I attended WEtv’s Press Luncheon for Cutting It: In The ATL their newest reality series. It premieres on Thursday, May 21st at 10 PM EST This inaugural season promises to have high energy and be drama filled. It’s all about Atlanta’s multi million dollar hair and weave culture and it will feature 4 of ATL’s top salon owners which include:
Beautii “Countess of Class” and owner of Spoiled Opulence Salon
Dedra “The Commander in Chic” and owner of J’Doah Salon along with LaKenya (a stylist & former employee of Beautii’s)
Mushiya “The Natural Boss” and owner of The Damn Salon
Maja “The Minister of Weaves” and owner of Walk In Weave Salons
We were treated to a lovely lunch and got to screen the premiere episode of this seasons Cutting It: IN the ATL followed by a panel Q & A then one on ones. I can tell you that if you love a good, catty, shade throwing reality show then you are going to love this. I hope that you will get to learn a little more about each one of these women as the season progresses. And maybe we will find out where they came from, who they are and where they plan to go in the future.
My question to the panel:
As residents of Atlanta you are living the dream not only as successful entrepreneurs but successful African American female entrepreneurs. What motivates each one of you to do what you do?
The ladies really opened up and began speaking about their motivations and what drives them to do what they do. They spoke about where they came from and the sacrifices that they have all made to be here.
Dedra is motivated by her passion which is hair. She loves doing hair and it is her life. She relocated to Atlanta for her children and its really been great for her. Lakenya said that she is motivated by her clients when they feel good it makes her feel good.
Mushiya’s focus is natural hair but she doesn’t really like to do hair. She is motivated by her clients and bringing natural hair to the forefront. She realizes that she has the ability to affect women and their self esteem and this keeps her excited.
Maja is motivated by the potential to be a positive influence. She wants to inspire young Black women to be successful entrepreneurs.
Beautii is motivated by her son. She wants to make sure he goes to college and that she can support him while he is there. Her family is very important to her.
In the separate one on ones, I was able to talk to Mushiya, Dedra, and Beautii. They were all very passionate about children. I love what Mushiya had to say about Natural hair for little girls. She spoke about how even though more people are embracing natural hair that some mothers still tend to straighten our girls hair for special events and activities. To make it “pretty” for a special event negates the true celebration of our beautiful crowns. I agree
Here is a short clip of Mushiya speaking on the beauty of natural hair and how she will use the show as a platform.
Dedra and I engaged on being 40+ female entrepreneurs in the A and how it is possible to stay on trend and compete even if we’re older! I heard that. Lakenya spoke about what it was like to be the youngest cast member and how much she is learning from everyone.
I just loved Beautii and her sister Gynesis. I have sisters that I love dearly so it was nice to see her sister there cheering her on and supporting her. I hope to learn more about her and her product line.
It was interesting getting up close and personal with the show’s entire cast. I can tell you that each woman was polite, friendly and very welcoming. I enjoyed speaking to each of them about real things like entrepreneurship, hair, kids and the community. I am not big on reality shows that promote negative stereotypes of Black women, but when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it each of these women are beautiful, confident, intelligent, business minded and more. They are successful African American Female Entrepreneurs in a billion dollar industry. They are using TV as a medium to promote their businesses and I get that. I am interested in seeing what affect the show has and how it will all play out for them in the future and I wish them all the best. Stay tuned.
You can check out the trailer for the show here:
Cutting It: In The ATL premieres Thursday, May 21st at 10 PM EST. For more about Cutting It: In The ATL Check them out on their site WEtv.com/Cutting It. Follow this hashtag and these accounts: #CuttingIt @CuttingIt_WEtv @Wetv
What do you think about reality TV? Are you a fan or no?
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