Hey, @kaylaronline here!

Pour it up, pour it up! Rihanna has officially made it to billionaire status. I’m sure I was not the only one applauding her from home when I heard the news. I mean, we love to see it. She is an amazing role model to so many black women all over the world.

Not only is Robyn Fenty- known to the world as Rihanna, a successful singer, she’s also a successful business owner, second to only Oprah Winfrey as the richest female entertainer in the world. 

Rihanna has done such a good job of showing us that success means hard work but never means compromising who you are. She smashes every project she works on and always stays true to who she is. An authentic, successful babe from Barbados!

I’ve also recently spent my evenings watching Love Island on ITV and I must admit, I admire Kaz for how she has carried herself throughout her time on love island. She has graced our televisions with her beauty, emotional intelligence, intellect & humour. I truly believe she’s an amazing role model for so many young black women. I’m so proud that she’s been given such a huge platform and hasn’t once let us down.

But why is representation so important to the black community? There’s a grain of truth to the phrase ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’. If you want to follow a particular career path, it’s natural to look for guidance from people who are already successful. If your  field is full of brilliant people who look like you, you’re more likely to flourish.

Growing up, I did not always feel represented. From my history lessons in school to watching  Disney movies at the cinema - I always felt like me and my family were never mirrored. 

For example- Barbie is clearly put on a high pedestal to all 3-7 year old girls. She succeeds at every job she takes on but always looks prim and proper. Yet I always struggled to find a good quality barbie that had hair texture like mine. While all textures of hair are beautiful, this later led to me chemically changing my curls early on in my teenage years.

That’s why I feel it’s even more important for young black girls to feel represented in all walks of life. To feel as if they can see themselves standing in the shoes of someone wonderful, successful and unapologetically black. 

Although we are all individually wonderful, having role models who inspire us is definitely important. I believe everyone should have characters and images they can relate to. It helps us embrace our culture and make our goals realistic.

Representation matters, mainly because everyone deserves to see themselves in their hero’s. And the young women of today are so lucky that they have so many strong, successful black women who they can look up to. 

With that being said, if Rihanna can do it, we can all do it too!