Becoming the Role Model and Representation I Needed Growing Up

For a really long time, I longed for someone to represent me, my experiences and what I cared about until I concluded that I was the only one who could represent and speak about all of those things truthfully.

Violet Simon

by Violet Simon

October 22, 2024 ∙ 5 min read

As a Black Muslim woman from an immigrant working-class background, I have always had an awareness of how my intersectionality affected what opportunities I had access to and how far I could go professionally. I was born and grew up in France, and the lack of creative career opportunities for people of my socio-economic background, combined with blatant discrimination and racism towards immigrants and their children, led me to move to the UK in search of better opportunities for myself.

I went on to study Clothing Design at Manchester Metropolitan University and was empowered to achieve more than what I aspired to growing up. Following graduation, I worked in the fashion industry for a few years and felt like I became part of a society that finally accepted me as I was. However, when Brexit happened, I felt unwelcome again as an immigrant and my sense of belonging was deeply affected.

Unpaid or low-paid work is still too common within the creative industries, creating an additional financial barrier for those who can’t afford to work for free or for low pay.

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