Welcome to the [Dis]comfort Chronicles where we're tackling the things that bring us, and our community, the most [dis]comfort. In this series, we're speaking to real people from our community about what brings them the most comfort & how they've learnt to become more comfortable with themselves.
First up, we're so excited to introduce you to Natalie – the face of our latest limited edition colour, Kool Grey.
Name: Natalie Alexis Lee (aka @stylemesunday)
Occupation: Influencer and author
Location: London
Tell us a bit about yourself, Natalie?
My name is Natalie, I'm an influencer and an author. I've got a book that is coming out on June 9th that is all about sexual shame and how to overcome it – something all women have.
I have actually got ADHD and dyslexia so the writing process was brutal. Basically, I would just write a jumble of words and luckily I had an editor who would take that and put it into some sort of structure.
How has sexual shame effected you?
I have felt shame as soon as I was born. I felt shame for being a women. I felt shame for having a body. I felt shame for growing up and getting tits and hips. There is just so much sexual shame that is imposed on women. People are policing other peoples bodies and telling them that they're wrong – and that is the issue we have in our society, it's something I'm very passionate about.
How do you monitor your social media usage with it being your full time job?
I just really try not to make it the first thing or the last thing I do. But, sometimes I do. Sometimes I definitely spend too much time on it.
When do you feel most in your comfort zone?
Probably when I'm walking around my house naked.
If I get too comfortable for too long it gets boring. I have to switch it up and I like to be uncomfortable in a work environment. You've always got to try and push the boundaries a little bit and make people think or otherwise it gets dull.
When did you last push yourself out of your comfort zone?
I push myself out of my comfort zone all the time. You have to push past your own insecurities, and any sort of mental torment you're going through. You've just got to not listen and try and enjoy yourself.
How have you learnt to be more comfortable within yourself?
When I look in the mirror and think of all these negative messages like 'you look shit' I try really hard to push past those and think about the things that I do like. The more I do that, the better I feel about myself. I start to see myself through my own eyes rather and stop listening to what society tells you is beautiful, good and worthy.
What do you find to be the biggest stigma around being an influencer?
People assume that you do fuck all and just get paid loads of money. Work isn't supposed to be hard, you're not supposed to hate your job – think you do is an old mindset. Why not do something that you love, that doesn't feel like working?
How do you feel about the current representation of the body positivity movement?
I don't really associate myself with the body positive movement because I'm average size, like 12-14. I'd say I talk about body confidence, which effects all of us. I think the body positivity movement has been highjacked by a lot of white, thin women who have body rolls when they are sat down. They rise so quickly in popularity because they fit into what is acceptable in terms of societies beauty standards and take the focus away from the original creators of the body positivity movement such as black women, fat women, women who are really underrepresented and not seen.
One piece of advice you would give your younger self?
Don't pluck your eyebrows, it's really hard to grow them back and now bushy eyebrows are really in.
A huge thanks to Natalie for sharing her story with us and for being the face of Kool Grey. We still aren't over how great this shoot turned out and are so excited for you to get your hands on this Limited Edition colour whilst stock lasts.
Shop the Limited Edition Kool Grey collection below 🌚