Unhidden story of Shatava Lindsey

We are taught to be virtuous women but shamed for also being voluptuous

We have been conditioned from an early childhood to have a definition of what beauty actually is. What beauty looks like, what it sounds like, how it walks, how it should talk, and how the hair should look. Beauty has continuously been defined to us from a perspective that is not us. growing up without the accessibility to have customly designed clothes, some of us had to grow up with what was simply in the department store. Which meant that what the department store determined as the average size and the average waist and the average bust left a lot of us out. Having to choose between ill fitting clothes that doesn’t flatter one area of our body or ill fitting clothes that doesn’t accentuate another area of our body. However for a young Shatava Lindsey, conforming to what society says is beautiful means that she herself could not be considered beautiful, gorgeous, stunning or revolutionary and that was not about to happen.

Some say that when you only have two choices you have to pick one; however there are some of us of a different breed that will choose to

create our own way. At a young age Shatava began designing her own clothes. Taking ‘hand me downs’ clothes and even clothes from goodwill and redesigning them into outfits that were fashion forward and represented who she was in her most authentic form. Designing clothes that fit her at the waist, and hips, because lets face it, most clothes cannot keep up with all our curves. Shatava even designed pants to cover all of her torso and not just the middle and went all the way

down to her ankles and not stop at her calf. Because women come in all sizes and heights.

Miss Lindsey has been in the fashion industry for years, she has taken it upon herself to Showcase and represent the body types from 0 to 5x in all of her fashion designs. From selling her creations out of her trunk to showcasing her fashion design on the runways during fashion week in New York. Shatava has continued to be a representative not only for women of diverse shapes but for women of color.

Shatava’s story is one of inspiration and adoration. Its not about the obstacles or environment she came from but how she has leveraged her voice, talent and opportunities to create a space of representation. Its more than the fashion industry she is trailblazing, it is the movement. The movement that we all get to witness and support. She is what a young person of color sees and says, “I can too.”

Maybe what is not being noticed or recognized is that ‘we’ are being represented on major stages such as New york fashion week. Our beauty, our bodies, our talent is being showcased and we are receiving the credit we deserve.

Black women specifically have not received their fair share of credit and respect for their contributions to society. Take for instance, Ann Lowe, who was the first African-American to become a fairly renowned fashion designer. She designed clothes for high society women in the 1920s. She even designed the bridal gown of John F Kennedy’s wife and received zero credit because of her race. So when we see Shatava Lindsey designs gracing the stages and platforms, support her. As she graces the TV screens of various talk shows such as Ready To Love and Sister’s Circle, support her. Her dream is something that has been shared by millions of people, but only a few have reached it and even less have been recognized by it. Shatava Lindsey deserves all the flowers, let’s be sure to give them to her.

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