PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTIN SCHOELLER/AUGUST/RAVEN SNOW; GETTY IMAGES. EDITED BY ALLEY PASCOE.194194 marieclaire.com.au“My mum gave me the
opportunity to grow and
pursue my dreams instead
of following her own. She
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MONÁ E
Singer and actress Janelle Monáe
owes much of her success to the
strong women who raised herEHTWOMENWHOMADE(^) M
E
MY AUNT
My aunt Loretta passed away
four years ago. She was
a very outspoken woman
and she never sugar-coated
anything. She was also very
sexually liberated. She taught
me how to protect myself
and embrace my sexuality.
I appreciate her for being
open with me about that.
My aunt Loretta was also
open about the tough times
she went through. She dealt
with drug abuse and a lot of
dark things; but she turned
it all around and became
a flight attendant and
learnt how to fly planes.
She chose freedom over
fear. She came from this dark
past and ended up seeing
the light. And that’s how
I remember her: being a light
for everyone in my family.
She showed us that you can
come from nothing and turn
your life into something.
Tiany & Co.’s There’s Only
One campaign starring
Janelle Monáe is out now.
MY GRANDMOTHER
My grandmother Bessie
helped raise me. I remember
going to live at her house
- she had 11 kids living with
her, but she never turned
us away. Her house was a
community centre of sorts. My
grandmother would open her
home to people who were
recovering addicts, who had
just lost their jobs, just got out
of jail or who were trying to
get back on their feet. It was
humbling to watch this woman,
this matriarch of the whole
community, have so much
influence over people. I saw
convicted murderers treat my
grandmother like a queen.
I look at my grandmother
as an example of how to love
unconditionally. Some of the
people who lived with her
would steal from her and she
would forgive them. It didn’t
matter what you did to her,
if you cussed her out, if you
MY MOTHER
My mother, Janet, had me at a
very young age and she made
a lot of sacrifices in order for
me to be the person I am
today. She put me and my
sister in front of her own
needs, sacrificing both her
own career decisions and
her comfort. She endured
a lot of sufering – including
feeling the shame of being
a young, single mother.
I grew up watching my
mum put on a uniform every
day. She was a janitor. She also
cleaned houses and was a
maid at a hotel. I saw her work
very hard and watched her live
pay cheque to pay cheque.
She never talked down about
her job and we respected her
because she was doing work
that needed to be done.
Without cleaners, our whole
community would fall apart.
My mum gave me the
opportunity to grow andpursue my dreams instead of
following her own. She was
always very creative and she
used to sketch a lot when
I was little – I have tried to
encourage her to do more
art. Now, she’s going back to
school and getting a degree.
My mum is at a level in her
life where she doesn’t give a
damn about what you think.
She is a free spirit with no
inhibitions whatsoever.harmed one of her kids;
she forgave. She was a very
spiritual woman. Now, I
always try to forgive when
I can and to give as much
as I can to those who don’t
have anywhere to turn –
as a way to honour my
grandmother’s spirit.LAST WORD