Name: Nthati Lebohang M Machesa
Age: 24
Life quote: Respect is a mirror, what you reflect is what you get back.
What does it mean to be a woman (in this day and age) and what is the most important thing to you as a woman? There are so many expectations set out for being a woman in the world today. I hate the fact that most things are expected of me just because I am a woman. I live by doing things because it feels right and not because it is what is expected of me. I guess the most important thing for me as a woman is my sexuality and how important it is for me to embrace my African roots. Two things African women are not allowed to embrace freely without judgement.
What is self-hate to you? And have you been a victim of it? Self hate is believing that you are not good enough for anyone or anything. Seeking approval in a system that does not really care much about you. Self hate is not being comfortable in your skin, wishing you looked a little more like someone other than yourself. Different situations brings out different outcomes of your personality so yes, i have victimized myself because of my self hate at some point and i have had a taste of ladies taking out their self hate on me.
Do you still have issues with self-esteem? And what helps you snap out of it? Yes I do. What has helped me is keeping my circle small. Talking to the universe about how I feel and believing that everything is going to be okay snaps me out of it. Nothing beats a good laugh or crying it out when.
When did you learn to start loving the woman you are? When I came to Johannesburg to come study, I really discovered a lot about myself. I was surrounded by like minded ladies and ladies that always made sure we pushed ourselves to be better than we were yesterday. Through that i started learning to appreciate myself more, accept myself for the way i looked and be bold to talk about the things that i had a great interest in without feeling bad
What do you think has influenced your confidence? Acceptance and the courage to move on from situations that no longer require you to be in them.
What are your passions and inspirations? I am passionate about being African, improving my home language and understanding my ancestral history. I am anti religion and pro African spirituality. I guess the beauty of being African inspires a lot of my creative ideas. I also have a thing for gaming and reading a lot of comic books. Don’t get me started on my obsession for Gods and Goddesses lol
Do you have any fashion/beauty icons, if so who are they? I have never been one for role models or looking up to someone. So no
If you could meet your younger self, what would you say to her? Lol… stop being so afraid Nthati and do not commit to people that are not ready for your unconditional love.You are not perfect and you should allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them.
If you had to tell one thing to every little girl in the world, what would it be? Do not allow anyone to kill your imagination. Always take bad criticism as negative motivation. If you allow yourself to be deaf to what the world has to say about you, you can achieve a lot with what your mind tells you you can do. Do not be afraid to cry or talk about your feelings, you are NOT being WEAK by being an emotional being
Where can we find you on social media?
Facebook: Nthati Heavenly-Goddess Machesa
Instagram: @nthatzz
