Who Is Madame Noire?
Interview by Kweli Wright
Name: Najwa Moses
Title: CEO/creator, styleaholics.com
Twitter handle: @najwamoses
Photo credit: Piper Carter
What do you love about being a Madame Noire?
Being a Madame Noire means that you are constantly evolving, through your style, your friends, your education and most certainly your hair. I love how Madame Noires are able to playfully create a range of looks that not only delight but also inspire. I know that wherever I am–the web, on the street, in the classroom, the boardroom, overseas, I don’t only represent myself and my brand but all of the Madame Noires before and after me.
Is the media (news and reality shows) having a “field day” with black women? Why us and why now?
Yes, they are. On one hand, I think the “Michelle Obama factor” has raised the profile of Black Women and our “plight” like never before. I also think that her wonderfully positive image doesn’t sit well with certain fractions of society and thus there are a variety of “strikes” being thrown against us; the least of which is Nicki Minaj (yea I said it). What I find constantly disappointing, is the fact that when they talk about the rise of the single black female, they rarely talk about how systematic, century-old racism plays a HUGE factor in that. When you break down a community’s family unit–you’ve broken the community. A family broken is more effective than crack and HIV put together. I work hard to ignore what is being said, I’m sure like everyone else we have enough “influences” to deal with on a daily basis, just because we are simply alive.
On the other hand, in terms of media we are in historic times — we currently have six — count ’em six women leading their own national TV talk shows! Whoooooo hoooo! It makes me feel empowered, justified and encouraged. So let ’em talk! (Smile)
