Jamaican | British
When I was a kid, I used to try to scrub my freckles and two birthmarks on the top of my leg away in the water. I was also tormented at school for having full lips, and my Mother would tell me that people pay a lot of money for my lips; I didn't believe her until a few years ago, and now half of my friends do! My Mother constantly urged me to accept the qualities/features she had given me and to love myself.
All I can say is thank God for my Mother! I was attempting to please two aspects of my identity by dressing and acting like both! I’d return to my Mother's house after spending the weekend at my Father's, surrounded by Black girls, speaking differently, adopting their hairstyles and sense of style, which felt amazing at the time since I felt welcomed within that group. I'd begin to remove this layer of 'other' Sadie throughout the week in order to blend in with the White girls at my Mother's house, straightening my hair, softening my language, and even trying out new beauty products. By the time the weekend rolled around, I was ready to put on my other clothes, play my other persona, and try to blend in. My Mother once told me, ‘Why are you trying to be two different people? You're already unique, so embrace it’. The rest, as they say, is history. The true me emerged.
I'm a sculptor, TV personality, and podcast host, as well as a course director for a BA Fashion course at LCCA, so when I initially started freelance teaching, tutors or senior management teams would frequently judge me for not seeming academic or for being too young. The academic environment was very White, and if you didn't fit the norm, you would get looks and passive comments. I could probably count the number of mixed-race people in my professional and educational networks on one hand. In terms of my cultural mix, I mean. It means I'm always the one looking for possibilities for individuals like me through the lens of equality, diversity, and inclusivity. I enjoy working in the arts and television because I can be a familiar face to the next generation, a face of representation.
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