So, it goes without saying that black women age in an undeniably fascinating way. The internet is filled with women and their daughters making videos or taking pictures and snatching our wigs as we collectively wonder, "Wait, YOU'RE the mom?!" It's almost too much to handle, but damn we are lit.
And well, every now and then, we come across a mother-daughter duo that truly blow our minds, forcing us to challenge everything we thought we knew about aging.
In walks Amina and Natania, UK-based social media influencers and YouTubers. They recently shook social media when they uploaded a few mirror pics that caused confusion from Brixton to Brooklyn. The pic was captioned:
"How it's going... VS (swipe to the last slide) How it started... Whew! The glow up is real, lol. But more importantly, when I think back to the day I gave birth to this tiny human, who's not so tiny anymore, I see just how much the grace of God has been the absolute realest over our lives. I can't thank Him enough... My crazy labour & delivery storytime video is up on my channel! #linkinbio #motherdaughter"
Almost immediately, this tweet went viral, accumulating well over 234K likes.
It all started when Amina uploaded a new video detailing the story of how she became a teen mom. She spoke on the journey and said:
"Seventeen years ago, I gave birth to this tiny human, not having a clue how I was going to be a mum to her... But look at what an amazing & beautiful young lady you've grown to become! I thank God for His grace to raise you, nurture you, & see you reach another year older. I pray God continues to be with you & bless you more abundantly in every aspect of your life. I'm so proud to be your mum! Love you forever baby girl!"
But the internet wasn't having it--
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And per usual, they did nottttt disappoint.
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Within minutes, hilarity ensued.
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Of the response, Amina says she didn't expect her story or pictures to go as viral as it has, but she appreciates the love and hilarity that has come their way since.
"Your kind words & compliments are much appreciated, thank you. Also, some of these quote tweets & replies are too funny!"
Girl, we were cracking up too.
Were you right about who was who?
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Feature image via This Is Amina/Instagram
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
Feature image courtesy
The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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