This 19-Year-Old ‘Seyi Alawode’ Is Making Fetch Happen For Millennial Nigerian Girls

Seyi Alawode, 19, grew tired of the generational disparity between us and our parents, and decided to take matters into her own hands for the rest of us. She writes a weekly column in This Day Style, #FromTheMillennials which aims to bridge the gap between both generations. In this column, she educates older adults about things such as feminism and mental health.

This is not the only thing she does for the culture, as last year saw the birth of her blog, The Meraki Girl Hub. MGH is a website which aims to redefine femme culture, celebrates and embraces female creativity, intelligence and talent, particularly for women of colour.

This is why we think that she is making fetch happen- Fetch is basically slang for making things cool. If you’ve watched Mean Girls, you’ll know how hard Gretchen Weiners tried to make fetch happen to no avail under Regina George’s thumb. Here, Nigeria is Regina while Seyi is our Gretchen and she’s succeeding! Here is what she has to say about it:

Question: What was the driving force for you to start Meraki Girl Hub?

Seyi Alawode: I remember one day thinking that the creative scene was becoming more and more prominent in youth culture. I thought the whole thing was pretty cool and I wanted to be a part of it, but I wasn’t fully aware of my own creative talents back then.

I wanted to create a space that would be unlike the usual, one which I could add my own vibes, passion, and beliefs into it. I’m very passionate about women’s affairs- particularly that of women of colour- our rights to speak out, inclusion in all spheres and so on. So I tied all of that together and the Meraki Girl Hub came to fruition.

What is the philosophy behind Meraki Girl Hub?

Our philosophy is to promote women, our opinions, creative skills, voices and culture on an intersectional level. It is very important that we communicate that we tolerate absolutely NO form of racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, classism or ableism. You can leave all that bullshit at the door! 

Why do you target girls specifically?

Because prior to my website, for some reason, I never associated the creative industry with women. When I thought of the word ‘creative’, what often came to mind was young male rappers or a fashion designer. I wanted to challenge that way of thinking.

I also feel as though encouraging the creative talents of young women of colour is extremely important because our parents often stigmatise the creative industry and as a result, many young girls suppress their creativity to pursue acceptable careers.

What has the reception of Meraki Girl Hub been so far?

I’ve got pretty positive responses so far. I’d say 99% positive, 1% negative. The latter obviously comes from the ‘wHy OnLy GiRlS?’ brigade, to whom I often respond, ‘make a Meraki Boy Hub then’!

What would your ideal end goal for Meraki Girl Hub be?

It’s still quite young and growing. I have big plans for the Hub but it’s really all in God’s Hands. I hope to expand it more and more, making it more global and more inclusive, but not in your average, generic way. You’ll see!