Chidera Eggerue aka The Slumflower #2

[lisa-seketa]

In a “blink and you’ll miss it moment” Aja Barber did a live yesterday where she was talking as if this whole thing is over, and how the people that tit-stirred it up need to speak up and be accountable to the whole mess in terms of stoking it and supporting CE to the detriment of other black women as well as FG. AND someone said in the comments that Aja was really looking at LBG.
So sum-thing must have happened (legally?) since she once again felt okay with talking about it since last time she got a torrent of abuse and that CE had “breadcrumbed” a trail for CE’s followed to get to Aja. And again

 

[korma]

LBG also posted this. What a 180, after literally a few weeks ago making a post saying "Black people leave your paypal/ venmo here so white people can send you cash", to now "I don't believe all white people are racist". She made her money and got out - must be nice

 

[Wagatha]

Not sure what to make of LBG’s posts, I haven’t been aware of her although I remember SF reposting things where she was being encouraging. Has she now quit the internet after trying the “”reparations”” thing herself?

 

[korma]

Not sure what to make of LBG’s posts, I haven’t been aware of her although I remember SF reposting things where she was being encouraging. Has she now quit the internet after trying the “”reparations”” thing herself?

Basically, in a nutshell, yes - but not before announcing that she's decided white people aren't all racist and she no longer believes in "woke" culture

 

[lisa-seketa]

Hey! SF is back on her “pay me all the royalties then pull the book” BS train. Sigh. So nothing has been resolved. Sigh.

 

[Crumpet41]

Hey! SF is back on her “pay me all the royalties then pull the book” BS train. Sigh. So nothing has been resolved. Sigh.

And yet still no mention of Quadrille publishers .

 

[alice88a]

LBG also posted this. What a 180, after literally a few weeks ago making a post saying "Black people leave your paypal/ venmo here so white people can send you cash", to now "I don't believe all white people are racist". She made her money and got out - must be nice

Tbh I think this goes against the very point which she was trying to make - it’s ok to make mistakes, mess up, be human, she sees now what she did was wrong and is speaking up about the dangers of toxic wokeness which she herself got wrapped up in. She’s saying it’s ok to change your mind about things (which it is, and is what she’s doing). She made a mistake and sees things differently now, haven’t we all done that at some point? I think it’s great she’s grown and spoken up about leaving the echo chamber. We all make mistakes, that’s how we learn. Let her live.
Her posts here remind me of Africa Brooke’s blog post on why she’s leaving wokeness, linked here if anyone is interested: https://ckarchive.com/b/d0ueh0h67mpd
I think we need more voices like this speaking up about toxic wokeness so I fully support LBG’s 180.

Hey! SF is back on her “pay me all the royalties then pull the book” BS train. Sigh. So nothing has been resolved. Sigh.

She reminds me of the most toxic and unreasonable person I’ve ever met and had the misfortune of living with, I hate it so much. She needs to just stop this now.

 

[Crumpet41]

Tbh I think this goes against the very point which she was trying to make - it’s ok to make mistakes, mess up, be human, she sees now what she did was wrong and is speaking up about the dangers of toxic wokeness which she herself got wrapped up in. She’s saying it’s ok to change your mind about things (which it is, and is what she’s doing). She made a mistake and sees things differently now, haven’t we all done that at some point? I think it’s great she’s grown and spoken up about leaving the echo chamber. We all make mistakes, that’s how we learn. Let her live.
Her posts here remind me of Africa Brooke’s blog post on why she’s leaving wokeness, linked here if anyone is interested: https://ckarchive.com/b/d0ueh0h67mpd
I think we need more voices like this speaking up about toxic wokeness so I fully support LBG’s 180.


She reminds me of the most toxic and unreasonable person I’ve ever met and had the misfortune of living with, I hate it so much. She needs to just stop this now.

What a bloody good read that was from Africa Brooke. Thank you for sharing. With regards to LBG i too support the change in thinking.. it shows reflection and growth whereas SF doesn't really seem to have taken the time to consider all angles of her argument. There is no doubt there is an argument to be had around the publishing industry - had she taken to this route i would have been supporting her cause (and should this still happen in future i will still offer my support as i do genuinely believe change needs to happen).

ETA - i think Aja Barber is also quite rigid in her thinking - she often shares comments made by white people telling them to shut up. On some occasions i have understood the point that the person who messaged is making. Yet she just shuts them down and tells them to F off her page - which of course is her right (given its her IG account) but it leaves little scope for debate and learning. This is what i was taught at uni - we debate to put forward our ideas and we listen to the other so we can develop our thinking.

 

[alice88a]

What a bloody good read that was from Africa Brooke. Thank you for sharing. With regards to LBG i too support the change in thinking.. it shows reflection and growth whereas SF doesn't really seem to have taken the time to consider all angles of her argument. There is no doubt there is an argument to be had around the publishing industry - had she taken to this route i would have been supporting her cause (and should this still happen in future i will still offer my support as i do genuinely believe change needs to happen).

If you liked the essay by Africa Brooke on leaving wokeness, you may also like this 5 min video by Ayishat Akanbi called ‘The Problem With Wokeness’.

 

[YoureaRocketQueen]

Tbh I think this goes against the very point which she was trying to make - it’s ok to make mistakes, mess up, be human, she sees now what she did was wrong and is speaking up about the dangers of toxic wokeness which she herself got wrapped up in. She’s saying it’s ok to change your mind about things (which it is, and is what she’s doing). She made a mistake and sees things differently now, haven’t we all done that at some point? I think it’s great she’s grown and spoken up about leaving the echo chamber. We all make mistakes, that’s how we learn. Let her live.
Her posts here remind me of Africa Brooke’s blog post on why she’s leaving wokeness, linked here if anyone is interested: https://ckarchive.com/b/d0ueh0h67mpd
I think we need more voices like this speaking up about toxic wokeness so I fully support LBG’s 180.


She reminds me of the most toxic and unreasonable person I’ve ever met and had the misfortune of living with, I hate it so much. She needs to just stop this now.

Thanks for sharing this. I think CE comes across as narcissistic and entitled. And borderline radicalised?
I relate some of this to what happened in the previous thread too.

 

[Wagatha]

I apologise if I say anything offensive in this message and will welcome being called out for it. It’s not my intention.

SF is trying to say that her situation is the same as the fantastic I May Destroy You being snubbed by awards. This really winds me up because it just plays into the hands of prejudiced people. IMDY was an amazing piece of work that has not had recognition unfairly due to racism. WATTBA is not the same thing! The equivalence is “anything a Black woman makes is inherently excellent”. I’m having a hard time articulating that it seems like SF is weaponising racism and it’s the kind of thing that will push people further into racist ways of thinking because she’s hitching herself to something legitimate but as a scam. I feel like it makes it easier for someone to dismiss the evidence of racism in the situation with IMDY if people chip in with “yeah, just like WATTBA!” because that situation is so murky and scammy that it devalues it. IMDY is clearly not getting the respect it richly deserves due to racism and that needs to be fixed. Even with quality issues aside, WATTBA is sold out, SF is making money hand over fist with PayPal and SkillShare and what she wants is more money or to bring FG’s career down. WATTBA has had and is getting its dues with that sold out run, SF is getting hers, this just isn’t the same.

There are problems in publishing and representation but it doesn’t look to me like CE has actually spoken on the numbers of BAME people in publishing, the chances given etc. She’s just loudly taken one of those (unfairly) rare positions and started setting fires all around herself. She was happily shutting Munroe out where she could by encouraging followers to cancel preorders (in sharing all those messages of “I’ve cancelled my preorder to give you the money”). Everything she does devalues the work of others that got her where she is.

I can’t get my head around in what world SF is being silenced?? She’s harassing everyone else off their platform ffs! She made over 27k off skillshare in January alone!

 

[bunnyblue]

I apologise if I say anything offensive in this message and will welcome being called out for it. It’s not my intention.

SF is trying to say that her situation is the same as the fantastic I May Destroy You being snubbed by awards. This really winds me up because it just plays into the hands of prejudiced people. IMDY was an amazing piece of work that has not had recognition unfairly due to racism. WATTBA is not the same thing! The equivalence is “anything a Black woman makes is inherently excellent”. I’m having a hard time articulating that it seems like SF is weaponising racism and it’s the kind of thing that will push people further into racist ways of thinking because she’s hitching herself to something legitimate but as a scam. I feel like it makes it easier for someone to dismiss the evidence of racism in the situation with IMDY if people chip in with “yeah, just like WATTBA!” because that situation is so murky and scammy that it devalues it. IMDY is clearly not getting the respect it richly deserves due to racism and that needs to be fixed. Even with quality issues aside, WATTBA is sold out, SF is making money hand over fist with PayPal and SkillShare and what she wants is more money or to bring FG’s career down. WATTBA has had and is getting its dues with that sold out run, SF is getting hers, this just isn’t the same.

There are problems in publishing and representation but it doesn’t look to me like CE has actually spoken on the numbers of BAME people in publishing, the chances given etc. She’s just loudly taken one of those (unfairly) rare positions and started setting fires all around herself. She was happily shutting Munroe out where she could by encouraging followers to cancel preorders (in sharing all those messages of “I’ve cancelled my preorder to give you the money”). Everything she does devalues the work of others that got her where she is.

I can’t get my head around in what world SF is being silenced?? She’s harassing everyone else off their platform ffs! She made over 27k off skillshare in January alone!

I agree, and as you said it bothers me that CE is acting as though FG stole any potential success... except WATTBA did extremely well (per insta post I’ve attached she outsold her advance within a year of publication), so well that the publishers were more than happy to publish another CE book, How To Get Over a Boy, and even a spin off journal for WATTBA?
Is she really saying that there should be some kind of 5 year / indefinite ban on others releasing similar style books?

It’s just such a childish way of thinking, I feel like the best people that become successful where others like them haven’t before (whether it’s because of their gender, their race, their ability), if they’re mature they want to make their success the success of others.
Whereas CE just seems to want to slam the door shut behind her (and this falls in line with criticism people make about her being all about the individual rather than community).

There is absolutely truth that CE likely did not have the kind of success as FG due to racism, due to FG being more “palatable”, but it’s disingenuous of her to pretend WATTBA wasn’t successful at all and that FG is stealing the success of a 2 year old book.

Sorry for the rant, apparently had to get it off my chest

 

[alice88a]

I know racism gets cited a lot for why WDOYP did better than WATTBA, sure maybe that’s part of it. I have mixed heritage so I know from my own experience what racism is like in this country. Florence’s ‘palatability’ gets cited too. But I think honestly WATTBA is just not that good and this also may be something to do with it. It’s like reading several instagram captions printed together on colourful paper. There’s no depth to anything, it’s all surface-level, superficial self help stuff which has mostly been said before. You can see from the way CE has acted with this whole affair that she’s just not that much of a critical, deep thinker (see: her row over ‘reparations’) and this is shown in her book too, in my view.

WATTBA is 1 hour as an audiobook whereas WDOYP is 4.5 (suggesting there’s more depth to the latter than the former). It’s just not that good IMO. Not only that but it isn’t even marketed as a book on feminism (the word doesn’t appear in the book a single time; she did NOT try to write a feminist book whatever she’s saying now). Whereas FG’s book is clearly intended to be a feminist text drawing on existing feminist theory and written accessibly for a younger audience. Feminism is a big topic amongst gen z/milennials + so it makes sense a book about feminism and marketed as such would do well over general self help.

WDOYP also has a lot more depth to it, it’s a stronger text IMO. There’s more detail and information than anything CE talks about in her book.
I honestly think citing racism and palatability undermines the fact FG actually has put a lot of hard graft into making a decent, accessible and successful entry-level feminist text and deserves her success. I think it’s great to have these discussions though as racism usually acts in insidious and subtle ways so it’s good to talk about this kinda stuff in depth!

 

[Wagatha]

Whereas CE just seems to want to slam the door shut behind her (and this falls in line with criticism people make about her being all about the individual rather than community).

There is absolutely truth that CE likely did not have the kind of success as FG due to racism, due to FG being more “palatable”, but it’s disingenuous of her to pretend WATTBA wasn’t successful at all and that FG is stealing the success of a 2 year old book.

Sorry for the rant, apparently had to get it off my chest

yes, this, it feels like she almost wants to be THE exceptional individual rather than owning that actually, lots of people could have done this but have been traditionally locked out of publishing. It’s not that SF is better than every other woman in her position and demographic but she managed to leverage her opportunities and could be uplifting other women with her until it’s not an exceptional thing.

I think partially though, she’s so desperate to be seen as grown up with all her dating bollocks that she doesn’t want to accept that her audience are young people and a lot of the opportunities she could help with are probably around facilitating creativity and discussions with young adults. She’d rather be posting about dating rich men though, which is not complementary to the audience buying My First Feminism for their kids.

I really feel judging by how deferential FG’s tone was in the messages there was space for them to have done something together leveraging the success of BOTH books. But it’s spun out into a ridiculous mess that reflects so poorly on Chidera.

Ok I need to log off and stop posting scrollers about influencers!!

 

[bunnyblue]

I know racism gets cited a lot for why WDOYP did better than WATTBA, sure maybe that’s part of it. I have mixed heritage so I know from my own experience what racism is like in this country. Florence’s ‘palatability’ gets cited too. But I think honestly WATTBA is just not that good and this also may be something to do with it. It’s like reading several instagram captions printed together on colourful paper. There’s no depth to anything, it’s all surface-level, superficial self help stuff which has mostly been said before. You can see from the way CE has acted with this whole affair that she’s just not that much of a critical, deep thinker (see: her row over ‘reparations’) and this is shown in her book too, in my view.

WATTBA is 1 hour as an audiobook whereas WDOYP is 4.5 (suggesting there’s more depth to the latter than the former). It’s just not that good IMO. Not only that but it isn’t even marketed as a book on feminism (the word doesn’t appear in the book a single time; she did NOT try to write a feminist book whatever she’s saying now). Whereas FG’s book is clearly intended to be a feminist text drawing on existing feminist theory and written accessibly for a younger audience. Feminism is a big topic amongst gen z/milennials + so it makes sense a book about feminism and marketed as such would do well over general self help.

WDOYP also has a lot more depth to it, it’s a stronger text IMO. There’s more detail and information than anything CE talks about in her book.
I honestly think citing racism and palatability undermines the fact FG actually has put a lot of hard graft into making a decent, accessible and successful entry-level feminist text and deserves her success. I think it’s great to have these discussions though as racism usually acts in insidious and subtle ways so it’s good to talk about this kinda stuff in depth!

I actually love this whole comment! And it’s true, it’s hard (for me) to have a full opinion because I’ve only read CE’s book (I’ve had FG’s for months and it’s still sitting on my shelf), and “It’s like reading several instagram captions printed together on colourful paper.” is entirely accurate.

I suppose the racism/palatability still comes into it in terms of their popularity and fan base, but it’s still not that straightforward because CE endorses some lines of thought (dating/using men for money) that most won’t be on board with, so there’s more to it.

All this to say your comment is spot on.

 

[stopthescams]

WATTBA is 1 hour as an audiobook whereas WDOYP is 4.5 (suggesting there’s more depth to the latter than the former). It’s just not that good IMO.

Quoting this bit in particular because it’s true! Florences book has a lot more written content in hers compared to WATTBA. Florences book is not the same as hers and florence has put more effort in my opinion, but I haven’t read HTGOAB so can’t comment on that one.

also, I just found this in one of the last pages of What a Time To Be Alone and I thought..ironic

 

[lisa-seketa]

SF is trying to say that her situation is the same as the fantastic I May Destroy You being snubbed by awards. This really winds me up because it just plays into the hands of prejudiced people. IMDY was an amazing piece of work that has not had recognition unfairly due to racism. WATTBA is not the same thing!

I agree 1000000% First off, IMDY is an outstanding piece of work that should be mandatory viewing for every person in the universe and win every award possible. Secondly, I have not seen Emily, so my uninformed opinion is that it can’t even hold the door open for IMDY. And to make this false equivalence is completely mind-boggling. Dare I say “gas-lighting”?
Sidebar: Not only did IMDY not get nominated because of racism but also because the GG nominations are truly based on how much the stars of projects and their PR smooze up to the Hollywood Foreign Press. It’s a TOTAL BS show of giving the nominating committee hand written letters, flowers - all the nonsense. And a puff project like Emily needs all the help it can get whereas IMDY is a stand-alone work of genius and if you don’t recognize that then what the hell is wrong with you?

 

[alice88a]

I actually love this whole comment! And it’s true, it’s hard (for me) to have a full opinion because I’ve only read CE’s book (I’ve had FG’s for months and it’s still sitting on my shelf), and “It’s like reading several instagram captions printed together on colourful paper.” is entirely accurate.

I suppose the racism/palatability still comes into it in terms of their popularity and fan base, but it’s still not that straightforward because CE endorses some lines of thought (dating/using men for money) that most won’t be on board with, so there’s more to it.

All this to say your comment is spot on.

I absolutely agree that influencers who are black (maddeningly) struggle more than their white counterparts so this is a possible element with regards to FG/CE’s fanbases.

But I think there’s also some more nuance here - when you look at their IG grids FG is known for her colourful infographics + illustrations which are highly shareable in the world of social media and this is how she has built her brand up. Having shareable infographics and illustrations, which are relatable + politically relevant, has been key to her visibility and growth on IG, which is an image sharing platform after all. Whereas CE’s insta content is pretty much all selfies and that’s not something people will share or relate to in the same way they do with FG’s content, so she may have less visibility online due to this reason; the kind of content she is putting out is much less relatable and shareable in the realm of Instagram.
I personally am bored to tears of IG feeds full of influencers posing - I am not a big fan of FG (despite what might appear to be me white-knighting her here) but I would personally rather follow someone who shares images which are relatable and informative like hers than someone who just posts selfies. I know that might not be the same for everyone but just sharing my 2 cents.

I am not really on anyone’s side, and as a mixed person it is hard for me to not be able to side with Chidera - I just want to be able to share what I see as the nuanced areas which I think are missing so far from the discussion.

 

[korma]

Lorddddddd has anyone seen Chidera's video rant on her ig story just now. She's actually just some foul mouthed bully, so aggressive, spiteful and nasty. Throwing Munroe's name around yet again and saying she's more disappointed in black influencers than she is in Florence. This girl is an embarrassment, she's acting like she's in some secondary school beef, I don't think she actually realises how much she's putting her career and everything she's worked for at risk by being so slanderous. Mess.

 

[HaveSomeMilk]

Lorddddddd has anyone seen Chidera's video rant on her ig story just now. She's actually just some foul mouthed bully, so aggressive, spiteful and nasty. Throwing Munroe's name around yet again and saying she's more disappointed in black influencers than she is in Florence. This girl is an embarrassment, she's acting like she's in some secondary school beef, I don't think she actually realises how much she's putting her career and everything she's worked for at risk by being so slanderous. Mess.

I was watching it earlier out loud and my boyfriend called out “oi is that the slumflower girl? She sounds tapped!” Haha

she was insinuating a lot that Florence had been showing off her wealth that she had accrued on her Instagram stories but chidera posts day in day out people paypalling her money so what gives.

Didn’t realise we were already on a second thread! Wow time moves fast