Ade Hassan
Join Melanina in an interview with the owner and creator of NUBIAN SKIN, a lingerie line that is catered to women of color.
1. You are of Nigerian descent and appear to be extremely proud of it. You've also proved that you've taken pride in your dark skin and wanted other Black women to embrace it, hence your lingerie line Nubian Skin. However, people living in Nigeria tend to use skin lightening products at a high rate. But you did the opposite: not only have you decide to embrace your dark skin but you wanted others to love their melanin as well. What made you love the color of your skin and why chose to spread this love to other women through a lingerie line?
I am of Nigerian descent and I am incredibly proud of my culture. There are so many things that women can feel bad about with our bodies, some we can change, others we can’t. It’s a lot easier to embrace what you have and take good care of yourself. You only get one body, and harmful things like skin bleaching is not only terrible psychologically, it’s also very bad for your health. I don’t know if one thing in particularly made me love the colour of my skin, I’ve just never not liked it. It’s part of who I am. Also, my mother has always had a stable confidence about her, and I suppose that has rubbed off on me. She has always taken care of herself and been confident in her appearance, and I believe she tried to instil that in me – it’s an important thing for a young girl to experience.
2. Your name carries a lot of weight: Ade means royal or crown (Yoruba) and Hassan means beautiful (Arabic). Was there any time in your life where you felt ashamed of it? And if so, what did you do to overcome it?
I’ve honestly never been ashamed of my name. I love it, and am very possessive of it. When I meet other people named Ade, there’s always a bit of a show down!