Ameena
“Being a woman is figuring out how to love yourself and accepting yourself in your purest form.”
Ameena doesn't take herself too seriously. She has a vibrant, fun-loving personality and always looks on the bright side. She laughs her way through life and all its challenges, even when one of those challenges was falling off a bus! Ameena writes her own rules and defines herself in her own way. She chooses to ignore prejudice she’s received in the past, and embraces herself exactly as she is - seeking out beauty, rather than looking for “flaws”. She’s an advocate for loving yourself as you are, regardless of what anyone else has to say. Meet Ameena. This is her story.
P: Please introduce yourself!
A: My names Ameena. I’m a whole mother of three mini-mes and a wife to an incredible man.
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
A: My skin is so melanated, I grew up being faced with colourist comments by my own race. They would define me as ‘blick’…and ‘soot’ but I define me as strong, intelligent and captivating.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
A: My favourite thing about me is my imperfections. My right front tooth is slightly bent and I have dents in the muscles of my cheeks. They call them dimples but as much as these can be seen as flaws, I laugh just as loud exposing it all every single time.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that has defined you or made you stronger?
A: Funny story, I fell off a bus in Shepard’s Bush once. After landing, I couldn’t help but laugh because HOW CAN THAT HAPPEN? It definitely highlighted how much I don’t take life too serious. And it taught me never to turn my back on what’s important and to face it straight on. Maybe if I did that, I wouldn’t have fallen when the doors opened but oh well, I clearly got past that moment lol.
P: What is one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?
A: I would advise my younger self not to go to university if you simply don’t want to. That was such a massive waste of time for me - although I’ve learnt a lot about myself. I learnt about being a woman and how responsibility and patience are fundamentally key parts of this.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
A: Being a woman means love. Loving with all your being and making a change to someone’s life through the gesture of love. Being a woman is figuring out how to love yourself and accepting yourself in your purest form.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say if they were here now?
A: My daughter Ruqayyah is my inspiration because she taught me how to be a woman. She taught me how to love like I had never loved before. She’s here, and so I tell her how much I appreciate her every day.