Balance Boldly Luminaries Edition with Kenya Hunt

The Luminaries Edition of the Balance Boldly Podcast is a dedication to outstanding WOMEN who inspire, influence, and ignite a better tomorrow with the courageous work they implement today!

Today, Naketa Ren Thigpen welcomes Luminary Kenya Hunt, Author of Girl, Gurl, Grrrl and Fashion Director of Grazia UK. Kenya’s  career spans working for some of the media world’s most influential women’s titles on both sides of the Atlantic from her post-graduate days as an Assistant Editor at the seminal magazine, Jane, to her years as Deputy Editor of ELLE UK. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Evening Standard, Vogue and other publications. In addition, she has made a number of appearances on BBC Woman’s Hour, Sky News and more. An American based in England, she lives south of the river in London with her husband and two sons. 

Against the backdrop of this rise in visibility of black women, I was watching us go from milestone to milestone when to win headline-to-headline, magazine cover to magazine cover, but at the same time encountering so many incredibly inspiring women through my work. “I wrote this book as a love letter to us” [Kenya Hunt 3:31] 

Key takeaways:

·         I wanted this book to really send her (black woman) joy, as if I wanted to send her the joyful aspects of being who we are, as well. Therefore, I mean, I really just hope that women will read it and feel seen and recognized, but just really reflect on the particularity of their own experiences. Kenya Hunt [6:12] 

 ·         I wrote about the idea of black girl magic and black excellence in the chapter of my book called bad bitches, and how there is sometimes this perception of black girl magic being twinned with exceptionalism and excellence and that drive to be the headline makers. And there’s beauty in that and there’s power in that. Kenya Hunt [9:06] 

 ·         There is a real power in recognizing the black excellence and the black magic in the every day. So if we did not just wake up in the morning in a global pandemic, manage to get our kids dressed for school, and get them off for the day. That is a moment of excellence and that’s, that is worth really celebrating too. Kenya Hunt [9:36] 

 More about Kenya Hunt 

In  her new book, Girl Gurl Grrrl, Kenya Hunt (an American who moved to London and has called it home for the last decade) – unpacks what it means to be a black woman and girl. It’s a timeless celebration of what it means to be a Black woman in today’s world. 

As a collection of essays, the opening essay discusses the variations of the word “girl”, how and why it’s used, and especially in relation to how Black women use this word. 

 Kenya Hunt also takes an interesting angle as a fashion writer and unpacks the fashion industry as it stands through the eyes of a Black woman, and how being in the fashion industry often means she is the only Black woman in the room; and one of the few select women who can offer hope and wisdom to other women of color in the industry — and writes frankly about the exhaustion, and hope, that this brings. 

 Contact: Kenya Hunt 

Website: www.kenyahunt.com/books 

Twitter:/KenyHunt/ 

Instagram: /kenyahunt 

Go, create and your balance and create your joy, but do it BOLDLY!- Naketa Ren Thigpen @asknaketa Certified Selfish Community