 |
FLAU’JAE JOHNSON |
.png)
FLAU’JAE JOHNSON COVERS 'TEEN VOGUE' SEPTEMBER ISSUE,
TALKS BEAUTY STANDARDS, FINAL SEASON AT LSU, AND WNBA DREAMS
Known to many as “Big 4,” 21-year-old Flau’jae Monae Johnson is a senior guard on the LSU women’s basketball team. In addition to being last season’s leading scorer, she is a rapper, a businesswoman and philanthropist, a former reality competition series star, and a 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball champion. On the eve of her September cover shoot, Johnson sat down with Teen Vogue contributor Ruth Etiesit Samuel to talk beauty standards, her WNBA dreams, and her love of Miley Cyrus.
Highlights from their conversation can be found below:
On her love of Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana:
“I love Miley Cyrus. I named my album Best of Both Worlds, and I feel like she represents me. I put that together because she was a normal person, and then she was a superstar. That's me.”
On what music brings to her hectic lifestyle:
“When I'm in the gym, the only thing that's on my mind is just getting better and working out," she explains. "But music is therapeutic for me. That's the only thing that slows me down.”
On why she started rapping:
“People always ask me why I started rapping,” Johnson says. “I just wanted to be like my dad. It’s like I’m trying to chase his flow. That's what it was at first, but then I fell in love with music, creating, and the whole process. Then, watching other people create, hearing their creations, and wanting to change it.”
Her LSU Coach Kim Mulkey on her experience with Flau’jae:
Mulkey: “Everybody needs to have the pleasure of coaching a Flau’jae Johnson. She makes our life so joyful.”
On juggling what she thought she should look like as a female athlete, and how she truly wanted to present herself:
“As a young girl, to be a basketball player, you've got to be dominant," Johnson continues. "You've got to wear boy clothes and stuff like that, because that's who you were looking up to. I’m like that on the court, so now, I’ll carry that persona everywhere. I was trying to dress like my favorite hoopers back then,” she says, citing LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
“Everything just changed with the times. You’ve got to think with A.I., he changed the game in the NBA,” Johnson says of Allen Iverson, referencing the famed shooting guard’s cornrows and unapologetic resistance to respectability politics. “I feel like with the WNBA, we are just a newer league. The time is now, but I still feel like there's going to be somebody that comes in, blows it out of the water, and becomes a fashion icon like A.I. Because that’s the space for it. There’s a lot of individuality. Women know how to rock it well, and brands love that.… I think it's just the perfect time with the rise of women's basketball, but also just fashion.”
On embracing her insecurities through her on-court appearance:
“I spend about an hour and 30 minutes before a game getting ready. I’m talking about hair, lashes, makeup, and eyebrows," she explains. "Your appearance is like your forcefield. It’s my aura.” (But she declines to reveal how she keeps her edges laid in the middle of the game.) “It protects me from my own insecurities. That's why I think fashion is so cool, because you're able to create an identity that caters to your insecurities or something you want to hide, something you want to show, something you want to embrace. I think it’s what you make it.”
On how colorism impacts her life:
“I have felt a little bit of that. Just a little bit,” she says. “Seeing how they try to compare me to somebody that don't have no kind of accolades like me. Even when I was little and they started doing my makeup on America's Got Talent, I said, ‘This ain't my color. You ain’t finna lighten me up.’”
On being a role model for young girls and making sure they see themselves reflected in the world:
“I had seen myself on a little TV show before, and I couldn't look at myself. I didn’t even look dark-skinned. Then, to your point, Mom, I started thinking about all the young girls. They're really looking at you and, basically, you’re telling her that your dark skin ain't beautiful enough, so make it lighter. But I need to see a me. Every time I see a little dark-skin girl, every time I meet a young fan, I always say, ‘You're so beautiful.’”
On the players’ union and their negotiations:
“It's beautiful that all the women are coming together. And I feel like people get the wrong message of what it's about," she says. "It's not about getting paid like the NBA players; it's just about getting paid our due percentage of the revenue share. It's something that's got to be fixed, and it's deserved from a lot of work being put in for it. It's about fair treatment, so I'm down with the cause. I hope they figure it out soon.”
On her future, and wanting to experience the WNBA rookie learning curve:
“I’m trying to fall on my face! I'm weird like that,” Johnson says with a laugh. “I'm trying to see, Is this bussing like that for real? When I come in, how hard is it going to be? Or is it going to be easy for me?"
STORY LINK:
https://www.teenvogue.com/
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photographer: Kendall Bessent
Photo Assistant: Anthony Wallen
Stylist / Global Fashion Director: Tchesmeni Leonard
Stylist Assistant / Associate Fashion Editor: Samantha Gasmer
Tailor: Fhonia Ellis
Prop Stylist: Catriana Charles
Hair Stylist: Karjah Carter
Makeup Artist: Jasmine Madison
Manicurist: Kim Cao
Movement Director: Dalyss Hamilton
Producer: Caroline Hughes
Production Assistant: Alivia Korsun
BTS Video: Rhiannon Ewalt
Location: Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta
Location: Swan House at Atlanta History Center
Retoucher: Alberto Maro
Design Director: Emily Zirimis
Senior Designer: Liz Coulbourn
Associate Visuals Editor: Bea Oyster
Assistant Fashion Editor: Crystal Okonkwo
EDITORIAL CREDITS:
Editor-in-Chief: Versha Sharma
Features Director: Brittney McNamara
Style Director: Alyssa Hardy
Associate Editor: Aiyana Ishmael
Associate Editor, Fashion and Beauty: Donya Momenian
Associate Culture Director: P. Claire Dodson
Culture Editor: Kaitlyn McNab
Talent Booker: Paige Garbarini
Associate Director of Audience Development & Analytics: Mandy Velez Tatti
Senior Manager, Social Media: Honestine Fraser
Senior Manager, Social Media: Jillian Selzer
Editorial Assistant: Skyli Alvarez
No comments:
Post a Comment