BèlNègès! When Christina “Krissy” Julme initially conceptualized an online hub for young women in Haiti—some in her circle felt it would never work. First and foremost, she wanted to deliver the self-esteem-building articles on everything from natural hair, to beauty, self-image and self-esteem in Haiti’s official tongue—Creole. Folks thought it was going to be an obstacle. She wanted to build the project as an online community, but with internet access not always being reliable in some parts of Haiti, some were skeptical as to whether her idea would work.

Christina “Krissy” Julme, the founder of BèlNègès (third to the right) poses with other members of her community.

But Krissy went to work, regardless, putting her little heart into the project and making sure that each article she wrote would support the site’s motto: “Bote anndan kou deyò-–beauty inside out. She knew she wanted to call the project BèlNègès—the Creole word for “pretty black girl”. Her mission, she had decided, would be multifold: to help more girls believe in themselves and in their abilities and reject the mundane. BèlNègès, she decided, was going to be a resource to encourage girls to consider new models of beauty, and self-image. She thought this was especially vital for girls living in Haiti, because they are hit by problematic perceptions of beauty.

Would BèlNègès catch on? A year after the site’s 2012 official launch, Google Analytics was registering 35,000 monthly visitors to BèlNègès. Then there was the positive feedback from readers—the bèlnègès, as well as the bonego—the name Krissy says she gives to the guy readers. The movement had indeed caught on.

A group of BèlNègès in an outtake from a photoshoot in Port-au-Prince. Photo Credit: Georges Harry Rouzier.

The webpreneur indicates that she doesn’t come across too many challenges in running the site. She has a webmaster who handles the technical aspects of the site. As far as content creation, she took it upon herself to create a content schedule and stick to it. BèlNègès readers can expect three weekly articles. On Mondays, the bèlnègès—the girl readers—can look forward to to an inspirational article on inner and outer beauty. Wednesday is music day, and a song that correlates with the BèlNègès philosophy is featured on the site. On Fridays, the head-BèlNègès-in-charge publishes an article on natural hair care, fitness and wellness. Through it all, she tries to emphasize the importance of local and homemade products. And while embracing natural hair is the core of the website, Krissy wants to make it clear that it’s just one of the many rungs in the ladder of self-love.

BèlNègès is swiftly becoming more than a website. Krissy has launched BèlNègès handbags, and has held conferences attended by BèlNègès readers and fans. She has masterminded several photoshoots that emphasize the brand’s overall message of building a good self-image and loving one’s natural self.

Watch our for the interview between the site’s founder and Kreyolicious…coming soon.

Visit the BèlNègès Website | BèlNègès on Facebook | BèlNègès on Twitter

As you kreyolicious cheries learned in a previous article on Kreyolicious, BèlNègès is an online community based in Haiti. It was founded by Christina “Krissy” Julme, a web entrepreneur who wanted to create a space where she and other girls based in Haiti could discuss self-love, beauty, natural hair care and wellness.

Christina “Krissy” Julme, the founder of BèlNègès, sporting a tee proclaiming one of the brand’s philosophies.

Check out this conversation Kreyolicious had with her in regards to BèlNègès. She also discussed what girls and young women are up to Haiti—and of course the BèlNègès movement in general.

If you missed PART 1, CLICK HERE TO READ AN OVERVIEW OF THE BÈLNÈGÈS MOVEMENT.

Kreyolicious: Can you recall certain incidents that happened in your early childhood that made an impact on how you perceived beauty?

If we’re going to be talking incidents, there were plenty. But before discussing them, I’d like to tell all the BèlNègès who are reading this article not to let anyone define who they are. You’re never going to be good enough for the majority of the people you’ll come across in your life—and some of the ones you’ll never come across. They will always want you to fit their own mold. It’s not easy, but learn to accept yourself as you are, and work on falling in love with yourself each and everyday and work towards the sort of beauty that’ll never go out of style.

My mom has always told me that when I was born, I was so dark that the midwife nicknamed me Dezèmit. Dezèmit was a woman who lived in our neighborhood. Everybody knew that she was a lougawou, and what was said to me, was that she was the color of charcoal and that she was quite ugly. Even now when I go back to my old neighborhood people will not call me by my real name, but by that name. I was the skinniest person in my household, and at practically every school I attended. I can’t even begin to tell you how much they used to tease me. But that never affected me that much, because ever since I was a little girl, I loved the image that starred back at me in the mirror.

Now that I’m grown, I’m even more [in love with myself]. You think I’m pretty? Well, thank you. You don’t think I’m pretty? Well, thank you. I never resigned myself to thinking that my self-worth was based on people’s perception of my looks, and whether they’d accept me—or not—based on that. How people see me has less than 0.1% to do with the big picture. And this is why, I think it’s seriously important to show girls and young women early on to love themselves as they are. And to concentrate on what’s important, as opposed to what people’s eyes can see.

Krissy, the Head BèlNègès poses with those whom she call bonego, the male readers and fans of BèlNègès.

Kreyolicious: From what you’ve observed, what effects does social media have on young girls in Haiti?

The media and social media have a big influence on the world. They don’t call it the Fourth Power for nothing. They can destroy, but at the same time they can destroy. It’s true that we’re dealing with an audience that’s very emotional, very gullible, and very visual—but if we give that audience a choice—that is, if we create something good that they can read, see, listen and visualize—we’ll have to work less work to do towards creating the world we all dream of.

Kreyolicious: You write your articles in Creole.

Language is the best tool to unite us. Language is there to help one create, reflect, exchange and share more. But in order for that to be done, there has to be some structure in place on a national and international level linguistics-wise. Things should be done in the [Creole] language to give it importance, to reinforce its use, to give it value, to enhance it. This way, more people will engage in it. This way the language can have a much more significant representation. That’s what happened with English as a language for many years, and now English is dominant in the majority of countries of the world.

There’s no better way to reinforce to young girls living in Haiti how important it is to love themselves as they are, than to speak to them in their native language, which is Creole. It’s in in this language that we express ourselves the most effectively. It’s in that language that we don’t struggle to make ourselves understood. It’s Creole that correctly translates our realities. It represents us. That’s why the foremost language on BèlNègès is Creole. But there’s going to be a time when we’re going to [communicate in other languages] to reach out to the other bèlnègès, who aren’t Haitian.

Christina “Krissy” Julme in an outtake from a BèlNègès portrait shoot.

Kreyolicious: How do you personally define beauty?

I think that’s the best question from this entire interview. To me, no one can truly see your beauty. But everyone can feel beauty, and feeling that someone is beautiful is the best feeling ever. That sort of beauty can’t be seen by the naked eye. Beauty is what you feel, or what you can make someone else feel. This beauty can be felt when you haven’t combed your hair, when your teeth isn’t brushed yet, when you’re not wearing heels…when you don’t have fake nails on…whether you are in pajamas or without clothes on. Beauty is strength and determination that someone has to work towards what she believes in, even when the whole world is standing in the way. Beauty is knowledge and ability a person has to create a better life.

Beauty is the way you treat others…with love, with wisdom—without a sense of competitiveness—even when the other person doesn’t deserve it. With beauty, we can change our lives and help others in our circle change their own lives.

A BèlNègès event in Port-au-Prince puts everyone in a fab mood.

Kreyolicious: What’s the state of Haitian girls in Haiti?

It’s been about 10 years since I was in need of some motivation to boost up my morale…to make me feel like I’m really living…to help me improve my life. I couldn’t find it in my circle or in my surroundings, or on the internet. At the time, we didn’t have widespread use of the internet the way we do now. But today, BèlNègès has been created for all the girls and young women in Haiti…so that they know they’re not alone. So they know there are people in the same situation as they are, but who are determined to fight to change their lives. It’s not that we’re not aware of how difficult life is for girls in Haiti. We just choose to focus on where we’d like to be, instead of complaining about existing problems. Alone we can go far, but if we hold hands and walk together, we’ll go even further.
There’s hope for all the bèlnègès in Haiti and all over the rest of this earth.

Kreyolicious: What influences do you feel television programming in Haiti has on young girls in Haiti?

Personally, it’s been more than three years since I’ve watched television—whether Haitian television or foreign broadcasting. I can’t really be critical nor opine on anything. All I can say is, the media has a lot of work to do when it comes to leading positive change in our world. So, I’d like to tell all the bèlnègès out there to be patient, as BèlNègès is working hard for you in regards to that aspect.

Kreyolicious: There’s been some observers who have labeled natural hair enthusiasts Nazis, of course after the police force who were adherents of Adolf Hitler, because they think they go overboard when it comes to the natural hair movement. What do you think?

The word “Nazi” is too harsh. But as should be expected when you’re going down the road to self-improvement, you’ll always going to come across as too aggressive to some people. So, it’s normal for some people to feel that the natural hair movement is going too far. It’s because they don’t know or want to accept the hidden history behind the hair that grows out of our scalp.

BèlNègès has expanded from a website to a brand that includes handbags, tee-shirts, and even a conference and events.

Kreyolicious: What female figure do you admire the most?

The woman I admire the most, is the woman I’d like to become one day. The woman who’ll be so intelligent that she’ll be able to use that intelligence towards changing the lives of others in her circle. The woman who’ll believe in herself, but who at the same time doesn’t try to bring down anyone—nor does she try to be in competition with others. The type of woman who’s strong, and who will use her strength to support others who have yet to discover their own strength.

If there is a woman who inspires me, I’d have to say first and foremost it’s my mother. She’s a woman who left her hometown of Anse-a-Veau during the Macoute years, who didn’t know how to read and write—and yet raised six kids in Haiti—and sent them all—with no help from no man or from the government, though that would have been nice—to college.

Christina “Krissy” Julme at an event in Petionville highlighting BèlNègès.

Kreyolicious: Where do you hope to take BèlNègès?

Bèlnègès is going to get where it needs to be with no help from me. That’s because it’s a project that’s bigger than everyone involved with it. The work is plenty, there’s a lot of obstacles, but we’re going to continue fighting so that one day a little girl or a young woman can have somewhere to turn to, when she feels like the world is trying to swallow her. So she can have the means to help her take action and take her life to another level.

Visit the BèlNègès Website | BèlNègès on Facebook | BèlNègès on Twitter

Dear Kreyolicious cheries…to read other articles about what’s happening down in Haiti, and about figures emerging out of Haiti, CLICK HERE.

Christina Julme says she founded her brand BèlNègès at a time when websites targeting young Haitian women in Haiti were nonexistent. Since the launch of the website three years ago, Julme has transformed her online hub into a household name among web and social media users in Port-au-Prince, and Haiti’s other cities. The content is mostly in Creole, and draws not only young women in Haiti, but Creole speakers around the globe. With articles with provoking titles like “Marriage Can’t Be The Biggest Dream You Have For Yourself”, “Don’t Sell It, You Won’t Get A Good Price For It”, “Stop Doing It For Other People”, Julme and her team have succeeded in making over minds and hearts in Haiti. She has held retreat-conferences that cover topics like self-esteem, entrepreneurship, and holistic health, and regularly teams up with social workers, mental health counselors to add weight to her message.

Kreyolicious: What are some of the things you’ve been up to since our last conversation?
For now, the team is working to bring the BN site (www.belneges.org) live. Since last year, Haiti’s Minister of Social Affairs officially recognized BèlNègès as an organization. It’s been our motivation to present our work and vision to all those on internet. We hope that the website is going to be ready before the end of the year. All of our loyal readers from the blog don’t need to worry, because we’ll still have the blog, and it’ll be an integral part of our blog. We’ll make the announcement when we officially launch.

Above: Christina Julme having some me-time during a BèlNègès event in Port-au-Prince.
Kreyolicious: Where is the BèlNègès movement at this point?
BN has changed on paper, but it hasn’t changed in terms of conception. But it did makeover the minds of those who have followed our project and movement. We’ve gone from being known for our work in the natural hair movement to being an organization that works with young girls and women to change their lives.

In the past two years, we’ve reached more than a thousand girls and young women off-line, and thousands through social media. Today, BN is an organization that’s here to stay. A lot of work still needs to be done with and for the girls and young women in Haiti. We’ve even reached women living in other places. Our goal is still the same: to redefine young Haitian women, while promoting beauty on the inside, and the outside.

Kreyolicious: Having a website is cool, but there can be challenges. What steps do you take to keep yourself motivated?
BèlNègès.com has been launched since 2013. It’s been more than a year since we’ve been working with other young writers who share our background and contribute articles. We work like a team, which means that we collaborate with those who have different capabilities, so that we can walk the road together. It’ll be the same when the blog transitions into a full-pledged website.

Above: A BèlNègès retreat orchestrated by Christina Julme, a movement for Millennials in Haiti held at a horse ranch in Kenscoff, a town near Port-au-Prince.

Kreyolicious: Do you feel that everything you set out to achieve with the BèlNègès brand has been achieved?
BèlNègès is a project that we launched, that’s already grown beyond us. And that’s the beauty in the work that we’re doing. As we grow as women, our perspectives, our values evolve, as does the values and perspectives of those who are growing with us. This makes us realize that we don’t stay in the same place mentally and physically. We haven’t achieved an iota of all the projects we have in mind. We just hope that when this generation is gone, we at least have established a base so that the next generation of girls and young women can take over. Because for someone to redefine who they are, and to improve their lives accordingly isn’t something that can be done in a hurry…or that can be done overnight.

Kreyolicious: You’ve written about skin bleaching in Haiti among young girls and women.
Since we [at BèlNègès] cater to a Haitian audience, we feel a responsibility to address topics that reflect our reality. This is why we publish articles in the language that most identify with, and in the language that’s going to prove a debate…especially among young women. Our motto and objective after all is beauty on the inside and the outside. This topic is just a glimpse of future content plans. We just want to remind people not to hesitate to share their thoughts and comments—even if they might have a different point of view. This way, we can have more worthwhile debates that can lead to the changes we’d like to see.

Above: BèlNègès retreat participants having an exchange.

Kreyolicious: Do you think social media has helped young women in Haiti see that there’s beauty in every body shape and size or do you think it’s reinforced the opposite?
We can’t lie to ourselves about this topic, because the truth is right in front of us. Since we’re living in an underprivileged environment, there’s are little means to bring positive messages that can reach out to the female masses. If we consider the issue of internet access, I have to admit that access is still a luxury for most. Also, those who can afford a personal computer, or a Smartphone are few. And then there’s the issue of illiteracy. But when we look more closely, we realize that while few may have access to it, it’s still a great tool. And it remains our most powerful tool, until we’re able to reach out to our audience through other mediums [TV]. [Meanwhile, social media is the main, and fastest tool that BèlNègès uses to reach out to young women. Even if we can’t reach out to all the women in Haiti, all our BèlNègès followers know they have their own hub on the internet.

Above: A BèlNègès tote bag, among the many other offerings from Christina Julme

Kreyolicious: Are there a lot of female website owners in Haiti?
For now, I don’t think there’s that many. I hope that will change soon. But I’m always open to collaboration with those who have the same vision as we do. This way, we can have our mission reach where our voices and our hands can’t.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT BELNEGES AND TRY OUT YOUR CREOLE…ER…KREYOL!