of Positive Thinking. Overall, waiting can be hard, but strengthening your faith can make waiting more enjoyable than frustrating.
Reflect on poor choices and character traits
There’s beauty in the waiting season because it allows you to prepare for the best that is yet to come. A key part of preparing is shedding the old to create space to embrace the new. During this time, I encourage you to reflect on poor decisions or choices you’ve made that didn’t reflect the good person you are. We’re all human, and we are bound to make mistakes. That’s not the issue. Once we make a mistake, it’s wise to learn from it and do better. Find quiet time to reflect on decisions you made, get to the root of why you made them, and how you can do better next time. The decision could be as small as eating cookies when you know fruit is the better option and can get you closer to your health goals. The beautiful thing about life is the opportunity to grow, and reflecting on poor choices/ poor character traits are the catalyst to self-growth in your waiting season. Be sure to focus on the areas of life you can control instead of wasting time on the things you can’t.
Spend time with people who bring you joy
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Sometimes, the waiting season may mirror a season of isolation, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. We all need social interactions through every season of our lives, and leaning into our community can provide that. Your dear friends can pray over you and speak words of hope to you. I encourage you to identify those friends and spend quality time with them while in your waiting season.
Fill your days with activities that help you grow as a person
Lastly, spend time doing things that nourish your soul. Activities that allow you to grow and that bring you joy are so crucial. A few activities I recommend getting involved in are therapy, which is a great way to spend your time as you heal and grow, yoga because it allows you to be patient with yourself and find moments of stillness, and journaling is beneficial to document the ebbs and flows you may experience during this season.
Trust me, everything you’re doing is worth it and is working for your greater good. I encourage you to revisit these tips as you live your life to the fullest in your waiting/ preparation season! Whatever you do, don’t give up.
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