This week has been a little heavy for me. With a death in the family, the death of Chadwick Boseman, family troubles, and more news of Black death at the hands of police, I needed to cleanse my palette. So, to shake off the heavy news I decided to end the week on a light, fun note. Today, I’m sharing 7 facts you might not know about me. If you read this and you realize that you already knew these things, congratulations, you’ve earned a cookie! Go ahead and treat yourself.
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If you read my interesting facts post where I shared 29 facts about myself, you’re probably thinking, didn’t you already do something like this? Kinda. But this time around, I’m sharing 7 new facts and going more in-depth with the facts I share.
I’M AN INTROVERT
Okay, this might not be news because I feel like I talk about it all the time. Lol. But if you didn’t know, I am! I feel like introverts get a bad rep because people assume that just because you’re an introvert it means your super awkward, shy, and sensitive. While some introverts have all of these traits, they’re not the only traits that makeup introverts. I’ve been reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain and it’s been both interesting and illuminating and I would highly recommend this book whether your an introvert or extrovert. But Cain lays out the complexity that makes up introverts and brilliantly combines research and psychology to explain everything. While not everything I’ve read so far applies to me, I have found it quite helpful to better navigate my relationships.
So, what does being an introvert mean to me? Well, the one trait that I read and have recognized about myself in the last 5 years is I need my personal space and time to recharge from being super active. Living with my aunt and uncle – my aunt in particular – who is very talkative and quite an extrovert (in my untrained opinion), it’s been hard to find the balance of staying in my room all day working/doing my own thing and being social. I have done a better job explaining why I need my personal space, but sometimes it doesn’t go over well. Either way, I’m happy that I found a book that speaks to who I am and helps me learn more about what it means to be an introvert.
I PREFER TV OVER MOVIES
Before the pandemic, I could count on one hand how many movies I saw in theaters in 2019 and 2018 combined. Outside the theater, I have to really be excited about the movie to binge on any of the streaming apps. Over the years, I’ve analyzed my love for television and came up with two reasons why I prefer it over movies. First, I didn’t really watch a lot of TV growing up. My siblings and I were super involved in extracurricular activities and didn’t have time to watch TV. Also, my parents only allowed us to watch TV before we went to bed during school nights and anytime during the weekends. It’s part of the reason why I have to fall asleep to the TV. So, I figure that I’ve been trying to make up for all the years that I didn’t watch tv.
Secondly, and imo, you only get 1.5 to 3 hours to see the evolution of the plot during a movie. Not enough time to really get invested. With TV series, the writers, producers, and directors have more time to develop their plot and really get you engaged in the show and its characters.
I HAVE A LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH RUNNING
I post an image of myself on IG Story every morning after my run. And I always get messages about how inspiring I am. Listen. I run for two reasons – to stay in shape and to destress and clear my head. If I had another way of doing these two things, I would do that instead. But, tbh, running has never really been fun for me. I started running because it was a free and easy way for me to stay in shape when I graduated from undergrad and waiting for grad school to start.
Right now, I’m actually in a loving relationship with running because I’ve been hitting a good pace with my miles. Even though I don’t really care for how humid it is right now, fall is quickly approaching and I know the weather will get better. My running relationship tends to get sour when I’m training for a race because it feels forced since I’m training for longer miles. Also, when training, constantly have to up my mileage or have to run hills make me want to give it up altogether!
I REALLY DISLIKE INSTAGRAM
UGH. Instagram is a necessary evil for me and the blog. I don’t really care for Instagram because it has literally become a feed of false realities. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have found and made great connections with some fabulous people on Instagram. I’ve also been super inspired by the creativity that can be seen on the app. However, it very clear that Instagram has transformed into a pay to play platform.
Many influencers and bloggers pay for their followers in order to beat the ever-changing algorithm. It’s frustrating but it’s the name of the game right now. Instagram will always be a place of inspiration and connection for me but I decided that I’m going to rely less on the app these days and focus more on Pinterest and cultivating the community I’ve created on Instagram.
I also dislike feeling the constant need to share every aspect of my life. I’m a pretty private person and only display a limited amount of my personal life on the blog. But on Instagram, I feel like everyone shares everything about themselves and I don’t care to do that. Unless I’m willing to completely change everything about myself – I’m not – I’ll just stay in my corner and keep doing what I’m doing.
I DIDN’T ALWAYS LIKE WEARING AFRICAN PRINTS
The entire reason I wanted to start a blog was to highlight and show how people can incorporate African print into their daily lives. But, tbh, I didn’t always like wearing African prints. Kids can be so cruel. Growing up, I got made fun of for being Liberian and teased whenever I wore African prints to school. So, stupidly, I stopped wearing them altogether unless we had a function to attend and the attire was African. Otherwise, I didn’t start getting back into African print until college.
Looking back, I really hate that I let others influence how I felt about my culture. But at that age, all you want to do is fit in. College is when I decided to unlearn a lot of things and reignite the love for African prints. So, basically I started the blog as an ode to the lost time I wasted listening to the opinions of others. Slight plug here but if you want to know where I like to buy my African prints, sign up for this freebie.
RED LIPSTICK IS A NEW FOUND LOVE FOR ME
You probably wouldn’t know it before but I didn’t always like to wear red lipstick. Now, I can’t see myself not having a great red lip to wear – go ahead and read all about my favorites reds. Honestly, I stayed clear from wearing red lipstick up until I discovered Mac’s Ruby Woo back in like 2015. Another childhood trauma that I’m still trying to get over is people teasing me for my complexion. Colorism is a real issue for dark skinned women in the Black community and it’s impacted the way I think of myself.
Growing up, there were not as many inclusive beauty brands for Black women, especially dark skin women. The reds that I wore were my moms and I didn’t think that looked that great on me. I also hated how much attention it brought to me, and the ridiculous comments that ensued whenever I wore red lipstick. Thanks, cheerleading. Those instances really pushed me from ever trying to wear red lipstick. I’m really glad that I’ve done the work to build my self-confidence because I look really good with a red lip! 💁🏿♀️💁🏿♀️💁🏿♀️
I DON’T SHOP AS MUCH AS EVERYONE THINKS
There has also been this misconception about how much I actually shop for years now. It really surprises people when I tell them that I don’t shop that much. Even now as a blogger, I don’t shop that much. It’s because I make sure to incorporate lots of basics into my wardrobe and key pieces that add a punch to my outfits. I also know how to shop my closet and mix and match things in order to get the most wear for my buck.
We didn’t have a ton of money growing up so my mom always showed us how to maximize our closet and how to make an outfit unique even if we’ve worn that item a million times. I really appreciate her showing me that because I always get really creative when I feel like I have nothing to wear.
Well, there you have it! 7 facts that you are new or more in-depth for you depending on how well you already knew me. I hope you enjoyed reading these facts about me as much as I liked sharing them.
ARE ANY OF THESE FACTS NEW TO YOU? IF SO, WHICH ONE?
