Hey guys, the next girl on our '5 Questions' feature list is Damilola Animashaun talking about herself and her blog, The Dcktator. I'm a really huge fan of both so this might just be my favourite post yet, let's kick off!
1. Who are you and what makes you cool?
My name is Damilola Animashaun, I’m 22 years old and I write.
Right now, I’m in the middle of my mandatory service year, and as a result doing lots of internships until I’m eligible for a proper job. I run a blog called The Dcktator and I also do some editorial work for other publications. I have two jobs as a PR Intern at Multichoice (DStv), and a Fashion Intern at Schick Magazine.
2. Where/why/how/when did Dcktator start?
I used to read a lot as a child so I know many words and I can manipulate English really well. It all started in year 5 when I was asked to write an essay on ‘Why I like school’ and given my lukewarm feelings on the topic, the rebellious writer in me couldn’t find the words to lie. Instead, I wrote a compelling story about ‘why I don’t like school’ and, to my complete amazement, my essay was published in the yearbook. That accolade spurred me on to explore my writing skills and that was the beginning of my career choice. When I ‘grew up’, I watched things like The Devil Wears Prada and Sex and the City and I knew that I was interested in being like what I was watching. My main interest lies in fashion
because I think that clothes and style represent you and give off an impression of you before you can say anything about yourself.
3. Where do you hope to get?
I hope to be a Fashion authority. I don’t even know what that means entirely so I can’t explain it to you. The industry in Nigeria is young and fresh, and there’s lots of potential to tap into and niches to create. I want in 30 years, any publication I’m working with/for/on to be a media powerhouse and THE ultimate Fashion Bible in Nigeria.
4. What challenges have you faced/are you facing and how did you overcome them/hope to overcome them?
Obviously, living in Nigeria this is not an easy ambition to dream, given the rigid structure of society that focuses predominantly on ’traditional’ career choices. The current job climate here limits me in pursuing my chosen career path, as there is not very much set in place that can allow me learn and grow in the field. That is not to say there aren’t any, I’ve had many many amazing opportunities in the last year. To overcome society’s doubts, I just have to do it and show people that I know wtf I’m doing and demand that respect.
5. Do you think any of your challenges relate to being a women? If so how do you think we can prevent other women from facing similar obstacles?
I guess, yes, but that is a pressure I’ve put on myself. If anything, society doesn’t put that much pressure on me in terms of work and money, because to them last last I’ll marry a rich husband and be okay. I however don’t share that sentiment so I get really worried and anxious about the monetery value of my work not coming to fruition, because God forbid that I’ll have to be financially dependent on anybody let alone a man who can literally just wake up and decide to leave me or fuck up and I’ll have to dip. But at the same time, I have faith in myself, in other people in the field and in the industry so it's enough to just enjoy what I’m doing, make a difference no matter how small and hope for the best.
& The best will be achieved, amen! Thank you to Damilola for answering our questions & for picking up on the challenge that is rebelling against the "marry a rich man" ideal, I hope this inspires more girls to be independent! Hope you guys enjoyed that as much as I did, and I look forward to sharing the next features with you!