Entrepreneur Crushes the ‘Angry Black Woman’ stereotype with her smiling, happy products
By Black Busines News BLog
Daveia Odoi is the creator of “The DynaSmiles by DNT,” an original collection of happy art sold in the US, UK and Ghana that has been highlighted by Essence, Black Enterprise, and BET. Her work places happy, smiling Black women on various products including journals, cosmetic bags, laptop covers, smartphone cases, and more.
Her motivation
Daveia, who is from Franklin Park, New Jersey, says that Black women are often portrayed as mean and down right angry all the time. “But that’s simply not true,” she says. “We enjoy life, love our families and like having nice things just like anyone else.”
Wanting to combat this negative stereotype about Black women, Daveia decided to create lively and fun artistry that displays happy Black women.
She comments, “I couldn’t find anything that looked like me or expressed the sense of joy I was feeling. After browsing in stores and online proved to be unsuccessful, I decided to make my own and share what I made with others.”
Reaching out to others
Daveia wants to do more than show illustrations of happy Black women: She also wants to created more happy Black women.
So, when not creating, she shares her knowledge by mentoring other creative business owners through her online academy called “Shine Brighter”. By speaking at various business training events held throughout the year, she is able to share her knowledge with others about the importance of branding and design as it relates to business marketing.
For more details about her company, visit www.thedynasmiles.com or follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/thedynasmiles/
