The #BOSSup Campaign

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to be a part of something special called #BOSSup, to make a little black girl magic.  My friend, Kristen of Lavish Moments Photography reached out to me regarding a project she was working on that would feature positive images of women of color and she wanted to know if I would be a part of her campaign.  I didn’t think twice about agreeing, although I’m not a huge fan of being in front of the camera (behind the lens suits me much better I think).  I knew this project was much bigger than me, the other ladies participating, or even Kristen.  This was about love, positivity and showing the world we’re more than what the media makes us out to be.  Following are Kristen’s goal for this project along with a brief interview as to why she wanted to take this on.  And then some behind the scenes images I was able to snag and her finished product.  Enjoy!

What is the #BOSSup campaign you ask?  Here is how Kristen describes it:  “A few months ago, I decided I wanted to use my talent and passion to highlight women who represent being a Boss, especially those who happen to look like me. In the midst of the chaos and turmoil that is happening in the world, women are not recognized enough, especially women of color, for the positive impact they have on today’s society. We are doctors, lawyers, Combat War Veterans, teachers and one day WILL be the President of the United States. We need to be acknowledged for who we are and what we do. So with that being said,#BOSSup is a personal project I want to share with my community and the world. Help me take this project viral! No one can stop this #blackgirlmagic.”

What event(s) led up to you coming up with this project?

There was not a particular event that took place, I’ve just always been a huge advocate of supporting women and especially women of color. I once read “A black woman is the most disrespected human being in America”.  We have so many beautiful, black Queens with so much knowledge and talent and we are not acknowledged with positivity as much as we should be. So I wanted to shed light and love on our Queens and remind one another that with all the challenges and discouragement we may face, we must keep shining and show the world our magic.

How did you determine what women you should feature?

For this project, I wanted to ask the women who definitely makes an impact in society and represents all the different ways of being a Boss. Whether she’s an entrepreneur, a student following her dreams, or a mother. All of the ladies I selected have different backgrounds but have one thing in common – their passion for sisterhood and uplifting women of color.

What are you hoping the outcome for this project will be?

I honestly just wanted people to see positivity and share it amongst their friends. It becomes draining to see so much negativity and hatred in society, on social media, etc. Especially during the time of the election. I got to a point where I didn’t even want to get on Facebook because of all the chaos. It was just way too much. So #BOSSup was a personal project I wanted to post to enlighten our community and shed some positive light on women.

Why do you feel positive representation of women of color is so important right now?

I think it is important for positive representation of women in general right now, but I wanted to highlight women of color because it is important to me to see us succeed. Sometimes we just need a little reminder of our #blackgirlmagic to motivate and encourage our queens to push through and push forward. I am always inspired and admire our Queens making a difference in this world and leading an example for our young girls. We are so powerful and it’s imperative to acknowledge that women are bosses, too!

Below are some of the images courtesy of Lavish Moments Photography: