I am a Haitian born and raise in the states. Grew up in a very old school religious family. I am the youngest & only female of three boys, who marches to the beat of her own drum. By day time I’m an office manager however my passion is creative arts so I started my own craft buisness.
How and when did you first start playing mas? *
I’ve always wanted to play mas, however I never had the guts to do it in my hometown so I conquered my fear in 2017 playing for Tribal Carnival at Toronto Carribana.
What carnival experience has been your favourite (and most proud) to date? *
My most proud/favorite carnival experience was the past Trinidad Carnival 2019. The men in attendance were highly respectful and although I wasn’t as fit as I would have liked to be I still felt confident to play.
What are some of your must-have carnival essentials?
My must have carnival essentials I would have to say where my skin tone stockings which I got from carnivalstockings.com they save thickies from chaffing early on in the day. Insoles for my sneakers as it was a very long trip down the road. Last but not least a travel size sowing kit w/ glue for those last minute patch up jobs.
Describe your perfect mas experience:
My perfect mas experience would have to be one where the mas band is attentive, responsive & accomedating to the paying masqueraders needs no matter what size or where they are traveling from in the world.
What would you like to tell people about mas, that they may not know?
Your attitude is everything. You will have negative experiences like most others do but you definitely have to remain positive about things panning out for the better. A negative attitude just attracts more negativity.
Your City: *
Boston, Ma
Would you change anything about playing mas in your city?
I would change the violence that occurs and judgemental mentalities.
If you could play mas with one soca artist, who would it be, and why?
I actually got to play mas with the Soca artist I admire the most but I didn’t get to see her on the road. She goes by the name, Destra. I identify with her lyrics so closely especially the song “Lucy”
Do you think there is currently an unspoken age or size limit on playing mas?
I feel like playing mas is a personal thing however not all bands make it seem like they are as inviting to every body type as they can. Body image is something I believe everyone struggles with but at the same time carnival should never be about how you look more than how you feel about yourself. A lot of times the samples for band lunches have models that are single digit sizes and for someone who isn’t in the single digits it can be intimidating. So I think if more bands would display a variety of options offered it would help more folks to play and feel more inclusive.
Do you have a message of encouragement for the #everyBODYplayahmas network? *
you should never let others make or tell you your value. You’re worth is something you determine for yourself. Society is constantly changing what is considered acceptable beauty and there’s no point in trying to keep up because you’ll end up trying to satisfy everyone except the one who is most important which is yourself.
Tell us about your journey to becoming a confident woman:
My journey to becoming a confident woman is an ongoing one. Some days I feel strong other days not so much but on the days I don’t feel as strong I do my best not to be so hard on myself. I also tried to keep in mind that no one is perfect even the people we might think are the most well off have flaws and disappointments in themselves. So I do my best to focus on the parts of my body I do love I wear clothing that adorn those parts of my body while I’m working on loving and bettering the other parts I’m not so confident about. Rarely do I follow what’s trending closely.
Do you have any mentors/role models who have inspired you along the way?
My sister-in-law inspires me in a fashionable sense. While my mother inspires me to be frugal about my fashion sense.
How do you think movements like #everyBODYplayahmas assist masqueraders?
Movements like this assist masqueraders because it helps us find commonality. Before playing mass in Trinidad I was nervous because a lot of the images I saw online came from smaller figure women. Not to say that those women don’t have the right to celebrate their bodies but it worried me that maybe I would not be as excepted at my currently size. Experiencing my father falling sick the last quarter of 2018 and finally him passing away early 2019 really played a role in me losing track of my fitness. However I found this movement at the right time because it showed me there are in fact women my size who played not only in their respective cities but in Trinidad as well. So a lot of the pressure of losing weight and being “carnival fit” was lifted off my shoulders.
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