Rhodesia Jackson: Inclusion Revolution

She’s a fat, black, queer womxn with mental illness...

Society or individuals have tried to erase one or all of her identities. She fights back by being unapologetically herself.

What values, beliefs, and traits do you embody within your business?

Equality. I’m big on people treated fairly and getting an equal chance. Creativity, that’s obvious as a designer. You-ness. It’s important to be your true self, and that should be enough. And colour. Definitely colour. I love bright colours.

“We all are different and we can celebrate each other’s differences.”

Can you tell us about a pivotal point that you went, you know what? Stuff this. I’m just going to be me.

You know Tumblr? I was on there constantly. Seeing fat women who were unapologetic about their bodies and loving themselves. Having relationships and falling in love and being successful was such a pivotal moment for me because I think of, my identities, being fat has always been something that was seen as negative by the world. I decided I’m going to be done feeling bad about myself. I’m going to live it the way I want to do it, and this is what I’m going to do. I used to say I’m going to have a relationship when I’m this. I’m going to feel happy when I do this. But all that is BS. It’s frustrating to think I was waiting to live my life because of that.

What piece of advice would you give people if they want to try and understand more where someone’s coming from?

I would tell them not to see. Like people are people, but everyone’s different, and that’s what’s beautiful about it. The fact that we all are different and we can celebrate each other’s differences, but also know that we’re all still people. I think that’s the most important thing.

What do you believe are the top reasons why people should be pushing towards having an inclusive business?

Because it’s the right thing to do, but that’s beside the point. Some people need to be motivated by numbers. 64% of millennial buyers will be more likely to buy something after they see a diverse business. And then also knowing you can attract people with the same values as you. If you care a lot about the Black Lives Matter movement and stuff like that, you should be posting it on your business profiles. Otherwise, people aren’t going to know that’s what you support and you could get clients that are against it and likely saying all lives matter. You don’t want that. I don’t want it.

I post whatever I feel on social media, so people know what I stand for. Because otherwise you’ll get people who could be the opposite, and then you’ll have to turn projects down or have awkward conversations with clients, and that’s not a good time for anyone.

What would you say is the first step in creating a more inclusive business?

I think the first step is thinking about what it feels like to be in someone else’s shoes. You could pick anything. A different race, body ability, physical impairment or income bracket. Try to think about what it might feel like to hear certain things you see in the news, social media or read and try to figure out how would this person feel if they heard that. Or look for one of the things you might have that puts you into a marginalized group and use that as a catalyst to understand why it might feel exclusionary to someone else.

What kinds of little steps do you feel like people can start to take to step into being more inclusive within themselves?

I think reading books is helpful. The Beauty Myth helped me. Reading about what beauty is and how it’s all something being sold to us. Telling us that we’re not enough. We’re not thin enough. We’re not young enough. Selling you some potion and a lotion to fix that. These are things that it’s all for marketing and making money.

want to hear more?

Listen to Rhodesia’s podcast now >>> https://brandyoumagazine.com.au/issue-one/rhodesia-jackson/#podcast