Pants, Top, and earrings from Express; shoes from Lulus.

This week I caught up with San Diego fashion blogger, Menza Bolamba to talk about fashion and social media — the good and the not so good. Menza started building a following on Instagram in June of 2019. She decided to start posting consistently because she wanted to see more women that look like her join the blogging community.

Menza’s style is minimal and contemporary. She finds inspiration from Pinterest and people she follows on Instagram. When I asked what her main goal on social media was, she answered, “To inspire people with my life experiences. There are not a lot of black women in the blogging community. For me, representation is very important. It’s hard to feel welcome in a place where you don’t see anyone who looks like you, so that has been my motivation from the start. I want other black women to look at me and realize that there is space for them in this community even if it doesn’t feel like it. It can be uncomfortable at times but pushing past those moments is necessary to help you grow.”

Menza’s favorite thing about having an online presence is the fact that she can help people improve in any area of their life. “It always makes my day when people leave comments or send messages along the lines of, ‘I needed this today,’ or they share how I helped them through certain experiences.” She pointed out that the negative side of social media is there and it’s not fun. “I try not to dwell on my bad experiences. Whenever I’m feeling like I’m starting to get into a bad head space, or I need a break, I scale back and take the day or even the weekend off. It’s always so refreshing being off social media for a bit, and it definitely helps me recharge and fix my mindset.”

Menza has been able to work with many brands even though she has only been blogging for a year. Her favorites: “Lulus, because it was one of the first major brands that reached out to me for a collaboration. I was shocked and really excited to work with them because their clothing is so cute! Mejuri has also been a great brand to partner with, and they were my first brand collaboration ever. All of their pieces are so affordable and great quality, it’s probably one of my favorite jewelry brands. Lastly, my most recent collaboration with Luca + Grae is special for a few reasons. Luca + Grae’s founder Aspyn Ferris is one of my favorite YouTubers, and I’ve been watching her for years now. When she came out with her brand I was really excited to support her, but I noticed there weren’t many curvy options available, so that made things difficult. However, when they launched their curvy collection I was so excited because it meant I could finally work with their brand! Their clothing is so on trend, great quality, and I’ve also had a great experience working with them and their team!”

Lastly, I asked Menza to tell me some of her favorite San Diego spots. “My favorite insta-worthy places in San Diego are One Paseo (there are so many photo opportunities here), Better Buzz in Hillcrest, North Park, Torrey Pines, Morning Glory in Little Italy, Kate O. Sessions Memorial Park in PB, and Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma.