Chidera Eggerue (

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

, The Slumflower) is a

British Nigerian British Nigerians (here meaning British people of Nigerian descent rather than Nigerians of British descent) have formed long-established communities in London, Liverpool and other industrial cities. Many Nigerians and their British-born descend ...

writer and fashion blogger. She is best known for her book, ''What a Time to Be Alone'', and the online campaign #SaggyBoobsMatter.

Early life

Eggerue was raised in Southeast London in

Peckham Peckham ( ) is a district in south-east London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vi ...

, a neighborhood that is mostly

. Eggerue attended Goose Green Primary School, in East Dulwich. Eggerue then moved on to Notre Dame School for her secondary education. Her family is Igbo. She attended college to study fashion design but was unable to finish her degree due to depression.

Career

In 2017, Eggerue started #SaggyBoobsMatter, a hashtag that gained prominence on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

and

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

, to challenge the convention that women with large breasts must wear a bra if their breasts sag. As a teenager she felt insecure because her breasts did not look like a model on the packaging of her first bra. She later decided to embrace her shape and posted a picture wearing a dress without a bra in September 2017, using the hashtag. According to Eggerue, "“There is enough room for everybody in the

body positivity Body positivity is a social movement that promotes a positive view of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities. Proponents focus on the appreciation of the functionality and health of the human body instea ...

movement. But we must work together to make room for those more marginalised than us.” Eggerue has received backlash to the campaign. Early in 2018, one of her braless photos was turned into a meme that referred to her and another black woman as unattractive. She then started a blog called The Slumflower to highlight fashion that is not covered within the mainstream. The name refers to the concept of a rose growing from concrete, and comes from the short film created by creative duo Street Etiquette. The blog features modern street style fashions that are affordable. She also writes on topics like friendship, dating, racism, and sexism.

Film and television

In early 2018, she hosted a

Newsbeat ''Newsbeat'' is the BBC's radio news programme broadcast on Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network. ''Newsbeat'' is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for young people.

documentary that explored hair loss and her own experiences with

traction alopecia Traction alopecia is a type of alopecia or hair loss caused by a chronic pulling force being applied to the hair. It commonly results from a person frequently wearing their hair in a particularly tight ponytail, pigtails, or braids with increased ...

. She cites

Munroe Bergdorf Munroe Bergdorf (' Beaumont; born 11 September 1987) is an English model and activist. She has walked several catwalks for brands including Gypsy Sport at both London and NYC Fashion Weeks. Bergdorf was the first transgender model in the UK for ...

Reni Eddo-Lodge Reni Eddo-Lodge (born 25 September 1989) is a British journalist and author, whose writing primarily focuses on feminism and exposing structural racism. She has written for a range of publications, including ''The New York Times'', ''The Guard ...

and

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born Grace Ngozi Adichie; 15 September 1977) is a Nigerians, Nigerian writer of novels, short stories, poem, and children's books; she is also a book reviewer and literary critic. Her most famous works include ''Purple ...

as her biggest inspirations. She was the creative director for Innclusive, a home rental organization that caters to a multiracial audience. In January 2020 she presented a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

documentary ''Bring Back the Bush'', examining why women shave their pubic hair.

Books

After being encouraged by her digital followers, Eggerue created a zine in

Adobe InDesign Adobe InDesign is a desktop publishing and page layout designing software application software, application produced by Adobe Inc., Adobe and first released in 1999. It can be used to create works such as posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, ...

with advice on self-love. After positive reception, she started looking for a publisher. Eggerue published a book called ''What a Time to be Alone: The Slumflower's Guide to Why You Are Already Enough'' in July 2018 under Quadrille Publishing. A few days after publication the book became a

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

bestseller. The book focuses on

self-love Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, ...

and contains advice on how young women can be happy alone. Eggerue uses Igbo proverbs throughout the book. She recorded a

Tedx Talk TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

about self-love named after the book the same month it was released. In February 2020 she published ''How To Get Over A Boy'', a self-help book that gives advice on dating.

Works

* 2018. What a Time to be Alone: The Slumflower's guide to why you are already enough. Publication date 26 July 2018, Quadrille Publishing. * 2020. How To Get Over A Boy. Publication date 6 February 2020, Hardie Grant Publishing.

Accolades

* 2018 - ''

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

,'' 100 Women

References

External links

The Slumflower websiteChidera Eggerue
Ted Talk {{DEFAULTSORT:Eggerue, Chidera Living people British writers Nigerian writers English people of Nigerian descent Writers from the London Borough of Southwark Black British fashion people 1994 births 21st-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers People from Peckham