Written by Parris Walters
Illustration by Maddie Harrison
I often find introducing myself to be a challenging task. I wonder: how do you really tell someone who you are or what you do whilst maintaining the balance of not downplaying your work but not sounding arrogant at the same time?
If I had to put it simply, I would say I’m a writer. If I were to be a bit more specific, I would say I’m a 20-year-old freelance writer and undergraduate aspiring to work in broadcast media. If I were being vague and a bit mysterious, I would just say I’m a ‘creative’, a term I used to dislike but have come to appreciate.
Here are some things you need to know:
I’m not a dating expert, I just happen to spend a large amount of my time thinking about and analysing dating culture and relationships. It’s like the grown-up version of being boy-crazy.
All the stories I tell, advice I give and content I create is majorly inspired by my thoughts, feelings and own experiences with the people around me. So, technically, this is their column too.
As with most things, try not to take it too seriously. If you learn something, great. If you laugh, even better. If you’re a troll and plan on leaving a barrage of unpleasant comments, good spelling and grammar please!
I often wonder what a Sex and the City-esque series with a black protagonist would look like. Where would she work? Where would she live?
Alongside the trials and tribulations of dating in a cosmopolitan city, would we also see her contend with microaggressions in the workplace and in her relationships? Or perhaps futilely arguing with a partner about why black lives really do matter?
Where does technology fit into all this? Could Carrie have avoided some of her pitfalls with a quick Instagram stalking sesh or are the love lives of our generation more f*cked than ever due to our incessant use of social media?
For someone who is pretty shit at relationships, I find myself giving a lot of advice (and good advice at that, if I do say so myself). Maybe it’s my blind optimism or my desire to turn my experiences into life lessons and witty digital content for the consumption of others. For my own personal sanity, I choose to look on the bright side because if I didn’t, I would’ve joined a convent a long time ago.
The inspiration behind this column, to put it simply, is probably a combination of binge-watching HBO (shout out Sarah Jessica Parker and Issa Rae), a compulsive habit of narrating the lives of my friends and I and the desire to date more productively.
More specifically, I wanted to create a space which encourages relaxed conversations about dating from a POC perspective and help demystify dating culture because like the ocean, there is plenty more to be discovered.
This column is for the 20-somethings who want to know how to pack a discreet overnight bag for a d*ck appointment, how to productively deal with heartbreak or what to do when the guy you’re dating might be a racist. It is for anyone who has ever been curious about the wonderful and mind-boggling world of dating and relationships and anyone who has longed for a modern reboot of SATC with more representation. Until we have that, read this.
