Akili King – You Must Write Your Own Story

Akili King, the Beauty Editorial Assistant and writer at Vogue Magazine, is a 25-year-old graduate of the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Studies, where she focused on Creative Writing, Africana Studies, and Journalism, along with a French Minor. She was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, until she moved to Paris for her freshman year of college for the NYU Paris program. She is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. Her writing covers the spheres of beauty, wellness, and culture, and her bylines can be seen in the likes of Milk Makeup, Fashion Fair and DRØME. She writes the weekly column Best Beauty Instagrams of the Week for Vogue where she aims to push the envelope of what beauty is considered to be. Her newest series, Texture Diaries, gives space to Black women in the industry to celebrate and affirm their beauty.

Akili is passionate about poetry, film, screenwriting, yoga, and pole dancing. Her poetry can be found in her book, Awakening. She started writing when she was 5 years old. As she grew up, she gained a fascination for the world of beauty and reading magazines– but noticed there were rarely diverse images represented in either spheres. Starting in college, she was inspired to be a part of changing that. Her mission is to continue writing meaningful pieces– through a beauty and wellness lens– that uplift those who don’t often feel seen in the media.

Follow @wokebeauty @rileyblanks @akili_

Read Texture Diaries: https://www.vogue.com/tag/franchise/texture-diaries

Explore more on Woke Beauty: https://www.wokebeauty.com

25:49 // Tweet from Erica Williams Simon: “Best career advice that I can give: Don't ever attach yourself to a person, a place, a company, an organization or a project. Attach yourself to a mission, a calling, a purpose ONLY. That's how you keep your power & your peace. It's worked pretty well for me thus far.”

37:47 // Ancestral healing expert: Ash Johns, @ashinspires

Authors:

Nikki Giovani 

Sonya Sanchez

Don Miguel Ruiz

Podcasts:

So What Do You Do Again

Naked Beauty 

Next in Line

Akili’s advice:

don’t be afraid to take up space, set your boundaries and attach yourself to purpose

beauty is an internal harmony

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.