Feminist Author Feature: Sesali Bowen
From funny and fearless entertainment journalist Sesali Bowen, Bad Fat Black Girl combines rule-breaking feminist theory, witty and insightful personal memoir, and cutting cultural analysis for an unforgettable, genre-defining debut in ‘Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes from a Trap Feminist’. Feminist caught up with Sesali Bowen to chat about how she found her voice and what being a feminist means to her. Dive into the feature below 👇
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🔍FAQ
This giveaway is not sponsored. Limited to US residents only. Campaign will run from 10/5/2021–10/15/2021. Winners will be selected at random and notified 10/20/2021.
Q: When did you discover feminism for the first time?
SESALI: I discovered feminism, formally, for the first time in high school. I attended Kenwood Academy and was able to attend a seminar on Black women and hip-hop led by Melissa Harris-Perry when she was professor at the University of Chicago. It was the first time I was encouraged to dissect hip-hop songs and music videos for deeper meanings as they pertained to race, gender, and sexuality.
Q: What is your mantra?
“My mantra is: Black women.”
Q: How did you find your voice?
SESALI: I never had to find my voice. I could speak before I could walk. My voice found me. But I started to hone it on the blank pages of journals, diaries, and notebooks when I was as young as 7 or 8 years old. There has always been something cathartic about spending time with my own story.
Q: After creating a career writing for major publications and building a social community, what sparked your interest to write Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes From A Trap Feminist?
SESALI: When I was working in progressive politics and in women's media, I felt a lot of pressure to sanitize and water down the parts of my identity that came from being a Black girl from the hood. This group of Black women are talked about as statistics and mood boards, but rarely allowed to speak for themselves. I needed to write this book because I wanted to honor my experiences and recognize the ways that I was embodying and discovering liberation outside of what has been deemed acceptable or respectable.
Q: We love how you articulate 'trap feminism' in your article for Feministing. Since coining the term, how has the culture shifted? (Is there a wider acceptance/understanding?)
SESALI: Trap feminism has become more timely than ever because we are in a pop cultural moment where people are obsessed with the aesthetics (like long nails, colorful wigs, and other fashion trends), language (like "period" and "it's the... for me"), and culture (like City Girl summer or twerking) of Black girls from the hood. Trap feminism defines the specific version of empowerment that is right below the surface.
Photo by Toni F. Smalls
Q: What is your advice to someone just starting out, how would you suggest getting your voice out there?
SESALI: More than likely, you are already putting your voice out there. You're writing IG captions, scripts for thoughtful TikTok videos, and Twitter threads. KEEP GOING! Then, figure out how the same things you said in a few tweets could possibly be expanded into a piece for an outlet. I also did an IGTV video about this that you should definitely check out if you need more tips.
Q: Is there an affirmation you would recommend to someone learning to accept themselves?
SESALI: You're damned if you do and damned if you don't, so live by your own standards and no one else's.
Q: How do you use your power to empower your community?
SESALI: Telling my own story is the greatest tool at my disposal. I own that. When others see me standing in that truth they also feel called to do the same for themselves. I've never identified as a strong community builder or organizer. I have been trying to heal and survive and thrive by simply telling the truth.
Q: And lastly, what does being a feminist mean to you? (we ask this question to end all our features).
SESALI: Being a feminist means advocating for women, especially Black women, to have the things they deserve in this life including autonomy, agency, safety, and self-experssion, and freedom.
the Author
Sesali Bowen was a city girl way before Yung Miami and JT hit the scene. Born and raised in Chicago, she learned how to hustle, stay on her toes, build meaningful connections, pull off a full glam transformation with just $30 and a trip to the beauty supply store, and to always bet on Black women. These sensibilities have driven her work in political organizing, sex education, grad school, and women’s media. She wrote about her beginnings and how she developed a contemporary Black feminist framework thanks to female rap and trap music in her forthcoming book, Bad Fat Black Girl: Notes From a Trap Feminist (Amistad, 2021). It is trap feminism that continues to set her apart as a writer, journalist, host, fat influencer, and content creator. All over the internet, Sesali is known for being a bad fat Black girl: A bad bitch. A fat femme. A proud champion of Black girls. Her nearly 50k Instagram followers look to her for plus size style, confidence, and a bold, authentic perspective on… well, everything. She’s the girl in this viral photo. She’s worked on campaigns for Showtime, Smash Shoes, Foria, and BLK. She’s been on panels for Freeform, SlayTV, RoundTable Journal, Vh1, and ENVSN Festival. She’s appeared on BuzzFeed’s wildly popular Twitter talk show, Hella Opinions and she’s also one of the subjects in Black Girl Church, a documentary about Black women and one of their magically sacred spaces: the beauty supply store.
