Ìfedayo Agoro’s Diary of a Naija Girl started in 2016 by sharing her thoughts, opinions and stories. It has since grown into a community of almost one million followers. In 2020, Ìfẹ́dayo started a skincare brand called Dang, formulated for melanin-rich skin. It has been an enormous success. In this conversation, she discusses the supportive community of women, what women should concentrate on first, and why ‘sorry’ is an overused word.On April 6, the DANG Women Fest will be held at The Podium, Lekki, to learn, network and celebrate womanhood. Find tickets at tix.africa/discover/dangevent
Why do you think your diaries resonated so much?
Not many people seemed to be talking about how subjugated women were made to be in this part of the world. I wanted to tell my story in a way that let people see the good, the bad and the mistakes so that women could also come out to speak for themselves.
What does success look like when we’re talking about inclusion?
It’s so good to see how women have evolved in Nigeria and how we’re no longer waiting around to be provided for. We have suffered through financial abuse, all sorts of abuse really, just because we couldn’t make our own money. What success looks like now for women in Nigeria is liberation, freedom, economic and financial success, and them speaking of more and less shame. She is taking care of herself and everything to do with her. The successful Nigerian woman is working; she’s doing a business on the side; if she is a stay-at-home mum, she’s saving and investing. She’s talking more now; she is refusing to be subjugated. That, for me, is a successful Nigerian woman.
What are the subjects you talk about that resonate most?
If I had to choose one and put it in order, I would put business and personal finance first, then skincare. Many Nigerian women are entrepreneurs because we’re not just going to sit back. Skincare will come after because we really do like to look good. We make sure that we look the best.
Do you have a mantra you live by or find yourself repeating to women?
I tell women in the community that your confidence truly doesn’t come from what you’re wearing or how rich you are; it actually comes from inside you. Knowing that wherever you set your foot is yours to take over. When you enter a room, it’s yours. People can perceive confidence from a mile away. And no matter what you are wearing, if you aren’t confident, people will see through that. So, I always tell women, always, always step in a place and assume and believe that it’s yours, and everything goes smoothly from there.
Another thing I always tell women is to stop apologising. Women apologise for everything. “Oh, sorry, can I?” It’s like we are apologising to exist, apologising to speak, apologising to belong. That needs to stop.
The third thing that everybody knows I talk about is that you cannot be too ambitious. It’s so hard to find when men are described as ambitious. It’s not a quality that I like people to describe me as. I know what it means, but the connotation itself means it’s too much, it’s extra.
