GRRRL Talk with Isah

Hey everyone!  GRRRL Clothing is nothing without you. The history of this amazing brand starts with your personal GRRRL story! I am making it my mission to share your stories by featuring one special GRRRL each month!  Lets see what Isah had to say in this edition of #GRRRLTALK.

SPUNKY: How did you discover GRRRL?

 ISAH: When I was doing CrossFit and bodybuilding, I was looking for clothes that fit my African-American and non-mainstream body type. I don’t trust that clothes will fit me properly when the models aren’t shaped like me. None of the mainstream advertisers were using strengt athletes in their ads (at the time). It was all dancers and yoga type athletes. Also, I was extremely disheartened that there were few African American athletes representing brands. One day a girl I followed on Instagram (Bri from The Chocolate Bar Podcast) posted an ad with her in it. There she was with her long locs, broad shoulders, slim waist, wide hips, and thighs. I had to investigate what sort of clothing company was daring enough to go against the grain.

SPUNKY: What made you want to be part of this movement.

ISAH: It turns out, I wasn’t an instant fan of the clothes because they used “flipping the bird” imagery and “fuck” in all the shirts I liked and you can’t wear those types of clothes on Army Bases. After further investigation, I realized Kortney Olsen, another Instagrammer I followed, who posted about women’s empowerment owned the company. What drew me in was the slogan “Our clothes won’t change the world, but the women who wear them will.”  So, I joined GRRRL’S  private Facebook to see if this clothing line was really about women’s empowerment and broad representation or a farce. I was impressed by the conversations in the group and how well the discussions were moderated. Then KO announced a live event in Vegas (GRRRL Live 17)! I jumped at the opportunity to network with other fitness athletes and do my part to amplify the positive message Kortney was emitting.

SPUNKY: What was the first thing you wore?

ISAH: As stated before, I didn’t own any of the clothes, but once I knew I was going to GL17, I figured I better buy something, so I bought the “Not your Competition” shirt because it truly represented my inner athlete.

SPUNKY: How did finding GRRRL change your life?

ISAH: GRRRL  has led me to so many wonderful women who I have had the pleasure of forging real-life relationships. Through my involvement with GRRRL, I have had conversations with some of the most interesting people  and I can learn and talk about a myriad of issues that plague so many women. My eyes are opened to the struggles of women who don’t look exactly like me and I have the opportunity to listen to their experiences.  Also through GRRRL, I gained more self-confidence in my athletic lifter’s body even when surrounded by a bunch of runners.

ISAH: While GRRRL is a great brand to be associated with and the #GRRRLARMY consists of supportive women who lift each other up, stand by one another through difficult times and show love. The most important relationship is still the one that you have with yourself. Learn how to lift yourself up even when you are seemingly all alone. We all have our bag of shit and trust me you don’t want mine, just as much as I don’t want yours. You have to learn how to live with what you’ve got. Lastly remember, when one door opens another one closes, but you may catch hell in the hallway.