On Friday 6th January, I done a zoom meeting with Rhona Bicette (Self Help Hub 4 Women) and in true fashion of being Ebony I prepared thought out answers to each questions. I didn't use all of it, but I decided to type it up from my notebook and share it with you!
What is Cultured Waist and why did you start it?
Cultured Waist is a waist bead company reminding women of the importance of self love and stepping into the power of your true authentic self. I started the business when I was 20 after battling with low self esteem for years prior and realising how much it was holding me back in all areas of my life. It was a step to take my power back and help other women and girls to do the same.
What are waist beads and why did you choose them?
Waist beads are a form of traditional African body jewelleru that were introduced to me through my West African heritage. I was told they were for pleasing your marital partner, but as I began to do more research I found out that it was more to do with showing love and appreciation for oneself and knowing yourself beyond the physical.
When I went to Nigeria I was 16 and I had bought some waist beads for a friend and they were made with wire in one size. I was chubbier at the time and they didn't fit me so I started making waist beads for myself and the lack of inclusivity encouraged me to make them for others years later.
You focus on self love, body positivity and confidence. How does Cultured Waist help women in those areas?
To me, self love, body positivity and confidence are all about how you feel about yourself - your character and traits, your body - how it works and how it looks, plus your abilities. Waist beads are about having the power to choose who you are and deciding that whatever you choose is good enough as long as you're happy with it.
Wearing waist beads is a good first step to putting yourself first, by choosing to love and appreciate your body as it is now.
What does personal development mean to you?
Personal development to me is self discovery everyday. You can never fully know yourself and I think that in itself is beauitful. I think a lot of people avoid it because it's portrayed as always climbing up the mountain, so on days when you can't give as much you feel down, but it's actually about moving forward. You can never go back to the past.
How does personal development fit into your framework of self-love, body positivity and confidence?
I feel like self love, body positivity and confidence provide a balance on your personal development journey. So yes you want to improve yourself everyday, but you also love and appreciate yourself for who you are right now. That's very important as it allows us to be compassionate and determined at the same time.
How would you encourage someone to start their personal development journey?
Think about the person you are now and plan little ways you can start to improve in different areas. You don't have to completely redesign yourself overnight. Another thing is to learn from everything, not just from your own experience, but books, media, people around you, people you look up to... there's a lesson and a blessing in everything.