Thevitamindproject - Africa

[Onecandream]

Africa buys expensive clothes and shoes for her children but she passes them down twice and then resells them for a decent amount so they are actually an investment. Also the clothes she does buy aren’t expensive to be flashy. (Like when you see babies in Hugo boss and moschino ) Africa chooses quality fabrics that are warm/cool, good for playing in, comfortable and keep well so it is actually an economical way of shopping even though the initial layout is quite large.

 

[rainbowlemon]

All the little things do add up over time with every influencer.

 

[blurstoftimes]

i think for me the shock of seeing the kitchen (which i am sure is not part of her intended aesthetic as she never ever shows it!) was a useful reminder to not compare my home to perfect looking insta accounts showing a tiny little curated snippet of their house

 

[ShinyDiscoBalls]

Exactly this. Although somehow no doubt Africa will manage to make out she’s the one who’s so hard done by in this situation. I don’t believe for a moment that they’re living paycheck to paycheck or that they don’t have anything they could sell etc to raise some funds even if it’s just for her own travel expenses.

I’s going to have to be a every man for himself situation and whilst they may seem unfair for those who can’t attend the funeral, such is the harsh reality of life.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I personally love reading your takes Here. Not just on this thread.

Bless you, thank you and you too with your no spend/environmental credentials! I’m sorry to everyone else as conscious that this isn’t a rave thread so won’t keep at the topic. Tbh I largely like her but she’s a paradox right, an ethical influencer? Ethical brand sales rep? She does a lot of really good social justice awareness/content but how can you measure if that mitigates the impact of promoting H&M dresses (with aff links? Not sure?). She’s like v2.0 of the Insta mama it’s v intriguing to watch!

 

[Venuslurker]

I loved the inventive way she used space in their small flat, she's very clever at interiors however I find her very worthy, this whole insta trend of all wooden natural toys and no fisher price plastic crap floating around very unrelatable and her kids must be impossible to buy for as you'd have to make sure any gift is going to fit the *aesthetic*. Puke.

 

[Tattylifeconvos]

It's not my place to say if someone feels they have beem racially profiled, maybe the JL person was a racist and selected these particular items to be passive-aggressive. However in the rant about them she only mentioned them being tacky and not fitting her style aesthetic, it seems like she wants to have the upper hand when it comes to creative control and there is a disconnect between being able to maintain creative control and a company paying you to advert their overpriced tat.

With her last advert for Sky she was pleased to be given so much creative control, she rented a beautiful house and some stylists but it fell flat for me and wasn't an outstanding photo or as outstanding as she thinks it turned out to be.

Again she sent the 'tacky' items to her friend saying that was her friends taste lol but kept the plain ones for herself and reused them on her tree this year.

 

[PenelopeChat]

I followed her for years, loved her and shared similar beliefs, even though I am white

I sometimes comented and most of the time liked her posts. One day, I couldn't find her anymore... She removed me from her followers, during her boiler drama, when I said something like this: "this is horrible, what that company does is illegal. Hope you get things sorted fast!"

I think she clearly has some issues and sometimes likes to pick up fights or makes things worse. And I am not talking about insta, but real life. Her husband seems calm and down to Earth, though.

Also, is one thing to teach your kids about beautiful, earthy colors and cultivate an esthetic, however she seems very controling about it which is sad.

And the way she talked about those Christmas decorations, to say in the end she gave them to a friend... That was in such poor taste towards the friend...

 

[itscoldoutside]

Why are people getting their knickers in a twist about her buying expensive good quality brands? She is really thoughtful about what she buys, hands everything down and probably spends less overall than people who buy a ton of cheap high street stuff. What’s the deal? Are you saying that because she says she was disadvantaged she’s not allowed nice things??

I've been asking myself the same question My knickers are certainly not twisted, and I certainly don't think she shouldn't have nice things. This is a discussion forum. It annoyed me that she spoke down about 'low value fashion', as if she didn't realize that for many people saving up for a £300 jumper was not an option and had no other choice. IMO there's a major lack of self awareness there. Other than that, as I said above, the issue is entirely my own.

 

[Hasanah123]

Two ads she does will cover the 25K if they need it now, thats how much social media pays she, she didnt buy a house with her husband only being a delivery driver! Like come on Africa!!

 

[itscoldoutside]

This feels super extreme for such an innocuous situations. Kids will inevitably find out that the tooth fairy, Santa, etc, aren’t real.

Yes I agree, it just makes her sound really controlling. It's not very inclusive either, there will be loads of kids out there who culturally don't have the tooth fairy/santa/Easter bunny. To me it's a great way to explain to children that we believe this, but not everyone else does.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I’ve resisted saying anything lol but needless to say I think her pics are giving architectural digest & the house is a beautiful example of Afro modernism.

But time to be a cat amongst pigeons but I find it interesting how some of these influencer homes are discussed online and what’s accepted by the mainstream versus not? Every generationally wealthy (white) insta mama has exposed floorboards but it’s never a concern/“poor kids” because there’s the familiar F&B (or now Lick) on the walls and Maileg mice on the beds, and/or each kid has their own room (this is a new thing culturally for even white Brits!!). Idk how a mum who’s spending more time, money, and a developed skill set to create an amazing kids room instead of an easy one can get pooped on either. Idk just encourage ppl to scratch the surface a little on some of these opinions

 

[Venuslurker]

I don't think I

I believe she has said in the past that they can wear what they want when they're buying it themselves

yikes, poor kids, tbh I think any obsession with a certain "aesthetic" is pretty shallow and boring.

 

[itscoldoutside]

Yeah privilege is complex and nuanced. I don’t remember her ever referring to herself as “under privileged” and it’s a weird turn of phrase, I wouldn’t expect someone with understanding of privilege and social justice as she clearly does to say that…? Like just because she can currently afford premium knitwear doesn’t negate the lived experiences of someone who (from my vague interpretation, apologies if wrong) grew up in a low income household? Like she still won’t have the social capital or intergenerational wealth or education/career opportunities that someone who grew up under different, more privileged, circumstances may have?

In the video posted a few pages back of her SH flat she states SH is for underprivileged people.
I totally get that we are all privileged to one extent or another and that there is nuance to it. I'm not against her or anyone else buying higher end products BTW, but for someone who was constantly calling out other people failing to acknowledge their own privilege, it just seems to jar, or not marry that she wouldn't acknowledge her own. I would go as far as to say she seemed to downplay what she did have, by saying she was very frugal and always looking for a bargain. Except that items she tagged (I'm not just talking clothes, but home ware too) were far from a bargain.

Apologies for posting again... Maybe the issue is mine. I think in my head I expect people who call out the privilege of others to acknowledge their own. The doctor mummy is great at this (perhaps a bit OTT at times, you're allowed to have nice things Ria!) and I think it makes sense and is appropriate. It's not about apologising for what you have, but people will expect you to live by the standards that you uphold others to. I would also expect someone who grew up in hard times to understand that some people have to shop in Primark or supermarkets, and that this doesn't mean you can't love the clothing or value it. Ditto plastic toys, not everyone can afford wooden ones.

 

[itscoldoutside]

The thought of letting a passport expire and only bothering to renew if/when you have travel planned is wild to me, although of course it happens especially if someone is older and money is tight.
But what if you wanted to go overseas at short notice to attend, for example, a funeral? 🫠
Or a million other reasons you might need to prove your identity.

They have only raised ~4k. I wonder how the money will be allocated if it doesn’t cover everyone’s costs. Who decides who misses out etc. Stuff like this has the potential to cause serious rifts.

I think there's quite a number of people in UK who don't prioritise renewing a passport for the sake of it. Maybe they've never been out of UK before and don't intend to travel.
Although she's sharing it I highly doubt Africa will use any money raised. They both have good jobs, kids in private schools etc, it would be a bit brass neck IMO to be living this level of privilege and crowd fund for yourself.

 

[Mousejen]

No, just over £6k

Honestly I think it's a huge ask to crowd fund that much money, and I sympathize about the cost of getting so many family members to the funeral but it feels a bit unrealistic to raise that much money.

 

[rainbowlemon]

I think the company in question is Samsung. Apple’s earnings are higher.

I had no had idea they could leave a watertight contract without having to pay her a penny, especially when she’s already paid for things like her usual photographer.

 

[InstaHunDone]

Lots of people can't afford to go to loved ones funerals abroad. It's very sad but that's the reality of life. In such situations, a funeral is held in the country the person was residing in and a memorial service in thr other country. Sometimes ashes are brought back to be scattered or interred. Expecting other people to donate £25/30k is just ridiculous.

 

[itscoldoutside]

Idk like at the end of the day no child is going to have every single toy they want at home so I don’t feel any way about the aesthetic boundaries stuff tbh lol. Kids get to play with such a breadth of toys through play groups/nursery/play dates/cousins etc but still go back to what they have and remain untraumatised? Kids have to be told no and suffer disappointment whether it’s over a horrific pink barbie private jet or ice cream for breakfast. They’re evidently not deprived of toys or adult led play

I love the gift boundary stuff though and have used it, in our situation it benefitted the gifter who felt a huge pressure to go OTT (she’s a superstar auntie who is the love of my LO’s life), it meant we were both really happy with the compromise we discussed and I don’t have to deal with a new 56 piece Duplo set entering our home twice a year! Appreciate it may be more awkward for acquaintance level friends or super extended family if those ppl buy for your family.

Of course its not healthy or desirable to give a child every single thing they want. But forbidding one toy that they love because it doesn't suit your aesthetic? Come on, that's mean . Life is full of disappointments so respecting your own child's likes/dislikes is important. I believe where it is safe children should be allowed to have some agency, and possessions and clothes are one way to let them exercise this.

 

[PraiseMcGoven]

I wonder how her older children feel about being made to wear clothes that fit Africa's aesthetics or do they have a secret stash of bright clothing to wear offline

I believe she has said in the past that they can wear what they want when they're buying it themselves