Julia Lahme

When I was a little girl, my grandmother told me that as women age, they should wear more diamonds close to their faces for lighting purposes. I believe the same goes for glitter - just a touch every day. It makes me feel feminine, yet there’s also a rebelliousness in glitter. While some find it excessive and believe we shouldn’t draw too much attention, I advocate for taking up space, being loud, and wearing as much glitter as we can carry.

To me, this is pure communication as we continuously decipher each other. That’s why I’ll always encourage everyone to deeply care about expressing themselves through their daily attire.

Juggling family and work is an impossible project, yet we persist. I believe we must strive to be fully present wherever we are. We should endeavor to shake off the feeling of inadequacy and the pressure to live up to certain ideals. Freedom is essential; we must craft our lives to wrap the people we love in genuine affection, demonstrating that our work is a testament to our boundless devotion. We don’t have to choose between love and work.

Our lives as women are multifaceted, and we should be exceedingly grateful for that. Often, when people discuss their lives, they mention their work and the number of children they have. But love is equally significant. So perhaps the question we should all answer is: Who do we love? Who brings love into our lives, perhaps making everything run smoothly? Therefore, when explaining who we are, let’s not only list jobs and children but also the special people we love, our friends, and why.

Classic feminism and the equal rights movement advocate for the right to earn and maintain our wages, to define our lives independently of any man. I genuinely believe that all women should strive for that. I strongly feel that we lose something vital if we’re not truly equal.

We’re at a joyful junction in our cultural history, where, for the first time in centuries, the female body has been allowed diverse expressions. The sense is that we don’t all have to conform to a certain tiny size to dress beautifully. Masai’s expertise in dressing women of all sizes signifies support for women’s freedom and joy in dressing their bodies.

The female body has been repressed throughout cultural history. There has always been a predetermined way women were expected to look to be deemed beautiful. I firmly believe that we must decide to no longer be repressed and turn away from comparing ourselves to others. Instead, let’s focus on how it feels to be in the company of women, rather than on how they look.

Masai stories are about women's lives and the beauty and strength that emerge when life's passions are allowed to unfold, and when one chooses to listen to oneself and do what one dreams of.

Masai stories are portraits of committed and passionate women - women who inspire us every day. The stories are about diversity, openness, about courage, and not least about the freedom to be and choose oneself.