Kashionn

Kashira "Kashionn" Al-Sabir is a blogger and YouTuber from Baltimore MD. She also hosts events for her brands Styled By The Influence (focused on arts) and Girls From Venus (focused on fashion and women's empowerment). I was able to work closely with her at an event I hosted on my university's campus and saw that she is definitely a spunky spirit to be around. Shortly after that event, I noticed that whenever there was a major event, both locally and out of state, she was there. Her networking skills are unmatched and I have no doubt that she will go far in her career path. Her fanbase is continuously growing, which is why I thought she was a great fit to be this month's It Girl. I took the time to ask her some questions and here's what she had to say:

Q:  What's your opinion on confidence? How did you gain it? How do you express it?

K: Throughout my life, people have always had more confidence in me than I've had for myself. My parents always encouraged my siblings and i to be whoever we wanted to be, express ourselves in any way possible. Though I had that support, I struggled with my confidence a lot because I felt so different than others. I had different dreams, different goals, I always stood out in some way and I hated it. as I got older, I understood I couldn't comprise myself to be like others. I asked myself one day " well if everybody else sees this potential in you, why don't you see it in yourself?" I gained confidence by understanding I was built for every dream or goal I had. I started believing in myself, knowing that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. Times get hard and I do loose confidence in myself, but then I look back on me starting SBTI and GFV, having The Kashion Show and remember how good it felt.

Q: What is your opinion on self love? How did you gain it? How do you express it?

K: Self love and confidence go hand and hand to me. How can you love yourself but not have confidence in yourself or vice versa? I struggled with self love too. Thinking back on it, I was in a rough place. In that timeframe, I lost my dad, lost some friends, I was just lost. I compared myself to others a lot. Spent way too much time making others happy rather than myself. I basically gained my self love back by taking control over my life. Everything I do, I want my dad to be proud of me and I definitely wasn't going down a great path. I kinda picked myself up. I spent time alone trying to understand myself, treating myself and dove into my work. I consumed myself with things that would make me happy. I wrote positive affirmations around my mirror and deleted negative thoughts. It's still a working progress but I've come a long way. And I'm proud of where I am now, and where I'm going.

Q: What celebrity do you think embodies self-love and confidence?

K: The celebrity that I think embodies self love and confidence is Bad Gal Riri. Rihanna is the definition of a carefree black girl. She carries herself in such an honorable manner. People think women who wear revealing clothing have little to no self love or self value but she shows you that no matter what she's in, she's the one. She's valuable. She loves the skin she's in. Sometimes you see it, sometimes you don't. Rih dominates every industry and projects herself into everything she does. She has so much confidence in herself to push limits and try new things. I believe she's a great role model.

If you want to keep in touch with Kashira, you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @Kashionn trust me, she's a great person to follow!