Soul Deep: An Interview with Beauty Entrepreneur, Courtney Boateng
From self described outsider to being comfortable in her own skin, beauty entrepreneur, Courtney Boateng shares her emotional journey with personal identity and the steps she took to reconcile feelings of doubt and insecurity.
How did you discover your passion for beauty?
At secondary school, I wanted hair extensions that fell down to my ankles and my Auntie, who styled my hair at the time, refused to do it for me. As a hairdresser by trade and fiercely protective, she didn’t want me to look too grown up looking. So I went on YouTube trying to find ways on how to do my own hair. I was watching various tutorials addictively, really intrigued. That’s when I realised that I loved hair and makeup. I loved the idea of helping other women and realised that was my passion.
So what does your business do and how do you want to impact the landscape of the industry?
At CD Beauty Co is, we offer various hair and beauty services to women. I feel as women we can often spend so much of our time thinking about our hair. For something that has been part of our culture for so many generations like cornrows to other different tribal hairstyles, why is it still so complicated to get our hair done? At CD Beauty Co, it’s all about making the hair process more efficient, enjoyable and reliable.
“As much as our faces and ages change, it is the same person looking back at you. It’s about looking deeper than a reflection.”
How does your faith impact you on a day to day basis?
My faith is everything to me. I think it goes back to understanding your purpose. I actually have something I need to achieve when I wake up in the morning. Asking God, how are we going to get closer to that achievement of purpose? How do I find the strength to actually do it? So having the ability to communicate with someone that knows everything from the beginning until the end, that is an amazing advantage. Every step of the way, God is helping me.
Have you ever felt different or the odd one out, from your peers?
There have been many times in my life where I felt out of place. When I was at university, I was one of the few black students studying there. I felt it was an issue that needed to be discussed. How can I make it a more realistic experience for other ethnic minorities students in a similar position? People told me at the time, it was a non-issue, you are just being picky.
“It is actually quite crazy how in this generation people’s opinions, standards change everyday. Today it’s a small waist, big bum and tomorrow it’s big breasts and stuff like that. This is not how I want to live, I do not want to be tossed to and fro.”
How did you navigate that negative situation?
You have to stand your ground for what you believe in. I believed it was an issue and sought to find ways to rectify that situation. I used Social Media such as Twitter and even uploaded a YouTube video with my friends to voice my experiences as a way to inspire others. God has blessed me with wisdom. If I get waived by other people’s opinions, I will be very shaky for the rest of my life. It is actually quite crazy how in this generation people’s opinions, standards change everyday. Today it’s a small waist, big bum and tomorrow it’s big breasts and stuff like that. This is not how I want to live, I do not want to be tossed to and fro.
How has your spiritual journey impacted your view of identity and on your own personal beauty journey?
Faith is a huge part of my identity now. It is a huge part of how I see myself, even physically when I look in the mirror. As much as our faces and ages change, it is the same person looking back at you. It’s about looking deeper than a reflection. I need to be happy about not looking like anyone else. I was intentionally made like this. That realisation would not have come without the acknowledgement of faith. The philosophical underpinning of the idea of a creator. Somebody intentionally forming you the way that you’re formed.
Follow Courtney on Instagram @courtney.daniella
Words by Rochelle King
Photography by Yasmin Rona
